So wide a range of human history thus opens for consideration that the task we are attempting in this chapter is necessarily difficult. It is still further complicated by the problem of analysis. For example, to say bluntly that in the modern determination to remedy existing evils in our social organisation8 the Christian9 Church may see the harvest of its labours is ultimately true, but it is not the whole truth, and because there is so much more to be said on the matter{195} the statement might be challenged as actually untrue by those whose thoughts leap at once to the chequered official record of the Church in the last few centuries. But the opposition10 with which such cut-and-dry assertions are received often requires only a more careful analysis for its removal. Quite certainly, despite the antagonism11 of certain professed12 Christians13, the penetrative influence of the regular preaching and teaching of Christianity, especially during the last generation or so, has done more towards rousing and enlightening the national conscience regarding social conditions than can easily be measured; but the social movement of to-day also owes much to the rise of ambitions that naturally accompany the increase of wealth, to scientific invention, to popular education, and to other factors that might be mentioned. The progress of mankind is the product of many influences that have worked together for good, and the ethical15 and intellectual condition of a people at any given period is like a garment woven from many threads but without seam. Analysis of history is desirable; but to attempt an analysis so subtle that we can say, “Just so much is due to this influence from the past, so much to that,” is always difficult, if not impossible. In part of what follows we must be content to describe certain events and circumstances concerning which we make no greater (but also no less) a claim than that the Wise were a contributory cause, their words and their example having co-operated with the work of others in producing the result described.
Where then, may it be said, that the seed they sowed took root and ripened16? One general answer may be given instantly—Wherever the Bible has been known and read: a result immeasurably exceeding the utmost expectations of the Wise. Who among them ever hoped that their proverbs would receive a place in a Book destined17 to exercise pre-eminent moral and spiritual force throughout{196} the world, and that through all these centuries the best part of their wisdom, wit, and idealism would be known and esteemed19 in a myriad20 Gentile homes?
For closer consideration three themes may profitably be singled out; the first being that of immediate Jewish history in Palestine, by which is meant the critical centuries 350 to 150 B.C. This topic will first be discussed generally, and then attention will be concentrated on certain events during the years 200 to 150 B.C., when the struggle between Judaism and Hellenism came to a climax21 and was decided22.
I
(a) Less than justice is done to the Wise in the picture of post-exilic Judaism usually presented to students. They are not wholly ignored, but their value as a formative influence in the community of Jerusalem and Jud?a, we venture to think, has been insufficiently23 appreciated. For this misjudgment there are several plain reasons which will prove to be well worth examining.
In the first place, the absence of theological fervour in the proverbs, their matter-of-fact standpoint, and the doubtful propriety25 of certain sayings have been disappointing and even disconcerting to many readers of the Bible. Judged too hastily by the superficial features of their writings, the Wise have been dismissed either as altogether wanting or, at best, as of small moral and religious importance. But how serious an error that method of rough-and-ready judgment24 may induce, can readily be imagined. It is much as if some future historian, attempting to estimate the value of Christianity to this generation, had to derive26 his opinion from a survey of the volumes of sermons published, many of which he might be inclined to criticise27 on the ground that they were concerned with the inculcation of commonplace moral duties. There is far more behind such a book as Proverbs than can appear in it. The Wise have been{197} considered too much from the literary point of view, too little from the human.
But, secondly28, it is not surprising that the attractive, “human” aspect has been overlooked or underestimated. We miss the warmth of personal history in the proverbs. One’s interest is stirred so much more deeply by persons than by things or even ideas; and the proverbs are so coldly impersonal29 that only close scrutiny30, such as we have here attempted, reveals the Wise as men. They may often have been pompous31, self-satisfied folk, but it cannot be denied that in their writings they were anything but self-advertising, saying many things about Wisdom and next to nothing about themselves.
