1. During the long captivity of Babylon, the prophets Jeremiah, Daniel, and Ezekiel instructed and sustained the Jews by their prophecies. After their return to Jerusalem, God raised up others to cheer and encourage His people, amongst these latter were Haggai and Zachariah, by whose prophecies that the Messiah would one day enter this new Temple, the people were strongly encouraged to push on the work. It was in this sense they said, "The glory of the second Temple will be far greater than the glory of the first."
2. The last of the prophets whom God raised up among the Jews was Malachi, who lived about four hundred years before Christ. He preached against the hypocrites of his day, and more especially against the priests. Malachi is remarkable for his celebrated prophecy: "That God would reject the sacrifices of the Old Law, and in their place institute a New Sacrifice, that would not cease from the rising to the setting of the sun." This prophecy is fulfilled in the Sacrifice of the Mass.
3. About the year 277 A.C. the Old Testament was translated from the Hebrew into Greek. This translation is known as the Septuagint. When this was done Greek was spoken everywhere; hence by this translation a knowledge of the Sacred Scriptures, and more particularly of the prophecies concerning the Messiah, was scattered among the pagan nations.
4. About the same time also, under the inspiration of God, a Jew named Jesus, the son of Sirach, wrote a book of pious sentences. The object of the book was to teach men truth and lead them to God. This book is known as the book of Ecclesiastes.
Questions to Consider : 81.—Who were the prophets during the captivity? Who were after? What is said of Malachi? What is the Septuagint? Who wrote the book of Ecclesiastes?
1. The great kindness shown by the kings of Persia to the Jews induced many of them to remain in Babylon. Amongst these was Esther.
During the reign of Ahasuerus, Esther lived with her uncle, Mordecai. By chance the king saw her, and, being much pleased with her, made her his queen.
2. Her uncle; Mordecai, became very uneasy lest anything would happen to his adopted daughter; hence he stood daily before the king's palace. While Mordecai thus watched over the interest of his adopted child, he one day discovered a conspiracy by which two officers intended to kill the king. Instantly he warned Esther, who told Ahasuerus. The officers were put to death, and the event nut in the annals of the kingdom.
3. Some time after this the king raised Haman to the highest dignities in the state. All the king's servants bent the knee before him, Mordecai excepted. When Haman noticed this he became exceedingly angry, and resolved on the destruction of the obstinate Jew.
4. That he might the better accomplish his object, Haman pretended that the Jews were about to revolt, and succeeded in persuading the king to publish an edict that all of them that were in his kingdom should on the same day be put to death, together with their wives and their children, and all their possessions be confiscated to the crown.
5. When Mordecai heard the news he hastened to Esther and urged her to plead for her people. But there was a law forbidding any subject to present himself before the king unless called. Esther resolved to brave the danger. She clothed herself in her most gorgeous apparel, and, begging God to bless her mission, presented herself to the king while he was sitting on his throne.
6. Esther threw herself at the king's feet, but fainted at sight of his angry look. When Ahasuerus saw the distress of his queen, he relented, and, descending from his throne, raised her up, and supported her till she recovered. Then the king said to her: "fear not, Esther; you shall not die. What do you wish?" The peen merely asked him to bring Haman with him, and come the following evening to the banquet she had prepared. The king promised to come.
7. During the night the king could not sleep, and, to amuse himself, ordered the annals of his reign to be read Rif him. When it came to the conspiracy which Mordecai had discovered, the king asked what reward Mordecai had received for what he had done. Being answered, "None," Ahasuerus sent for Haman, and asked: "What ought to be done to the man whom the king wished to honor?"
8. Haman, thinking the king wished to honor himself, said: "The man whom the king would honor should be clothed in the royal robes, and be placed on the king's horse, and the first of the king's princes should walk before him and cry aloud: 'Thus shall he be honored whom the king wishes to honor.'" The king then bade Haman go and do to Mordecai, the Jew, as he had counselled. Haman dared not disobey the king.
9. In the mean time the hour for the queen's feast came on, and Haman hastened to attend. During the feast the king asked Esther what she wished, promising to give even to the half of his kingdom. The queen asked but for her life and the lives of her people. When the king heard how his confidence had been abused, and how, under false pretences, the Jews were about to be destroyed, he became angry and asked who had dared to do this thing. Esther answered, "Haman."
10. The king rose in great fury, and, calling together his eunuchs, asked what he should do. But one said, "Haman has prepared a gibbet fifty cubits high on which to hang Mordecai." Then the king said, "Hang Haman on it."
That very hour Haman was hung, and Mordecai invested with his dignity. The edict against the Jews was revoked, sand many of the pagans were converted.
11. Queen Esther was a figure of the Blessed Virgin. Esther was alone exempted from the rigors of the Persian law; the Blessed Virgin was alone exempted from original sin. Esther saved her people; Mary gave a Savior to the world.
Mordecai was the faithful guardian of Esther; Joseph was the guardian of Jesus and Mary. Mordecai was placed in the highest office of state; Joseph holds one of the highest places in heaven.
Questions to Consider : 82: Tell the history of Esther, What did Mordecai do? What is said of Haman? What did Esther do? What was the result? What counsel did Haman give? Where did Haman hasten to go? What happened to Haman? What happened to Mordecai? How is Esther a figure of the Blessed Virgin?
1. When the Jews were reestablished in their own country, God, in a most wonderful manner, again delivered them by the hands of a woman. Holofernes, an Assyrian general, advanced into Judea with a powerful army. He took many of the cities, and treated the inhabitants with extreme cruelty. At length he laid siege to Bethulia, and, cutting off the aqueduct by which the city was supplied with water, the inhabitants were soon reduced to the last extremity.
2. When they saw themselves in this condition they agreed to surrender if within five days they received no help. There was within the city a young widow named Judith, of great wealth and beauty. When she heard the resolution to which the leaders had come, she laid aside the garments of her widowhood, and, anointing herself, put on her richest ornaments.
3. Thus arrayed, she went, accompanied by her servant, to the Assyrian camp. God also added to her beauty. When Holofernes saw her he received her most kindly, and gave orders to his servants to permit her to come and to go at he' pleasure.
4. Four days after her arrival in the Assyrian camp, Holofernes gave a great banquet to the officers of his army. Late in the night he threw himself upon his bed, and, being drunk, slept heavily. Judith drew near the bed on which Holofernes lay, and, praying to God to strengthen her arm, took the sword that hung at the top of the bed and cut off his head.
5. Then she put the head in a bag and gave it to her servant, and, hastening from the Assyrian camp, came to Bethulia. When she had assembled the leaders and the people, she showed them the head of Holofernes, and bade them praise the Lord, who had protected her from sin, and, by her hands, killed their enemy.
6. The Jews, seeing how God had thus fought for them, hung the head of Holofernes from the walls of the city, and, going forth, attacked the Assyrians, who, without a leader, were easily overcome, and many of them slain.
Judith was much esteemed, not only by the inhabitants of her native city, but by all Judea; and when she died all the people wept.
Questions to Consider : 83.—What is the history of Judith! Whose head did she cut off? What did the Jews do? What was done at the death of Judith?