pose, however,
that the principles of Hillel were not unknown to him. Hillel, fifty
years before him, had given utterance to aphorisms very analogous to
his own. By his poverty, so meekly endured, by the sweetness of his
character, by his opposition to priests and hypocrites, Hillel was the
true master of Jesus,[1] if indeed it may be permitted to speak of a
master in connection with so high an originality as his.

[Footnote 1: _Pirke Aboth_, chap. i. and ii.; Talm. of Jerus.,
_Pesachim_, vi. 1; Talm. of Bab., _Pesachim_, 66 _a_; _Shabbath_, 30
_b_ and 31 _a_; _Joma_, 35 _b_.]

The perusal of the books of the Old Testament made much impression
upon him. The canon of the holy books was composed of two principal
parts--the Law, that is to say, the Pentateuch, and the Prophets, such
as we now possess them. An extensive allegorical exegesis was applied
to all these books; and it was sought to draw from them something that
was not in them, but which responded to the aspirations of the age.
The Law, which represented not the ancient laws of the country, but
Utopias, the factitious laws and pious frauds of the time of the
pietistic kings, had become, since the nation had ceased to govern
itself, an inexhaustible theme of subtle interpretations. As to the
Prophets and the Psalms, the popular persuasion was that almost all
the somewhat mysterious traits that were in these books had reference
to the Messiah, and it was sought to find there the type of him who
should realize the hopes of the nation. Jesus participated in the
taste which every one had for these allegorical interpretations. But
the true poetry of the Bible, which escaped the puerile exegetists of
Jerusalem, was fully revealed to his grand genius. The Law does not
appear to have had much charm for him; he thought that he could do
something better. But the religious lyrics of the Psalms were in
marvellous accordance with his poetic soul; they were, all his life,
his food and sustenance. The prophets--Isaiah in particular, and his
successor in the record of the time of the captivity,--with their
brilliant dreams of the future, their impetuous eloquence, and their
invectives mingled with enchanting pictures, were his true teachers.
He read also, no doubt, many apocryphal works--_i.e._, writings
somewhat modern, the authors of which, for the sake of an authority
only granted to very ancient writings, had clothed themselves with the
names of prophets and patriarchs. One