among the Jews at that time. This is agreeable to the accounts which Josephus has given of the Jewish sects; and will be evident from the particulars which will be taken notice of presently.

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The pharisees, Josephus says, were reckoned the most ' religious of any of the Jews, and to be the most exact and skilful in explaining the laws.' In which he concurs with St. Paul, who says, Acts xxvi. 5, " After the straitest sect of our religion, I lived a pharisee.' There is an agreement not only in the sense, but also in the expression.

C

St. Mark says, ch. vii. 3, 4, “ That the pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders and many other things there be which they have received to hold." And there is in the gospels frequent mention of the traditions of the elders. Josephus says, The pharisees have delivered to the people many institu'tions as received from the fathers, which are not written in the laws of Moses.' Whereas St. Mark says, "The pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash, eat not;" his expressions are extremely just. For Josephus adds, almost immediately after the word just now cited from him, That 'the sadducees were able to draw over to them the rich only, the people not following them: for the multitude was with the pharisees.'

In many parts of the gospels, and especially in the prosecution of our Saviour before Pilate, the common people appear to have been very much at the devotion of the pharisees. It is evident from what has been already alleged here from Josephus, that the people were usually on their side. He has said the same thing in other places. They had (says he) such an influence on the multitude, that if they gave out any thing against a king or an high priest, they were credited.'

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According to the evangelists, they affected the direction of public affairs, and very much abused the credulity of

d

a De B. J. lib. ii. cap. 8. sect. 14. Antiq. lib. xviii. cap. 1. sect. 2. et alibi. b Φαρισαιοι συνταγμα τι Ιεδαίων δοκων ευσεβέτερον είναι των αλλων, και THC voμ8c arρißesepov apnyeioda. De B. J. lib. i. cap. 5. sect. 2. • Κατα την ακριβεςατην αίρεσιν. Vid. et Joseph. in vit. sect. 38. p. 923. -της δε Φαρισαίων αιρεσεως, οι περι τα πατρια νομιμα δοκεσι των αλλων ακρίβεια διαφερειν. Οτι νόμιμα πολλα τινα παρέδοσαν τῳ δημῳ οι Φαρισαίοι εκ πατέρων διαδοχης, άπερ εκ αναγεγραπται εν τοις Μωυσέως vouous. Antiq. lib. xiii. cap. 10. sect. 6. * Των μεν Σαδδεκαίων τες ευπορες μόνον πείθοντων, το δε δημοτικόν εχ επομενον αυτοις εχόντων, των δε Φαρισαίων το πλήθος συμμαχον εχοντων. Ibid. έχεσι την ισχυν παρα τῷ πλήθει, ὡς και κατα βασιλεως τι λεγοντες, και κατά αρχιερέως, ευθυς πιτεύεσθαι. Ibid. sect. 5.

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66

the people, and the reputation they had for sanctity. They loved salutations in the market-places, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts, devoured widows' houses, and for a pretence made long prayers," Matt. xxiii. 14. Mark xii. 38-40. Luke xx. 46, 47.

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And Josephus allows, they did sometimes make an ill use of the esteem they were in for piety. Alexandra, the widow of Alexander Jannæus, had for some time the government of Judea. She being a very religious woman,' thought the pharisees might be her best counsellors: but they abusing her simplicity in this respect,' though on other accounts she was a woman of very good capacity, 'got 'the management of all things into their own hands, condemned or acquitted, punished or rewarded men according to their own pleasure; in a word, she governed others, 'the pharisees governed her.'s

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The pharisees and sadducees are plainly represented in the gospels as very different from each other, and holding in a manner opposite opinions. Josephus, in one place, calls the sadducees, the sect opposite to that of the pharisees.' They did at some times join together in one and the same design against our Saviour. Matt. xvi. 1. "The pharisees also with the sadducees came, and tempting him, desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.' At other times they attacked him separately, and endeavoured to ensnare or puzzle him with questions suitable to their several schemes, Matt. xxii. 23-34. We have one instance, wherein their different principles drove them into very different measures, and occasioned a downright quarrel. When St. Paul was called before the council at Jerusalem," and perceived that the one part were sadducees and the other pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a pharisee-Of the hope and resurrection of the dead, I am called in question. And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between them:-for the sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel nor spirit: but the pharisees confess both: And there arose a great cry. And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them,

8 Τέτοις περισσον δε τι προσείχεν ἡ Αλεξανδρα σεβομενη περι το θειον' οι δε, την απλότητα της ανθρωπε κατα μικρον υπιόντες, ηδη και διοικηται των όλων εγίνοντο, διώκειν τε και καταγειν ούς εθελοιεν, λυειν τε και δειν εκράτει δε των μεν αλλων αυτή, Φαρισαίοι δ' αυτης. De B. J. lib. i. cap. 5. sect. 2.

