A. M. 3417. A. C. 587; OR, ACCORDING TO HALES, A. M. 4825. A. C. 586. JER. xl. 7-xlv. DANIEL, AND EZRA —v.

cast into it, where the lions fell upon them, and instantly * As soon as Cyrus was come into the full possession destroyed them; while the king, in grateful acknowledg-of the empire, he published a decree, wherein he gave ment of a wonderful providence in Daniel's preservation, free liberty to the Jews to return to their own country, made public proclamation, that in all the parts of his and to rebuild the house of the Lord at Jerusalem. dominions, the God, whom Daniel worshipped, should Many of the sacred vessels, to the number of 5400, be revered.

The term of seventy years, which the prophet Jeremiah had prefixed for the continuance of Judah's captivity, being now drawing toward a conclusion, Daniel thought it his duty to humble himself before God, and to make his ardent supplications to him that he would remember his people, and grant a restoration to Jerusalem, and make his face again to shine upon his holy city, and his sanctuary, which was desolate; whereupon he had in a vision assurance given him by the angel Gabriel, not only of the deliverance of Judah from their temporal captivity under the Babylonians, but also of a much greater redemption which God would give his church, by delivering them from their spiritual captivity under sin and Satan, to be accomplished at the end of seventy weeks after the going forth of the commandment to rebuild Jerusalem, that is, at the expiration of 490 years, as we shall have occasion to explain that remarkable passage hereafter.

2

Upon the reduction of Babylon, which put an end to the Chaldean empire, after it had continued from the reign of Nabonassar, who founded it, 209 years, Cyrus went into Persia to make a visit to his father and mother, who were yet living; and, on his return through Media, married the daughter and only child of his uncle Darius, and had, in dower with her, the reversion of the kingdom of Media, after her father's death; so that, in a short time, he succeeded, not only to the Babylonish empire, but to the two additional kingdoms of Persia and Media likewise, and from hence the whole extent of his dominions took the name of the Persian empire.

1 Chap. ix. 2 Dan. ix. 24, &c. 3 Prideaux's Connection, anno 540. thing to include all the family in the penalty inflicted on the father; but "abominable laws," says Ammianus Marcellinus, "by which, on account of the guilt of one person, death was inflicted on the whole of the kindred."-Calmet's Commentary.

Ezra i. 1, &c.

about the same age; and it seems indisputable that at the con-
quest of Babylon Cyrus was sixty-three years of age. But he
had two children by the daughter of Darius, who were both
of age; and therefore he must have married at a much earlier
grown to man's estate at his death, when he was seventy years
period than the conquest of Babylon. His father likewise, and
probably his mother, must have been dead before that period, as
will appear from the following account of the birth, successions to
by Dr Hales with the utmost care and accuracy. "The reign
different kingdoms, and death of this illustrious prince, collected
of Cyrus over Persia began, according to Diodorus, Thallus,
Castor, Polybius, and Phlegon cited by Eusebius, (Præp. Evang.
b. 19.) in the first year of the fifty-fifth olympiad, corresponding
thirty years, according to Ctesias, Justin, Clemens Alexandrinus,
to the Julian years, B. C. 560, and 559. He reigned, in all,
and Eusebius; twenty-nine according to Herodotus; and thirty-
one years according to Sulpitius. The year of his death is ascer-
tained to have been B. C. 529, by a lunar eclipse recorded by
Ptolemy to have happened in the seventh year of his son and
successor Cambyses, B. C. 523. This determines the birth of
Cyrus to have been B. C. 599, two years after his grandfather,
Astyages, succeeded to the crown of Media, B. C. 601. Cyrus
succeeded to the crown of Persia, on the demise of his father,
the thirty years of his whole reign. This corrects an error of
B. C. 559, as hath been already observed, and is determined by
Xenophon, who represents Cambyses, (father of Cyrus) as still
alive after the capture of Babylon, B. C. 536; an error into
which he was led, perhaps, by confounding this capture with the
death of Belshazzar, that impious king,' as he calls him, whe
Darius the Mede, took possession of the kingdom of Babylon.
was slain seventeen years before, B. C. 553, when Cyaxares, or
Cyrus peaceably succeeded his uncle two years after," as the
author completely proves, in opposition to Herodotus, and the
general current of ancient and modern historians, by the united
testimony of Eschylus, Xenophon, Josephus, and the Persian
historians, supported by the authority of Scripture, and common
sense. "And when Nabonadius, who had been appointed
viceroy of Babylon by Darius the Mede, at length rebelled and
joined Croesus the sovereign of Lydia, he was defeated, B. C.
538, and Babylon was taken by Cyrus, B. C. 536, which was,
of course, the era of the actual commencement of his full
sovereignty.-Hales's Analysis, &c., vol. ii. p. 465, and vol.
iv. p. 88, second edition.-Ed.

