it is very likely there was an officer who presided over each division, and that there was one who had a command above all the rest.

XVI. I have but one thing more to take notice of here. When St. Paul had appealed to Cæsar, "Then Festus, when he had consulted with the council, answered, Hast thou appealed unto Cæsar? Unto Cæsar shalt thou go," Acts xxv. 12. The reason of the thing will induce us to suppose this was not the Jewish sanhedrin, but some council which the governor had with him.

X

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It was always usual for the presidents to have a council consisting of their friends, and other chief Romans in the province. Philo says, when the Jews waited upon Petronius, and entreated him to defer his march to Jerusalem till they had sent an embassy to Rome, Petronius was moved by their tears and lamentations, and consulted with his 'assessors what was proper to be done.' Josephus speaks of Cumanus's acting with the advice of his friends,' in the sentence he pronounced upon a Roman soldier, who had tore a book of the law of Moses." In the year of our Lord 66, Florus, who was then procurator of Judea, sent Cestius Gallus, president of Syria, false accounts (as Josephus says) of the Jewish behaviour. And the chief men of Jerusa'lem were not silent. For they, and Bernice, wrote to Cestius an account of Florus's mal-administrations in the city. He, therefore, having read the informations he had received from both parties, consulted with his captains.'a It is one of Cicero's complaints against Verres, that when he was in Sicily, he condemned a person without asking the advice of the council, which his predecessor, and he himself had been wont to advise with."

Τις δε δη παρεδρος αυτός εαυτῳ εκατος αιρείται. κ. τ. λ. Dio. p. 505. Ε. * Επεξανασας δε μετα των συνεδρων εβολευετο τα πρακτέα. De legat. ad Cai. p. 1027. B.

* Και ὁ Κεμανος-συμβελευσάντων και των φιλων, τον ενυβρίσαντα τοις νόμοις τρατιώτην πελεκισας. Ant. lib. xx. cap. 4. sect. 4. a Mera nyεμovwv εßeλεVETO. De Bell. lib. ii. cap. 16. b Illud negare posses, aut nunc negabis; te consilio tuo dismisso, viris primariis, qui in consilio C. Sacerdotis fuerant, tibique esse solebant, remotis de re judicatâ judicâsse? In Verrem, lib. ii. n. 81.

sect. 1.

CHAP. III.

OF THE STATE OF THE JEWS OUT OF JUDEA.

I. The Jews numerous in divers parts out of Judea. II. The twelve Tribes in being. III. Prayer wont to be made [at Philippi] by the river side. IV. The Synagogue of the Libertines. V. Of Jewish Proselytes.

I INTEND not here a distinct consideration of the power or privileges, which the Jews enjoyed in foreign countries. Somewhat has been already said upon this subject in the preceding chapter, and more particulars may be found in the eighth chapter of this book. I here take notice of a few things which fall within the compass of my design, but are omitted in those other places.

I. There are frequent intimations in the New Testament, that at the time the apostles preached the gospel, after the ascension of our Saviour, there were great numbers of Jews in several parts of the world, beside those which lived in Judea.

When the disciples had "been filled with the Holy Ghost, (on the day of Pentecost,) and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance," it is said: "There were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.-And they were all amazed, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Lybia about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God," Acts ii. 4-11.

a

The persons spoken of are Jews, or proselytes, chiefly the former. By dwelling at Jerusalem must be understood residing there for a time only, on account of the feast, or some other particular occasion. The word is so used sometimes, and the context obliges us to understand it so here. In the history of St. Paul's travels, we find him preaching in Jewish synagogues in many places: when" Paul

a Vid. Grot. Act. ii. 5.

and Barnabas came to Antioch in Pisidia, they went into the synagogue on the sabbath day," Acts xiii. 14. They did so likewise at Iconium, ch. xiv. 1. Paul taught in a synagogue at Thessalonica, ch. xvii. 2; at Athens, ver. 17; at Corinth, ch. xviii. 4; at Ephesus, ch. xix. 8.