Η Σαδδεκαίων αιρεσεως, οι την εναντίαν τοις Φαρισαίοις προαιρεσιν έχεσιν. Ant. lib. xiii. cap. 10 sect. 6. in.

commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle," Acts xxiii. 6-10.

This will lead us to the consideration of some of their distinguishing tenets. I shall, therefore, set down now the account Josephus has given of their opinions concerning the points mentioned in this text. Of the pharisees he says, Moreover it is their belief, that there is an immortal power ' in souls, and that under the earth there are rewards and 'punishments for those who in this life have practised vir'tue or vice; and that to these [souls] there is appointed an eternal prison, but that to the former there is a power ' of reviving.' In another place he says of them, That they believe every soul to be immortal, but that the 'soul of the good only passes into another body, and the soul of the wicked is punished with eternal punishment.’* the other hand he says: It is the opinion of the sadducees, 'that souls perish with the bodies.' And in another place, 'that they deny the continuance of souls, and the punish'ments and rewards of Hades.'m

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On

It has been thought by some" that Josephus, in this account of the pharisees, has endeavoured to accommodate their sentiments to those of some of the Greek philosophers: and that he here represents them as believing something very much like the Pythagorean transmigration of souls. And there seem to be in the New Testament the traces of some such sentiment; particularly in some of the instances mentioned, Matt. xvi. 14. "And they said, some say, that thou art John the Baptist, some Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets." Again it is said, "His disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" John ix. 2.

Some think, that Josephus's words above mentioned are altogether inconsistent with the notion of a transmigration, and that they import the belief of a proper resurrection. Possibly there were different sentiments concerning this

* Αθανατον τε ισχυν ταις ψυχαις πιεις αυτοις είναι, και ύπο χθονος δικαιωσεις τε και τιμας οις αρετης η κακίας επιτήδευσις εν τῳ βιῳ γεγονε και ταις μεν ειργμον αιδιον προτίθεσθαι, ταις δε ῥαζωνην τε αναβίων. Illis vero facultatem esse in vitam redeundi, vers. Huds. Antiq. lib. xviii. cap. 1. sect. 3. k Ψυχην δε πασαν μεν αφθαρτον, μεταβαίνειν δε εις ετερον σωμα την των αγαθών μονην, την δε των φαύλων αιδιῳ τιμωρια κολάζεσθαι. De Bell. lib. ii. cap. 8. sect. 14. Σαδδεκαίοις δε τας ψυχάς ο λογος συναφανίζει τους Ant. lib. xviii. cap. 1. sect. 4. Ψυχης δε την διαμονην, και τας καθ ̓ ὧδε τιμωρίας και τιμας αναιρεσι. De Bell. ubi supra. n Vid. Grot. in Matt. xiv. 2. xxii. 28. Cleric. Hist. Ec. Prolegom. sect. 1 • Basnage, Ann. Pol. Ecc. A. D. i. n. 12.

σωμασι.

cap. 2.

1

m

matter among those called pharisees. It may be, they had none of them exactly that notion of a future state and resurrection, which our Lord, and his apostles after him, taught for St. Paul says, 2 Tim. i. 10, that " Jesus Christ had brought life and immortality to light through the gospel."

However, St. Paul's notions did directly contradict those of the sadducees, and favour and confirm, not to say improve, those of the pharisees, as is evident from Josephus's account. And it is not at all wonderful, that one sect laid hold of an advantage against the other.