a The particular prophecies to which Daniel alludes, might e It is a good deal more than probable, that this decree in probably be these: "Thus saith the Lord of hosts, because ye have favour of the Jews was, in a great measure, owing to Daniel's not heard my words, behold, I will send and take all the families good offices. Cyrus, at his first coming to Babylon, after he had of the north, and Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, my ser- taken the city, found him there an old minister of state, famed vant, and will bring them against this land and the inhabitants for his great wisdom over all the east, and, in many things, for a thereof and this whole land shall be a desolation, and an aston knowledge superior to the rest of mankind; and accordingly we ishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy find, that he not only employed him as such, but, upon the settling years; and it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accom- of the government of the whole empire, made him first superinplished, I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith tendent or prime minister of state over all the provinces of it. the Lord, for their iniquity: but I will visit you, and perform In this station of life, Daniel must have been a person of great my good word towards you, in causing you to return to this authority at court, and highly in the esteem of his prince: and place. For I know my thought that I think towards you, saith therefore, as we find him earnest in his prayer to God for the the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an ex-restoration of his people, (Dan. ix.) we cannot but think, that he pected end,' (Jer. xxv. 8. &c., and xxix. 10, 11.) But prophe- would be equally warm in his intercessions for it with the king. cies, he knew very well, were but conditional, and, for their ac- To which purpose, it is not improbable, that he might show him complishment, depended, in a great measure, upon the behaviour those passages in Isaiah, which speak of him by name, 150 years of those to whom they were made. One part of this prediction before he was born, as a great prince and conqueror, the ruler of he had seen executed, in the punishment of the king of Babylon, many nations, and the restorer of his people, by causing his and the translation of his kingdom to the Medes and Persians; temple to be built, and the city of Jerusalem re-inhabited. For, but good reason he had to fear, lest the sins of his countrymen that Cyrus had seen those prophecies, the thing is plain, not the Jews should retard the completion of the other part, namely, only from the testimony of Josephus, (Antiq. b. xi. c. 1.) but their return from captivity, beyond the compass of seventy years: from the recital that is made of them in the decree itself, (Ena and this was both the cause of his grief and the motive of his i. 2;) and if so, who should be so proper to show them to him, prayer. Calmet's Commentary. and to recommend the accomplishment of them to his princely care, as Daniel, who had so great credit with him, and so passionate a concern for the restoration of Zion.-Prideaux's Connection, anno 538.

There seems to be in this paragraph many mistakes. It cannot be true that Cyrus did not marry the daughter of Darius or Cyaxares II. till after the conquest of Babylon; for Xenophion, who relates this, says likewise that the princess and he were

d Some are of opinion that among the sacred things which

A. M. 3417. A. C. 587; OR, ACCORDING TO HALES, A. M. 4825. A. C. 586. JER. xl. 7.—xlv. DANIEL, AND EZRA i-v.

4 which Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the former house, | was destroyed, and put to death by Nebuchadnezzar at brought to Babylon, and placed in the temple of his god Riblah, in Syria; so that the former of them was desBel, he ordered his treasurer to restore; and wrote let- cended from the regal, and the latter from the pontifical ters recommendatory to the governors of several pro- family in a direct line, Zerubbabel was made governor vinces to assist the Jews in their undertaking. of the land by a commission from Cyrus.; Joshua, of course, succeeded to the chief priesthood; and with them were joined several others, as assisters, for the settling all affairs both in church and state.

