MILITARY. The Hebrews, under the direction of inspired
prophets, celebrated their victories by triumphal processions, the women
and children dancing, and playing upon musical instruments, and singing
hymns and songs of triumph to the living and true God. The song of Moses
at the Red Sea, which was sung by Miriam and the women of Israel to the
dulcet beat of the timbrel, is a majestic example of the triumphal hymns
of the ancient Hebrews. The song of Deborah and Barak, after the
decisive battle in which Sisera lost his life, and Jabin his dominion
over the tribes of Israel, is a production of the same sort, in which
the spirit of genuine heroism and of true religion are admirably
combined. But the song which the women of Israel chanted when they went
out to meet Saul and his victorious army, after the death of Goliath,
and the discomfiture of the Philistines, possesses somewhat of a
different character, turning chiefly on the valorous exploits of Saul
and the youthful champion of Israel: “And it came to pass, as they came,
when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the
women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet
King Saul with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of music: and the
women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his
thousands, and David his ten thousands,” 1 Sam. xviii, 6, 7. But the
most remarkable festivity, perhaps, on the records of history, was
celebrated by Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, in a succeeding age. When
that religious prince led forth his army to battle against a powerful
confederacy of his neighbours, he appointed a band of sacred music to
march in front, praising the beauty of holiness as they went before the
army, “and to say, Praise the Lord, for his mercy endureth for ever.”
After the discomfiture of their enemies, he assembled his army in the
valley of Beracha, near the scene of victory, where they resumed the
anthem of religious praise: “Then they returned, every man of Judah and
Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the fore front of them, to go again to
Jerusalem with joy; for the Lord had made them to rejoice over their
enemies. And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries, and harps, and
trumpets, unto the house of the Lord,” 2 Chron. xx, 21, 27. Instead of
celebrating his own heroism, or the valour of his troops, on this
memorable occasion, that excellent prince sung with his whole army the
praises of the Lord of hosts, who disposes of the victory according to
his pleasure. This conduct was becoming the descendant and successor of
David, the man according to God’s own heart, and a religious people, the
peculiar inheritance of Jehovah.
The Roman conquerors used to carry branches of palm in their hands when
they went in triumph to the capitol; and sometimes wore the _toga
palmata_, a garment with the figures of palm trees upon it, which were
interwoven in the fabric. In the same triumphant attitude, the Apostle
John beheld in vision those who had overcome by the blood of the lamb,
standing “before the throne, clothed with white robes, and palms in
their hands,” Rev. vii, 9. The highest military honour which could be
obtained in the Roman state, was a triumph, or solemn procession, in
which a victorious general and his army advanced through the city to the
capitol. He set out from the Campus Martius, and proceeded along the Via
Triumphalis, and from thence through the most public places of the city.
The streets were strewed with flowers, and the altars smoked with
incense. First went a numerous band of music, singing and playing
triumphal songs; next were led the oxen to be sacrificed, having their
horns gilt, and their heads adorned with fillets and garlands; then, in
carriages, were brought the spoils taken from the enemy; also golden
crowns sent by the allied and tributary states. The titles of the
vanquished nations were inscribed on wooden frames; and images or
representations of the conquered countries and cities were exhibited.
The captive leaders followed in chains, with their children and
attendants; after the captives came the lictors, having their faces
wreathed with laurel, followed by a great company of musicians and
dancers, dressed like satyrs, and wearing crowns of gold; in the midst
of whom was a pantomime, clothed in a female garb, whose business it
was, with his looks and gestures, to insult the vanquished; a long train
of persons followed, carrying perfumes; after them came the general,
dressed in purple, embroidered with gold, with a crown of laurel on his
head, a branch of laurel in his right hand, and in his left an ivory
sceptre, with an eagle on the top, his face painted with vermilion, and
a golden ball hanging from his neck on his breast; he stood upright in a
gilded chariot, adorned with ivory, and drawn by four white horses,
attended by his relations, and a great crowd of citizens, all in white.
His children rode in the chariot along with him; his lieutenants and
military tribunes, commonly by his side. After the general followed the
consuls and senators, on foot; and the whole procession was closed by
the victorious army drawn up in order, crowned with laurel, and
decorated with the gifts which they had received for their valour,
singing their own and their general’s praises. The triumphal procession
was not confined to the Romans; the Greeks had a similar custom; for the
conquerors used to make a procession through the middle of their city,
crowned with garlands, repeating hymns and songs, and brandishing their
spears; the captives followed in chains, and all their spoils were
exposed to public view.
The great Apostle of the Gentiles alludes to these splendid triumphal
scenes in his Epistle to the Ephesians, where he mentions the glorious
ascension of his Redeemer into heaven: “When he ascended up on high, he
led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men,” Eph. iv, 8. These words
are a quotation from the sixty-eighth Psalm, where David in spirit
describes the ascension of Messiah in very glowing colours: “The
chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord
is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place. Thou hast ascended on
high, thou hast led captivity captive,” or an immense number of
captives; “thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious
also; that the Lord God might dwell among them. Blessed be the Lord, who
daily loadeth us with his benefits, even the God of our salvation.
