with its terrible rite of passing children through the fire, was not only encouraged by the example

of the king (2 Kings 21:6; 2 Chronicles 33:6), but apparently came into general practice (2 Kings

23:10). Alike the extent and the shameless immorality of the idolatry now prevalent, may be

inferred from the account of the later reformation by Josiah (2 Kings 23:4 - 8). For, whatever

practices may have been introduced by previous kings, the location, probably in the outer court of

the Temple, of a class of priests, who, in their unnaturalness of vice, combined a species of

madness with deepest moral degradation,* and by their side, and in fellowship with t hem, that of

priestesses of Astarte, must have been the work of Manasseh.

* On the nameless abominations of this mania of vice, this is not the place to speak. The classical

scholar knows what the Galli were. It is not possible to determine what these priestesses wove,

whether "tents," or hangings - perhaps carpets, or it may have been raiments for the rites of

Astarte: but certainly something for the vile worship with which they were connected (2 Kings

23:6). Perhaps the text is here (purposely?) corrupted. In regard to such abominations, comp.

Deuteronomy 23:17, 18. See also 1 Kings 14:24; 15:12:22:46; Job 36:14.

We know that some such abominations formed part of the religious rites, not only of the

inhabitants of Canaan, but of the Babylonians.*

* Herod. 1. 199. Comp. Bar. VI. 43.

On the other hand, we can scarcely avoid the inference that these forms of idolatry were chiefly

encouraged for the sake of the vices connected with them. Thus it involved not only religious, but

primarily moral degeneracy. Yet, as might be expected, there was also spiritual protest and a moral

reaction against all this. Prophetic voices were heard announcing the near doom of a king and

people more wicked than the Canaanites* of old. But it is significant that the names of these

Divine messengers are not mentioned here.**

* The "Amorites" are named as the representatives of the Canaanites generally, being the most

powerful of the eleven Canaanitish tribes (Genesis 10:15 -18). Comp. Genesis 15:16; 48:22;

Joshua 7:7; 13:4; 24:15; Ezekiel 16:3; Amos 2:9, and other passages.

** Micah 6 and 7 are supposed to date from this period.

In truth, it was a time of martyrdom, rather than of testimony. There may be exaggeration in the

account of Josephus, that Manasseh killed all the righteous among the Hebrews, and spared not

even the prophets, but every day slew some among them (Ant. x. 3, 1); and only a basis of

historical truth may underlie the Jewish tradition,* which was adopted by the Fathers,** that by

command of Manasseh Is aiah was sawn asunder in a cedar-tree, in which he had found refuge. But

Holy Scripture itself relates that Manasseh had filled Jerusalem "from end to end" with innocent

* Jewish tradition has it (Yebam 49b,) that Manasseh charged Isaiah with having taught what was

in opposition to the law of Moses (thus Isaiah 6:1, comp. Exodus 33:20; Isaiah 55:6, comp.

Deuteronomy 4:7; 2 Kings 20:6, comp. Exodus 23:26). To this Isaiah replied, that he had indeed a

good answer to these charges, but would not give it, in order not to aggravate the guilt of

Manasseh. Then the prophet spoke the Ineffable Name, on which a cedar tree opened to receive

him. The cedar was now sawn through. When it reached the mouth of Isaiah, he gave up the soul.

This, because Isaiah had charged his people with being of "unclean lips." The legend has, with

variations, passed into the pseudepigraphic "Martyrdom of Isaiah" (in its original form, probably a

Jewish, in its present form a Christian book), which forms the first part (ch. i.-v.) of the

Pseudepigraph, "the Ascension of Isaiah" (ed. Dillmann, Leips. 1877). Other versions of the

legend, from a Targum, in Assemani, Catal. Bibl. Vat. I. p. 452, and in a marginal note on Isaiah

66:1 in the Cod. Reuchl.