A. M. 3117. A. C. 587; OR, ACCORDING TO HALES, A. M. 4825. A. C. 586. JER. xl. 7—x!v. DANIEL, AND EZRA j—y. high priest made atonement for all the people; and on | sand five hundred pounds of our money; and with this the fifteenth began the feast of tabernacles, a which last- fund, they began the work of rebuilding the temple. ed till the twenty-third. During all which solemnities, To this purpose, having employed the first year in prethe people staid at Jerusalem; and to promote the resto-paring materials and providing workmen, in the second ration of God's worship in that place, the free-will offerings, which they made upon that occasion, besides an hundred vestments for the priests, amounted to sixty-one thousand drachms of gold, and five thousand minæ of silver, which, in all, comes to about seventy-five thou

horns of it with the blood of the goat and the bullock, and sprinkled it seven times with the same. After all these ceremonies were finished, the goat that was to be set at liberty, which was commonly called the scape-goat, was brought to the high priest, who put both his hands upon its head, and having confessed all his own sins, and the sins of the people, delivered it to persons appointed to that office, who carried it into the wilderness, and left it upon the brink of a precipice, at twelve miles' distance from Jerusalem. After all which, the high priest washed himself all over again in the tabernacle or temple, and putting on his pontifical dress, sacrificed two rams for a burnt-offering, one for himself and the other for the people; and so concluded the day, with reading the law, and giving the blessing to the people, who all, upon this occasion, behaved with great devotion, fasted punctually, and returned home with a full persuasion and assurance that their sins were entirely done away, and expiated. The modern Jews, who have no sacrifices, content themselves with reading in Leviticus what relates to the solemn service of this day, and the ceremonies concerning the scape-goat. They, in like manner, fast very strictly, and pray very devoutly, until the conclusion of the day, when having received the Rabbin's blessing, they go home, fully satisfied that all their iniquities are pardoned; for their standing maxim is, that repentance, though accompanied with a resolution of living well, does but suspend sins; whereas the feast of expiation does absolutely abolish them. The reader that is desirous to know more of this, may consult Basnage's History of the Jews, and Culmet's Dictionary under the word Expiation.

a This was one of the great solemnities of the Jews, wherein all the males were obliged to present themselves before the Lord. In Hebrew it is called chag hassuchoth, the feast of tents; because it was kept under green tents, and arbours, in memory of their dwelling in tents in their passage through the wilderness, and immediately after the harvest, in grateful acknowledgment to God for the fruits of the earth which they had lately gathered in. It was observed for seven days; and of the several sacrifices which were appointed for each day, we have a punctual account in the book of Numbers, (chap. xxix. 12, &c.) The modern Jews not having now an opportunity of going to the temple and performing all the ceremonies prescribed by Moses, make, each for himself, in some open place, a bower, or arbour of the branches of trees of such a determinate height, hung round about, and adorned, as much as they can, where they eat and drink, and pass at least as much time in their houses, for all the days of the festival; but such as are old, or sick, are excused, and when it rains very hard, they are permitted to retire to their houses, On the first day of the feast, they take one branch of palm, three of myrtle, and one of willow, bound together, which they carry in their right hand, and having a branch of citron, with its fruit, in their left, thus they make four turns about the reading desk, in their synagogues. On the seventh day, which is accounted more holy than the rest, they rise with the sun, and going to the synagogue, sing abundance of prayers, which they repeat all the feast, with prodigious rapidity, as supposing, that during their journey they were obliged to make haste even in the service of God. On the eighth, (for they have added two days to what Moses at first prescribed) they get their friends together, and give them an entertainment; and on the ninth, which they call the joy of the law,' they complete the reading of the Pentateuch, according to the order of its sections.-Basnage's Hist. of the Jews, and Calmet's Diet, under the word Tabernacles.

month of the second year, (which answers in part to our April and May), they laid the foundation of it with great joy and solemnity; only the old men, who had seen the glory of the first temple, and had no expectation that this, which was now abuilding by a few poor exiles, lately returned from their captivity, would ever equal that which had all the riches of David and Solomon (two of the wealthiest princes of the east) expended on it, wept at the remembrance of the old, whilst the others rejoiced at the laying the foundations of the new temple.

