THE MILITARY FUNCTIONS OF PRIESTS. 777 



had &quot;idols, which they adored as gods of battles. . . They 

 carried these when they went to fight the Chinamitas, their 

 neighbours and mortal foes.&quot; Of the Chibchas, Herrera, 

 referring to private idols, says &quot; So great was their Devotion, 

 that whithersoever they went, the Idol was carry d, holding 

 it with one Arm and fighting with the other in their Battles.&quot; 

 Koi has it been otherwise in the old world. The account in 

 2 Samuel, v, 21, shows that the Philistines carried their 

 images of the gods with them when fighting ; and the ark, 

 regarded by the Hebrews as a residence of Jahveh, was taken 

 out to war not unfrequently (2 Samuel, xi). Indeed in 

 1 Samuel, iv, we read that the Hebrews, having been defeated 

 by the Philistines, sent for the ark that it might save them ; 

 &quot; and when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into 

 the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the 

 earth rang again. . . . And the Philistines were afraid, for 

 they said, God is come into the camp.&quot; Moreover, on calling 

 to mind the sacrifices habitually made before and after, and 

 sometimes during, battles by uncivilized and semi-civilized 

 peoples, we are further shown how close has been the 

 connexion between killing enemies and pleasing deities. 



Priests being the official propitiators of deities, the 

 corollary is obvious. While often restrainers from wars 

 with those of the same blood, they are originally stimu 

 lators to wars with those of other bloods worshipping other 

 deities. Thus, concerning the Mexicans above referred to, 

 who fought to provide victims for their gods, we read 

 that &quot; when the Priests thought fit, they went to the Kings, 

 and told them, they must remember the Idols who were 

 starving with Hunger.&quot; The Assyrian priests had further 

 motives, &quot; They lived on the revenues of the temples . . . 

 were directly interested in war, as a portion of the spoil 

 was dedicated to the temples.&quot; But without multiplying 

 instances, it will suffice to recall the fact that even among 

 the Hebrews, while king and people were in some cases 

 inclined to show clemency, priests insisted upon chcrem 



