vernment.

THE Jewish State and Government hath under- The Jewish gone divers Changes and Mutations. It was (1.) State and GoPatriarchal, when the Fathers of their feveral Patriarchal. Families, and their First-born after them, exercis'd all kind of Government, Ecclefiaftical and Civil, being both Priests and Kings in their own Houses. They had Power over their own Families, to blefs, curfe, caft out, difinberit, and to punish with Death, as is apparent from the Book of Genefis. After this Prerogative of Primogeniture ceased, there enfued (2.) A fort of Dictatorial Government; Dictatorial or that under Mofes, Joshua, and the Judges, and AriftocraBut during the Times of the Judges, there were tical. very often long Intervals and Vacancies between the Death of one, and the Election of another Judge; in all which the State of Government depended on the Administration of the Great Court of the Seventy Elders, call'd the Sanhedrim; first instituted Numb. xi. 16. in Respect of whom the Government may be faid to have been Ariftocratical. To this fucceeded (3.) A Monarchi- Monarchical, cal State, or that of Kings; which began in Saul, and continued in Judah and Ifrael till the Captivity of each, which was about 520 Years. (4.) From the Captivity to the Advent of Chrift their Captivated State was various, and confus'd: As first they were under Aichmalotarchs, or Heads of the Cap- Aichmalotivity; from Zerubbabel to John Hircanus, fifteen tarchs. inclusive, all of the Pofterity of David. Secondly, From thence the Sovereign Authority departed

State.

Princes.

from the House of David, to the Maccabees, or Maccabees, or Almonean Princes; beginning in Matathias Mac- Amonean cabeus, and ending in John Hircanus, five inclufive, all of the Lineage of Levi. Lastly, They

came again under the Regal State, being govern'd Regal State by twelve Kings; the firft of which was Ariftobu- again. lus, and the laft Agrippa Junior, the laft of the Line of Herod the Great. In him the Kingdom of F

the

Kinds.

paration.

the Jews expir'd, and not long after their City and Temple were deftroy'd, and themfelves dif perfed over the Face of the whole Earth, for their heinous Sin in rejecting and crucifying the Lord of Life and Glory.

THERE feems plainly to have been a two-fold Court of Judicature amongst the Jews; the firft Ecclefiaftical, appointed and held to judge and determine Affairs and Matters relating to Church Difcipline: The fecond, a Civil Judicatory, concern'd in the Affairs of the Common-Wealth. The first was call'd a Synagogue, the other a Council: As Matt. x. 27. The Spiritual Court confifted of Levites, Priests, and the chief Fathers of Ifrael, as 2 Chron. xix. 8. and in Caufes fpiritual for the Lord, the High-Priest, or Archbishop, was Chief. The Civil Courts of Justice were made up of fecular Judges, and various Officers, of which more by and by.

The Cenfures THE Office of the Ecclefiaftical Court was to of the Ecclefi- determine Appeals in all Controverfies of Diffiaftical Court. culty; but chiefly, as a Representative Church, to cenfure and excommunicate Offenders against the Excommuni- Orders and Laws of Church Difcipline. Of Excation of three communication there were three Degrees. (1.) The Nidui, or Se- first is call'd Nidui, i. e. a Separation, or putting away; a cafting out of the Synagogue, John ix. 22. Such an one was not to approach within feven Feet of any Man or Woman to eat, drink, wash, shave, &c. It was of thirty Days continuance, but might be shorten'd by Repentance. (2.) The next Degree of Excommunication was call'd Cherem by the Jews, but Anathema by the Greeks; and was a folemn devoting or delivering an heinous Offender over to Satan, with direful Curfes out of Deut. xxviii. and elsewhere. This was call'd Excifion, or a being cut off from the People. (3.) The third and heaviest Degree

Cherem or
Anathema.

of

Maranatha.

of Excommunication was Shammatha, or in Syriac, Shammatha or Maranatha; this was join'd with an Exfecration, by which a Person was render'd exfecrable before God and Man, and destin'd to divine Vengeance. See 1 Cor. xvi. 22. 2 Tim. iv. 14. and Judges v. THE Civil Courts of Judicature were two, the The Jewish

Sanhedrim

great and leffer Sanhedrim: The great Sanbedrim, twofold. or fupreme Senate, confifted of feventy-one Judges, The great Sananfwering to Mofes and the feventy Elders men- bedrim. tion'd Numb. xi. They were elected indifferently out of the Chief Priefts, Scribes, and Elders of the People. Their Qualifications were Piety and ge neral Learning, Men of Gravity, and Fathers of Children, that they might be tender. The Place where they fat was call'd Gazith, or Council- Gazith. Chamber, in the Temple. Their way of fitting was thus; the most confiderable for Wisdom and Reputation was placed uppermoft in the Middle, reprefenting Mofes, and was call'd Nafi, Prince Nafi. or Prefident. The next for Worth fat at his Right-hand, and was call'd Abh Beth Din, Fa- Abb Beth Din. ther of the Council, or Vice-Prefident. On the Left-hand fat the Chacham or Wifeman; and then Chacham. the reft of the Sanhedrim fat part on the Right,

part on the Left, in a Semicircular Form. Their Their Power. Power extended to all Perfons and Causes, to a whole Tribe, a Prophet, an High-Prieft, or even

the King bimfelf.