That the Jews were scattered abroad, and dwelt in almost all parts of the world, even before the destruction of their city and state by Titus, is evident from many passages of Philo, Josephus, and several heathen authors. I shall select a few of them, which will be sufficient for the present design.

b

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Philo, in his book against Flaccus, prefect of Egypt in the beginning of Caligula's reign, says, There were not less than a million of Jews in Alexandria and other parts of Egypt.' He adds, 'For one country does not contain the 'Jewish people, they being extremely numerous; for which reason there are of them in all the best and most flourish⚫ing countries of Europe and Asia, in the islands as well as on the continents; all esteeming for their metropolis the holy city, in which is the sacred temple of the most 'high God.'

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Caligula had given orders to Petronius, president of Syria, to erect his statue at Jerusalem. When the tidings that Petronius had published these orders came to Rome, Agrippa the elder was there. He therefore sent the emperor a letter (for he was not then able to appear before him in person) to dissuade him from this design. In this letter, which Philo has given us an account of, among other things, Agrippa says: Nor can I forbear to allege in behalf of the holy city, the place of my nativity, that it is the metropolis, not of the country of Judea only, but of many others, on account of the many colonies that have been 'sent out of it at different times, not only into the neighbouring countries, Egypt, Phenicia, both the Syrias, but also into places more distant, to Pamphylia, Cilicia, and many parts of Asia, as far as Bithynia, and the recesses of Pontus. They are in the same manner in Europe, in Thes'saly, Beotia, Macedonia, Ætolia, Argos, Corinth, in the 'most and best parts of Peloponnesus. Nor are the conti'nents only full of Jewish colonies, but also the most cele* Και οτι εκ αποδέυσι μυριάδων εκατον την Αλεξανδρειαν και την χωραν Ιεδαίοι κατοικεντες επι τε προς Λιβύην καταβαθμο μεχρι των ορίων Atomias. In Flacc. p. 971. C. • Ιεδαίος γαρ χωρα μια δια πολυανθρωπίαν 8 χωρει ἧς αιτιας ενεκα τας πλεισας και ευδαιμονεςάτας των εν Ευρώπη και Ασια κατά τε νησες και ηπειρες εκνέμονται, μητροπολιν μεν την Ιεροπόλιν ἡγεμενοι, καθ ̓ ἡν ιδρυται ὁ τε ύψισε Θες νεως άγιος. Ibid. Ε. d A. D. 39, or 40.

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brated islands, Euboea, Cyprus, Crete; not to mention 'those which are beyond the Euphrates. For excepting only a small part of Babylon, and some other lesser districts, scarce any country of note can be mentioned, in which there are not Jewish inhabitants. If you grant this request in favour of my native place, you will be a benefactor not to one city only, but to thousands of cities in every part of the world; in Europe, in Asia, in Lybia, in the maritime and in the inland parts of the continents ' and the islands.'e

When the war was breaking out in Judea, Agrippa the younger, in a speech he delivered at Jerusalem, makes use of this as an argument to persuade the Jews in Judea to be peaceable; that if they should be worsted, they would involve their countrymen in other parts of the Roman empire in the same ruin. You expose to danger, says he, not only yourselves, but those also who live in other cities: for 'there is not a people, in all the world, which has not some of you among them.'

II. St. James's Epistle is thus inscribed, ch. i. 1, “To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad greeting;" by whom, I think, the apostle intends the believing Jews of all the twelve tribes, who lived in any part of the world out of Judea. For I suppose, that the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin were not entire in Judea, but that many of those tribes lived also in other parts, and that the ten other tribes were not extinct. Ptolemy Philadelphus having a desire to enrich his library at Alexandria with the Jewish law, wrote to Eleazar the high priest, to send six Jews out of each tribe to make a translation of it for him into the Greek language. In the answer which Eleazar sent to Ptolemy are these words: We have chosen six elders out of each tribe, whom we have sent to you with the law.'h This is a proof that Josephus (from whom I have taken this account) did not suppose the ten tribes were extinct.

