THE GREEK DYNASTY. 203 



did return were chiefly the fanatics, the clergy and the 

 paupers. The harvest, as we shall find, was worthy of 

 the seed. 



Beneath the Persian yoke the Jews of Judaea were 

 content, and paid their tribute with fidelity. They 

 could do so without scruple, for they identified Ormuzd 

 with Jehovah, took lessons in theology from the doctors 

 of the Zendavesta, and recognised the great King as 

 God's Viceroy on earth. But when the Persian empire 

 was broken up, Palestine was again tossed upon the 

 waves. The Greek Kings of Alexandria and Antioch 

 repeated the wars of Nebuchadnezzar and Necho. 

 Again Egypt was worsted, and Syria became a province 

 of the Grseco-Asiatic empire. The government en- 

 couraged emigration into the newly conquered lands, 

 and soon Palestine was covered with Greek towns and 

 filled with Greek settlers. Judasa alone remained like 

 an island in the flood : European culture was detested 

 by the doctors of the law, who inflicted the same 

 penalty for learning Greek as for eating pork. They 

 therefore resisted the spread of civilisation ; and Jeru- 

 salem was closed against the Greeks. 



In the Hellenic world toleration was the universal 

 rule. An oracle at Delphi had expressed the opinion 

 of all when it declared that the proper religion for 

 each man was the religion of his fatherland. Govern- 

 ments, therefore, did not interfere with the religious 

 opinions of the people ; but on the other hand the 

 religious opinions of the people did not interfere 

 with their civil duties. We allow the inhabitants of 

 the holy city of Benares to celebrate the rites of their 

 pilgrimage in their own manner, and to torture them- 

 selves in moderation, but we should at once commence 

 what they would call a religious persecution if they 