Selah,” Psalm lxviii, 17–19. Knowing the deep impression which such an
allusion is calculated to make on the mind of a people familiarly
acquainted with triumphal scenes, the Apostle returns to it in his
Epistle to the Colossians, which was written about the same time:
“Having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them
openly, triumphing over them in it,” Col. ii, 15. After obtaining a
complete victory over all his enemies, he ascended in splendour and
triumph into his Father’s presence on the clouds of heaven, the chariots
of the Most High, thousands of holy angels attending in his train; he
led the devil and all his angels, together with sin, the world, and
death, as his spoils of war, and captives in chains, and exposed them to
open contempt and shame, in the view of all his angelic attendants,
triumphing like a glorious conqueror over them, in virtue of his cross,
upon which he made complete satisfaction for sin, and by his own
strength, without the assistance of any creature, destroyed him that had
the power of death, that is, the devil. And as mighty princes were
accustomed to scatter largesses among the people, and reward their
companions in arms with a liberal hand, when, laden with the spoils of
vanquished nations, they returned in triumph to their capital; so the
Conqueror of death and hell, when he ascended far above all heavens, and
sat down in the midst of the throne, shed forth blessings of his grace
and Holy Spirit, upon people of every tongue and of every nation.
The officers and soldiers, also, were rewarded according to their merit.
Among the Romans, the noblest reward which a soldier could receive, was
the crown, made of leaves. Alluding to this high distinction, the
Apostle says to his son Timothy, “I have fought a good fight; henceforth
there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the
righteous Judge, will give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto
all them also that love his appearing,” 2 Tim. iv, 7, 8. And lest any
one should imagine that the Christian’s crown is perishable in its
nature, and soon fades away, like a crown of oak leaves, the Apostle
Peter assures the faithful soldier of Christ that his crown is
infinitely more valuable and lasting: “Ye shall receive a crown of glory
that fadeth not away,” 1 Peter v, 4. And this account is confirmed by
St. James: “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he is
tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised
to them that love him,” James i, 12. The military crowns were conferred
by the general in presence of his army; and such as received them, after
a public eulogium on their valour, were placed next his person. The
Christian also receives his unmerited reward from the hand of the
Captain of his salvation: “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give
thee a crown of life,” Rev. ii, 10. And, like the brave veteran of
ancient times, he is promoted to a place near his Lord: “To him that
overcometh, will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also
overcame, and am set down with my Father on his throne,” Rev. iii, 21.
prophets, celebrated their victories by triumphal processions, the women
and children dancing, and playing upon musical instruments, and singing
hymns and songs of triumph to the living and true God. The song of Moses
at the Red Sea, which was sung by Miriam and the women of Israel to the
dulcet beat of the timbrel, is a majestic example of the triumphal hymns
of the ancient Hebrews. The song of Deborah and Barak, after the
decisive battle in which Sisera lost his life, and Jabin his dominion
over the tribes of Israel, is a production of the same sort, in which
the spirit of genuine heroism and of true religion are admirably
combined. But the song which the women of Israel chanted when they went
out to meet Saul and his victorious army, after the death of Goliath,
and the discomfiture of the Philistines, possesses somewhat of a
different character, turning chiefly on the valorous exploits of Saul
and the youthful champion of Israel: “And it came to pass, as they came,
when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the
women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet
King Saul with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of music: and the
women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his
thousands, and David his ten thousands,” 1 Sam. xviii, 6, 7. But the
most remarkable festivity, perhaps, on the records of history, was
celebrated by Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, in a succeeding age. When
that religious prince led forth his army to battle against a powerful
confederacy of his neighbours, he appointed a band of sacred music to
march in front, praising the beauty of holiness as they went before the
army, “and to say, Praise the Lord, for his mercy endureth for ever.”
After the discomfiture of their enemies, he assembled his army in the
valley of Beracha, near the scene of victory, where they resumed the
anthem of religious praise: “Then they returned, every man of Judah and
Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the fore front of them, to go again to
Jerusalem with joy; for the Lord had made them to rejoice over their
enemies. And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries, and harps, and
trumpets, unto the house of the Lord,” 2 Chron. xx, 21, 27. Instead of
celebrating his own heroism, or the valour of his troops, on this
memorable occasion, that excellent prince sung with his whole army the
praises of the Lord of hosts, who disposes of the victory according to
his pleasure. This conduct was becoming the descendant and successor of
David, the man according to God’s own heart, and a religious people, the
peculiar inheritance of Jehovah.
The Roman conquerors used to carry branches of palm in their hands when
they went in triumph to the capitol; and sometimes wore the _toga
palmata_, a garment with the figures of palm trees upon it, which were
interwoven in the fabric. In the same triumphant attitude, the Apostle
John beheld in vision those who had overcome by the blood of the lamb,
standing “before the throne, clothed with white robes, and palms in
their hands,” Rev. vii, 9. The highest military honour which could be
obtained in the Roman state, was a triumph, or solemn procession, in
which a victorious general and his army advanced through the city to the
capitol. He set out from the Campus Martius, and proceeded along the Via
Triumphalis, and from thence through the most public places of the city.
