The Temple in the Days of our Savior Described, Chapter 22
CHAP. XXII. The chamber or room Gazith, the ſeat of the great Sanhedrin.
THE building Gazith ([a]Aruch. in. foreign ſo called becauſe it was made of ſtone neatly wrought, as the word is uſed 1 King. 5.16) appeareth[b]Iucha. f. 16. by the Author of Juchaſin to have been built by Simeon ben Shetah [c]Avoth. pe…. 1. Sect. 8.who was the Vice-preſident of the Sanhedrin, when Iudah ben Tabbai was Naſi in the ſixth Generation from Ezra, [d]Iucha. ubi ſupra.even in the time of Hyrcanus Januaeus the Aſmonaean. It was foreign [e]Ioma per. 2. in Gemara fol. 25.half of it holy, and half of it common, that is, halfe of it ſtood within the Court, and half of it within the foreign chel, and it had a door into either place.[f]Maym. in beth. habbech. per. 5. And in that half of it that ſtood in the foreign chel, did the great councell or Sanhedrin ſit, of ſeventy one Judges: Now a ſpeciall reaſon why they ſate on that ſide of the houſe, which was in the foreign chel was, becauſe it was not lawfull for any man whoſoever to ſit within the verge of the Court unleſſe it were the King, foreign [g]Vid. R. Sol. & Kimch. in 1 Kings 12 & Midr. Tillin. in Pſal. 1. ab initio.there is no man may ſit in the Court unleſſe it be out of the Kings of the houſe of David. In the other part of this building which ſtood within the Court, the Prieſts uſed to caſt lots dayly for the diſtribution of the Service amongſt them, of which we have ſpoken largely elſewhere.
Wee cannot come ſo neer the great Sanhedrin, as to ſurvey the room in which they ſate, but that we muſt take ſome notice of them before wee goe, and looke a little into their conſtitution, ſitting, power and ſtory: They will not take it well if we paſſe by them and take no notice of them at all.
[h]Talm. in Sanhedr. per. 1.The number of the Judges in this high Court was ſeventy and one, anſwering to Moſes and the ſeventy Elders choſen by him, when God in the Wilderneſſe did firſt ordaine this great Iudicatory, Numb. 11. They were to bee indifferently choſen of Prieſts, Levites, and Iſraelites, (the New Teſtament often expreſſeth the diſtinction, by chief Prieſts, Scribes and Elders) foreign but if Prieſts and Levites fitly qualified were not to be found,iMaym. in Sanbed. per. 1. if all the Councell were men of other Tribes it was good and lawfull.
[k]Id. ibid. …er. 2.Their qualifications muſt be, that they muſt bee Religious and learned both in Arts and Languages: muſt have ſome skill in Phyſick, Arithmetick, Aſtronomy, Aſtrology, yea to know what belonged to Magick, Sorcery, and Idolatry, that ſo they might know to judge of them: They were to be without maim or blemiſh of body, men of years but not extreame old, becauſe commonly ſuch are of too much ſeverity, and they muſt be Fathers of children, that they might be acquainted with tenderneſſe and compaſſion.
Their manner of ſitting was thus; The eminenteſt among them for worth and wiſdome, they appointed to be the chief in the Councell, and him they called the Naſi or Preſident, and him they took to repreſent Moſes. Then the next eminent, they choſe to be his ſecond, and him they called Abh beth Din. The Father of the Councell or Vice-Preſident. Hee ſate upon the right hand of the Naſi, (compare the Phraſe of ſitting on the right hand of power, Matth. 26.64.) and then the whole Sanhedrin ſate on the one hand and on the other in a ſemicircle. On the right hand before them, and on the left there were two clarks of the Councell, one regiſtred the acquitting votes and Teſtimonies, and the other the caſting compare, Matth. 25.33.
[l]Id. ibid. per. 3.The proper and conſtant time of their ſitting, was from the end of the morning Service, to the beginning of the Evening Service, and ſo their ſitting and the Divine Service did not claſh one with another: yet ſometime did occaſions that came before them, prolong their ſeſſion even untill night, and then they might determine the matter that they had been debating on by day: but they might not begin a new buſineſſe by night: They violated their own cuſtom and tradition in judging of Chriſt by night.
