BABYLONISH CAPTIVITY. In the despotic policy of the east in ancient times, it was a rule to remove the rich and lcauing inhabitants of a conquered province to a distant part of the empire, where they were separated by nationality, language, customs, and religion from the great body of the population, and thus rendered politically harm less; while the people that remained behind were by this means deprived of influential leaders. The inhabitants of Judea underwent oftener than once a deportation of this kind, after they came into conflict with the powerful kingdom of Assyria. Thus, the kingdom of Israel was put an end to under king Hosea (722 n.c.), by the Assyrian mou arch Shalmaneser, who, after taking the capital, Samaria, carried the principal inhabit ants into captivity in Assyria, and brought stranger tribes into the land of Israel in their stead; these, with the Israelites that remained, formed afterwards the mixed nation of the Samaritans. The most remarkable exile., however, befell the tribe of Judah under Nebuchadnezzar. Zedekiah, king of Judah, warned in vain by the prophet Jeremiah, allied himself with the king of Egypt against the sovereignty of Babylon. Nebuchad nezzar soon appeared with a powerful army before Jerusalem, which he took (898 n.c.). King Zedekiah had his eyes put out, and he and the principal part of the inhabitants were carried captive to Babylon. It is this captivity, the duration of which is usually reckoned at 70 years, although, strictly speaking, it lasted only 56 years, that is called, by way of distinction, "the Babylonish captivity." The situation of the exiles was in
other respects tolerable. Most of them settled down, and acquired property, and even riches; many were called to court, and even raised to high offices in the state. They were allowed to retain their organization by families, and lived by themselves essentially according to the Mosaic law. They had also their own chief, and were allowed Ihe free exercise of their religion. Nor did they want consolation and encouragement; for Ezekiel raised among thorn his powerful prophetic voice, and the idea of the Messiah became more clearly developed. When Cyrus overthrew the Babylonian empire (538 me.), he allowed the Jews to return to their own country. Only the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi availed themselves of this permission: the other ten tribes -disap pear from history after the It is probable that they had become so mingled with the Babylonians, a people of kindred origin, that they had ceased to remember the country of their race. Vain attempts have, in recent times, been made to discover the ten lost tribes. Some learned men have sought for them in China and India, while others have declared the Afghans to be their descendants, and even the North Ameri can Indians. A more probable conjecture, perhaps, is that they were the ancestors of the Nestorians in the mountains of Kurdistan.