STUDY TOPICS

1.  Read Esther 9. 5, 11-16.  What kind of patriotism does this passage express?

2.  Compare the following laws in Deuteronomy:  10. 18-19 and 14. 21.  Can you explain the inconsistency?

3.  What national characteristics do hatred and contempt of other nations lead to?

4.  What is the danger from continually hurling bad names at foreigners, such as “Greasers,” “Chinks,” and so on?

CHAPTER XXVI

A BROAD-MINDED AND NOBLE PATRIOTISM

In spite of all their prejudice, thinking Jews could not help but see that the Greeks, in spite of their heathen religion, had brought with them many of the blessings of civilization.  Many articles of everyday comfort were introduced into Canaan for the first time by the Greeks, for example, new varieties of food, such as pumpkins, vinegar, asparagus, and various kinds of cheese.  From the Greeks also the Jews learned to preserve fish by salting them.  This made possible the splendid fishing business by the Sea of Galilee.  In the time of Jesus we find this lake surrounded by flourishing towns.  Most of the men in these towns supported themselves and their families by fishing.  The fish were salted and the salt fish sold in the inland towns.  They were even exported to foreign countries.  The Greeks probably also introduced poultry and hens’ eggs to the farmers and housewives of Canaan.

=New articles of dress and furniture.=—­These same newcomers brought with them a greater variety of fabrics and garments, such as Cilician goat’s-hair cloth, out of which coarse cloaks and curtains, as well as tents, were made; also felt for hats and sandals.  The Greeks also introduced the custom of carrying handkerchiefs.  Many new kinds of household utensils came into Jewish homes as a result of the example of their Greek associates, for example, arm chairs, mirrors, table cloths, plates, and cups.  Hemp and hempen cords and ropes came from the Greeks.  From this same source came the custom of placing food at meals on dining tables, like ours, while the diners, unlike ourselves, lay on couches with their heads toward the table.  It may also have been the Greeks—­although possibly it was the Persians—­who first brought coined money into Canaan, so that in making each purchase it was not necessary to weigh the silver or the gold.

All these useful and beautiful things helped to win over sensible people among the Jews to look with favor on their new neighbors.  And when Jewish travelers found themselves stopping at new and more comfortable inns managed by Greek innkeepers, and went to bathe in the public baths which were erected in the larger cities by the Greek authorities, they were sure to spread the idea that even Jews might learn something from the Greeks.

BROAD-MINDED PATRIOTS AMONG THE JEWS