Even more serious for their repute than this praiseworthy self-reticence is, thirdly, the fact that the Wise soon vanish from the surface of Jewish affairs, apparently32 as completely as the prophets. But again appearance is misleading, and the explanation that can be found for this fact deserves to be set forth at some length, because it is likely to help us further in the understanding of our subject. Commencing perhaps as early as the latter part of the fifth century, B.C., there developed in the loyal Jewish community, alongside of the elaborate worship of the Temple, a custom of meeting together for purposes of religious exhortation33 and prayer, and, above all, for study of the great Law which was increasingly felt to be the strength and heart of Judaism. At these meetings, or Synagogues, the delivery of a moral discourse34 would be appropriate, perhaps was formally arranged, and the speaker selected for this purpose must often have been one of those known as the Wise. But commendation and exposition of the Law was even more in place on these occasions, and this duty would naturally be entrusted35 to one of those who were making the exact interpretation36 of the Law a life-long interest and indeed a profession; that is, to one of those who are familiar to us{198} by the title “Scribe.” Now it is easy to see that the functions of the Wise and of the Scribes were not far sundered37, and these “synagogue” meetings must have done much to promote and hasten the approximation of the two classes.[86] Indeed the process of fusion38 can be watched in the pages of Ben Sirach’s book. From it we learn that Ben Sirach, prominent as a Wise-man, was himself professionally a Scribe, and he praises that occupation as the best of all careers, the one most suitable for a disciple7 of Wisdom (E. Prologue39 and 391-3). What more was needed than that the Sages40 should recognise in the Law of Moses the mysterious Wisdom which they served? And we find this very identification expressly made by Ben Sirach, who declares (in reference to certain wonders of Wisdom he has set forth in previous verses) that All these things are the book of the covenant41 of the most high God, even the Law which Moses commanded us (E. 2423; cp. 151, 1920, etc.). What happened is clear. From about the beginning of the second century B.C. the functions of moral exhortation—the special sphere of the Wise, at least in public—were discharged by persons who were Scribes; henceforth, to put it briefly42, the Wise were mostly Scribes, and the Scribes were mostly Wise. The disappearance43 of the Wise-men is thus explained; seated in Moses’ seat, they have passed out of our sight and so out of mind; or, if dimly recognised by us in their new character, they have been involved in the Scribes’ not wholly merited disfavour.[87]
In the fourth place, the Wise have also suffered unduly44 from the overwhelming prestige customarily assigned to the{199} Law in post-exilic times. Many scholars have so sat in its shadow that they seem to lose sight of all other elements in the situation, nay45! even to have forgotten the sunny side of the Law itself. Jerusalem is sometimes pictured as a city of ecclesiastical lawyers, and the Jews as a congregation clustered round a book of rules; an exaggeration and misconception that might never have gained favour, had the mass of spiritual exposition and reflection embodied46 in early Rabbinical literature been more accessible to Christian students. It is a question of proportion. Without denying that the Law had become the rallying-point of distinctive47 Judaism and was destined to obtain a paramount48 place in Jewish life and thought, we have to insist that it held no monopoly of influence in the period before 150 B.C., when the Wise were still distinctively49 the Wise. Jewish legalism may already have become an important fact in the national consciousness, but plenty of room remained for Jewish humanism. We would insist that whilst the Law had one great rival—the spirit of indifference50 to all its teaching which the growth of Hellenic fashions favoured—it had also coadjutors. There were other spiritual influences at work, moulding the standards and ideals of the Jews; one of these was the study and appreciation51 of the writings of the great Prophets of Israel, whence before long came the high aspirations52 of the Apocalyptic53 school of thinkers; and another was the example and teaching of the Wise. Consider the point in view of the normal qualities of human nature. What impresses ordinary folk? How do they learn new knowledge? Men are impressed by worth and dignity in their teachers, the Easterns in particular paying{200} even undue54 deference55 to age and prosperity. And most men learn by small degrees: as Isaiah put it, they need to be taught precept56 upon precept, line upon line, here a little, and there a little. Is not that exactly what the Wise were best fitted to give them—precept upon precept? Here were some of the most honourable57 and prosperous citizens of the day, not keeping their Wisdom jealously to themselves, but counting it their serious duty to impart the secrets of success; now teaching chosen pupils; now mingling58 in the open with all sorts and types of men (Did not Wisdom cry aloud and utter her voice in the broad places, and cry her message in the chief place of concourse, even at the entering in of the gates, cp. Pr. 120, 81-3?); everywhere upholding reverence59 towards God and a standard of morality, if not perfect, at least far superior to average attainments60. Day in, day out, the social and personal idealism, and the wholesome61 vigorous commonsense62 of these proverbs were being instilled63 into the ears of the people by teachers whose prosperous respectability alone was enough to gain them popular attention. Must it not be that all this had effect, and great effect, on the Jewish community? The Law no doubt enlisted64 the prime devotion of the pious65, the prophets appealed most to the enthusiast66, but the Wise must have had the ear of the ordinary folk—that is, of the majority of men.
(b) Detailed67 proof of the conclusion thus drawn68 from general considerations is of course not available. There is, however, one direction in which immediate evidence of the Wise-men’s influence may be sought, namely in the issue of the struggle between Judaism and Hellenism. To this end let us briefly pass in review certain events of the years 200 to 150 B.C. It will already be clear to the reader how slight was the chance of the older Jewish habits persisting in face of the full tide of new life and thought, which was steadily69 smoothing them away as waves will melt sand{201}castles on the shore. By the end of the third century the infection of Hellenism was rife70, not only in the upper classes, but in all grades of Jewish society; “even in the very strongholds of Judaism it modified the organisation of the State, the laws, public affairs, art, science and industry, affecting even the ordinary things of life and the common associations of the people.”[88] Black as was the outlook for Judaism at this date, it was soon to grow much worse. Early in the second century the leading families of Jerusalem had become thoroughly71 Hellenic in their point of view, and, worst of all, in 174 B.C. the office of the High Priesthood fell by intrigue72 into the grasp of an unscrupulous man, Joshua or (to use the Greek name which he adopted and preferred) Jason. This Jason, to curry73 favour with the Syrian king, set to work to complete the transformation74 of Jerusalem into a Grecian city. Accordingly a gymnasium was now built, and so popular was the High Priest’s policy, so forgotten the old-fashioned sentiment, that even the Priests were found willing to participate actively75 in the competitions of the public athletic76 games. The unholy zeal77 of the more ardent78 Hellenists, however, crystallised into definite shape such opposition as still existed. A body of men, convinced upholders of strict Judaism, now drew together and became known as Hasidim, i.e., “The Conscientious” or “The Faithful”; but their ranks were recruited largely from the poorer classes, they lacked intellectual prestige, and no doubt their opposition to Hellenism in some respects had the weakness of mere79 unreasoning conservatism. The party did not seem fitted either to grow in numbers or to continue through many years, and with its passing the old Jewish piety80 bade fair to perish finally.