Whilst the Jews were going on with this work, the Samaritans, who were planted in several cities of Israel in the room of the Israelites whom Salmanassar, king of Assyria, had long before carried away captive, hearing that they were about rebuilding their temple, came to the governor Zerubbabel, and desired to join with them in the work, alleging, that they worshipped the same God that the people of Judah did. The governor, however, and the chiefs of the families of Israel, would by no means allow them to have any share in the work, being apprehensive that they, who were no better than idolaters, notwithstanding they pretended to worship the God of Israel, might have some evil design in the offer of their service; and therefore they absolutely refused them; which so exasperated the other, that, from that very moment, they made it their endeavour, as much as in them lay, to obstruct the work: and though they could not alter the decree which Cyrus had made in favour of it; yet by bribes, and underhand dealings with his ministers, they in a great measure defeated its effects. So that for several years the building went but slowly on, and, upon the death of the prophet & Daniel,

quently that there may not be all the truth imaginable in that common saying among them, namely, that they were the only bran, that is, the dregs of the people, who returned to Jerusalem, after the end of the captivity, and that all the fine flour staid be hind at Babylon.-Prideaux's Connection, anno 536.

e For although, from the time that they had been infested with lions, in the days of Esarhaddon, they had worshipped the God of Israel, yet it was only in conjunction with their other gods whom they worshipped before; and therefore, notwithstanding their worship of the true God, since they worshipped false gods too at the same time, they were, in this respect, idolaters, which was reason enough for the true worshippers of God to have no communion with them.- Prideaux's Connection, anno 534

d We do not find that Daniel took the advantage of the edict which Cyrus made in favour of the Jews; and therefore we may suppose, that, as he did not return with them to Jerusalem, the king might require his continuance with him, and Daniel might the rather consent to it, as having thereby a better opportunity to befriend his countrymen upon any exigence. To this purpose it is highly probable, that he attended the Persian court, which, after the taking and defacing of Babylon, resided in summer al Shushan or Susa, and in winter at Ecbatan. In the palace of Shushan, Daniel, as himself tells us, (chap. viii. 1, &c.,) had several visions. In this city, as Josephus himself informs us, (Antiq. b. x. c. 12,) where, instead of Ecbatan, St Jerome reads Susa, he built a famous edifice, finished with such exquisite art, For every drachm of gold is worth ten shillings of our money, that it continued fresh and beautiful in his days; and in this city and every mina of silver nine pounds; for it contained sixty the common tradition is, that he died in the third or fourth year shekels, and every shekel of silver is worth three shillings of our of Cyrus, and about the ninety-first year of his age; for even to money. From whence it appears, that the Jews were not made this day, as we learn from Benjamin's Itinerarium, the inhabisuch poor slaves in Babylon, as wrought for their lords and mas- tants of the place, at present called Tuster, show his monument. ters, but had some of them very considerable offices at court, and But the most valuable monument left behind him is in his writall liberty to trade, and get riches for themselves; and conse-ings, whereof the Jewish historian gives us this character:

