While the women so learned Jerusalem manners in the inner apartments, the men would converse on the news of the day, or on politics. For the Jerusalemites had friends and correspondents in the most distant parts of the world, and letters were carried by special messengers, [613] in a kind of post-bag. Nay, there seem to have been some sort of receiving-offices in towns, [614] and even something resembling our parcel-post. [615] And, strange as it may sound, even a species of newspapers, or broadsheets, appears to have been circulating (Mikhtabhin), not allowed, however, on the Sabbath, unless they treated of public affairs. [616]
Of course, it is difficult accurately to determine which of these things were in use in the earliest times, or else introduced at a later period. Perhaps, however, it was safer to bring them into a picture of Jewish society. Undoubted, and, alas, too painful evidence comes to us of the luxuriousness of Jerusalem at that time, and of the moral corruption to which it led. It seems only too clear, that such commentations as the Talmud [617] gives of Is. iii. 16-24, in regard to the manners and modes of attraction practised by a certain class of the female population in Jerusalem, applied to a far later period than that of the prophet. With this agrees only too well the recorded covert lascivious expressions used by the men, which gives a lamentable picture of the state of morals of many in the city, [618] and the notices of the indecent dress worn not only by women, [619] but even by corrupt High-Priestly youths. Nor do the exaggerated descriptions of what the Midrash on Lamentations [620] describes as the dignity of the Jerusalemites; of the wealth which they lavished on their marriages; of the ceremony which insisted on repeated invitations to the guests to a banquet, and that men inferior in rank should not be bidden to it; of the dress in which they appeared; the manner in which the dishes were served, the wine in white crystal vases; and the punishment of the cook who had failed in his duty, and which was to be commensurate to the dignity of the party - give a better impression of the great world in Jerusalem.
And yet it was the City of God, over whose destruction not only the Patriarch and Moses, but the Angelic hosts - nay, the Almighty Himself and His Shekhinah - had made bitterest lamentation. [621] The City of the Prophets, also, since each of them whose birthplace had not been mentioned, must be regarded as having sprung from it. [622] Equally, even more, marked, but now for joy and triumph, would be the hour of Jerusalem's uprising, when it would welcome its Messiah. Oh, when would He come? In the feverish excitement of expectancy they were only too ready to listen to the voice of any pretender, however coarse and clumsy the imposture. Yet He was at hand - even now coming: only quite other than the Messiah of their dreams. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become children of God, even to them that believe on His Name.' __________________________________________________________________
[581] For a fuller sketch of this history see Appendix IV.
[582] So Schürer in his Neutestam. Zeitgesch.
[583] A table of the Maccabean and Herodian families is given in Appendix VI.
[584] Comp. 1 Macc. vi. 31.
[585] By dashing out his brains against the prison walls.
[586] He had previously been married to one Doris, the issue of the marriage being a son, Antipater.
[587] 31 b.c.
[588] Jos. Ant. xvii. 8. 3.
[589] Ant. xv. 10. 4.
[590] Comp. the discussion of this question in Wieseler, Beitr. pp. 215 &c.
[591] Ant. xiv. 9. 4; xv. 1. 1, 10. 4.
[592] Ab. i. 10, 11.