THE student of Christian Science appreciates the deep significance of the sage's counsel in the book of Proverbs, in which he tells of the priceless value of wisdom and understanding. He speaks of silver and fine gold, then of rubies, and says that these, "and all the things thou canst desire," are not to be compared to wisdom. He then mentions some of the things which belong to wisdom, among them "length of days," "riches and honor;" peace and happiness; preservation both when one is asleep and awake; confidence when "sudden fear" presents itself, and the path "that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." In the presence of these ideals earthly treasures seem mere baubles, for we know beyond all question that neither silver nor gold, no, nor the rarest ruby, can bestow upon their possessor these unspeakable blessings. Yet how many are willing to surrender the material in order to gain the spiritual, and thus prove to themselves and others what value they place upon the spiritual?
For long centuries the Hebrews were almost the sole custodians of spiritual truth, and this could not have been the case had they not to some extent recognized its value, although Jesus reminded his people that they had killed the prophets; yet they had the prophets whose teachings have uplifted thought throughout the years. Josephus tells us of the seventy Jews who went to Alexandria to translate the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek at the request of Ptolemy Philadelphia (b. c. 285). They were received with royal honors, and on the completion of their task (which lasted seventy-two days) each one received from the king the following gifts: "Three garments of the best sort, two talents of gold (equal to 5,760 dollars) a cup of the value of one talent, and the furniture of the room wherein they were feasted." Even these gifts were but trilles compared with those sent to the temple at Jerusalem. We read that the king wept when he saw the rolls of the law, and thanked the men who brought them to he translated; and above all, he thanked God, "whose laws they appeared to be."
So much for one who would be called a heathen, but who evidently had some faint appreciation of the value of divine Truth! There was one, too, in Jesus' time who poured out a costly perfume upon the head of the Master, and who did it in the face of Judas' protest against wastefulness. But had not the Master proved his understanding of God's law by breaking the spell of death and calling her brother from the tomb, and could any return be too great for this service?
