Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 11.djvu/234

* JEWS. 208 JEWS. of Sinai and in consequence adopted the cult of a deity known as Valnveh. who was su|)posed to have his scat on the top of the mountain. Here, as would appear, the process of the combination of these clans, that came from Egj'pt with others to whom they were more or less closely related, began, so that when the advance toward Canaan commenced we have already some of the elements of the Hebrew confederation. The a<?ricultural districts of Canaan formed a natural object of attraction for these Hebrew nomads. Some sec- tions of the Hebrew nomads remained on the east of the Jor<Ian, while others boldly crossed over into the Canaanitish settlements. A process of gradual dispossession of the native Canaanites now began, which, extending; oA-er several cen- turies, led to the control of large sections of the country by the Hebrew elans, and as a conse- quence they passed from the pastoral to the agri- cultural life. But the agricultural settlements of Canaan continued to attract other nomads, and combinations among those who had succeeded in dispossessing the Canaanites became necessary. It was this necessity of nuilual protection that led to the definite founilation of the confederation of certain clans into the Hebrew group. At about B.C. lOiiO we find a certain measure of hegemony exercised by the clan Benjamin, because of the presence in its midst of a power- ful warrior, Saul. But soon a youthful rival appeared from Bctiilehem in the person of David, who became the leadir of a clan known as .Tudah, itself comi)osed of several elements. After the death of Saul. David succeeded in extending his authority to the north over the clans controlled by Saul. David designated Solomon as his suc- cessor, and the confederation seemed destined to lead to a permanent union. The political organ- isation assiimed definite shape. A genuine king- dom was established, with its centre in .Jerusa- lem, the old fortress of the .Jebusites, conquered by David. The union, however, of north and south lacked tenacity, and, after Sohmiim's death (c.n.SO B.C.). was dissolved. In the north the tribe of Kpbraim obtained the supremacy, in the south the tribe of .ludab. Under the designation kings of Israel and kings of .ludah a series of rulers (representing various dynasties in the case of Israel) arose whose reigns were largely occupied with attempts of the one to obtain con- tiol of the kingdom of the other. The northern kingdom, representing a luore powerful combina- tion, succeeded in reducing the south at various times to a position of vassalage, but the former also paid the penalty of its greater jiower by exhausting its vitality more rapidly in conflicts with surrounding nations. At times north and south combined for defense against a common enemy, but a ])ermanent union was never agaiif effected. The northern kingdom succumbed to the Assyrian monarchy in B.C. 722. when (Jargon cap- tured Samaria. The people were carried into captivity and their place supplied by Assyrian colonists from the east, who, mingling and in- termarrying with the remnant left behind, formed the mixed people know-n as Samaritans (q.v.). The captives disappeared among the people of Mesopotamia and jledea. in whose midst they had been settled, and constitute "the lost ten tribes of Israel." who have been the subject of much pseudo-.scientific literature. (For the real significance of some of the facts misused by the- orists, consult Heine. The British Nation Iden- tiftcd idlh Lost Israel, London. 1871, and Mallery's address, "Israelite and Indian," pub- lished in the I'roceeditiys of the Auurictin As- si/ri(ition for the AdcdHetitient of Scienee for IS.S!).) The kingdom of ,Judah was spared an- nihilation when the northern kingdom fell, though forced to pay tribute to Assyria, Surviving the Assyrian power, it aroused the anger of Nebu- chadnezzar II,, the powerful ruler uf the Neo- Bal)ylonian kingdom, and, in punishment for attempting to throw oil' the Babylonian yoke, .lirusalem was besieged and destroyed in B.C. HHd. To avoid further trouble, the ICing and the in- lluential section of the people were carried as captives to Babylonia, and they were followed by others, so that ere long iSabylunia had a large Hebrew ])opulation in its midst.. See Babylonish C.VPTIVITY. Of supreme importance in Hebrew history is the remarkable development of religious thought which took place chiell.v during the la.st three centuries before the fall of .Jerusalem. hen the Hebrew nomads exchanged the pastoral for the agricultural life, they also adopted the cult of the Canaanitish Baalim (see Baal), who were re- garded as the owners of the soil, and upon whose favor its fertility depended, identifying the Baal of each sanctuary (usually situated on an emi- nence) with Yahweh. The practices, however, at the Baal sanctuaries dilTercd considerably from those which marked the worship of Yahweh. Agricultural festivals represented innovations for a people who had hitherto led a pastoral life. As a consequence, there were always some sections of the Hebrew populace who discountenanced the new modes of worship, and clung tenaciously to the older Yahweh ritual. These followers of Yah- weh gradually were brought into an attitude of opposition to the Baal-Yahweh amalgamation : and in the ninth century B.C., under the leader- ship of Elijah (q.v.), the opposition between Yahweh and Baal led to a severe struggle, the outcome of which, while not perniaiientlv de- cisive, was favorable to the Yahwists. At all events, a halt was called upon the spirit of reli- gious syncretism, and the way was cleared for a more decisive movement toward the purification of the mode of worship by eliminating objection- able elements. A class of men arose known as the prophets, who, by way of emphasizing the con- trast between Yahweh and Baal, attached con- ceptions to the fonuer which separate him sharp- ]y from the gods of all other nations. Under the influence of the prophets. Yahweh became a deity whose acts are regulated by motives of strict moralitv and justice. While still the national god of the Hebrews, he applies strict standards of conduct and withholds his favor from his own people if they fail in attaining these standards. This movement led eventually to the establish- ment of the principle of ethical monotheism, though the process was not completed till the post-exilic period, when the thought took firm liold of the Hebrews that their god was not only different from the gods of other nations, but that such a god was in every sense a imique as well as an only power. As a trace of the older na- tional conception the doctrine arose that Yahweh had singled out the Hebrews as his own special people, but that he guides the destinies of all nations and that the world and mankind are the works of his hands. Concomitant with the doc- trinal advance went a movement to give expres-