this curious result; because you will see, I think, the very same thing
occurring in two other Alexandrian schools, of which I shall speak
hereafter.

The result to these Rabbis was, that the inspired books which spoke of
this Divine guidance and government became objects of superstitious
reverence, just in proportion as they lost all understanding of their
real value and meaning. Nevertheless, this too produced good results;
for the greatest possible care was taken to fix the Canon of these
books; to settle, as far as possible, the exact time at which the Divine
guidance was supposed to have ceased; after which it was impious to
claim a Divine teaching; when their sages were left to themselves, as
they fancied, with a complete body of knowledge, on which they were
henceforth only to comment. Thus, whether or not they were right in
supposing that the Divine Teacher had ceased to teach and inspire them,
they did infinite service by marking out for us certain writers whom He
had certainly taught and inspired. No doubt they were right in their
sense of the awful change which had passed over their nation. There was
an infinite difference between them and the old Hebrew writers. They
had lost something which those old prophets possessed. I invite you to
ponder, each for himself, on the causes of this strange loss; bearing in
mind that they lost their forefathers' heirloom, exactly in proportion
as they began to believe it to be their exclusive possession, and to
deny other human beings any right to or share in it. It may have been
that the light given to their forefathers had, as they thought, really
departed. It may have been, also, that the light was there all around
them still, as bright as ever, but that they would not open their eyes
and behold it; or rather, could not open them, because selfishness and
pride had sealed them. It may have been, that inspiration was still
very near them too, if their spirits had been willing to receive it.