A. M. 3417. A. C. 587; OR, ACCORDING TO HALES, A. M. 4825. A. C. 586. JER. xl. 7—xlv. DANIEL, AND EZRA i-V. "He had this peculiar blessing attending him, that he lived in the riches of his glorious kingdom, and the honour of his excelgreat reputation both with prince and people, and when he died, lent majesty, for 180 days, unto all his princes and servants, the left an immortal memory behind him. His writings, which are power of Media and Persia, with the nobles and princes of the still extant, and in common use, we keep as a sure pledge that he 127 provinces that stretched from India even to Ethiopia, are had an intimacy and conversation with God: for, whereas other now the abodes of the lion, the wolf, and the hyena; and the prophets were more employed in foreboding calamities and ill voice of festive song that once filled the joyous halls is now exnews, which drew upon them disgrace from princes, and hatred changed for the frightful howlings of these beasts of prey. The from the people, Daniel, on the contrary, foretold nothing but earliest notice of Daniel's tomb published in Europe, seems to happy events, and what was agreeable; so that the nature of his have been given by Benjamin of Tudela, a Spanish Jew, who predictions was such, as gained him the good will of all, and such visited Asia, towards the latter part of the thirteenth century. the certainty of them, as gained him a ready credence with all: The account of his travels was first printed in Hebrew, in 1543, which, as the historian remarks, may serve not only to establish and has gone through several editions and translations into difa veneration for the memory of a man whom God so signally ho- ferent languages. The tomb of Daniel is also mentioned by noured, but to confound likewise the impious doctrines of the another Jewish traveller, whose Hebrew work, with a Latin transEpicureans, which will not allow of any overruling providence lation by the learned Hottenger, was published at Heidelberg, interposing in the government and preservation of the universe, in 1659, under the title of 'Cippi Hebraici.' But in these nobut will have the whole course of sublunary things to be nothing tices the Tigris is confounded with the Euphrates, and Babylon more than one grand huddle of contingencies. For when I con- with Susa. "The local tradition which fixes Daniel's tomb at sider the prophecies of Daniel, says he, I cannot but blame the Susa," says Sir William Ousely, "seems worthy of investigaignorance or irreverence of those who make it their profession tion. Through the more modern authors of some oriental works, to decry providence, as if God took no care of us, since it is mostly geographical, I have pursued the tradition to Hamdalla, impossible to conceive how there should be such a corespondence Cazvini, of the fourteenth century, and from him through Rabbi between the things foretold at one time and fulfilled so many Benjamin above-mentioned, to Ebu Hawkel, who travelled in the ages after, if, according to their opinion, every thing were left to tenth century."-Oriental Geog. p. 70, of Ebn Hawkel, transrun at random, and fall out at hap-hazard."-Jewish Antiquities, lated by Sir William Ousely. This is probably the oldest authob. x. c. 12. [Mr Bell, in his edition of Rollin, has an able and rity furnished by printed books on the subject; but a venerable elaborate inquiry into the situation of Shushan, which he identi-historian, Aasim of Cufah, who preceded Ebn Hawkel by two fies with the ruins called Sus or Shush, 100 miles distant from centuries, (for he died in 735) mentions the discovery of Daniel's the banks of the Shat-ul-Arab, and 50 miles N.W. of Shuster, the coffin at Sus, in a MS. chronicle, from which Sir William Tuster mentioned above. From this article we extract the fol- Ousely promised an extract, which is given in Walpole's melowing interesting account of the tomb of Daniel:-Amongst moirs of Asiatic Turkey, p. 422. The passage in Ebn Hawkel the ruins of Sus, two mounds stand pre-eminent, and of enormous respecting Daniel's tomb is as follows:-"In the city of Sus dimensions, the one being a mile in circumference, and the other there is a river; and I have heard, that in the time of Abou two; their height measuring nearly 150 feet. They are com- Mousa al Ashari, a coffin was found there, and it is said the bones posed of huge masses of sun-dried brick, and courses of burnt of Daniel the prophet, to whom be peace, were in that coffin. brick and mortar, and stand not very far from the banks of the these the people held in great veneration, and, in time of disKerah or Karasu; from whose eastern shore the vestiges of this tress or famine from drought, they brought them out and prayed once famous capital are yet traceable nearly to the banks of the for rain. Abou Mousa al Ashari ordered this coffin to be brought, Ab-zal, approaching the town of Dezful. The people of the coun- and three coverings or lids to be made for it; the first or outside try distinguish these two great mounds by the name of the Castle one of