The Examination\u2014Dan_1:19-20<\/p>\n
It is stated, that when the time for the training and probation of the young Hebrews had passed, \u201cthe king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.\u201d From this an old commentator Note: Willet: Hexapla in Danielem. London, 1610. deduces the doctrine, \u201cthat learning is necessary in kings;\u201d assuming that Nebuchadnezzar examined them himself, from his own resources, and that, consequently, he was a man of learning. He says: \u201cNebuchadnezzar being a great warrior and conqueror, yet was himself so well seene in the knowledge of the Chaldeans, who were held to be the most learned in the world, that he was able to sift and examine these 4 men, whom he found in wisdome to goe beyond all his wisemen and soothsayers in Babylon. Such learned princes, among the people of God, were David, Solomon, Hezekiah, Josias; among the heathen, Alexander the Great, Scipio Africanus, Julius Caesar, with others; and among the Christian emperors, Constantine the Great, who decided the controversies and questions among the Christian bishops. And this famous kingdome of England hath had most learned princes: Henerie the 8, Edward the 6, Queen Elizabeth of late blessed memorie, and our now soveraigne king James, who is able to conferre with any man in his faculty, as here Nebuchadnezzar doth with Daniel and the other three.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, without any disrespect to Nebuchadnezzar\u2019s learning, we apprehend that the commentator has mistaken the character of the transaction. The probability is, that a high court of learning was held, at which the king presided, and at which the nobles and sages of the land \u201cassisted.\u201d The presence of the latter is, indeed, implied in the fact, that the king found the four Hebrew youths \u201cten times better\u201d than his magicians and astrologers. How could he know that, but by actual opportunities of comparison, which such a meeting afforded? The sages probably proposed difficult questions, which the youths readily answered; and were in turn allowed to put questions, which the sages could not answer. We suppose, also, that the youths were expected or allowed to propose and defend certain theses against each other. In our own examinations of students, the object is chiefly to ascertain what they have learned. Oriental examination applied less to this, than to ascertain how far that which had been learned had improved and quickened the capacity, so as to create a certain alertness of judgment and readiness of resource in enabling them to answer, off-hand, difficult and puzzling questions, having little direct connection with their studies, but which it was assumed that the general bent of their education ought to enable them to solve.<\/p>\n
In the first of the Apocryphal books of Esdras, Note: This book is of unknown date, but is largely quoted by Josephus, and therefore existed before his time. The story we cite may be a fiction, but it is, at all events, founded on a knowledge of Eastern customs in this respect, and may therefore, be quoted for illustration as one might quote an historian or traveller. there is a curious story about a contest of theses between three Hebrew youths, in the palace of Darius king of Persia.<\/p>\n
The king had held a great feast to his princes and governors, and also to his household. Stimulated by the occasion, and emulous of honor, the three youths, who were of the king\u2019s body-guard, proposed among themselves that each should write a sentence, and deposit it sealed under the king\u2019s pillow, and that he whose sentence should be declared, \u201cby the king and the three princes of Persia,\u201d to be the wisest, should receive from the royal hand \u201cgreat gifts and great things, in token of victory.\u201d The coolness with which they proceed to assign the reward without consulting the king, who was to bestow it, is very entertaining. The writer was \u201cto be clothed in purple, to drink in gold, and to sleep upon gold, and a chariot with bridles of gold, and a head-tire of fine linen, and a chain about his neck; and shall sit next to Darius because of his wisdom, and shall be called Darius his cousin.\u201d <\/p>\n
When the papers were found, the king made even more of the matter than the ambitious youths expected.\u2014He summoned a high court of audience, and, being seated on his throne, called for the young men to vindicate their theses.<\/p>\n
One had written, \u201cWine is the strongest;\u201d and in supporting it he argued chiefly from the fact, that it brought down the strength of man, \u201ccausing all men to err that drank it.\u201d It is a graphic picture of the various modes and changes of mind which wine produces.<\/p>\n
The second had written, \u201cThe king is the strongest\u201d\u2014probably calculating that the courtliness of his proposition would make up for deficiency of argument. There is nothing very remarkable in what he said, except as to the truth of the picture given of a despotic government. \u201cAnd yet he is but one man,\u201d whom all thus obey, even to destruction and to death.<\/p>\n
The third had somewhat unfairly fortified himself by two propositions: \u201cWomen are strongest; but above all things, Truth beareth away the victory.\u201d He spoke largely on both themes, and with a degree of boldness and freedom which may astonish those who are unacquainted with the oral license allowed in Eastern courts. As to women he first proved very satisfactorily, that if men rule everything else, women rule men, and are therefore virtually the stronger. Besides, all men\u2019s labors have home, and the woman reigning there, for their final object. For her he labors, fights, robs, spoils, and even sins\u2014\u201cyea, many there be that have run out of their wits for women, and become servants for their sakes. Many also have perished, have erred, and sinned for women.\u201d He then ventured upon a hazardous illustration: There, before them, was the greatest of all the kings, whose strength had been so much extolled\u2014he before whom the nations crouched in fear. Yet he, the orator, had seen a woman make a mere plaything of this mighty monarch. He had seen him sitting with his secondary wife, Apame, \u201cdaughter of the admirable Bartacus,\u201d on his right hand; and she had actually taken the crown off his head and put it on her own, and had even dared to smite his dreadful person with her left hand. And all the while the king \u201cgaped and gazed upon her with open mouth: if she laughed upon him, he laughed also; but if she took any displeasure at him, the king was fain to flatter, that she might be reconciled to him again.\u201d<\/p>\n
How the king might relish this illustration of the strength of woman from his own weakness, the speaker did not allow him time to consider; for he at once struck up a higher and bolder strain in praise of Truth. \u201cWine is wicked,\u201d he said; \u201cthe king is wicked; women are wicked; all the children of men are wicked. There is no truth in them, and in their unrighteousness they shall perish; but as for Truth, it endureth, and is always strong; it liveth and conquereth for evermore.\u201d And he closed with, \u201cBlessed be the God of truth!\u201d<\/p>\n
He ceased: and, moved by the eloquent truths he had uttered, every tongue in that high audience found a voice, and cried, \u201cGreat is Truth, and mighty above all things!\u201d<\/p>\n
Autor: JOHN KITTO<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Examination\u2014Dan_1:19-20 It is stated, that when the time for the training and probation of the young Hebrews had passed, \u201cthe king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.\u201d From this an old commentator Note: Willet: Hexapla in Danielem. London, 1610. deduces the doctrine, \u201cthat learning … Continue reading ““610. THE EXAMINATION\u2014DANIEL 1:19-20””<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16962","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16962","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16962"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16962\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16962"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16962"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16962"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}