Israel has, indeed, a heavy account against the Anglo-Saxon race, though, it may be, not so heavy as against the Goth, the Teuton, and the Slav. There is some comfort in reflecting that we in this century have done somewhat to reduce the balance that stands against us. May our children learn the lesson of mercy and toleration in all its fulness, and so make such reparation as is possible for the mistakes and sins of our fathers! FOOTNOTES: [1] A Jew would doubtless deny this. I do not pursue the question further, as this is not a work of controversial theology; and, besides, the point has been made so clear by Christian divines that there can be no need of any advocacy of mine. Let the reader who may have any doubt on the subject consider Isa. xl. 10; xlv. 24; xlviii. 17; Jer. xxiii. 6; Hosea i. 7; Zech. ii. 10, 11; Malachi iii. 1, where not the title Elohim only, but that of Jehovah, is given to the Messiah. [2] No question has been more disputed than whether the Sanhedrim, during the rule of the Roman Procurators, possessed the power of putting to death persons convicted of capital crimes. The statement made, St. John xviii. 31, and the action of Albinus, who, A.D. 63, deposed the High Priest Ananus, because the Sanhedrim had put St. James to death without his sanction, seem conclusive that they could not capitally punish persons _convicted of blasphemy_, unless under the Procurator’s order. The case of St. Stephen, Acts viii., does not disprove this; for that was evidently a tumultuary procedure, no sentence having been pronounced. But the Sanhedrim certainly had the power of capitally punishing _some_ offenders, as, for instance, any Gentile passing beyond the barrier between the Temple Courts (see Jos. _B.J._ vi. 2, 4), an offence closely resembling blasphemy. Possibly they could inflict death for certain specified crimes, but only for these. It would be quite consistent with the principle of Roman government to allow the High Priests to punish capitally persons convicted of grave moral offences, but not such as were only guilty in matters relating ‘to their own superstitions,’ as they would phrase it. [3] Acts iii. 17. [4] St. Luke xxiii. 34. [5] See Appendix I. [6] ‘Ye shall not see Me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord’ (St. Luke xiii. 35)—that is, ‘ye shall not apprehend Me, and the blessings I come to bring you, until you acknowledge Me as the true Messiah and Saviour of the world.’ To ‘_see_’ the Lord is, in the New Testament phrase, spiritually to discern and understand Him. [7] _Betrothed_, chap. 31. _PART I._ FROM THE DEPOSITION OF ARCHELAUS TO THE END OF THE THIRTEENTH CENTURY. CHAPTER I. A.D. 7-70. FROM THE REVOLT OF JUDAS TO THE SIEGE OF JERUSALEM.