necessary to satisfy the Jews of those times, who might happen to see his performance.

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Beside the discovery these two writers have made of the principle itself, there is in Josephus a story of a conspiracy against Herod which may not be omitted.

Now Herod deviated more and more from our ancient 'customs, and by foreign inventions corrupted our constitution, which is inviolable. He instituted quinquennial 'games in honour of Cæsar, and built a theatre at JerusaTem. The magnificence of these works was admired by foreigners, but to the Jews these things appeared to be a breach upon those laws which they highly respected. But nothing disgusted them so much as the trophies. Supposing there were images under the arms, they were enraged at the sight of them, it being contrary to our law to worship any images.

'Herod knew very well how much they were provoked, ' but did not think it a proper opportunity to use violence; 'wherefore he endeavoured to appease them by fair words; 'but in vain. For with one consent they cried out, that they would suffer any extremity, rather than have images of men in their city. Whereupon, Herod took some of their chief men into the theatre: and having ordered the 'ornaments to be taken off, when nothing appeared under'neath but a naked piece of wood, the company smiled at 'the mistake.

The people seemed upon this to be brought into a better temper. But yet some there were, who still retained the offence they had taken at these practices: and esteeming the alteration of their laws to be the beginning of all man'ner of evils, thought it their duty to run any hazard, rather 'than seem to connive at Herod, who was forcibly intro'ducing things contrary to their customs; and who, whilst he had the name of king, was in fact the enemy of the whole nation. Ten men therefore of the city, binding 'themselves by an oath to run all hazards together, armed 'themselves with short daggers, which they hid under their ' clothes. And there was a blind man, who, being exceedingly moved at the reports he had heard, offered himself, and took the same oath with them. Not that he could 'give them any assistance, but he was resolved to suffer with them, if any accident befel them. And the zeal of 'this man added not a little to their resolution.'

Josephus goes on to relate, that they entered into the theatre, expecting Herod's arrival; resolved, if possible, to kill Herod himself, or, if they failed of that, a good number

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of his attendants. But one of Herod's spies getting intelligence of the design, prevented his going to the theatre. Being seized, they remitted nothing of their firmness; they did not so much as attempt to deny their intention; but produced the swords they had under their clothes, and professed that the conspiracy they had entered into, was ' laudable and pious, and that they had not entered into it ' for private profit, or any other particular interest, but for 'what was much more valuable, the ancient customs of their 'nation; which it was fit that all should see observed, or die in the defence of them.'

This conspiracy against Herod himself, with all the circumstances here mentioned, must needs satisfy all men, there is nothing improbable in the facts of this kind related by St. Luke. According to all accounts, this mad and furious zeal was not altogether so much in vogue, or at so great a height, in Herod's time, as it was afterwards.

X. As Judea was a Roman province, during the time of our Saviour's ministry, so there appear, in the history the evangelists have given us, many tokens of the uneasiness which this circumstance gave the Jewish nation.

The asking Jesus that question, "Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Cæsar or not?" is represented as a very subtle artifice to ensnare him, Matt. xxii. 17; Mark xii. 14; Luke xx. 21, 22. There can be no doubt, but it would have been judged an offence against the government they were subject to, to say it was not lawful; and it must have been unpopular among the Jews to affirm it was: for otherwise there would have been no extraordinary subtilty in this contrivance, which yet it is plainly intimated there

was.

Moreover, a publican appears to have been a very odious and ignominious character. They are usually reckoned with harlots and sinners.

When our Lord went into the house of Zaccheus, this being done in the view of a great crowd of spectators, it is said, Luke xix. 7, that "all they who saw it, murmured, saying, that he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. They were surprised, and even offended, that Jesus, whom they seemed then to have considered as a prophet, should make a visit to a man of that character; when they themselves, it is likely, disdained to have any conversation with him.

i

Διωμολογήσαντο δε καλως και συν ευσέβεια την συνωμοσίαν αυτοις γενεσθαι, κερδώς μεν εδενος, εδ' οικείων ένεκα παθων το δε πλεον υπερ των κοινών εθων, ἁ και πασιν η φυλάττειν η θνησκειν προ αυτών αξιον. Ant. l. xv. c. 8. sect. 14.

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It is certain, the paying taxes to the Romans was at this time a very heavy affliction to the Jewish nation. When Josephus gives the history of the census or enrolment of their estates by Cyrenius, after Archelaus was deposed by Augustus, and had been banished into Gaul, he says, that the Jews were at first surprised at the name of a census, but that by the persuasion of Joazar the high priest, they generally acquiesced in it. However, Judas Gaulanites, 'associating to himself Sadduc a pharisee, excited the peo'ple to rebellion; told them that an assessment would in'troduce downright slavery, and persuaded them to assert their liberty. The people heard their discourses with incre'dible pleasure. And it is impossible to represent the evils the nation has suffered, which were owing to these men. For Judas and Sadduc brought in amongst us this fourth 'sect; and there being many who embraced their notions, they not only caused disturbances in the government at that time, but laid the foundation of those evils that followed; which indeed are owing to this principle, till then 'unknown.'k

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He then delivers the character and principles of the three chief and more ancient sects of the Jews, (as he calls them,) the pharisees, the sadducees, and the essenes. And afterwards returns again to the men he had been speaking of before. 'Judas the Galilean was the leader of the fourth 'sect. In all other points they hold the same sentiments 'with the pharisees. But they have an invincible affection 'for liberty, and acknowledge God alone their Lord and • Governor. From this time the nation became infected 'with this distemper: and Gessius Florus, by abusing his power when he was president, threw them into despair, and provoked them to rebel against the Romans.'m