In the account of Ezra's journey from Babylon to Jerusalem, and of the people that went with him, in the reign of Artaxerxes, Josephus is more express. For he says: But

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• Πασαι γαρ εξω μερος βραχεος Βαβυλωνος και των αλλων σατραπειών, αι αρετωσαν εχεσι την εν κυκλῳ γην, Ιεδαιες εχεσιν οικήτορας· ώς τε αν μεταλαβη σε της ευμένειας ἡ εμη πατρις, ε μια πολις, αλλα και μυρίαι των άλλων ευεργετώνται καθ' εκαςον κλιμα της οικεμένης ιδρυθείσαι, το Ευρωπαίον, το Λιβυκον, το Ασιανον, το εν ηπείροις, το εν νησοις, παραλον τε και μεσογειον. De Legat. ad Cai. p. 1031, 1032. Joseph. de Bell. lib. ii. cap. 16. p. 1089. fin. 8 Vid. Grot. in loc.

f

h

Επελέξαμεν δε και

πρεσβύτερες ανδρας εξ απο φυλης εκάστης, οὓς πεπομφαμεν έχοντας τον νόμον. Antiq. lib. xii. cap. 2. sect. 5.

the whole people of the Israelites remained in that country; whence it has come to pass, that there are but two 'tribes subject to the Romans in Asia and Europe. But the ten tribes are still in being beyond the Euphrates, an 'infinite multitude, whose numbers are not to be known.'i

66

III. There is frequent mention made in the Acts of the Apostles, of the Jewish synagogues in the heathen countries, and of the worship they performed in them: but there is somewhat particular in the description of the place of worship which the Jews had at Philippi. Acts xvi. 13, “ And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made." There is some difference among learned men, whether the original word in this place, which we have rendered prayer, should be here understood of the act, or the place of prayer. I am inclined to think with Whitby, Grotius, and others, that it is a place of worship which is here spoken of. But what I am chiefly concerned to observe here, agreeably to my design, is, that it may be inferred from this text, that it was not unusual for the Jews, at least in strange countries, to worship, or to erect places of worship, near a river.

There is an instance of this kind recorded by Josephus, who has given us the decree of the city of Halicarnassus, permitting the Jews to build oratories; a part of which decree runs thus: We ordain that the Jews, who are wil'ling, men and women, do observe the sabbaths, and per'form sacred rites according to the Jewish laws, and build 'oratories by the sea-side according to the custom of their country; and if any man, whether magistrate or private person, give them any let or disturbance, he shall pay a fine to the city."

m

And Tertullian, among other Jewish rites and customs, such as feasts, sabbaths, fasts, and unleavened bread, mentions shore-prayers, that is, prayers by the sea-side or riverside.

These two passages are sufficient to persuade us, that it was common for the Jews to worship in these places. But * Ο δε πας λαος Ισραηλιτών κατα χωραν έμεινε διο και δυο φυλας είναι συμβέβηκεν επι τε της Ασίας και της Ευρωπης Ρωμαίοις ὑπακουσας. αι δε δέκα φυ λαι πέραν εισιν Ευφρατε έως δεύρο, μυριάδες απειροι, και αριθμῳ γνωσθήναι un duvaμevai Antiq. lib. xi. cap. 5. sect. 2. * Οι ενομίζετο προσευχη ειναι. · Δεδοκται ήμιν Ιεδαίων τες βελομενος ανδρας τε και γυναίκας τα τε σαββατα αγειν, και τα ιερα συντελειν μετα της Ιεδαίκες νόμες, και τας προσευχας ποιείσθαι προς τη θαλασση κατά το πατριον έθος. κ. 7. A. Joseph. Antiq. lib. xiv. cap. 10. sect. 24. m Judæi enim festi, sabbata et coena pura,-et jejunia cum azymis, et orationes LITORALES, que utique aliena sunt â diis vestris. Tertul. ad Nat. lib. i. cap. 13.