Philosophy of Botany. 201 



fered a greater degradation than Judea, at that time governed 

 by the vicious tyrant, Antipater. More vivid than ever before 

 in the hardest trials grew the expectancy of the pious Jews of 

 the advent of the deliverer, the messenger of Jehovah, who 

 should, as promised by the prophets, deliver them from their 

 oppressors and be the God-appointed King over the chosen 

 people, to reside in Jerusalem. The learned classes of Syria 

 and Palestine were habitually disposed to disputations upon 

 the meaning of their owri ancient religious literature. The 

 Hebrew language was already a dead language and the holy 

 writings in the hands of the Levites and the scribes as inter- 

 preter's. The ancient creed divided in three opposing sects, 

 one of which, the sect of the Esseniens, distinguished them- 

 selves by their religious devotion and purity of life. Among 

 the Esseniens formed a separate society, who endeavored to 

 perfect themselves by acts of penitence and self-inflicted tor- 

 ments, the Nasireans. John the Baptist was a member of this 

 sect. He was a cousin of Jesus, taught the doctrines of the 

 Esseniens, urging his hearers to repentance and good conduct,, 

 and immersed in water, as an emblem of purification, all those 

 who promised to follow his exhortations. When Jesus (the 

 son of Joseph and Mary, of poor, but noble, lineage) came 

 to him, he also submitted to this symbol, and was then de- 

 clared by John as the expected Messiah. Without doul^ting 

 the correctness of the statement as given by the evangelists, 

 there is, however, a large scope for comment by the student of 

 the comparative history of religions. The Essenien doctrines 

 were very much the same as those of the Buddhists. They 

 also tised ablutions in water as a symbol of purification of the. 

 heart. In like manner did the Buddhists, on command of their 

 master, send out missionaries in all lands to spread their doc- 

 trines. ^ 

 In this simple and unpretending language of Christ exhort- 

 ing to justice, love, and' forbearance ; in the exalted example 

 of his pure and noble life, the fidelity of his mission sealed by 

 his death, humanity received the guide to the accomplishment 

 of the heavenly promise of peace to man upon earth, to the 

 onjy one possible happiness in a necessarily imperfect world. 

 But he was ill understood during his own life even by those 