The streets were strewed with flowers, and the altars smoked with
incense. First went a numerous band of music, singing and playing
triumphal songs; next were led the oxen to be sacrificed, having their
horns gilt, and their heads adorned with fillets and garlands; then, in
carriages, were brought the spoils taken from the enemy; also golden
crowns sent by the allied and tributary states. The titles of the
vanquished nations were inscribed on wooden frames; and images or
representations of the conquered countries and cities were exhibited.
The captive leaders followed in chains, with their children and
attendants; after the captives came the lictors, having their faces
wreathed with laurel, followed by a great company of musicians and
dancers, dressed like satyrs, and wearing crowns of gold; in the midst
of whom was a pantomime, clothed in a female garb, whose business it
was, with his looks and gestures, to insult the vanquished; a long train
of persons followed, carrying perfumes; after them came the general,
dressed in purple, embroidered with gold, with a crown of laurel on his
head, a branch of laurel in his right hand, and in his left an ivory
sceptre, with an eagle on the top, his face painted with vermilion, and
a golden ball hanging from his neck on his breast; he stood upright in a
gilded chariot, adorned with ivory, and drawn by four white horses,
attended by his relations, and a great crowd of citizens, all in white.
His children rode in the chariot along with him; his lieutenants and
military tribunes, commonly by his side. After the general followed the
consuls and senators, on foot; and the whole procession was closed by
the victorious army drawn up in order, crowned with laurel, and
decorated with the gifts which they had received for their valour,
singing their own and their general’s praises. The triumphal procession
was not confined to the Romans; the Greeks had a similar custom; for the
conquerors used to make a procession through the middle of their city,
crowned with garlands, repeating hymns and songs, and brandishing their
spears; the captives followed in chains, and all their spoils were
exposed to public view.
The great Apostle of the Gentiles alludes to these splendid triumphal
scenes in his Epistle to the Ephesians, where he mentions the glorious
ascension of his Redeemer into heaven: “When he ascended up on high, he
led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men,” Eph. iv, 8. These words
are a quotation from the sixty-eighth Psalm, where David in spirit
describes the ascension of Messiah in very glowing colours: “The
chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord
is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place. Thou hast ascended on
high, thou hast led captivity captive,” or an immense number of
captives; “thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious
also; that the Lord God might dwell among them. Blessed be the Lord, who
daily loadeth us with his benefits, even the God of our salvation.
Selah,” Psalm lxviii, 17–19. Knowing the deep impression which such an
allusion is calculated to make on the mind of a people familiarly
acquainted with triumphal scenes, the Apostle returns to it in his
Epistle to the Colossians, which was written about the same time:
“Having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them
openly, triumphing over them in it,” Col. ii, 15. After obtaining a
complete victory over all his enemies, he ascended in splendour and
triumph into his Father’s presence on the clouds of heaven, the chariots
of the Most High, thousands of holy angels attending in his train; he
led the devil and all his angels, together with sin, the world, and
death, as his spoils of war, and captives in chains, and exposed them to
open contempt and shame, in the view of all his angelic attendants,
triumphing like a glorious conqueror over them, in virtue of his cross,
upon which he made complete satisfaction for sin, and by his own
strength, without the assistance of any creature, destroyed him that had
the power of death, that is, the devil. And as mighty princes were
accustomed to scatter largesses among the people, and reward their
companions in arms with a liberal hand, when, laden with the spoils of
vanquished nations, they returned in triumph to their capital; so the
Conqueror of death and hell, when he ascended far above all heavens, and
sat down in the midst of the throne, shed forth blessings of his grace
and Holy Spirit, upon people of every tongue and of every nation.
The officers and soldiers, also, were rewarded according to their merit.
Among the Romans, the noblest reward which a soldier could receive, was
the crown, made of leaves. Alluding to this high distinction, the
Apostle says to his son Timothy, “I have fought a good fight; henceforth
there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the
righteous Judge, will give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto
all them also that love his appearing,” 2 Tim. iv, 7, 8. And lest any
one should imagine that the Christian’s crown is perishable in its
nature, and soon fades away, like a crown of oak leaves, the Apostle
Peter assures the faithful soldier of Christ that his crown is
infinitely more valuable and lasting: “Ye shall receive a crown of glory
that fadeth not away,” 1 Peter v, 4. And this account is confirmed by
St. James: “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he is
tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised
to them that love him,” James i, 12. The military crowns were conferred
by the general in presence of his army; and such as received them, after
a public eulogium on their valour, were placed next his person. The
Christian also receives his unmerited reward from the hand of the
Captain of his salvation: “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give
thee a crown of life,” Rev. ii, 10. And, like the brave veteran of
ancient times, he is promoted to a place near his Lord: “To him that
overcometh, will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also
overcame, and am set down with my Father on his throne,” Rev. iii, 21.