It was in their power and cogniſance to judge all perſons, and all matters (yet inferior matters they medled not withall, but referred them to inferiour Courts) in ſomuch that they Judged a whole tribe, a prophet, the High-prieſt: nay the King himſelf if there were occaſion:[m]Id. in. If the High-prieſt did any thing that deſerved whipping they whipped him (ſaith Maimony) and reſtored him to his dignity againe: [n]Id in Sanhedr. per. 2And although they admitted not the King of the houſe of David to be a member of the Sanhedrin (ſaith the ſame author) yet did the Kings judge the people, and the Sanhedrin judged them if there were occaſion: They had theſe two traditions cleane contrary one to another, and yet both of force and took place in their ſeverall ſeaſons, foreign The King judgeth and they judge him: And foreign The King judgeth not and they judge not him: [o]Sanh. per. 2. in Gemar.The former was in vigour, till King Jannai was convented before them, and then becauſe partiality could not be prevented they enacted the latter.
[p]Ibid. per. 7.Of capitall penalties, in which kind of matters they eſpecially judged, they had foure ſorts: ſtoning, burning, ſlaying with the ſword, and ſtrangling. In reference to which the Targum on Ruth hath this gloſſe in the firſt chapter, ver. 16.[q]Targ. in Ruth. 1.16. Naomi ſaid unto her, we are commanded to keepe Sabbaths and Holy dayes, ſo that we may not walke above 2000. cubits: Ruth ſaith, whitherſoever thou goeſt, I will goe: Naomi ſaith, we are commanded not to lodge together with the heathen; Ruth ſaith, where thou lodgeſt I will lodge: Naomi ſaith, we are commanded to keep the ſix hundred and thirteene commandements; Ruth ſaith, what thy people obſerve I will obſerve as if they were my people: Naomi ſaith, we are commanded not to worſhip ſtrange gods; Ruth ſaith, Thy God ſhall be my God: Naomi ſaith, we have foure judiciall deaths for offenders, ſtoning with ſtones, burning with fire, killing with the ſword, and hanging on the tree, Ruth ſaith, as thou dieſt I will die.
[r]Sanhed. ubi ſupr.1. Thoſe whom they burned they uſed thus: They ſet them up to the knees in a dunghill, and two with a towell about his neck pulled and ſtrained him till he opened his mouth wide, and then they powred in ſcalding lead which ran downe into his bowels.
2. Theſe that were ſtrangled, they alſo ſet up to the knees in a dunghill, and two with a to well ſtifled and ſtrangled him, the one pulling at the one end, and the other at the other, till he died.
3. Thoſe whom they ſlew with the ſword, they did it by beheading them.
4.[s]Ibid. per. 6. Whom they ſtoned they ſtoned naked: firſt one of the witneſſes threw him or puſht him that he might daſh his loines againſt a ſtone, if that killed him, there was no more adoe, if it did not, the other witneſſe tooke a great ſtone and daſhed it on his breſt as he lay on his backe, if that killed him there was an end, if not, all the people flang ſtones at him: This helpes us to underſtand what is meant by the witneſſes laying downe their garments at Sauls feet, at the ſtoning of Steven, Act. 7.58. namely becauſe they were to be imployed firſt in his ſtoning, and they laid by their upper garments that they might not trouble them. And this illuſtrates that paſſage of our Saviour, which indeed alludes to this manner of ſtoning. Whoſoever ſhall fall upon this ſtone ſhall be broken: but on whomſoever it ſhall fall, it will grind him to powder, Mat. 21.44. for he that was ſtoned, was firſt flung upon a ſtone, and then a ſtone was daſht upon him. Theſe that were ſtoned were alſo hanged: there is ſome diſpute among the Talmudiſts whether all were hanged that were ſtoned: but howſoever, they conclude that blaſphemers and Idolaters were: and this helps us ſtill to underſtand the uſage of Steven whom they condemned and ſtoned for blaſphemy, for ſo they made it: He was firſt daſht upon a ſtone by one of the witneſſes, and then a huge ſtone daſht upon him by the other, yet died he not by either of theſe, but recovered his knees againe, and died kneeling and praying, all the people flinging ſtones at him; and afterward he was hanged upon a Gibbet: and that night taken downe and buried: for ſo was the law that he ſhould not hang upon the tree all night: Now his buriall was different from the common buriall of thoſe that were executed: as Chriſts was alſo being begged by Joſeph of Arimathea: for whereas the Sanhedrin had two burying places for executed malefactors, one for thoſe that were ſtoned and that were burnt, and the other for thoſe that were ſlaine with the ſword and that were ſtrangled, it appeareth that ſome devout chriſtians tooke downe the body of Steven and made a ſolemne buriall for him in ſome other place.
