332 ELEMENTS OF SCIENCE 



Amos prophesied under its second king, Jeroboani, who 

 died 743 B.C. The end of the conflict of Israel with 

 Syria was, as the reader knows, the Captivity (725 B.C.) 

 and loss of the Ten Tribes. By this loss the Southern 

 nation (Judah) had its sentiments of patriotism and racial 

 distinctness accentuated. A further concentration and 

 intensification of the Jewish nationality was effected by 

 the reform of King Josiah (623 B.C.), who promulgated 

 the Book of Deuteronomy, whereby all sacrifice was limited 

 to the temple of Jerusalem and a Levitical priesthood. 

 This was at the beginning of the period of the conflict of 

 the Jews with Babylon, which ended in the captivity of 

 Judah, under Nebuchadnezzar (597-566 B.C.), a little 

 before which were the writings of Jeremiah and 

 Zephaniah, whose whole spirit is in complete accord with 

 Deuteronomy. But with the captivity and consequent 

 loss of independent nationality, the religion of the Jews 

 was yet further intensified. The "nation" became 

 more or less changed into an " hereditary Church," while 

 the stream of prophecy began to flow in the direction of 

 ritual observance, and was not, as before, almost entirely 

 ethical. Thus the full development of Judaism was 

 carried much further during the exile by Ezekiel, who 

 was himself a priest and for years an official at Jerusalem. 

 He commanded, in the name of Jehovah, that a distinc- 

 tion should be made between priests and Levites, the 

 former alone being permitted to sacrifice. Divine re- 

 wards and punishment for the individual came to the 

 front in place of the older notion which regarded the 

 community almost exclusively. Instead of what was said 

 by the old prophets : " Let Israel love justice, and Jehovah 

 will reward the nation accordingly," Ezekiel taught : 

 "Let the individual love justice, and Jehovah will reward 

 him." 