But at this stage occurred one of the most astonishing dénouements in history. In 175 B.C. Antiochus IV{202} Epiphanes began to reign81 over the Syrian dominions82: a remarkable83 but dangerous man, eccentric to the verge84 of insanity85; inordinately86 vain, yet endowed with great ability, energy, and ambition. Soon after his accession certain tumults87 took place in Jerusalem. The rioting was directed against Syrian authority, but did not amount to anything which could fairly be construed88 as rebellion, being in fact mere faction-fighting. None the less Antiochus, whose exchequer89 happened to be in sore straits for money, made the occurrence a pretext90, first, for plundering91 the Temple of its treasures and, two years later, for inflicting92 on the Jews a cruel punishment. Entering the city in 168 B.C. he razed93 its walls, and desecrated94 the Temple in an abominable95 fashion, sacrificing swine on the altar and converting it into a sanctuary96 for Hellenic worship. Still more important, however, was his resolve once and for all to stamp out any obscurantists among the Jews who might presume any longer to follow their ancestral customs and oppose the Greek culture. Then began throughout the Jewish province a fierce persecution97. In all towns and villages men and women were sought out and slain—whosoever was found guilty of practising Jewish observances, or possessed98 a copy of the Jewish Law, or refused to offer worship at a heathen shrine99. The position of the loyal Jews soon became desperate. The threat of torture and death was stamping out relentlessly100 the last flicker101 of resistance. Many of the Hasidim, refusing to make the great surrender, died for their faith, and the small companies who escaped to the deserts for refuge, though steadfast102 in determination to resist, were in despair, feeling that Jehovah had forsaken103 His people utterly104. A famous passage in 1 Maccabees (229-38) relates how one thousand of them, men, women and children, pursued into the wilderness105 by the Syrian troops, were overtaken on a Sabbath day, and how (rather than violate the laws of the Sabbath by fighting){203} they sought neither to escape their enemies by flight nor yet to defend themselves, but stood and met death in heroic silence.
Such was the condition of affairs when suddenly a change came over the character of the Jewish resistance. A certain Mattathias, a priest of the village Modein, with his five sons (one of whom was the famous Judas, afterwards surnamed Maccabeus), indignant at what was taking place, and convinced of the futility106 of such passive martyrdom as had led to the massacre107 just mentioned, struck a blow for freedom, and began to organise108 active opposition. The Hasidim fell in with the new policy, and men rallied to the support of Mattathias and his sons. It was as if the latent patriotism109 of the Jews had waited only for a spark to kindle110 it, had required only action on lines of sufficient common sense to offer a faint chance of success in combating Antiochus. The new army that sprang dramatically into being was fortunate in its commander. Under the brilliant leadership of Judas Maccabeus surprising victories were gained, and after vicissitudes111 of fortune which it is not in point here to record, there emerged a Jewish State, free from the tyranny of Syria, and eager to preserve the essence of that moral monotheistic faith which had been Israel’s one unique glory.
But whence this astonishing revival112? The Hasidim were none too numerous, and if, as is entirely113 probable, a large proportion of their men were advanced in years, they can hardly have been the most efficient portion of the Maccabean armies from a military point of view. Victories in war are won by young, vigorous men, and the swift triumph of the Maccabees implies the adhesion to their cause of numbers of young Jews from within and without Jerusalem; and that again is explicable only by the presence in the nation of a strong undercurrent of respect for the older, distinctive Judaism. Things were not quite so{204} desperate as they had seemed. Hellenism had progressed far; but it had not eaten out the heart of the people. Obviously if all the young Jews had been convinced Hellenists, content to follow the lead of the high-priestly party to any lengths and wholly contemptuous of Israel’s former piety, they would have looked on with indifference, or even approval, while the last remnants of the puritanical114 Hasidim and the villagers of Modein were being blotted115 out. But from that attitude they had evidently been saved, and it is fair to acknowledge that the Wise must have done much to achieve that consummation. Their broadminded outlook, their sensible but genuine piety, their solid worth of character, their shrewd yet earnest and at times enthusiastic teaching, all had helped effectively to maintain regard for the old-fashioned interpretation of life that rested on “the fear of the Lord.” With the example of the Wise-men before them, there must have been many who, though they felt that Hellenism was wonderful, yet knew in their soul that Judaism also was great and wise. So soon therefore as the vileness116 of a bloody117 and remorseless persecution clarified the moral issue and compelled a choice, men were found who could make the right resolve to fight for their liberty and their fathers’ God. The result of the Maccabean conflict was a real decision; the tide had turned, and the losing battle was not lost. Hellenic thought and method would in days to come mould and modify the Jewish people in many ways, but its strangle-hold on the vital point of Jewish religion was loosened, never to be renewed. The spiritual genius of Judaism could breathe again. Henceforth, to quote a memorable118 saying of Wellhausen, “in a period when all nationalities and all bonds of religion and national customs were being broken up in the seeming cosmos119 and real chaos120 of the Gr?co-Roman Empire, the Jews stood out like a rock in the midst of the ocean. When the natural conditions of independent nationality all{205} failed them, they nevertheless artificially maintained it with an energy truly marvellous, and thereby121 preserved for themselves, and for the whole world, an eternal good.”
