154 THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. CHAP. XII. 



of their long-continued observations. It is, indeed, 

 supposed that tlie Chaldeans of Babylon, being an 

 Egyptian colony, arrived at their celebrity in as- 

 trology in consequence of what they derived from 

 the priests of Egypt." 



** The art of predicting future events, as prac- 

 tised in the Greek temples," says Herodotus, '*came 

 also from the Egyptians; and it is certain that they 

 were the first people who established festivals, 

 public assemblies, processions, and the proper mode 

 of approaching or communing with the Divinity."* 

 The manner of doing this depended on the object 

 of the votary, and a proper offering was required 

 for each service. 



Meat and drink offerings, and oblations of dif- 

 ferent kinds, made by the Jews, were in like manner 

 established by law, and varied according to the oc- 

 casion. *' Some were free-will offerings t, others of 

 obligation. The firstfruits, the tenths, and the sin- 

 offerings were of obligation; the peace-offerings, 

 vows, offerings of wine, oil, bread, salt, and other 

 things made to the temple, or the ministers of the 

 Lord, were of devotion. The Hebrews called 

 offerings in general Corhan ; but those of bread, 

 salt, fruits, and liquors, as wine and oil, presented 

 to the temple, they termed Mincha. Sacrifices, 

 not being properly offerings, were not generally 

 included under this name. Offerings of grain, 

 meal, bread, cakes, fruits, wine, salt, oil, were 

 common in the temple. These were sometimes 

 presented alone ; sometimes they accompanied the 



* Heroilot. ii. 58. f r/(/c Calmet ;" Offerings." 



