Chosen People
19
had been permitted to maintain the form of a separate government;
but nothing could disguise the fact that they were under the Roman
yoke, or reconcile them to the restriction of their power. The Romans
claimed the right of appointing and removing the high priest, and the
office was often secured by fraud, bribery, and even murder. Thus
the priesthood became more and more corrupt. Yet the priests still
possessed great power, and they employed it for selfish and mercenary
ends. The people were subjected to their merciless demands, and
were also heavily taxed by the Romans. This state of affairs caused
widespread discontent. Popular outbreaks were frequent. Greed and
violence, distrust and spiritual apathy, were eating out the very heart
of the nation.
Hatred of the Romans, and national and spiritual pride, led the
Jews still to adhere rigorously to their forms of worship. The priests
tried to maintain a reputation for sanctity by scrupulous attention to the
ceremonies of religion. The people, in their darkness and oppression,
and the rulers, thirsting for power, longed for the coming of One who
would vanquish their enemies and restore the kingdom to Israel. They
had studied the prophecies, but without spiritual insight. Thus they
overlooked those scriptures that point to the humiliation of Christ’s
first advent, and misapplied those that speak of the glory of His second
coming. Pride obscured their vision. They interpreted prophecy in
accordance with their selfish desires.
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