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Without staying any longer here, I shall give a passage or two, in which Josephus, who was of the sect of the pharisees, has represented some of his own sentiments concerning these points. The city of Jotapata, where Josephus commanded, was now taken; and he and some others had hid themselves in a cave. He was for surrendering to Vespasian; the rest of the company were rather for killing themselves, and threatened to kill him if he did not come into the same sentiment. In order to dissuade them from this design, among other things, he says, All have mortal bodies, formed of corruptible matter. But the soul is im'mortal, and being a portion of God, is housed in bodies. 'What! know you not, that they who depart out of life according to the law of nature, and return to God the debt 'they have received from him, when it is the will of him that gave it, have eternal praise, and durable houses and generations; and that pure and obedient souls remain, having received an holy place in heaven, from whence, ' after the revolution of ages, they shall be again housed in 'pure bodies. But the souls of those who have laid violent pure hands on themselves, shall be lodged in the darkest 'Hades.' If I mistake not, St. Paul's figures in 2 Cor. v. 1, 2, have a resemblance with these of Josephus. "For we know, that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan earnestly, desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven."

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- Τα μεν γε σωματα θνητα πασι, και εκ φθαρτης ύλης δημιεργείται ψυχη δε αθάνατος αει, και Θε8 μοίρα τοις σώμασιν ενοικίζεται- -αρα εκ ιζε, ότι των μεν εξιόντων τε βιε κατα τον της φύσεως νόμον, και το ληφθεν παρα τ8 Θες χρεος εκτινόντων, όταν ὁ δες κομίσασθαι θελή, κλεος μεν αιώνιον, οίκοι δε και γενεαι βεβαιοι, καθαραι δε και υπηκοοι μενεσιν αι ψυκαι, χωρον ερανε λαχεσαι των ἁγιωτατον, ενθεν εκ περιτροπης αιωνων αγνοις παλιν αντενοικίζονται σωμασιν όσοις δε καθ' εαυτων εμανησαν αι χειρες, τετων μεν άδης δέχεται τας ψυχας σKоTITEрOÇ. De Bell. lib. iii. cap. 7. p. 1144, 1145.

The pharisees are said in the gospels" to fast oft," Matt. ix. 14; and Josephus says, 'They practise great temperance, ' and never indulge themselves in a luxurious way of life.' This is as much as is reasonable to expect from him. It was not proper to tell all the world, that they "fasted twice in a week," from sun-set to sun-set,' Luke xviii. 12. The Jews' fasting was one of those things which the Romans had always ridiculed. And some thought they fasted on their sabbaths; though that was a great mistake. Josephus, however, cannot be much blamed for endeavouring to give a good turn to what had been a foundation for many unlucky jests.

I do not remember that the evangelists have any where said expressly, that the sadducees rejected the tradition of the elders; but as these were the great concern of the pharisees, and as these two sects seem opposite to each other, I should think it very likely, even from the New Testament, that the sadducees were not very fond of these traditions; and Josephus says it plainly. The pharisees have delivered to the people many institutions as received 'from the fathers, which are not written in the laws of Moses. For this reason the sadducees" reject these things, saying, that those things are binding which are written, but that the things received by tradition from the fathers 'need not to be observed. And about these things there have happened many disputes and contentions.' And again: They pretend not to observe any thing beside the laws; and it is with them a virtue to contradict the mas'ters of wisdom, and wrangle with them about the science 'they teach.'

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II. But though these two sects stood thus, in a manner, in opposition to each other, yet St. Luke represents them both as concerned together in that administration of affairs, which was allowed the Jewish nation by the Romans, to whom they were then subject: and says, that the members of the council, before which St. Paul was brought, were

4 Οιτε γαρ Φαρισαίοι την διαιταν εξευτελίζεσιν, εδεν εις το μαλακωτερον ενdidovres. Ant. lib. xviii. cap. 1. sect. 3. Buxt. Synag. Jud. cap. 30. Ne Judæus

Jejunia Sabbatariorum. Mart. lib. iv. Epigr. 4. quidem, mi Tiberi, tam diligenter Sabbati jejunium servat, quam ego hodie servavi. Suet. August. cap. 76. " Και δια τετο ταυτα το Σαδδεκαίων γενος εκβάλλει, λεγον εκεινα δεῖν ἡγεῖσθαι νομιμα τα γεγραμμενα, τα δ' εκ παραδοσεως των πατερων μη τηρείν και περί τέτων ζητησεις αυτοις και διαφορας Yevrolai ovveẞaive μɛyaλaç. Ant. lib. xiii. cap. 10. sect. 6.

V

Φυλακης δε εδαμων τινων μεταποίησις αυτοίς η των νόμων προς γαρ τες διδασκαλες σοφίας, ἣν μετιασιν, αμφιλογειν αρετην αριθμεσιν. Ant. lib. xviii. cap. 1 sect. 4.