Читать книгу The Story of Jesus The Christ - Helen Braun Hojt - Страница 6
INTRODUCTION
Оглавлениеtold them that they should have a king who should rule the
whole world, and who should reign for ever and ever. Prophets
are men who tell what is going to happen long before it does
come; they foretell things. We have men whom we call
weather-prophets. By studying the sky, the clouds, and the
winds, they can tell what sort of weather we are likely to have.
But these Jewish prophets talked with God, and he told them
what to foretell, so they never made any mistakes.
These prophets did not all live at one time; nor did they all
tell the same things about the king. One said he was to be born
in Bethlehem, and was to belong to David’s family. Another
said when he should be born; and others told something else
about his life. Still another said that before he came God would
send a great prophet, who would teach the people how to get
ready for the Christ, their king.
At the time of our story there had been no prophet for four
hundred years; but the Jews, remembering and believing what
the prophets had promised so long ago, were looking for their king.
For, if the prophets had spoken truly, it was almost time for him
to come. They had forgotten that some of the prophets had said
that the king was to be poor, and a man of sorrows. They ex¬
pected him to come in great power, and make them a strong free
nation again.
Although many Jews were now living in Palestine, they were
under the rule of the Homan Emperor. The Emperor had so
large a country that he could not look after it all himself; but
divided it into what were called provinces and appointed rulers
to take charge of them for him. The Jews did not like to obey
the Roman Emperor, they did not like the rulers who were sent
to them, and they did so long for their own strong king.
Herod, one of the Roman rulers, who was called a king, was
very much disliked, and he began to be afraid that he would lose