II
The second field in which one may reasonably look for signs of the Wise-men’s labours is of course subsequent Jewish history, the question being, “Did the teaching of the Wise slip out of sight and memory when the crisis we have described was ended, and when the professors of Wisdom became the Scribes and were more and more absorbed in purely122 scribal interests, or did it escape oblivion and continue a living influence in the life of the Jews?” The ground that must furnish an answer to our question is chiefly the presence or absence of references to these proverbs, or of imitations and echoes of them, in the later Jewish literature. To begin with, however, there is one clear, independent proof of the esteem18 in which at any rate the Book of Proverbs came to be held, and that is its inclusion in the Hebrew Bible. This fact alone is irrefutable and sufficient testimony123 that the thoughts of the Wise never ceased to influence the minds and characters of loyal Jews. So much for Proverbs, but what of Ecclesiasticus? It also was far from being forgotten. Though it failed to secure a place in the Hebrew Canon, it was included in the Septuagint[89], the Bible of the Greek-speaking Jews of Egypt. The Talmud in one ultra-orthodox passage forbids quotations124 to be made from Ben Sirach’s book, but actually there are quotations from it in the Talmud itself! In fact, a vast number of references might be adduced from the whole range of Jewish literature testifying both to the popularity of these two great treasuries125 of the Sages’ sayings, and to the steady appreciation of proverbs old and new, which the Jews displayed.{206}
To set forth proof of this assertion even in barest outline would involve technicalities that might be wearisome. We give therefore but two or three points in illustration. Perhaps the most interesting, and for Gentile readers the most accessible, source of evidence is a work of the first and second century A.D., a compendium126 of the ethical ideas and ideals of certain famous Jewish teachers, bearing the title Pirke Aboth, that is The Sayings of the Fathers.[90] Throughout this treatise127 the influence of the Wisdom writings is clearly indicated by the sententious style that characterises the several Sayings, as well as by the numerous direct references to Proverbs. A few quotations will bring this out, and at the same time illustrate128 the high ideals, curiously129 but often very attractively expressed, of which the book is full:—
Ben Zoma said, “Who is mighty130? He who subdues131 his nature, for it is written ‘He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty’ (Pr. 1632).”[91]
Antigonous of Soko used to say, “Be not like servants who work for their Lord with a view to receiving recompense, but be as slaves that minister without seeking for reward, and let the fear of heaven be upon you.”[92]
Rabbi Chananiah said—something that might have averted132 the European war, and made Germany a blessing133 instead of a curse, had her rulers and thinkers accepted his deep counsel!—“Whenever in any man his fear of sin comes before his wisdom his wisdom endures, but whensoever a man’s wisdom comes before his fear of sin his wisdom doth not endure.”[93]
Rabbi Judah ben Thema said, “Be bold as a leopard134, and swift as an eagle, and fleet as a hart, and strong as a lion to do the will of thy Father which is in heaven.”[94]{207}
And there was Rabbi Samuel the Little, who chose for his life’s motto just one verse of Proverbs (2417), and added thereto no word in comment: “Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth.”[95]
So the topic might be pursued, and from Midrash and Talmud might be drawn examples in plenty, both references to the ancient proverbs and quotations of new ones—words of wit and humour, of prudence135 and fine idealism—applied to all manner of human intercourse136, and witnessing abundantly that in Israel Wisdom was still known of her children. Space must be found for just these three observations on married life:
Whose wife dies in his lifetime, the world becomes dark for him (C. 55)[96].
He who loves his wife as himself and honours her more than himself ... it is of him the Scripture137 saith “Thou shalt know that thy tent is in peace” (C. 55).
And, lastly, this gentle and subtle saying:—
If thy wife be short, bend down and whisper to her (C. 55).
