THE Old and New Testaments CONNECTED, &c. BOOK I. a An. 291. Ptolemy Soter 14. ELEAZAR, the brother of Simon the Just, succeeded him in the high priesthood at Jerusalem, and there executed this office fifteen years. But whereas Simon the Just had been also president of the sanhedrim, or national council of the Jews, he was in this last charge succeeded by Antigonus of Socho, to which he was recommended by his great learning. For he was an eminent scribe in the law of God, and a great teacher of righteousness among the people. And he being the first of the Tannaim or Mishnical doctors, from his school all those had their original who were afterwards called by that name. And these were all the doctors of the Jewish law from the death of Simon the Just to the time that Rabbi Judah Hakkadosh composed the Mishna, which was about the middle of the second century, after Christ, as hath been before observed, In the gospels, they are sometimes called scribes, sometimes lawyers, and sometimes those that sat in Moses' seat. For those different appellations all denote the same profession of men, that is, those who having been brought up in the knowledge of the law of God, and the tradition of the elders concerning it, taught it in the schools and synagogues of the Jews, and judged according to it in their sanhedrims. For a Joseph. Antiq. lib. 12, c. 2. Chronicon Alexand. Eusebii Chronicon. b Chronicon Alexandrinum. e Juchasin, Shalsheleth Haccabbalah, and Zemach David. R. A. Levita in Historica Cabbala. out of the number of these doctors were chosen all such as were members of those courts, that is, either of the great sanhedrim of seventy-two, which was for the whole nation, or of the sanhedrim of twenty-three, which was in every city in Judah. And such were Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, and Gamaliel; and in respect hereof is it that they are called elders, counsellors, and rulers, because, being of the number of those who were chosen into these councils, they did there declare and execute those laws, by which they ruled and governed the people. The Jews tell us great things of this Simon the Just, and speak of great alterations that happened on his death in some parts of their divine worship, and the signs of the divine acceptance, that had till then appeared in the performance of them. Ford it is said in the Jerusalem Talmud, that "All the time of Simon the Just, the scape-goat had scarce come to the middle of the precipice of the mountain, from whence he was cast down, but he was broken into pieces: but, when Simon the Just was dead, he fled away alive into the desert, and was eaten of the Saracens. While Simon the Just lived, the lot of God in the day of expiation went forth always to the right hand; but Simon the Just being dead, it went forth sometimes to the right hand, and sometimes to the left. All the days of Simon the Just, the little scarlet tongue looked always white; but when Simon the Just was dead, it looked sometimes white, and sometimes red. All the days of Simon the Just, the west light always burnt; but, when he was dead, it sometimes burnt, and sometimes went out. All the days of Simon the Just, the fire upon the altar burnt clear and bright, and, after two pieces of wood laid on in the morning, they laid on nothing else the whole day after; but, when he was dead, the force of the fire languished in such a manner, that they were forced to supply it all the day. All the days of Simon the Just, a blessing was sent upon d Mishna & Gemara Hierosol. in Yoma. e That is, the most western of the seven lamps of the golden candlesticks which stood in the holy place in the temple. thef two loaves, and the shew-bread; so that a portion came to every priest, to the quantity of an olive at least; and there were some who did eat, and there were others to whom something remained after they had eaten their fill; but when Simon the Just was dead, that blessing was withdrawn, and so little remained to each priest, that those who were modest withdrew their hands, and those who were greedy still stretched them out." For the explication hereof, it is to be observed, that, on the great day of expiation, which was a most solemn fast among the Jews, kept by them every year on the tenth day of their month Tizri (which answers to our September,) two goats were brought into the inner court of the house of the Lord, and there, on the north side of the altar, presented before the high priest, the one to be the scapegoat, and the other to be sacrificed to the Lord. And in order to determine, which of them should be for each purpose, lots were cast to decide the matter; the manner of which was as followeth. Thek goats being put one before the right hand of the high priest, and the other before the left hand, an urn was brought, and placed in the middle between them, and two lots were cast into it, (they might be of wood, silver, or gold, but under the second temple they were always of gold.) On the one of these was written For the Lord, and on the other For the scape-goat; which being well shaken together, the high priest put both his hands into the urn, and with his right hand took out one lot, and with his left hand the other, and according to the writing on them were the goats appointed, as they stood on each hand of the high priest, either for the Lord, to be sacrificed to him, or to be the scape-goat, to be let escape into the wilderness; that is, if the f That is, the two wave-loaves offered in the feast of Pentecost, of which see Lev. xxiii, 15-21. g That is, the twelve loaves of shew-bread, which were placed upon the shew-bread table in the holy place every Sabbath, and taken away the next Sabbath after, and divided among the priests that then officiated. See Lev. xxiv, 5-10. h Mishna in Yoma. Maimonides in Yom. Haccipurum. i Lev. xvi, 8. Mishna & Maimonides, ibid. |