Exposition of the Laws of Moses, Exegesis 8 · Chapter 16
CHAPTER XVI. Of the Synedrion of the Iewes.
MAT. 5.22. But I ſay unto you, that whoſoever is angry with his brother without a cauſe, ſhall be in danger of the Iudgement, and whoſoever ſhall ſay to his brother Raca, ſhall be in danger of the Councell.
THis word, Synedrion, is a greeke word, but changed and made a Syriack word, foreign, are ſitters in judgement, and Sanhedrin, are the Iudges who ſat in the Councell, and the place it ſelfe was called Synedrion.
In the Syriack, Domus judiciorum, The difference betwixt Domus judiciorum and Domus Iudicum.and Domus Iudicum differunt: Domus judiciorum is the houſe where the Counſellers met, and Domus Iudicum according to the Syriack and Chaldy phraſe,foreign Domus Iudicum. foreign Domus judicij. ſignifieth the Iudges themſelues. So the Chaldees when they expreſſe the Trinitie, they call it Domus Iudicij, becauſe there were three that ſat in their leſſer Iudicatorie; and when Beth dina ſignifieth the Iudges themſelues, it hath the point aboue judh, but when it ſignifieth the place of Iudgement, it hath the point under judh.
There were two ſorts of theſe Synedria amongſt the Iewes, the great Councell and the leſſer, the great Councell was called …anhedrin Gedolah, foreignand the leſſer was called Sanhedrin Ketannah.
The great Synedrion ſate at Ieruſalem onelyonly, the leſſer Synedria ſat in other places alſo, and they were called foreign, judicia.
Alluſion. Vide Guilel… Schickardum de jure regio, & Ludovic: de Dieu.The great Synedrion ſat in Ieruſalem onelyonly, and Chriſt alludeth to this, Mat. 23.37. A Prophet might not die out of Ieruſalem. So, O Ieruſalem, Ieruſalem, which killeſt the Prophets, Mat. 23.37. The great Synedrion judged onelyonly of a Prophet.
The great Synedrion divided into fiue parts.But Gabinius the Proconſul of Syria, divided this great Synedrion which ſat onelyonly at Ieruſalem into fiue parts, whereof he placed one at Ieruſalem, another in Gadara, the third in Amathus towards the red Sea, the fourth in Iericho, and the fift he placed in Sephra in Galilie. And Chriſt meant of theſe Councels when he ſayes, they will deliver you up to the Councels, Mat. 10.17. At this time the great Synedrion was divided into fiue parts.
They ſhall deliver you up to the Councels, and they will ſcourge you in their Synagogues; What meant by Synagogues and Councels.by their Synagogues he meant their Eccleſiaſticall Iudicatories, & by the Councels their civill.
The number that ſat in this great Iudicatorie were ſeventie and two, ſix choſen out of every tribe; but for making the number round, they are called Seventie: the Scripture uſeth ſometimes when the number is not full,Retundatio numeri quid? to expreſſe the full number, as Iudg. 11.5. Abimelech killed his brethren which were threeſcore and ten perſons, there were but threeſcore and nine of them, for Iotham fled. So Gen. 42.13. Thy ſervants are twelue brethren, the ſonnes of one man; although Ioſeph was thought to be dead, yet, to make up the number, becauſe he had once twelue ſonnes, they are called the twelue ſonnes of Iacob. So Num. 14.33. And your children ſhall wander in the Wilderneſſe fortie yeares, according to the number of the dayes that the Spyes ſearched the Land; this was ſpoken to them two yeares after they came out of Egypt; yet the number is made up here, and it is called fortie yeares. So 1 Cor. 15.5. He was ſeene of the twelue; there were but eleven of them at this time, for Iudas was dead, and Matthias was not choſen as yet; yet he calleth them twelue, becauſe they were once twelue, to make up the number. Sometimes againe although there be moe for making round the number, they take away ſome, as Luke 10.1. the Syriack hath it, the ſeventie two Diſciples, yet it is tranſlated the ſeventie Diſciples. So the Seventie two who tranſlated the Bible, are called the Seventie.
The Lord charged Moſes to gather Seventie of the Elders of Iſrael, Moſes ſaid, how ſhall I doe this? If I ſhall chooſe ſixe out of every Tribe, then there ſhall be ſixty and two;The uncertaine conjecture of Sol: Iarchi concerning their Election of the Seventie. and if I ſhall chooſe but fiue out of every Tribe, then there will be ten wanting; and if I ſhall chooſe ſixe out of one Tribe, and but fiue out of another Tribe, that will breed but ſtrife amongſt them. What doth he then? He made choiſe of ſixe out of every Tribe, and he brought forth ſeventie two blanke papers; upon ſeventie of the papers,foreign Senex. he wrote [Zaken] ſenex; and upon the two that remained, hee wrote [Hhelek] pars. foreign Pars.Now when the Tribes drew their Lots out of the Boxe, he who drew [Zaken] ſenex, Moſes ſaid unto him, Antea ſanctificavit te deus benedictus; but he who drew [Hhelek] pars, he ſaid unto him, Non cupit te deus. The Hebrewes ſay, that Eldad and Medad, Num. 11.26. were of thoſe who were written, but they went not out into the Tabernacle, becauſe they drew [Hhelek] pars; but not [Zaken] ſenex, they were inter conſcriptos (ſay they) but not inter electos; and ſo the number ſeventie is made up without them.