If Wisdom is an influence at all, it is always an intimate influence working in homes and individual consciences as well as in street and market-place, so that besides noting the frequent mention of proverbs in the literature, consideration should also be paid to the vigour138 of Jewish morality in the Christian era. Perhaps the simplest and most human point at which to test the matter briefly will be the ethic14 of the Jewish home. Dispossessed of their native land and{208} scattered139 to a thousand different cities, the Jews were compelled to work out their own salvation140 under great and increasing difficulties.[97] God, says a significant Talmudic comment, dwells in a pure and loving home; and no one, aware of the evils that were rampant141 in the decaying paganism of the Gr?co-Roman Empire and persisted, still powerful though not unrebuked, in the slowly developing society of nominally142 Christian Europe, would deny that the isolated143 and often harassed144 communities of the Jews did their utmost to make that noble saying a reality, maintaining with amazing courage and pertinacity145 a splendid ideal of family and communal146 existence. A discussion of the topic in the Jewish Encyclop?dia concludes with the following affirmation: “Throughout these centuries of persecution and migration147 the moral atmosphere of the Jewish home was rarely contaminated, and it became a bulwark148 of moral and social strength, impregnable by reason of the religious spirit which permeated149 it.” And in elucidation150 of what{209} was involved in the persecution referred to let this one grim statement speak: From the sixteenth century, and earlier, regulations were enforced compelling the Jews of numerous large cities to reside in certain confined areas, “ghettos.” Nevertheless the dreadful overcrowding to which this led resulted in no serious moral evils: “The purity of the Jewish home-life was a constant antidote152 to the poisonous suggestions of life in slums, and it was even able to resist the terrible squalor and unhealthiness which prevailed in the miserable153 and infamous154 Roman ghetto151, where at one time as many as 10,000 inhabitants were herded155 into a space less than a square kilometre. In the poorer streets of this ghetto several families occupied one and the same room. The sufferings of the Jews in that hell upon earth were not diminished by the yearly overflowing156 of the Tiber which made the Roman ghetto a dismal157 and a plague-stricken swamp.”[98]
Of course many things worked together to sustain the morality of the Jewish people—the long-suffering of the Psalmists, the golden promises of the mighty Prophets, and the strength of the ancient Law. But surely also that store of homely158, yet stirring and challenging, proverbs which the Wise-men had created, may claim a real share in the magnificent result? And if, quite rightly, it be insisted that the Law, with its fascination159 of hallowed customs and manifold spiritual suggestions, played the all-important part, then in reply we may still enter the plea that, as Ben Sirach had felt and said, for the Jew the Law was Wisdom and Wisdom had become the Law.
III
In the third place, the words of the Wise were given an honoured place in the mind of the Lord Jesus Christ. To some that may be an unexpected statement. It is well-{210}known that Jesus was intimately familiar with the doctrine160 of the Prophets, and many have perceived how conscious He was of all that is admirable in the Law, the spiritual essence of which He fulfilled. But, though His interest in the Wise is seldom noted161, it is no less true that He had considered deeply and sympathetically the idea of the Divine Wisdom, and was familiar with the famous proverbs that sought to apply its guidance alike to the greatest and the least of our affairs. Just how often a memory of Wisdom is traceable in the recorded words of Jesus cannot be determined162 with certainty. Verbatim allusions163 are rare, perhaps because the ideas of the Wise and their more memorable sayings had become so familiar in our Lord’s time as to be common ground between hearer and teacher, so that often it was only the point made by the Wise that was hinted at, or caught up and given some new turn and emphasis. But echoes from the thoughts and images of the proverbs are so frequent in the Gospels that together they furnish ample evidence of His having known and valued the ancient treasury164 of Wisdom. The evidence is, of course, cumulative165, and its strength must not be judged by the following few illustrations.[99]
No fewer than seven of the eight Beatitudes (Matt. 53ff) recall proverbs of the Wise; what had been, as it were, a seed of thought in the proverb finding ripe expression in the Beatitude. For instance, Blessed are the poor (i.e., humble) in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, said Jesus—Better, said the Wise, is it to be of a lowly spirit with the poor, than to divide the spoil with the proud (Pr. 1619). With Jesus’ condemnation166 of mischievous167 talk, Every idle word that men shall speak they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement; for by thy words shalt thou be justified,{211} and by thy words thou shalt be condemned168 (Matt. 1236, 37), compare Pr. 1820, 21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue; and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof (also Pr. 132, 154, 2123, etc.). With the teaching, Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth ... but in heaven, compare Pr. 114, 28, 1516, 168, etc. Give us this day our daily bread seems to echo Pr. 308: Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the bread that is needful for me. In the command for generous dealing169, Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not away (Matt. 542), there is perhaps a precise reminiscence of Pr. 328: Say not unto thy neighbour, “Go and come again” when thou hast it with thee (cp. also Pr. 1917 with Matt. 2540); and again when Jesus encouraged His disciples saying Be not anxious how or what ye shall speak.... For it is not ye that speak but the spirit of your Father which speaketh in you (Matt. 1019, 20), perhaps the very words of Pr. 161 were in His memory: The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord?
Some of the immortal170 images in our Lord’s parables171 may have been painted from the thought suggested by a proverb. In the parable172 of Luke 147-11, the command not to seek the highest seats at the banquet may originate in the saying of Pr. 256 as much as in the concrete examples of the failing which contemporary life no doubt afforded. So also the famous parable of the two houses, one built on rock, the other on sand, perhaps goes back to the seed-thought in Pr. 127: The wicked are overthrown173 and are not, but the house of the righteous shall stand; and the proverb Boast not thyself of to-morrow, for thou knowest not what a day will bring forth, Pr. 271, might be text for Christ’s parable of the rich man and his barns (Luke 1216-21). Again when Jesus, speaking of the kingdom of heaven, likens it to a marriage feast (Matt. 221-14; etc.) and elsewhere compares it in its infinite value to a hidden precious pearl, there are{212} details in the language used which suggest that the picture of Wisdom’s banquet (Pr. 91-5), and the proverbs on the incomparable worth of Wisdom were not far distant from His mind.