Although the Sanhedrin did ſit in the Temple, yet were the executions without the city 2 as Levit. 24.14. Deut. 17.5. Heb. 13.12. Act. 7.58. whipping and ſtocking was executed often in the Temple, as Deut. 25.2. Jer. 20.2. and for this purpoſe they had their foreign Sarjeants for officers ready attending them continually for the execution of ſuch a penalty. foreign [t]Maym. ubi. ſupr. per. 1.The Shoterim (ſaith Maymony) were ſuch as carriedreds and whips: and they ſtood before the Judges: they went about the ſtreets and innes to looke to meaſures and weights, and to beat every offender: and all their doings were by the appointment of the Judges: and whomſoever they ſaw offending, they brought him to the Judges, and they judged him according to his offence.
[v]Id. in Mamrim per. 1.This great Sanhedrin in Gazith foreign was the foundation of the traditionall law and pillar of inſtruction (compare the phraſe 1 Tim. 3.15.) and from them decrees and judgements went out for all Iſrael. And whoſoever beleeved Moſes and his law, was bound to reſt upon them for matters of the law. Thus Maymony in the place cited in the margin. Therefore in all doubts, about Judiciall matters, the ultimate recourſe was hither as to a determiner not to be doubted of or varied from. The manner was thus[w]Talm. in Sanhed. per. 11. Had a man occaſion to inquire about any ſuch matter, he went firſt to the Judicatory that was in his owne city: if they could reſolve it, well and good: if they could not, one of them went to the next Sanhedrin: if that could not reſolve it, he went to the Sanhedrin of the three and twenty in the gate of the mountaine of the houſe: if that could not, he went to the other Sanhedrin of three and twenty in the gate of Nicanor: and if that could not, he went to this in the roome Gazith, and there he received a poſitive determination: which for him being a judge to tranſgreſſe againſt, it brought him under the notion of foreign A rebellious elder, and in danger of trying for his life.
SECT. 1. The Preſidents of the Sanhedrin from the captivity to its diſſolution.
HAving digreſſed thus farre in viewing the Judicatory that ſate in the roome Gazith, let it be excuſeable yet a little further to interrupt out further ſurvey ſo farre as to take a Catalogue and notice alſo particularly of all the heads or preſidents of this court, in the generations from the returne out of the Babylonian captivity, till City, Temple and Sanhedrin came to nothing: as their names and order are recorded in the Jewiſh writers: as in the Talmudick treatiſe Avoth: in Avoth Rabbi Nathan: in the preface of Maymony to Jadh: in the author of Juchaſin: and in diſperſed paſſages in the Talmuds.
1. The firſt was Ezra, of whom there is ſo renowned mention in the Scripture. The Sanhedrin of his time, is ordinarily called by the Jewes foreign the great Synagogue, and thoſe eminent perſons are reckoned of it, which are named Ezr. 2.2. Zerubbabel, Jeſhua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, &c. He is ſaid to have come up to Jeruſalem in the ſeventh yeare of Darius Ezr. 7.8. which was foure and twenty years after the peoples returne out of Babylon, and how the Sanhedrin was diſpoſed of before that time, is hard to determine. His Sanhedrin or great Synagogue is ordinarily reckoned of 120 men (compare Act. 1.15.) but whether all at once or ſucceſſively, it is not much important to diſpute here. He lived by the computation of ſome chroniclers of his owne Nation, till that very yeare that Alexander the great came to Jeruſalem, and then died on the tenth day of the month Tebeth; and ſo by their account he wore out both the Babylonian and Perſian monarchies: they hold alſo that Haggai and Zachary and Malachi died the ſame year with him, and then Prophecy departed. Compare Act. 19.2.