which was of boards, exceedingly strong, and caused it to and the Palace; and at the foot of the latter or largest appears a be buried, so that it could not be viewed. A bay or gulf of the little dome-like building, under which travellers are shown the river comes over this grave, which may be seen by any one who tomb of Daniel the prophet. A dervise resides there, impressed dives to the bottom of the water." Now follows Sir William with a belief of its peculiar sanctity, and who points to the grave Ousely's own relation, with the extract from Aasim of Cufah: of the man greatly beloved,' the most inspired of Judah's pro- "I was finally driven by the heat to the tomb of Daniel, or, as he phetic sons, with as much homage as if it belonged to the pre- is called in the east, Danyall, which is situated in a most beautended prophet of Mecca himself, or to the Imaum Hosein. Though tiful spot, washed by a clear running stream, and shaded by covered by this modern structure, no doubt is held by Jew, Arab, planes, and other trees of ample foliage. The building is of or Mussulman, of the great antiquity of the tomb beneath-all Mahommedan date, and inhabited by a solitary dervise, who bearing the same tradition, that it does in very deed contain the shows the spot where the prophet is buried, beneath a small and remains of the prophet. The exact era of his death is not known: simple square brick mausoleum, said to be, without all probut it is probable that he died in Susa, a few years after the tak-bability, coeval with his death. It has, however, neither date ing of Babylon by Cyrus. Josephus mentions a famous edifice nor inscription, to prove the truth or falsehood of the dervise's built by Daniel at Susa, in the form of a castle, which, he adds, assertion. The small river running at the foot of this building, was still standing; and had been finished with such wonderful which is called the Belleran, flows, it has been said, immediately art, that even then it appeared as fresh and beautiful as if only over the prophet's tomb, and, by the transparency of the water, newly founded. "Within this edifice," Josephus says, his coffin was to be seen at the bottom. But the dervise and the the place where the Persian and Parthian kings were usually natives whom I questioned, remembered no tradition corroboratburied; and for the sake of the founder, the keeping of it was ing such a fact. On the contrary, it has at all times been customcommitted to one of the Jewish nation, even at that day." Some ary with the people of the country to resort hither on certain copies of Josephus, now extant, place this building at Ecbatan, days of the month, when they offer up their prayers at the tomb or Hamadan, in Media; but St Jerome, who also gives an ac- I have mentioned, in supplication to the prophet's shade; and, count of it, and professedly does so verbatim from Josephus, by becoming his guests for the night, expect remission from all places it at Susa, which shows that it was so in his copy of that present grievances, and an insurance against those to come." historian. We no where read in Scripture that Daniel was at The following is the tradition from the Persian MS. of Aasim of Ecbatan. Susa was formerly a city of the Babylonian empire, Cufah, communicated by our author:-In the 18th year of the and Daniel sometimes at least resided there before the taking of Hegira, A. D. 640, whilst Omar was khaliff, an Arabian army, Babylon; and it has since then been the constant tradition, that under Abou Mousa al Ashari, invaded Susiana. In the ancient there Daniel died, and there they still show his monument. It capital Susa (Sus) that general found, besides considerable treamust also be remarked, that Josephus calls this edifice Baris, sures of various kinds, an extraordinary sepulchral monument, the same name by which Daniel himself distinguishes the castle which, according to local tradition, contained the body of the proor palace of Shushan. For what is translated at Shushan in the phet Daniel. Of this discovered monument, the most circumpalace, (Dan. viii. 2,) is in the original Bish Shushan Ha Bi- stantial account is given by Abou Mohammed Ahmed, whose rah. Here, undoubtedly, the Birah of Daniel is the same with father, Aasim of Cufah, flourished so shortly after the conquest the Baris of Josephus, and both signify the palace or castle built of Susiana, that he might, when young, have conversed with at Shushan by Daniel while governor of that province. The site several of the veteran warriors, whose valour had contributed to of this once famous metropolis of the east is now a mere wilder- that event, for he died in A. D. 735, as we learn from Casiri, ness, given up to beasts of prey, no human being disputing their Ebn Aasim's Book of Victories, in the original Arabic, is a work reign save the poor dervise who keeps watch over the tomb of very rare; but it was translated into Persian by Ahmed al Masthe prophet. The chambers of royalty where Ahasuerus showed touzi, about the year 1200, A. D. and copies in this language

