of Deuteronomy.  Ezekiel had led the way in reducing to theory and to writing the sacred praxis of his time; in this he was followed by an entire school; in their exile the Levites turned scribes.  Since then Babylon continued to be the home of the Torah; and, while in Palestine itself the practice was becoming laxer, their literary study had gradually intensified the strictness and distinctive peculiarities of Judaism.  And now there came to Palestine a Babylonian scribe having the law of his God in his hand, and armed with authority from the Persian king to proceed upon the basis of this law with a reformation of the community.

Ezra did not set about introducing the new law immediately on his arrival in Judaea In the first instance he concentrated his attention on the task of effecting a strict separation between the Bne haggola and the heathen or half-heathen inhabitants.  So much he could accomplish upon the basis of Deuteronomy, but it was long before he gave publicity to the law which he himself had brought.  Why he hesitated so long it is impossible to say; between the seventh and the twentieth year of Artaxerxes Longimanus (458-445 B.C.) there is a great hiatus in the narrative of the books of Ezra and Nehemiah.  The main reason appears to have been that, in spite of the good will of the Persian king, Ezra had not the vigorous support of the local authorities.  But this was indispensably necessary in order to secure recognition for a new law.

At last, in 445, it fell to the lot of a Jew, who also shared the views of Ezra, Nehemiah ben Hakkelejah, 1

****************************************** 1.  According to the present punctuation this name is Hakalja (Hachaljah), but such a pronunciation is inadmissible; it has no possible etymology, the language having no such word as hakal.  The name in its correct form means “wait upon Jehovah.” *******************************************

the cupbearer and the favourite of Artaxerxes, to be sent as Persian governor to Judaea.  After he had freed the community from external pressure with vigour and success, and brought it into more tolerable outward circumstances, the business of introducing the new law-book was next proceeded with; in this Ezra and Nehemiah plainly acted in concert.

On the first of Tisri—­the year is unfortunately not given, but it cannot have been earlier than 444 B.C.—­the promulgation of the law began at a great gathering in Jerusalem; Ezra, supported by the Levites, was present.  Towards the end of the month, the concluding act took place, in which the community became solemnly bound by the contents of the law.  Special prominence was given to those provisions with which the people were directly concerned, particularly those which related to the dues payable by the laity to the priests.

The covenant which hitherto had rested on Deuteronomy was thus expanded into a covenant based upon the entire Pentateuch.  Substantially at least Ezra’s law-book, in the form in which it became the Magna Charta of Judaism in or about the year 444, must be regarded as practically identical with our Pentateuch, although many minor amendments and very considerable additions may have been made at a later date.