2. Simeon the Juſt: Some Hebrew writers that doubt not that he was head of the Sanhedrin, do yet queſtion whether he were high Prieſt, or an ordinary prieſt, but Joſephus who wrote in Greek, aſſerteth him for High-prieſt: And ſome again that hold him to have been High-prieſt can find in their hearts to thinke that he was the very ſame with Jaddna, but Joſephus doth clearly diſtinguiſh them, placing Simeon after Iaddua and Onias betweene. The times of his government may be diſcovered by obſerving that Eleazer his brother who ſucceeded him in the High-prieſt-hood was he, to whom Ptolomy Philadelphus ſent for the Septuagint, to tranſlate the Bible. There are exceeding high things ſpoken of this Simeon by his countrymen, ſome of which, we have mentioned elſewhere, to which I ſhall only adde this record of him, That in his time the ſcarlet liſt on the ſcapegoates head turned white: that the lot for the ſcapegoate ever came up in his right hand: that the weſterne lampe never went out, and the fire on the altar ever burnt pleaſantly, but when he died its force abated. This adagie is aſcribed to him: The world ſtandeth upon three things, upon the Law, upon Religion, and upon (hewing Mercy; He was ſurnamed the Juſt foreign Both becauſe of his piety towards God, and his good will towards his nation, Joſeph. Ant. lib. 12. cap. 2.
3. Antigonus of Soco: He was the maſter of Sadoc & Baithus, who miſtaking & miſconſtruing his good doctrine, vented the Hereſie againſt the reſurrection: his doctrine was this. Be not as ſervants that ſerve their maſter becauſe of receiving a reward, but be as ſervants that ſerve their maſter, not becauſe of receiving a reward, but let the fear of heaven be upon you: which his crooked diſciples conſtrued into this impious ſenſe, that there was no reward at all to be had for the ſervice of God, & ſo they denied the world to come. But his ſchollers, Joſeph ben Joezer & Joſeph ben Iochanan held orthodox.
4. Ioſi, or Ioſeph, ben Ioezer of Zeredah (Ieroboam… towne, 1 King. 11.26.) he had Ioſi or Ioſeph ben Iochanan of Ieruſalem for his vice-preſident. Here the Talmudick records begin to reckon them foreign by couples, that is, the Preſident and Vice-preſident both not but that there were vice-preſidents before, but they be not named, and ſo were there after the times of Hillel alſo, though they be not named then neither.
This Ioſeph ben Ioezer, had children ſo untoward that he would not leave them his land but bequeathed it to pious uſes.
5. Ioſhua the ſon of Perehiah preſident: Nittaithe Arbelite vice-preſident. This Ioſhua is recorded to have lived in the time of King Iannai called alſo Alexander, the ſon of Hyrcanus: This Hyrcanus was likewiſe called Iannai; he affected the Kingdome, and thereupon the wiſe men or great ones of that time would have put him from the High-prieſt-hood: but he maintained his ſtation by the ſword, for he ſlew divers of the wiſe men, which cauſed Ioſhua the ſon of Perahiah to flee to Alexandria, but he was recalled, upon the mediation of Simeon ben Shetah.
6. Iudah the ſon of Tabbai preſident: Simeon ben Shetah vice-preſident. A gallant paire for integrity and juſtice: Were their lives to be written, moſt eminent actions of theirs might be related which are recorded of them: as that they hanged fourſcore witches in one day: Judged King Iannai: the one of them wept daily for an error of Judgement that he had committed, and the other preferred the execution of juſtice, before the ſafety of his owne ſon. This Simeon ben Shetah is he whom we ſuppoſe the builder of this roome Gazith that we are ſurveying.
