ation: 337.jpg CHALDEAN SEAL WITH ARAMAIC INSCRIPTION]

Drawn by Faucher-Gudin, from a photogravure published in
Menant.

Zerubbabel, a prince of the royal line, governed Judah in the Persian
interest, and with him was associated the high priest Joshua, who looked
after the spiritual interests of the community: the reproaches of the
two prophets aroused the people from their inaction, and induced them to
resume their interrupted building operations. Darius, duly informed of
what was going on by the governor of Syria, gave orders that they were
not to be interfered with, and four years later the building of the
temple was completed.*

* Ezra iv.-vi.; the account given by Josephus of the two
expeditions of Zerubbabel seems to have been borrowed partly
from the canonical book, partly from the Apocryphal writing
known as the _1st Book of Esdras_.

For nearly a century after this the little Jewish republic remained
quiescent. It had slowly developed until it had gradually won back
a portion of the former territories of Benjamin and Judah, but its
expansion southwards was checked by the Idumaeans, to whom Nebuchadrezzar
had years before handed over Hebron and Acrabattene (Akrabbim) as a
reward for the services they had rendered.

On the north its neighbours were the descendants of those Aramaean
exiles whom Sargon, Sennacherib, and Esar-haddon, kings of Assyria,
had, on various occasions, installed around Samaria in Mount Ephraim. At
first these people paid no reverence to the "God of the land," so that
Jahveh, in order to punish them, sent lions, which spread carnage in
their ranks. Then the King of Assyria allotted them an Israelitish
priest from among his prisoners, who taught them "the law" of Jahveh,
and appointed other priests chosen from the people, and showed them how
to offer up sacrifices on the ancient high places.*

* Kings xvii. 24-40. There do not seem to have been the
continual disputes between the inhabitants of Judaea and
Samaria before the return of Nehemiah, which the compilers
of the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah seem to have believed.

Thus another Israel began to rise up again, and, at first, the new
Judah seems to have been on tolerably friendly terms with it: the two
communities traded and intermarried with one another, the Samaritans
took part in the religious ceremonies, and certain of their leaders
occupied a court in the temple at Jerusalem. Th