with fiction that the two elements cannot be separated from each other.  It was probably written by a Palestinian Jew in Hebrew or Aramaic somewhere about the second century before Christ.  The design of the book is to excite the people to faith and courage in their severe conflicts with foreign persecutors; but its morality is of a very questionable character.  Judith, its heroine, while she adheres with great punctiliousness to the Mosaic ritual, does not scruple to employ hypocrisy and falsehood that she may prepare the way for assassination, being evidently persuaded that in the service of the covenant people the end sanctifies the means.

IV.  ADDITIONS TO THE BOOK OF ESTHER.

12.  These are printed by themselves in our English version, and entitled:  “The rest of the chapters of the Book of Esther, which are found neither in the Hebrew, nor in the Chaldee;” but in the Septuagint and old Latin they are dispersed through the canonical book so as to form with it a consistent whole.  They profess to supply deficiencies in the canonical Esther—­a dream of Mordecai with its interpretation; an account of the conspiracy of the two eunuchs to destroy Ahasuerus; a pretended copy of the king’s edict for the destruction of the Jews; the prayer of Mordecai and of Esther in view of this edict; various details of Esther’s visit to the king; and the pretended edict of Artaxerxes (Ahasuerus) revoking the former edict, and giving the Jews liberty to destroy all who should assault them—­into which the name of God, which nowhere appears in the genuine book of Esther, is abundantly introduced.  The origin of these legends is unknown.

V. THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON.

13.  The author of this book personages Solomon, and speaks in his name, Solomon being to the ancient Jews the representative of all wisdom.  Keil gives the summary of its contents in three divisions, as follows; (1.) “The book begins with a forcible exhortation to the rulers of the earth to strive after wisdom as the fountain of righteousness and the guide to immortality and happiness.  With this it connects a warning against the folly of unbelieving men who rebel against the law, oppress the righteous, and thus bring upon themselves just punishment, distraction, and everlasting shame.  Chaps. 1-6. (2.) After the example of King Solomon, who is introduced as speaking, the way to obtain wisdom is next pointed out, and she is described in her nature as the spirit that formed and sustains the world, and is the author of all that is good, true, and great.  Chaps. 7-9. (3.) Then follows a long historical discourse (interrupted in chaps. 13-15 by a copious discussion concerning the origin and nature of idolatry), in which the blessed effects of wisdom and the fear of God, and the unhappy consequences that come from the folly of idolatry are illustrated by the opposite fortunes of the righteous and the wicked of past ages, especially of the people of God as contrasted with the idolatrous Canaanites and Egyptians.”  The different parts of the book constitute a well connected whole.