Page:Notes and Queries - Series 9 - Volume 6.djvu/320

 262 NOTES AND QUERIES. p* a. VL OCT. e, woo. habits, but when Joachim was king he com- manded them to live in the same fashion as the rest of his subjects, and on their refusal caused them to be imprisoned. From this captivity they were released by angels, who led them through the air and placed them in this island. They had no vines, they sowed no seed, they had no need to work wood or iron, they had no houses or buildings, they had no gold and no silver. In the island there •was no winter, no snow, no ice. The cloud wall which surrounded the island shut out the sun. The Rechabites married only for the perpetuation of the race, and. this accom- plished, lived the remainder of their lives in celibacy. Of each marriage there were two children, one destined to virginity and the other to the married state. The life of the just was prolonged, whilst that of the wicked was shortened. (This is remarkable, as we are also told that the Rechabites were " pure and without stain.") Whilst destitute of clothing they were covered with a vestment of glory, so that their nakedness was not visible. Angels came to bring them intelli- gence of the events of the world of vanity. They knew in this way of the life and suffering of Christ. They are reminded of the forty days' fast of the Lord when they see the fruits vanish from the trees. During this time they are fed with manna, " as our fathers were when they left Egypt."* At the feast of the Resurrec- tion they watch for three days and three nights; and the other sacred festivals they celebrate in the company of the celestial hosts. The Rechabites have no anger, no envy, no evil thoughts, and are exempt from suffering and disease. When the time of death comes an angel says, "Oh, stainless soul, thy Master calls thee to Him." Then the soul joyfully quits the body and goes before the messenger, and is gladly welcomed by the other angels. As the Rechabites have no instruments of labour, the angels prepare the place of sepulture. The soul is beautiful and luminous, resembling in form the human body, but is light and aerial. The soul, con ducted by angels to heaven, is there received by celestial cohorts until, past cherubirc and seraphim, it is taken by the Son of Goc to adore the Father. And this moment is known to the brethren in the blessed island, though they may have intermarried with the Jewi in the course of the generations in which they were in such close contact with the descendants o Jacob. They are. however, regarded as descendant! of Abraham and Keturah, and therefore cluaset with the "Sous of the Couuubiues." ind they arise as the ransomed is raised )y God from its adoration and sent into a uperb habitation to await the last day. The Rechabites in their lonely isle can hear !n- voices of the angels, of the spirits, and of the powers as they chant their hymns of >raisein the heavens. All this, at much greater ength, was written down for Zozimus in a locument which he might take back with urn to the world of vanity. His journey rom the island was made in the same fashion as the iourney thither. Once more in his
 * The Rechabim were not Israelites by origin
 * avern home, his curiosity as to the Recha-

rites satisfied, Zozimus renewed the even tenor of his solitary existence. Of the class of Eastern ascetics to which Zozimus belongs lien- are some curious anecdotes in the Laughable Stories' of Gregory Bar-Hebraeus, •ecently translated from the Syriac by Dr. E. A. Wallis Budge, and published in Luzac's 'Semitic Texts and Translations." It is a very curious and interesting book. The story of Zozimus is believed to have seen written first in Hebrew, then in Greek, and then in Syriac. The oldest MS. apparently belongs to the end of the twelfth century, but the substance is no doubt much earlier. Some of its phrases show that it is not likely to have been put in its present shape before the fifth century. There are internal evidences, too, that the translator has made extensive alterations which are not always very skilfully executed. As Bar Hebrseus says that the Rechabites in the Fortunate Isles practised the law of Moses, it seems certain that we have to deal with a Hebrew legend which has been transformed into a Christian myth. Dr. Nau points out that the author has not noticed that if each couple have but two children, and one of these is devoted to celibacy, the Rechabites would decrease by one-half in each generation. He has another curious calculation. From the time of Jeremiah to that of Jacob of Edessa we may reckon forty generations. If, then, at the latter date there were but two Rechabitea who remained from four, who remained from eight, &c., since one-half of each generation were celibate, we should have to suppose the existence in the prophet's days of plus de mille milliards " of Rechabites. The room of Hanan would need to have been extensive for such a company. Dr. Nau observes :— " J'aideVeloppd cet exemple pour montrer que Ton devrait toujours veiller, mdme quand on fait du mysticismo, a ce que la raison ne perde pas ses droite." If, as is probable, this story of the Recha- bites is a Hebrew legend with Christian