Applying this to the sacred literature of the Jews as it existed and grew, roughly speaking, during the last two pre-Christian centuries, we must begin by leaving out the Pentateuch from our present consideration; we are justified in doing this, because these books, as containing the written Law, occupied a position so unique from the Jewish point of view that (from the time that they became books) they never came under the category of ordinary books (see, however, below, p. 168). Setting the Pentateuch aside, therefore, we affirm that during the period indicated a large sacred literature was in existence, and that a certain number of books belonging to it were more highly honoured and valued than others; but that the former did not differ in kind but only in the degree of value attaching both to them and to other books. In other words, the _idea of a Canon_ assumes the existence of a number of books from which are selected those which are to become canonical. Unless this were so we should have to assume that all the books _now_ regarded as canonical were so regarded on their first appearance. Our first task in seeking to substantiate our contention, then, is to give evidence that at one period the books which were subsequently admitted into the Canon were distinguished, probably, in degree, but not in kind, from other books, which were never admitted into the Canon. In Ecclesiasticus xliv.-l. Ben-Sira writes a panegyric on the famous men of old; among these he mentions Moses, to whom the Lord “gave commandments face to face, even the Law of life and knowledge” (xlv. 5); Joshua, the “successor of Moses in prophecies” (xlvi. 1); the Judges, not individually by name, but collectively (xlvi. 11, 12); Samuel, “a Nazarite of Jehovah in the prophetical office” (xlvi. 13)[205]; the Kings, of whom he says, “Except David and Hezekiah and Josiah, all committed trespass” (xlix. 4); Isaiah, who “by a spirit of might saw the last things”(xlviii. 24, in the Hebrew); Jeremiah, who “was sanctified in the womb to be a prophet” (xlix. 6); Ezekiel, “who saw a vision” (xlix. 8, according to the Hebrew); and the Twelve Prophets (xlix. 10), these are mentioned collectively, so that the writings bearing their names had already been collected into a single book by B.C. 200 or thereabouts. In addition to these there is a possible reference to the Psalms, though this is not necessarily the case; the words are: “In every work of his, David gave thanks to God Most High with words of glory; with his whole heart he loved his Maker, and sang praise every day continually. He set music of stringed instruments before the altar, and arranged the sound of song to the harp. He glorified the feast-days ...” (xlvii. 8-10, according to the Hebrew). While the possibility of the Psalms being here referred to is not denied, one might reasonably look for something more definite; the reference could equally well, perhaps more probably, be to the rendering of the Temple music; it