❝ was

A. M. 3417. A. C. 587; OR, ACCORDING TO HALES, A. M. 4825. A. C. 586. JER. xl. 7—xlv. DANIEL, AND EZRA i—v.

who was a powerful advocate for his countrymen at the | Cyrus, a which happened not long after, it was quite inPersian court, and the death of their great benefactor termitted, until the second year of the reign of Darius the son of Hystaspes, wherein it was re-assumed.

are sufficiently numerous. I have extracted what relates to the tomb of Daniel. "Abou Mousa, having pillaged the territory of Ahwaz, proceeded to Susa, where he slew the governor, a Persian prince, named Shapoor, the son of Azurmahan. Then he entered the castle and palace of that prince, and seized all the treasure there, deposited in different places, until he came to a certain chamber, the door of which was strongly fastened, a leaden seal being affixed to the lock. Abou Mousa inquired of the people of Sus what precious article was guarded with such care in this chamber. They assured him, that he would not regard it as a desirable object of plunder; but his curiosity was roused, and he caused the lock to be broken, and the door to be opened. In

the chamber he beheld a stone of considerable dimensions hollow

CHAP. II.-Difficulties Obviated and Objections

Answered.

1

The character which the prophet Ezekiel gives his contemporary, Daniel, is, his singular prevalence with God in prayer; and whoever looks into the book that goes under his name, will find its author verifying this

1 Ezek. xiv. 14.

Dan. ii. 6, 9.