What is here transcribed from Josephus is enough to convince us, that the paying tribute to the Romans must have been very grievous to the Jews, and that they who collected it for them, must have been scorned and abhorred by the people for he says, that Judas's and Sadduc's speeches were heard by them with incredible pleasure; that their principle had caused many great evils to the nation, and that it was one ground of the war with the Romans. But I must make two or three remarks. Josephus calls this a principle till then unknown to them. But this is not exactly true without some limitation. There was an oath of 1 Ibid. sect. 2, 3, 4, 5. Τῳ ασυνηθει προτερον φιλοσοφίας τοιασδε·

Ant. lib. xviii. c. 1. sect. 1.

m Ibid. sect. 6.

p. 792. 37.

fidelity to Augustus and Herod tendered to the Jewish nation, at the latter end of Herod's reign. But there were above six thousand pharisees, who refused at that time to take it. Josephus says, that at the persuasion of Joazer the high priest the nation generally acquiesced. Doubtless, the Romans carried their point, but yet a very deep grudge remained in the minds of the Jewish people. And the service which Joazer had done the Romans upon this occasion, rendered him so unpopular, that it cost him the priesthood. These are the very words of Josephus: Cyrenius having 'made a seizure of Archelaus's effects, and finished the 6 census in the thirty-seventh year after the victory at Ac'tium, constituted Ananus the son of Seth high priest, having taken away that dignity and honour from the high 'priest Joazer; who was overpowered by the seditions and tumults of the multitude,'P or, in other words, who had been mobbed by the people.

Lastly, Josephus calls Judas of Galilee the head of a fourth sect. But, though he uses these words here, he oftentimes makes but three sects of the Jews. And I think that the sect of the pharisees must generally have held the same notion, which he ascribes to Judas. The six thousand, who refused to take the oath above mentioned, were pharisees. Josephus owns, that Judas's followers differed from the pharisees in nothing else, but this one principle of an excessive fondness for liberty. He expressly calls Sadduc, who joined with Judas, a pharisee. And I would fain know what sect Judas had been of before. If he had been of the sect of the sadducees or essenes, Josephus would have said so. The case seems to me to have been thus: Judas and they that held his principles were generally of the sect of the pharisees, but they were not pharisees; because this title was more peculiarly appropriated to those, who had some distinction for their learning, riches, posts, employments; or to those who had a great deal of leisure, and little else to do, but to make an uncommon show of devotion and sanctity. Thus, I suppose, the pharisees in general had this principle, but the common people only avowed it. Josephus had a difficult task: he was concerned to save the honour of the supreme parts of the Roman government, and of the chief men of the Jewish nation, and particularly of those properly called pharisees, of whom he was one; and to throw the blame of the war, and

Ant. lib. xvii. p. 753. 41. • Ιωαζαρον τον αρχιερέα κατασ τασιασθέντα υπο της πληθυος αφελόμενος το αξίωμα της τιμης, Ανανον του Σεθ ιτα αρχιερέα. Ant. 1. xviii. cap. 2. in.

all their sufferings, upon the cruelty and avarice of Albinus and Gessius Florus, the two last Roman procurators, and the common people among the Jews and their leaders. This part he has acted very finely. But I think, that if the pharisees had controlled this principle sincerely, they might have suppressed it. For a proof of this, I refer the reader to the chapter of the Jewish sects, where the power of the pharisees appears very evident. I shall here add only one passage more from Josephus. And on the account of these, [principles,] they [the pharisees] are in great authority with the people; and all parts of divine worship, 'whether prayers or sacrifices, are performed according to 'their interpretations. This testimony have the cities given 'to their virtue, because of their following in all things that ' which is best, both in their words and actions.'

XI. But though the Roman tribute was a heavy grievance, and they who collected it were much hated, yet it is evident that many Jews were employed in this work. The publicans mentioned in the gospels must have been of the Jewish nation. "Then came also the publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, [John,] Master, what shall we do?" Luke iii. 12. See Matt. xxi. 31, 32. It appears likewise, that some of the publicans in Judea were honest persons, and men of substance. Such an one was Levi, or Matthew. "And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them," Luke v. 29. See Matt. ix. 10, Mark ii. 14. Nor is there any hint of any unjust practices, which Levi had been guilty of in the post he had enjoyed. And from the great openness and impartiality with which the evangelists have written their history, it is reasonable to conclude, there was no exception against Matthew's character, beside his employment; which, undoubtedly, was not reputable. Zaccheus, when he entertained Jesus, was certainly a thorough convert to virtue; and I think, he could not have been a very wicked man before. "And Zaccheus stood and said, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him four-fold," Luke xix. 8. According to his computation, he supposed himself capable of making ample restitution to all he had injured, out of the remaining half of his goods, and it is likely

4 Και δι' αυτα τοις τε δήμοις πιθανότατοι τυγχάνεσι, και οποσα θεια ευχων τε και ἱερων ποιήσεως εξηγήσει τη εκείνων τυγχάνεσι πρασσομενα εις τοσονδε αρετης αυτοις αἱ πολεις εμαρτυρησαν επιτηδεύσει το επι πασιν κρείσσονος, εν τε Ty diary To Bis Kai λoyoig. Antiq. lib. xviii. c. 1. sect. 3.