More important than even the certain or possible verbal reminiscences of the proverbs is the resemblance between the manner of Jesus’ teaching and the manner of the Wise. Like them, He also taught in the streets, seeking the people where they were most easily to be found; and though His words were infinite in depth of insight and spiritual grandeur174, He was wont175 to clothe them in simple language—now quoting a telling proverb, Physician, heal thyself, now kindling176 imagination by a familiar but graphic177 metaphor178 or comparison that went home to the heart, and challenged the conscience, and was comprehensible to learned and unlearned equally. Like the Wise, He spoke179 constantly on those simple but supreme180 issues which concern every man that cometh into the world; and His highest doctrine was often cast, like the lessons of ancient Wisdom, in brief sentences that refused to be forgotten: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God—He that findeth his life shall lose it, and he that loseth his life for My sake shall find it. Many readers will realise that the deepest thing concerning the relation between Jesus Christ and Wisdom has not yet been referred to, but that we deliberately181 reserve. Enough has been said for the present purpose.
Who in face of all these facts would dare to maintain that the Wise-men toiled182 to no purpose. Their love’s labour was not lost. In the issue of the struggle with Hellenism and the revival of the Jewish national consciousness with its unique moral and religious features, some of them witnessed a result such as their teaching, whether they were fully183 conscious of the fact or not, had tended to achieve.
But also there came gradually in later generations, and in lands of which they had not so much as heard, a rich reward{213} of which the end is not yet in sight. Could they but have foreseen even a small corner of this ultimate harvest field, how completely depression would have vanished, and all mistrust of God’s dealings with faithful men been lifted from their minds! Their proverbs were laid on the foundation of a religious and ethical idealism, and if some have proved to be only wood, hay and stubble, others were gold, silver and costly184 stones, and these have obtained a place in the temple of eternal Truth. Doubtless the imperfections of the Wise were great and their failures and disappointments many, but all the time they were building far better than they knew. Is it not always so with every courageous185 effort after righteousness, every honest search for the kingdom of the living God?
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1 scattering | |
n.[物]散射;散乱,分散;在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的;分散在不同范围的;广泛扩散的;(选票)数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式);散布;驱散 | |
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vi.辛劳工作,艰难地行动;n.苦工,难事 | |
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adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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adj.立即的;直接的,最接近的;紧靠的 | |
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v.批准,认可;n.批准,认可 | |
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n.信徒( disciple的名词复数 );门徒;耶稣的信徒;(尤指)耶稣十二门徒之一 | |
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n.信徒,门徒,追随者 | |
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adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒 | |
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12 professed | |
公开声称的,伪称的,已立誓信教的 | |
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13 Christians | |
n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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14 ethic | |
n.道德标准,行为准则 | |
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15 ethical | |
adj.伦理的,道德的,合乎道德的 | |
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16 ripened | |
v.成熟,使熟( ripen的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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17 destined | |
adj.命中注定的;(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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18 esteem | |
n.尊敬,尊重;vt.尊重,敬重;把…看作 | |
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19 esteemed | |
adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 );敬重;认为;以为 | |
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20 myriad | |
adj.无数的;n.无数,极大数量 | |
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21 climax | |
n.顶点;高潮;v.(使)达到顶点 | |
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22 decided | |
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 | |
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23 insufficiently | |
adv.不够地,不能胜任地 | |
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24 judgment | |
n.审判;判断力,识别力,看法,意见 | |
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25 propriety | |
n.正当行为;正当;适当 | |
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26 derive | |
v.取得;导出;引申;来自;源自;出自 | |
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27 criticise | |
v.批评,评论;非难 | |
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28 secondly | |
adv.第二,其次 | |
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29 impersonal | |
adj.无个人感情的,与个人无关的,非人称的 | |
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30 scrutiny | |
n.详细检查,仔细观察 | |
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31 pompous | |
adj.傲慢的,自大的;夸大的;豪华的 | |
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32 apparently | |
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
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33 exhortation | |
n.劝告,规劝 | |
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34 discourse | |
n.论文,演说;谈话;话语;vi.讲述,著述 | |
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35 entrusted | |
v.委托,托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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36 interpretation | |
n.解释,说明,描述;艺术处理 | |
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37 sundered | |
v.隔开,分开( sunder的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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38 fusion | |
n.溶化;熔解;熔化状态,熔和;熔接 | |
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39 prologue | |
n.开场白,序言;开端,序幕 | |
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40 sages | |
n.圣人( sage的名词复数 );智者;哲人;鼠尾草(可用作调料) | |
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41 covenant | |
n.盟约,契约;v.订盟约 | |
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42 briefly | |
adv.简单地,简短地 | |
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43 disappearance | |
n.消失,消散,失踪 | |
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44 unduly | |
adv.过度地,不适当地 | |
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45 nay | |
adv.不;n.反对票,投反对票者 | |
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46 embodied | |
