of these only the High Priest went, and only once a year.
In the other any priest could go.
Around this building were four large open spaces called
courts, separated from each other by walls. The one next the
building was for the priests alone; the next for the Jewish men;
the third for the Jewish women, and the fourth for all who were
not Jews. No one could go farther than the court in which he
belonged. When we speak of people going into the temple, we
mean they went into one of these courts.
The priests were the ministers, who did all the work of the
temple, and, took charge of the services. In those days the peo¬
ple did more than pray to God to forgive their sins. In the tem¬
ple was an altar, or sort of table covered with brass. On this
altar a fire was kept burning day and night. Twice every day a
lamb which had just been killed was burned on this altar, and
while it was burning the people prayed to God, asking him to
forgive their sins, and to destroy the memory of them as the fire
was destroying the lamb. This was called offering a sacrifice.
Another thing the priests did was to offer incense. Incense
was made of sweet spices, and was very fragrant. While it was
burning the people in the courts outside were praying that their
prayers might rise to God as sweet and pure and well pleasing as
the incense.
One day, just about the time that our story begins, the work
of burning the incense fell to the lot of a priest named Zacharias,
6
INTRODUCTION
who had a wife Elizabeth, but who had no children. Both were
very sorry for this, and often when they prayed, they asked God
to give them a little son.
On this day, as Zacharias alone in the temple was burning
the incense, and praying to God, he looked up and saw an angel of
the Lord standing at the right side of the altar. When Zacharias
saw him he was afraid. But the angel said: “ Do not be afraid,
Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; God will give you and Eliza¬
beth a baby boy, and you must call his name John. He will
bring you joy and gladness, and many other people will rejoice
that he is born. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord,
and will turn many from their wicked ways, and teach them to
love God. This child is the one whom the prophets said would
come to make the world ready for the Christ.»
Zacharias could not believe what he heard, and asked, “ How
shall I know that what you say is true?» The angel answered,
«God sent me to tell you about it, and because you have not
believed my word you will not be able to speak again until the
day when it comes true.»
The people outside in the courts waited for Zacharias to come
back, and wondered why he stayed so long in the temple. When
he did come out he could not speak to them. They knew that
something had happened, for he made signs to them, but did not
speak. When his week of service was over he went to his home
in the hill country of Judea, and there, when the time came, the
baby boy was born.
Little Jewish children were not named until they were eight
days old. When it w r as time for this baby to be named, the
friends called him Zacharias, after his father. His mother said,
«No, he is to be called John.» The friends thought it was
strange to call him that, for no one in the family ever had that
name; and, too, it was the custom to call the first boy by his
INTRODUCTION
T
father’s name. They made signs to Zacharias, asking how he
would have him called. Zacharias asked for a writing tablet and
wrote, “ His name is John.»
The friends wondered still more when the father also chose
that name, but they soon had still greater reason for surprise.
Zacharias, who had not spoken for so long, began to talk again.
Would you like to know what he said first? He thanked God
for what had happened, and then told the friends who were with
them that the Christ, the promised king, was coming very soon,
and that this child of his was the prophet who would teach the
people about their king. This story was told all through the hill
country of Judea, and the people asked, “ What kind of a child
will he be?»
9
THE STORY OF JESUS – THE CHRIST
THE BIRTH OF THE CHRIST
In Galilee, in the northern part of the Holy Land, is the
little town