THAT there was such a person as Daniel, of the Jewish captivity in Babylon, famous for his discovery of future events, and for his great piety and devotion towards God, can hardly be denied; that the discourses and preed out into the form of a coffin, and in that the body of a dead dictions of a person so highly in favour with God should man, wrapped in a shroud or winding-sheet of gold brocade. The be put in writing, either by himself or some other, and head was uncovered. Abou Mousa and his attendants were when committed to writing, should be carefully preservastonished; for having measured the nose, they found that pro-ed, is reasonable to believe; and that the book which portionally he must have exceeded the common size of men. has descended to us contains the revelations, and other The people now informed Abou Mousa, that this was the body of an ancient sage who formerly lived in Irak, (Chaldea or Babylo- accounts of things, which God was pleased to communinia,) and that whenever the want of rain occasioned a famine or cate to him, will sufficiently appear by the sequel. scarcity, the inhabitants applied to this holy man, and through the efficacy of his prayers, obtained copious showers of rain from heaven. It happened afterwards that Sus also suffered from excessive drought; and the people in distress requested that their neighbours would allow this venerable personage to reside a few days among them, expecting to derive the blessing of rain from his intercession with the Almighty; but the Irakians would not grant this request. Fifty men then went, deputed by the people of Sus, who again petitioned the ruler of Irak, saying, Let the also half brute, half man, with a staff in its hand, and crowned holy person visit our country, and detain the fifty men until his with a flat cap; the fourth row contains an animal like an antereturn.' These terms were accepted, and the holy person came lope, a serpent, a scorpion, and something resembling the ornato Sus, where, through the influence of his prayers, rain fell in mented top of a staff or sceptre; the fifth exhibits a trident, two great abundance, and saved the land from famine; but the peo- spears, a hawk, and another bird, finishing the group with a reple would not permit him to return, and the fifty men were de-gularly formed Greek cross. Besides these hieroglyphics, two tained as hostages in Irak. Such, said those who accompanied sides of the stone are occupied by inscriptions in the cuneiform Abou Mousa, is the history of the dead man. The Arabian ge- character. At the head of one of them was a double row of naneral then asked them, by what name this extraordinary per-tural objects resembling birds. The second relic of Susa, which sonage had been known among them?' They replied, the people drew the particular attention of major Monteith, was a white of Irak called him Daniel Hakim, or Daniel the Sage.' After marble stone found, as the dervise told him, in the great mound of this Abou Mousa remained some time in Sus, and despatched a the palace, near to the tomb of the prophet. It does not exceed messenger to Omar the Commander of the Faithful, with an ac- ten inches in width and depth, and measures twenty in length, count of all his conquests in Khuzistan, and of the various trea- and is hollow internally. Three of its sides are cut in bas relief, sures that had fallen into his possession. He related also the dis- two of them with similar representations of a man apparently covery of Daniel's body. When Omar had received this account, naked, excepting a sash round his waste, and a sort of cap on his he demanded from his chief officers some information concerning head: his hands are bound behind him. The corner of the store Daniel, but all were silent, except Ali, on whom be the blessing holds the neck of the figure, so that his head forms part of one of of God. He declared, that Daniel had been a prophet, though its ends. Two lions in sitting postures, appear on either side at not of the highest order; that in ages long since he had dwelt the top, each having a paw on the head of the man. The exe with Bakht al Nassar, (Nebuchadnezzar), and the kings who had cution resembles the style of the other on the dark stone; but succeeded him; and Ali related the whole of Daniel's history there are no traces of letters on this. Both major Monteith and from the beginning to the end. Omar then, by the advice of his captain Lockett attempted to get the dark stone by means of counsellor Ali, caused letters to be directed to Abou Mousa to negotiating with the people, but in vain-the inhabitants viewing remove with due respect and veneration the body of Daniel to it in the light of a sacred talisman.]—Bell's Rollin, vol. 1, pp. some place where the people of Sus could no longer enjoy the 195-6.-ED. possession of it. Abou Mousa, immediately on the receipt of this order, obliged the people of Sus to turn the stream which supplied them with water from its natural course. Then he brought forth the body of Daniel, and having wrapped it in another shroud of gold brocade, he commanded a grave to be made in the dry channel of the river, and therein deposited the venerable remains of the prophet. The grave was then firmly secured and covered with stones of considerable size; the river was restored to its wonted channel, and the waters of Sus now flow over the body of Daniel. The venerable dervise who watches the tomb of Daniel, showed major Monteith several blocks of stone curiously sculptured, and of evident antiquity, two of which he sketched hastily. The first of these was a green granite, so dark as to be almost black, finely polished, and in height twenty-two inches, and twelve in width. One of its sides was completely covered with hieroglyphical figures, roughly carved in relief, and occupying five rows. The first row contains forms supposed to denote the sun, moon, and one of the stars; the second, animals resembling a hare, a dog, and a bird; the third, a figure with the head and lower extremities of a tiger, the arms of a man, and the tail of a goat. Three symbolical instruments divide this monster from a second, who is

a It is generally agreed by historians, that Cyrus was much about seventy years old when he died; but then they widely differ among themselves as to the manner of his death. Some say that he was taken in an engagement, and hanged; others, that he died of a wound which he received in his thigh; and others that he was killed in a battle with the people of Samos. Herodotus, Justin, and Valerius Maximus relate, that, in his war against the Scythians, falling into an ambush which queen Temyris had laid for him, he was taken prisoner, and, with insult enough, had his head cut off by her order: but Xenophon's account is, that he died peaceably in his bed, amidst his friends, and in his own country; as, indeed there is little reason to think either that so wise a man as Cyrus should, in his advanced years, engage in so desperate an undertaking as this Scythian expedition is represented on all hands, or that had he died in Scythia, his mangled body could have ever been got out of the hands of these barbarians to be buried at Pasargada in Persia, as most authors agree it was, and where his m nument was to be seen in the time of Alexander the Great.— Calmet's Dictionary under the word Cyrus; and Prideaus't Connection, anno 530.