up their residence in countries at a distance from Palestine, had rulers of their own. The person, who sustained the highest office, among those who dwelt in Egypt, was denominated ALABARCHUS; the magistrate at the head of the Syrian Jews was denominated ARCHON. While the Jews were under the Roman Government, they enjoyed the privilege of referring litigated questions to referees, whose decisions in reference to them, the Roman pretor was bound to see put in execution, Cod. L. I. Tit. 9. 1. 8. de Judaeis. As Christians, when they first made their appearance, were regarded, as a sect of the Jews, (Acts 23: 24.) they likewise enjoyed the same privilege. Paul, accordingly, blamed them, (1 Cor. 6: 1-7.) because they were in the habit of bringing their causes before the pretor, instead of leaving them out to referees. $240. TETRARCHS. After the subjugation of the Jews by the Romans, certain provinces of Judea, were governed by that class of Roman magistrates, denominated Tetrarchs. The office of Tetrarch had its origin from the Gauls. Having, at a certain time, made an incursion into Asia Minor, they succeeded in taking from the king of Bithynia that part of it, which is denominated from their own name, Galatia. The Gauls, who made this invasion, consisted of three tribes; and each tribe was divided into four parts or Tetrarchates, each of which obeyed its own Tetrarch. The Tetrarch was of course subordinate to the king. The appellation of Tetrarch, which was thus originally applied to the chief magistrate of the fourth part of a tribe, subject to the authority of the king, was afterwards extended in its application, and applied to any governours, subject to some king or emperor, without reference to the fact, whether they ruled, or not, precisely the fourth part of a tribe or people. Herod Antipas, accordingly, and Philip, although they did not rule so much as a fourth part of Judea, were denominated Tetrarchs, Matt. 14: 1. Luke 9: 7. Acts 13: 1. Although this class of rulers were dependent upon Cesar, i. e. the Roman emperor, they, nevertheless, governed the people, who were committed to their immediate jurisdiction, as much according to their own choice and discretion, as if they had not been thus dependent. They were inferiour, however, in point of rank, to the Ethnarchs, who, although they did not publicly assume the name of king, were addressed with that title by their subjects; as was the case, for instance, in respect to Archelaus, Matt. 2: 22. Josephus, Antiq. XVII. 11. 4. 241. ROMAN PROCURATORS. Procurators, (a magistrate well known among the Romans,) are denominated in the New Testament nyɛuóves, but it appears, that they are called by Josephus enirooлo. Judea, after the terminaεπίτροποι. tion of the Ethnarchate of Archelaus, was governed by rulers of this description, and likewise during the period, which immediately succeeded the reign of Herod Agrippa. PROCURATORS were sometimes Roman knights, and sometimes the freedmen of the emperor. Felix was one of the latter class, Acts 23: 24-26. 24: 3, 22-27. The procurator, if we may credit some remarks of Suetonius in his life of Claudius, which in truth, are confirmed by Tacitus in his History, (V. 9.) was for some particular reason, very dear to the emperor, but was nevertheless, a very miserable governour. Festus also, according to Herodian, (IV. 8. 11.) was a freedman, Acts 24: 27. 25: 12. 26: 24, 25. It may be necessary to remark here by way of explanation, that procurators were sent by the emperor, independently of the vote or concurrence of the senate into those provinces, which had been reserved for his own use, and might be considered during his reign, as his personal property. They were commonly situated in the extremities of the empire. The business of the procurators, who were sent to them, was, to exact tribute, to administer justice, and to repress seditions. Some of the procurators were dependent on the nearest proconsul or president; for instance, those of Judea were dependent on the proconsul, governour, or president of Syria. They enjoyed, however, great authority, and possessed the power of life and death. The only privilege in respect to the officers of government, that was granted by the procurators of Judea to that nation, was the appointment from among them of persons, to manage and collect the taxes. In all other things, they administered the government them 242. ON THE TRIBUTE of the TEMPLE. 297 selves, except that they frequently had resort to the counsel of other persons, Acts 23: 24-36. 24: 1--10. 25: 23. The military force, that was granted to the procurators of Judea, consisted of six cohorts, ontipat, of which five were stationed at Cesarea, where they resided, and one at Jerusalem in the tower of Antonia, which was so situated as to command the temple, Acts 10: 1. 21: 32. It was the duty of the military cohorts to execute the procurator's commands, and to repress seditions, Matt. 8: 5. 27: 27. 28: 12. John 19: 2, 23. Mark 15: 16. On the return of the great festivals, when there were vast crowds of people at Jerusalem, the procurators themselves went from Cesarea to that city in order to be at hand to suppress any commotions, which might arise, Matt. 27: 2-65. John 18: 29. 