THE leffer Sanhedrim, or Beth Din, was of The lesser Santwo Sorts; the firft confifted of twenty-three Aldermen, and the other was a Triumvirate of three Aldermen only. Thefe inferior Courts fat in the Gates of all the common Cities of the Land. The Power of the Triumvirate extended only to petty Matters, as Whipping, pecuniary Mults, &c. That of the twenty-three extended to Capital Cafes, and fat (but with a restrain'd Power) on Life and Death. From thefe lower

Punishments

Courts/Appeals were made to the High Court, from whence there was no Appeal.

Capital, four Sorts, Capital, and not Capital.

Lapidation.

Uftion.

THE Punishments of the Jews were of two The Capital Punishments were four; (1.) Lapidation, or Stoning to Death. (2.) Uftion, or Burning; though the Perfon burnt was always firft ftranguled. (3.) Decollation. Decollation, or a Bebeading of the Perfon. (4.) Strangulation. Strangulation, a choaking a Perfon by a String tied about his Neck. The other Penalties were (1.) Imprisonment. (2.) Reftitution. (3.) Retaliation. (4.) Banishment to the Cities of Refuge, which were fix, befides the forty Cities of Levites, which were alfo in fome Measure Afylums or SanEtuaries for Felons to fly to for Safety.

Punishments not Capital.

Of the Jewish
Monies.

Jewish dry
Measures.

(4.)

Or Jewish Money, there is (1.) The Gerab; in Value five Farthings. (2.) The Bekah; one Shilling, three Half-pence. (3.) The Shekel; two Shillings and three Pence Farthing. The Mina, fix Pounds fixteen Shillings and ten Pence Half-penny. (5.) Talent of Silver; worth 342 Pounds three Shillings and nine Pence. (6.) Talent of Gold; worth 5475 Pounds. (7.) They had alfo a Golden Shekel, worth one Pound fixteen Shillings and fix Pence.

THE Jewish dry Measures were, (1.) Gachal, one tenth of a Pint. (2.) Cab, almoft three Pints. (3.) Omer, about five Pints. (4.) Seah, one Peck and one Pint. (5.) Epah, three Pecks and three Pints. (6.) Lethech, about four Bufhels, and (7.) The Homer or Choron, about five Bufhels and a Pint.

Jewish Liquid THE Jewish liquid Meafures were, (1.) Caph, Measures. a little above half a Pint. (2.) Log, three quarters of a Pint. (3.) Cab, about three Pints. (4.) An Hin, about one Gallon and two Pints. (5.) Seah, two Gallons four Pints and an half. (6.) Bath or Epah, about feven Gallons and an

Half.

Half. (7.) Coron or Chomer, about seventy-five
Gallons, five Pints and an Half.

THE Jewish Measures of Length were, (1.) Jewish long The Palm, about three Inches and an Half, Measures. (2.) Span, near eleven Inches. (3.) Cubit, one Foot and ten Inches nearly. (4.) Fathom, feven Feet three Inches and an Half. (5.) Ezekiel's Reed, eleven Feet, very nearly. (6.) Measuring Line, 145 Feet and eleven Inches. (7.) Stadium, 145 Paces and four Feet and an Half. (8.) Sabbath Day's Journey, 729 Paces and an Half. (9.) A Day's Journey, thirty-three Miles and 172 Paces.

THE Jewish Months were (1.) Abib or Nifan. Jewish Months (2.) Zif or fair. (3.) Sivan. (4.) Thamuz. and Years. (5.) Ab. (6.) Elul. (7.) Ethanim or Tizri. (8.) Bul or Marchefuan. (9.) Chillen. (10.) Tebeth. (11.) Shebeth. (12.) Ader. And fometimes a Month was intercalated, call'd Ve-Ader. As the Months ftand here, they make the Jews Ecclefiaftical Year. But their Civil Year began on Ecclefiaftical the feventh Month Tizri. The first Month Abib and Civil. anfwer'd to part of March and part of April; and fo on of the reft. The firft, fecond, third, and fourth Watches of the Night began at fix, Watches. nine, twelve and three o'Clock, from Evening to Morning refpectively.