v.表现( embody的过去式和过去分词 );象征;包括;包含 | |
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47 distinctive | |
adj.特别的,有特色的,与众不同的 | |
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48 paramount | |
a.最重要的,最高权力的 | |
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49 distinctively | |
adv.特殊地,区别地 | |
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50 indifference | |
n.不感兴趣,不关心,冷淡,不在乎 | |
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51 appreciation | |
n.评价;欣赏;感谢;领会,理解;价格上涨 | |
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52 aspirations | |
强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 ); 志向; 发送气音; 发 h 音 | |
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53 apocalyptic | |
adj.预示灾祸的,启示的 | |
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54 undue | |
adj.过分的;不适当的;未到期的 | |
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55 deference | |
n.尊重,顺从;敬意 | |
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56 precept | |
n.戒律;格言 | |
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57 honourable | |
adj.可敬的;荣誉的,光荣的 | |
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58 mingling | |
adj.混合的 | |
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59 reverence | |
n.敬畏,尊敬,尊严;Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称;v.尊敬,敬畏,崇敬 | |
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60 attainments | |
成就,造诣; 获得( attainment的名词复数 ); 达到; 造诣; 成就 | |
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61 wholesome | |
adj.适合;卫生的;有益健康的;显示身心健康的 | |
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62 commonsense | |
adj.有常识的;明白事理的;注重实际的 | |
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63 instilled | |
v.逐渐使某人获得(某种可取的品质),逐步灌输( instill的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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64 enlisted | |
adj.应募入伍的v.(使)入伍, (使)参军( enlist的过去式和过去分词 );获得(帮助或支持) | |
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65 pious | |
adj.虔诚的;道貌岸然的 | |
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66 enthusiast | |
n.热心人,热衷者 | |
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67 detailed | |
adj.详细的,详尽的,极注意细节的,完全的 | |
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68 drawn | |
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的 | |
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69 steadily | |
adv.稳定地;不变地;持续地 | |
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70 rife | |
adj.(指坏事情)充斥的,流行的,普遍的 | |
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71 thoroughly | |
adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地 | |
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72 intrigue | |
vt.激起兴趣,迷住;vi.耍阴谋;n.阴谋,密谋 | |
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73 curry | |
n.咖哩粉,咖哩饭菜;v.用咖哩粉调味,用马栉梳,制革 | |
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74 transformation | |
n.变化;改造;转变 | |
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75 actively | |
adv.积极地,勤奋地 | |
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76 athletic | |
adj.擅长运动的,强健的;活跃的,体格健壮的 | |
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77 zeal | |
n.热心,热情,热忱 | |
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78 ardent | |
adj.热情的,热烈的,强烈的,烈性的 | |
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79 mere | |
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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80 piety | |
n.虔诚,虔敬 | |
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81 reign | |
n.统治时期,统治,支配,盛行;v.占优势 | |
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82 dominions | |
统治权( dominion的名词复数 ); 领土; 疆土; 版图 | |
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83 remarkable | |
adj.显著的,异常的,非凡的,值得注意的 | |
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84 verge | |
n.边,边缘;v.接近,濒临 | |
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85 insanity | |
n.疯狂,精神错乱;极端的愚蠢,荒唐 | |
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86 inordinately | |
adv.无度地,非常地 | |
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87 tumults | |
吵闹( tumult的名词复数 ); 喧哗; 激动的吵闹声; 心烦意乱 | |
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88 construed | |
v.解释(陈述、行为等)( construe的过去式和过去分词 );翻译,作句法分析 | |
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89 exchequer | |
n.财政部;国库 | |
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90 pretext | |
n.借口,托词 | |
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91 plundering | |
掠夺,抢劫( plunder的现在分词 ) | |
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92 inflicting | |
把…强加给,使承受,遭受( inflict的现在分词 ) | |
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93 razed | |
v.彻底摧毁,将…夷为平地( raze的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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94 desecrated | |
毁坏或亵渎( desecrate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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95 abominable | |
adj.可厌的,令人憎恶的 | |
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96 sanctuary | |
n.圣所,圣堂,寺庙;禁猎区,保护区 | |
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97 persecution | |
n. 迫害,烦扰 | |
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98 possessed | |
adj.疯狂的;拥有的,占有的 | |
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99 shrine | |
n.圣地,神龛,庙;v.将...置于神龛内,把...奉为神圣 | |
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100 relentlessly | |
adv.不屈不挠地;残酷地;不间断 | |
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101 flicker | |
vi./n.闪烁,摇曳,闪现 | |
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102 steadfast | |
adj.固定的,不变的,不动摇的;忠实的;坚贞不移的 | |
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103 Forsaken | |
adj. 被遗忘的, 被抛弃的 动词forsake的过去分词 | |
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104 utterly | |
adv.完全地,绝对地 | |
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105 wilderness | |
n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等,荒漠 | |
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106 futility | |
n.无用 | |
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107 massacre | |
n.残杀,大屠杀;v.残杀,集体屠杀 | |
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108 organise | |
vt.组织,安排,筹办 | |
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109 patriotism | |
n.爱国精神,爱国心,爱国主义 | |
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110 kindle | |
v.点燃,着火 | |
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111 vicissitudes | |
n.变迁,世事变化;变迁兴衰( vicissitude的名词复数 );盛衰兴废 | |
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112 revival | |
n.复兴,复苏,(精力、活力等的)重振 | |
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113 entirely | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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114 puritanical | |
adj.极端拘谨的;道德严格的 | |
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115 blotted | |
