with the Sadducees, who were wealthy, luxurious, and indifferent. The Pharisees were mostly of the middle classes; and their ceaseless devotion to religion gave them great authority among the common people. To the child Jesus they must have appeared nearer to God than any other class. There were among them two parties: one following a Rabbi of the name of Hillel, who was a gentle, cautious, tolerant man, averse to making enemies, and of a most merciful and forgiving disposition. Some say that he began to teach only thirty years before the birth of Christ; and it is certainly amongst his disciples that Jesus found some friends and followers. The second party was that of Shammai, who differed from the other in numberless ways. They were well known for their fierceness and jealousy, for stirring up the people against any one they hated, and for shrinking from no bloodshed in furthering their religious views. They were scrupulous about the fulfilment of the most trivial laws which had come down to them through tradition. These had grown so numerous through the lapse of centuries, that it was scarcely possible to live for an hour without breaking some commandment. Yet among the Pharisees there were many rightminded and noble men, to whom Jesus must have been attracted. 'The only true Pharisee,' said the Talmud, that collection of traditions which they held to be of equal authority with the Scriptures-'the only true Pharisee is he who does the will of his Father which is in heaven because he loves Him.' Such Pharisees, when He met with them, as He did meet with them, won His love and approbation. It was the 'Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites,' whom He hated. CHAPTER I. JOHN THE BAPTIST. JESUS was about thirty years of age when a rumour reached Nazareth of a prophet who had appeared in Judea. It was more than four hundred years since a prophet had arisen; but it was well known that Elias must come before Messiah as His forerunner. Such a prophet was now baptizing in Jordan; and all Judea and Jerusalem itself were sending multitudes to be baptized by him. Before long his name was known: it was John, the son of Elisabeth, Mary's cousin, whose birth had taken place six months before that of Jesus. We have no reason to suppose that any person living at this time, except Mary, knew Jesus to be the Son of God. Those who had known it were Joseph, Zacharias, and Elisabeth; and all these were dead. John, to whom we might suppose his parents would tell the mysterious secret, says expressly that he did not know Him to be the Messiah until it was revealed to him from heaven. He was familiar with his cousin Jesus, and felt himself, with all his stern, rigid life in the wilderness, to be |