7 Shemaiah preſident, and Abtalion vice-preſident: Theſe were kinſmen, and of the poſterity of Sennacherib, but their mother was an Iſraelite.
8. Hillel preſident, and Shammai vice-preſident: At firſt it was Hillel and Menahem, but Menahem departed to the ſervice of Herod: Hillel was one of the eminenteſt that ever was among the Jewiſh Doctors both for birth, learning, rule and children: He was of the ſeed of David by his mothers ſide, being of the poſterity of Shephatiah the ſon of Abital, Davids wife. He was brought up in Babel, from whence he came up to Ieruſalem at forty yeares old, and there ſtudied the Law forty yeares more, under Shemaiah and Abtalion, and after them he was preſident of the Sanhedrin forty yeares more: The beginning of his preſidency is generally concluded upon to have been juſt an hundred years before the Temple was deſtroyed: by which account, he began eight and twenty years before our Saviour was borne, and died when he was about 12. yeares old. He is renowned for his fourſcore ſcholars, one among which was Ionathan ben Ʋzziel the Chaldee paraphraſt, &c.
9. Rabban Simeon, Hillels Son: this man was firſt dignified with the title Rabban, he is ſuppoſed to be the Simeon mentioned Luk. 2. that tooke Chriſt in his armes, and for that, it is conceived that he is not of ſo frequent and honourable mention among the Jewiſh writers as others of the ſame ranke with him are, they not well reliſhing his confeſſion of Chriſt, whom they deny: He began his preſidentſhip about the thirteenth yeare of our Saviours age, if the date and account of Hillels rule mentioned before be current, and how long he ſate preſident, no one mentions, but ſome aſſert that his rule was not long. The author of Iuchaſin relateth that he is never mentioned in the Miſhneb, or in the Code of the Jewes traditions; it may be his imbracing Chriſtianity made him coole towards their traditions, ſo that there is none to father on him, as there are on the other Doctors. It is like he was a ſecret profeſſor of Chriſt, as Nicodemus was, and kept both his place and profeſſion.
10. Rabban Gamaliel, Simeons ſonne: This was he under whom Paul was brought up, Act. 22.3. and ſee Act. 5.34. He was preſident of the councell when Chriſt was arraigned: and lived two and twenty yeares after: O…kelos the Targumiſt of the Law, did ſolemnly celebrate his funeralls: He is commonly ſtyled Rabban Gamaliel the old, either becauſe he was the firſt of that name, or becauſe he was of a long life: Of him they have this ſaying in the laſt chapter of the treatiſe Sotah: From the time that Rabb…n Gamaliel the old, died, the honour of the Law failed, and purity and Phariſaiſme died.
11. Rabban Simeon, Gamaliels ſonne: He was ſlaine at the deſtruction of the Temple: and ſo ſhould his ſonne alſo have been, had not Rabban Jochanan ben Zaccai, being in favour with Caeſar, begd his life: And thus have we followed the ſucceſſion of the preſidents of the Sanhedrin till the Temple and city fell: but the Sanhedrin fell not as yet, but continued in a flitting and languiſhing condition for a good ſpace ſtill, and had its preſidents till it fell alſo, which were theſe.
12. Rabban Iochanan ben Zaccai: he was not of the blood of Hillel, but he was his ſcholler: he came to be preſident upon the death of Rabban Simeon laſt mentioned, his Sanhedrin ſate at Iabneh.
13. Rabban Gameliel of Iabneh: this was Rabban Simeons ſon whom Rabban Iochanan ben Zaccai begd from death, of the hands of Caeſar, at the ſlaughter of his father, his minority made him unfit for the preſidency when his father was ſlaine, therefore Rabban Iochanan ben Zaccai, bare that place, and after his death this Rabban Gamaliel ſucceeded.
14. Rabban Simeon the ſonne of Gamaliel of Iabneh.
15. Rabbi Iudah the ſonne of this Rabban Simeon: he is eminently called Rabbi and Rabbenu haccadoſh: He collected and compiled the Miſhnaioth.
16. Rabban Gamaliel the ſonne of Rabbi Iudah: Here the title Rabban expired: and the Sanhedrin was gone.