19: 38. § 242. OF THE TRIBUTE AND HALF-SHEKEL OF THE TEMPLE. The management of the provincial revenues was generally committed to the Roman knights, who were thence denominated ἀρχιτελῶναι and τελωνάρχαι, publicans, while the tax-gatherers or exactors, whom they employed, were termed tɛlava. The case, however, was somewhat different in Judea, where the management of the revenues, as already observed, was committed to the Jews themselves; so that those of them, to whom the management of these affairs was entrusted, eventually obtained an equal rank with the knights of Rome, Luke 19: 2. Josephus, Jewish War. II. 14. 9. The subordinate agents in collecting the revenues, rel@vai, who are denominated in the Vulgate, though somewhat incorrectly, publicans, took their position at the gates of cities, and in the public ways, and, at the place for that purpose, called the "receipt of custom," examined the goods that passed, and received the monies that were to be paid, Matt. 9: 9. Mark 2: 14. Luke 5: 27, 29. These tax-gatherers, if we may credit Cicero, were more inclined to exact too much, than to belie the promise, they had made to their masters; and were, accordingly, in consequence of their extortions, every where, especially in Judea, objects of hatred, and were reckoned in the same class with notorious sinners, Luke 3:13. Mark 2: 15, 16. comp. Talmud, Baba Kama c. 10, 113. Col. 298 242. ON THE tribute of the TEMPLE. 1. Nedarim c. 3. The Pharisees would have no communication with them, and one ground of their reproaches against the Saviour, was, that he did not refuse to sit at meat with persons of such a character, Matt. 5: 46, 47. 9: 10, 11. 11: 19. 18: 17. 21: 31, 32. THE HALF-SHEKEL TAX was a tax or tribute to be paid every year by every adult Jew at the temple. It was introduced after the captivity, in consequence of a wrong understanding of certain expressions in the Pentateuch, and was a different thing both from the revenue, which accrued to the kings, tetrarchs, and ethnarchs, and from the general tax, that was assessed for the Roman Cesars. It was required, that this tax should be paid in Jewish coin, a circumstance, to which an allusion is made in Matt. 22: 17-19. and likewise in Mark 12: 14, 15. It was in consequence of this state of things, (as the Talmudists assert, Shekalim, I. 1. 3.) that moneychangers xolußioral, seated themselves in the temple, on the fifteenth of the month Adar, and after, for the purpose of exchanging for those, who might wish it, Roman and Greek coins, for Jewish half-shekels. The prominent object of the temple money-changers was their own personal emolument, but the acquisition of property in this way was contrary to the spirit of the law in Deut. 23: 20, 21. It was for this reason, that Jesus drove them from the temple, Matt. 21: 12. Mark 11: 15. John 2: 15. Messengers were sent abroad into other cities, for the purpose of collecting this tax, (Matt. 17: 25.) according to the Talmudists, (Shekalim I. 1. 3.) during the month Adar, who add further, that, in case payment was not made by the twenty-fifth of that month, a pledge was taken from the person, who was delinquent. The Jews, who collected this tax from their countrymen dwelling in foreign nations, transmitted the sums collected every year to Jerusalem. It is not surprising then, that the vast amount of treas ures, of which we are informed, flowed into the temple, Josephus, Antiq. XIV. 7. 2. Cicero pro Flacco, 28. .3 CHAPTER THIRD. OF TRIALS AND PUNISHMENTS. 243 OF JUDGES. ACCORDING to the Mosaic Law, there were to be judges in all the cities, whose duty it was likewise to exercise judicial authority in the neighbouring villages; but weighty causes and appeals went up to the supreme judge or ruler of the commonwealth, and in case of a failure here, to the high priest, Deut. 17: 8, 9. In the time of the monarchy, weighty causes and appeals went up of course to the king, who, in very difficult cases, seems to have consulted the high priest, as is customary at the present day among the Persians and Ottomans. The judicial establishment was reorganized after the captivity, and two classes of judges, the inferiour and superiour, were appointed, Ezra 7: 25. The more difficult cases, nevertheless, and appeals, were either brought before the ruler of the state called, or before the high priest; until, in the age of the Maccabees, a supreme, judicial tribunal was instituted, which is first mentioned under Hyrcanus II., Josephus, Antiq. XIV. 9. 3. This tribunal is not to be confounded with the seventy two counsellors, who were appointed to assist Moses in the civil administration of the government, but who never fulfilled the office of judges. $244. THE SANHedrin. This tribunal, which is properly called ovvédolov, SYNEDRIUM, but is denominated by the Talmudists SANHEDRIN, was instituted in the time of the Maccabees, and was composed of seventy two members. The high priest generally sustained the office of presi |