There were two Preſidents in this Councell;Two Preſidents in the Councell. foreign Princeps. the firſt choſen in reſpect of his power, dignitie, and wiſedome, and he was called [Naſhi] princeps, and [Roſh hajeſhibhah] Pater conſeſſus, foreign Pater Conſeſſus.and he it was (as the Iewes ſay) that ſucceeded Moſes, The order how they ſat in Iudgement.who was the principall and the chiefe in the Councell; and upon his right hand ſat he who was greateſt amongſt the ſeventie, and he was called [Abh beth din] pater conſiſtorij; foreign Pater Conſiſtorij.the reſt ſat according to their dignitie and age next to the Prince; and they ſat in a circuit or a halfe Moone, that both the Preſidents might hauehave them in their ſight.
The time when they ſat in theſe Iudicatories.The time when they ſat; the great Iudicatorie ſat every day except on the Sabbath, and feſtivall dayes; and when they ſat, the little Synedrion ſat but from the morning Sacrifice untill the ſixt houre, that is, untill our twelue; but the great Synedrion ſat from the morning Sacrifice untill the evening Sacrifice, that is, untill our three of the clocke in the afternoone.
What matters were judged in the great Synedrion.The matters which they judged in this Iudicatorie, were matters of greateſt weight; as to judge of a falſe Prophet, when to make warres, appointing Magiſtrates for inferior Cities; ſo for cutting off of a Tribe, and puniſhing the high Prieſt, and whether an Apoſtate Citie ſhould be raiſed and caſt downe or not; and they ſay, that none might giuegive the bitter waters to the woman ſuſpected of Adulterie but this Iudicatorie, Num. 5.29. So they ſay, when a man was killed, and the killer not knowne, none might meaſure from the place where the man was killed to the next Citie, Deut. 21.7. but the Elders of the great Synedrion, this caſe was onelyonly tryed by them; So the raiſing up ſeed to his brother, and pulling off his ſhoe, if he refuſed, theſe were tryed by the great Synedrion.
Obiect. Bellarmines argument to proue the Pope to be aboue ſecular Iudges.Bellarmine the Ieſuite to proue the Pope to be aboue ſecular Iudges, alledgeth Deut. 17.12. The man that doth preſumptuouſly, and will not hearken unto the Prieſt, and to the Iudge, even that man ſhall die. Here he ſaith, the Magiſtrate doth onelyonly execute the ſentence of the Prieſt.
But firſt, ex decreto judicis, is not in the originall, Anſw. but according to the ſentence of the Law, Deut. 17.11. and the word ſhould be read disjunctivè, He that hearkeneth not unto the Prieſt or unto the Iudge, &c. And by the Prieſt here is underſtood, not onelyonly the high Prieſt, but other Prieſts, Verſ. 9. When the high Prieſt and the Iudges ſat together, then he that hearkened not to the ſentence given by the Iudge, and interpreted by the Prieſt, was to die; ſo he who hearkened not unto the Iudge, although the Prieſt was not there, was to die; for theſe Iudicatories which are conjoyned, are ſometimes diſtinguiſhed. Deut. 17.12. 2 Chro. 19.8. and they muſt be interpreted reſpectiuely, as the Lawyers ſpeake.
In the leſſer Iudicatorie,When they might judge of capitall crimes in the leſſer Iudicatorie. they might not judge of a capitall crime, unleſſe they were twentie three a full number, ſo they judged of a beaſt that had killed a man or lien with a woman, to be put to death, Levit. 20.16.
The ſeventie whom Moſes choſe now at the commandement of the Lord, Num. 11.25.The difference betwixt the ſeventie which Moſes choſe, and the ſeventie which were choſen at the direction of Iethro. differed from the ſeventie whom he choſe at the commandement of Iethro, Exod. 18. they excelled the former ſeventie far in gifts, for they had the ſpirit of Moſes upon them, and as the Mantle of Elijah when it was put about Eliſha, then the ſpirit came upon him;The ſpirit of Moſes was not diminiſhed when it was put upon the ſeventie. ſo came the ſpirit of Moſes upon the ſeventie; and the ſpirit of Moſes was not diminiſhed when it came upon the ſeventie, but the ſpirit of Moſes in that houre was like the middle lamp of the Candleſtick, from the middle Lamp the reſt were lighted, but the light of this Lamp was not diminiſhed: ſo the ſpirit of Moſes was not diminiſhed when it came upon the ſeventie. Moſes ſpirit of judgement was upon them all, but not his other gifts; as Moſes was mightie in words and deed, but not they. Moſes was the meekeſt man in the world, but not they. One Moſes ruling in a Councell will make it famous, but to hauehave ſeventie like Moſes ſitting in a Councell, (for they had the ſame ſpirit of ruling which Moſes had) that made it to excell all the Councels in the world, even Areopagus in Athens, and the Senate in Rome, and if we ſhall marke the unitie that was in this Councell, then we ſhall more admire it.
Object. Whether had the Seventie this gift of Propheſie continually or not?
Anſw. They propheſied for a day, but no more; therefore the Text ſaid, Prophetarunt & non addiderunt, i.e. prophetare; The ſeventy which Moſes choſe had not this gift of Propheſie continually.and ſo the phraſe is uſed by the Hebrewes, Gen. 8.12. Non addidit redire, She returned not againe; ſo 1 Sam. 15. Non addidit Samuel redire ad Saulem, that is, he ſaw him no more; ſo Prophetarunt et non addiderunt, that is, they propheſied that day and no more.
Concluſion. The concluſion of this is, the Lord did ſit here in the midſt of this great judicatorie, and he was their foreign and foreign, he was the Preſident of their Councell, and therefore they that hearkened not to this Councell were worthy to die.