Ancient Egyptian Spoons.
. Ivory spoon, about four inclies Ions, in the Berlin Musenm. 1. Bronze spoon in Wilkinson's possos- sion, eight inclies in length. 3, 4. Bronze spoouB, found by Mr. Burton at Thebes. 6. Of wood, m Mr. Suit's collection.
14). Children were anciently accustomed to play (see Plato, Le(j. vii, 797) in the streets and squares (Zech. viii, 5; Matt, xi, IG; comp. Niebuhr, Trav. i, 171) ; but, with few exceptions (see Mishna, Chelim, xvii, 15 ; Edayoth, ii, 7), juvenile games are comparatively rare in the East (Orig. Cels. v, 42 ; Ctesias, Pers. 58).
Military sports and exercises appear to have been common in the earlier periods of the Jewish history (2 Sam. ii, 14). B}' these the Jewish youth were taught the use of the bow (1 Sam. xx, 30-35), or the hurling of stones from a sling with an unerring aim (Judg. xx, 16 ; 1 Chron. xii, 2). Jerome informs us that in his days (the 4th century) it was a common exercise throughout Judiea for the young men who were ambitious to give proof of their strength to lift up round stones of enormous weigiit, some as high as their knees, others to their waist, shoulders, or head ; while others placed them at the top of their heads with their hands erect and joined together. He fur- ther states that he saw at Athens an extremely heavy brazen sphere, or globe, which he vainly endeav- ored to lift; and that, on inquiring into its u.se, he was informeil that no one was permitted to contend in the games until, by his lifting of this weight, it was ascertained who could match with him. From this exercise Jerome elucidates {ad loc.) a difficult passage in Zech. xii, 3, in which the prophet com- pares Jerusalem to a stone of great weight, which, being too heavy for those who attempted to lift it, falls back upon them and crushes them to pieces.
Among the great changes which were effected in the manners and customs of the Jews subsequently to the time of Alexander the Great may be reckoned the introduction of gynniastic sports and games, in imitation of those celebrated by
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the Greeks, who, it is well known, were passionately fond of those exercises. These amusements they car- ried, with their victorious arms, into the various coun- tries of the East; the inhabitants of which, in imita- tion of their masters, aildicted themselves to the same diversions, and endeavored to distinguish themselves in the same exercises. The proHigate high -priest Jason, in the reign of Antiochns E|iii)hanes, first intro- duced public games at Jerusalem, where he erected a gymnasium, a "place for exercise, and for the training- iip of youth in the fashions of the heathen" (2 Mace, iv, 9 1. The avowed purpose of these athletic exercises was the strengthening of the Inidy ; but the real design went to the gradual exchange of Judaism for heathenism, the games themselves being closely connected with idola- try, for they were generally celebrated in honor of some pagan god. The innovations of Jason were therefore extremely odious to the more pious part of the nation, and even his own adherents did not fully enter into all his views ; yet the games proved a source of attraction and ilemoralization to many. Even the very priests, neglecting the duties of their sacred office, hastened to be partakers of these uidawful sports, and were ambi- tious of obtaining the prizes awarded to the victors. The restoration of divine worship, and of the observance of the Mosaic laws and institutions under the Macca- b.^>an princes, put an end to the spectacles. They were, however, revived by Herod, who, in order to ingratiate himself with the emperor Augustus (H.C. 7), built a the- atre at Jerusalem, and also a capacious amjihitheatre, without the city, in the plain ; and who also erected similar edifices at Ca'sarea, and appointed games to be Solemnized every fifth year, with great splendor, and amid a vast concourse of spectators who were invited by proclamation from the neighboring countries. Jo- sephus's narrative of these circumstances is not suf- ficiently minute to enaljle us to determine with accu- racy all the exliibitions which took place on these occa- sions; but we may collect that they included wrestling, chariot-racing, music, and combats of wild beasts, which either fought with one another or with men who were under sentence of death (Ant. xv, 8, 1 ; xvi, 5, 1 ; xix, 7. 5 ; 8, 2 ; War, i, 21, 8 ; see Eichhorn, De Re Scenica Ju- daor. in his Comment. [Gott. vol. i]). The Talmud oc- casionally alludes to these spectacles (Sanhedr. iii, 3; S/nM. x'xiii, 2; see Otho, Ler. liahb. p. 398, 703; Wa- genseil, iJv Ludis lUhneor. [Norib. 1G97]).
Some of the scriptural allusions to games and recrea- tions we have already noticed (see Hofmann, De Ludis Isthmir. in ,V. T. Commemnntlis [Viteb. 17G0]). See Ga.mk; I'i{izK,etc. We may here mention two others. From the amusK'ment of children sitting in the market- place and imitating the usages common at wedding feasts and at funerals, our Lord takes occasion to com- pare the Pharisees to the sullen children who will be pleased with nothing which their companions can do, whether they play at weddings or funerals, since they could not be prevailed upon to attend either to the se- vere precejits and life of John the Baptist, or to the milder precepts and hal>its of Christ (Matt, xi, IG, 17). The infamous practice of gamesters wlio play with loa<l- cd dice has furnished I'aid with a strong metajihor, in which he cautions the Christians at Ephesus against the cheating sleight of men (Eph. iv, 14), whether un- iK-lieving Jews, heathen philosoi)hers, or false teachers in the Church itself, who corrupte<l the doctrines of the Gos|>el for worldly imrposes, while they assumed the appearance of great disinterestedness and i)iety. See