涂污( blot的过去式和过去分词 ); (用吸墨纸)吸干 | |
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116 vileness | |
n.讨厌,卑劣 | |
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117 bloody | |
adj.非常的的;流血的;残忍的;adv.很;vt.血染 | |
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118 memorable | |
adj.值得回忆的,难忘的,特别的,显著的 | |
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119 cosmos | |
n.宇宙;秩序,和谐 | |
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120 chaos | |
n.混乱,无秩序 | |
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121 thereby | |
adv.因此,从而 | |
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122 purely | |
adv.纯粹地,完全地 | |
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123 testimony | |
n.证词;见证,证明 | |
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124 quotations | |
n.引用( quotation的名词复数 );[商业]行情(报告);(货物或股票的)市价;时价 | |
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125 treasuries | |
n.(政府的)财政部( treasury的名词复数 );国库,金库 | |
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126 compendium | |
n.简要,概略 | |
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127 treatise | |
n.专著;(专题)论文 | |
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128 illustrate | |
v.举例说明,阐明;图解,加插图 | |
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129 curiously | |
adv.有求知欲地;好问地;奇特地 | |
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130 mighty | |
adj.强有力的;巨大的 | |
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131 subdues | |
征服( subdue的第三人称单数 ); 克制; 制服 | |
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132 averted | |
防止,避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 ); 转移 | |
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133 blessing | |
n.祈神赐福;祷告;祝福,祝愿 | |
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134 leopard | |
n.豹 | |
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135 prudence | |
n.谨慎,精明,节俭 | |
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136 intercourse | |
n.性交;交流,交往,交际 | |
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137 scripture | |
n.经文,圣书,手稿;Scripture:(常用复数)《圣经》,《圣经》中的一段 | |
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138 vigour | |
(=vigor)n.智力,体力,精力 | |
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139 scattered | |
adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的 | |
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140 salvation | |
n.(尤指基督)救世,超度,拯救,解困 | |
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141 rampant | |
adj.(植物)蔓生的;狂暴的,无约束的 | |
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142 nominally | |
在名义上,表面地; 应名儿 | |
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143 isolated | |
adj.与世隔绝的 | |
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144 harassed | |
adj. 疲倦的,厌烦的 动词harass的过去式和过去分词 | |
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145 pertinacity | |
n.执拗,顽固 | |
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146 communal | |
adj.公有的,公共的,公社的,公社制的 | |
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147 migration | |
n.迁移,移居,(鸟类等的)迁徙 | |
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148 bulwark | |
n.堡垒,保障,防御 | |
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149 permeated | |
弥漫( permeate的过去式和过去分词 ); 遍布; 渗入; 渗透 | |
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150 elucidation | |
n.说明,阐明 | |
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151 ghetto | |
n.少数民族聚居区,贫民区 | |
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152 antidote | |
n.解毒药,解毒剂 | |
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153 miserable | |
adj.悲惨的,痛苦的;可怜的,糟糕的 | |
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154 infamous | |
adj.声名狼藉的,臭名昭著的,邪恶的 | |
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155 herded | |
群集,纠结( herd的过去式和过去分词 ); 放牧; (使)向…移动 | |
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156 overflowing | |
n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的,充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式 | |
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157 dismal | |
adj.阴沉的,凄凉的,令人忧郁的,差劲的 | |
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158 homely | |
adj.家常的,简朴的;不漂亮的 | |
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159 fascination | |
n.令人着迷的事物,魅力,迷恋 | |
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160 doctrine | |
n.教义;主义;学说 | |
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161 noted | |
adj.著名的,知名的 | |
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162 determined | |
adj.坚定的;有决心的 | |
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163 allusions | |
暗指,间接提到( allusion的名词复数 ) | |
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164 treasury | |
n.宝库;国库,金库;文库 | |
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165 cumulative | |
adj.累积的,渐增的 | |
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166 condemnation | |
n.谴责; 定罪 | |
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167 mischievous | |
adj.调皮的,恶作剧的,有害的,伤人的 | |
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168 condemned | |
adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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169 dealing | |
n.经商方法,待人态度 | |
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170 immortal | |
adj.不朽的;永生的,不死的;神的 | |
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171 parables | |
n.(圣经中的)寓言故事( parable的名词复数 ) | |
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172 parable | |
n.寓言,比喻 | |
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173 overthrown | |
adj. 打翻的,推倒的,倾覆的 动词overthrow的过去分词 | |
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174 grandeur | |
n.伟大,崇高,宏伟,庄严,豪华 | |
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175 wont | |
adj.习惯于;v.习惯;n.习惯 | |
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176 kindling | |
n. 点火, 可燃物 动词kindle的现在分词形式 | |
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177 graphic | |
adj.生动的,形象的,绘画的,文字的,图表的 | |
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178 metaphor | |
n.隐喻,暗喻 | |
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179 spoke | |
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说 | |
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180 supreme | |
adj.极度的,最重要的;至高的,最高的 | |
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181 deliberately | |
adv.审慎地;蓄意地;故意地 | |
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182 toiled | |
长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 ); 艰难缓慢地移动,跋涉 | |
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183 fully | |
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地 | |
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184 costly | |
adj.昂贵的,价值高的,豪华的 | |
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185 courageous | |
adj.勇敢的,有胆量的 | |
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