But the number of people that resorted to Jerusalem upon these occasions, will appear more particularly from a computation, which the priests made at the passover of this very same year.h

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Cestius, just now mentioned, president of Syria, desired the priests to number the people, if they had any way of doing it. The feast of the passover was then at hand, in which they kill sacrifices from the ninth to the eleventh hour and there is concerned in each sacrifice, a sort of 'fraternity, of at the least ten in number, and sometimes twenty. The priests then endeavoured to gratify him, and they found the number of sacrifices amount to two hun'dred fifty-six thousand five hundred. And reckoning a company of ten to each sacrifice, the whole number of persons must have been two millions and seven hundred thousand, and these all clean and pure. For all leprous persons, and all who are under any kind of defilement, are excluded from this sacrifice, as are also the strangers that come up to worship.'k

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The concluding sentence of this passage is a proof, that some strangers, Greeks as St. John calls them, ch. xii. 20, did come up to the Jewish feasts. These are the persons, who are called devout men, and men that fear God. They are also termed proselytes of the gate. If they had been proselytes of righteousness, that is, circumcised, they would have had a right to eat of the passover. For so was the law: "This is the ordinance of the passover: there shall no stranger eat thereof. But every man's servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof," Exod. xii. 43, 44.

In another place Josephus says, that when this Cestius Gallus came to Jerusalem, a little before this very same feast of the passover, he was surrounded by the people there, to the number of three millions, who made their complaints to him against their own procurator1 Gessius Florus: and, as Dr. Hudson has observed, this number does mightily correspond with the above-mentioned computation; for if the number of those who were clean was 2,700,000, it is

h 66. 1 There is some error in one of these numbers in Josephus. For 256,500, which was the number of the sacrifices, multiplied by ten, make but 2,565,000. But Dr. Hudson says, that some are for reading the number of the sacrifices 270,000, which multiplied by ten makes the number of persons here mentioned.

k Γινονται δ' ανδρων, ἵν ̓ ἑκατε δεκα δαιτυμόνας θωμεν, μυριάδες ἑβδομηκοντα και διακοσίαι, καθαρων ἁπάντων, και ἁγιων.-Αλλ' εδε τοις αλλοφύλοις όσοι κατα θρησκειαν παρησαν. De Bell. lib. vi. cap. 9. sect. 3.

De Bell. lib. ii. p. 1078. 19.

easy to conclude, that if the unclean be added to this sum, the number of all the people might be three millions.

11. As there was a great resort to Jerusalem, from all parts, at the feasts, so they who resided at Jerusalem, seem to have frequented the temple very much at other times also. This appears very plainly in the Acts of the Apostles, ch. ii. 46, “And they [all that believed] continued daily with one accord in the temple.-Acts iii. 1-9, Now Peter and John went up together into the temple, at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour; and a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple, which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple.-And all the people saw him walking." See ch. v. 20-25.

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Josephus tells this story of Alexandra, mother of Herod's wife Mariamne. Herod lay m sick at Samaria, and he was thought to be near his end. 'Alexandra was at that time at Jerusalem, and having constant intelligence brought to 'her of his case, she endeavoured to get the two forts, which are in the city, into her own hands; (one is properly a 'guard upon the city, as the other is upon the temple ;) for they who have these in their possession, have the whole 'nation in subjection to them; because that without these they cannot come to offer sacrifices. But it is impossible for any Jew to omit these. They can sooner cease to 'breathe, than neglect the worship they are wont to pay to 'God.'"

III. We had just now mention made of the ninth hour as one of the Jews' hours of prayer. Another hour of prayer is referred to in another place. When the disciples had been filled with the Holy Ghost, after our Saviour's ascension, and spake with divers tongues, there was a reflection cast upon them, Acts ii. 13, " Others, mocking, said, These men are full of new wine." St. Peter confutes them in this manner, ver. 15, "For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day." The argument depends on the custom of the Jews, who used to attend their morning prayer fasting.

Josephus says: Twice every day, in the morning and at the ninth hour, the priests perform their duty at the altar, ' and omit not the sacrifices, though in the greatest distress ' of a siege.' These then were the two hours of perform

m Year before Christ 28. vid. Basnage, Ann. P. E.

- Το δε μη ταυτα συντελειν εδενι Ιεδαίων δυνατον, τα ζην ἑτοιμοτερον αν παραχωρησάντων η της θρησκείας, ήν εις τον Θεον ειώθασι συντελειν. Antiq. lib. xv. cap. 7. sect. 8. • Αλλα δις της ἡμερας, προΐ τε

ing sacrifices at the temple: and it is likely, that a great number of devout Jews, who lived at Jerusalem, usually went up to the temple at those hours.

IV. The Jews are represented to have had a very high veneration for the temple, as not able to hear any thing said of it that was not honourable; and as solicitous to preserve it from every thing which they thought a pollution of it. Acts vi. 13, "And set up false witnesses, which said, This man [Stephen] ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and the law."-Ch. xxi. 27, 28, "The Jews which were of Asia stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him, [Paul,] crying out, Men of Israel, help This is the man that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place. And farther, brought Greeks into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place."

I have already given in this work, from Philo and Josephus, many evidences of the veneration the Jews of this time had for the temple. I add here one passage more from Philo, in which the Jewish resolution to preserve the purity of the temple, is represented by him in the strongest terms that can be used. One thing, says he, we desire instead ' of all others, that no novelty be introduced into the temple, but that it be preserved such as we have received it 'from our forefathers. If we cannot obtain this, we yield up ourselves to be destroyed, that we may not live to see a greater evil than death.'P

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We must pursue the story of the Jews seizing St. Paul at Jerusalem, though it was transcribed above upon another occasion. Acts xxi. 30-32, "And all the city was moved, and the people ran together; and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple.-And as they went to kill him, tidings came to the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar," &c.

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A soldier of the Roman guard at the temple had been guilty of a very indecent action there, and vented some rude expressions in the hearing of the Jews. At this the whole multitude was moved with indignation, and cried out, that 'Cumanus ought to punish the soldier. But some young people and others with them of a warm disposition, im

και περι εννάτην ώραν, ἱερεργέντων επι τε βωμε, και μηδ', ει τι περι τας προσβολας δυσκολον ειη, τας θυσίας παριέντων. Antiq. lib. xiv. cap. 4. sect. 3.

Ρ Εν αντι παντων αιτεμεθα, μηδεν εν τῷ ἱερῳ γενεσθαι νεωτερον, αλλά φυλαχθηναι τοιουτον, οἷον παρα των παππων και προγονων παρελαβομεν ει δε μη πειθομεν, παραδιδομεν έαυτες εις απώλειαν, ίνα μη ζωντες επιδωμεν θανατο χειρον κακον. De Leg. p. 1025. E.

mediately made a tumult, and began to throw stones at the soldiers. Cumanus, fearing lest all the people should ' inake an assault upon him, sent for more soldiers. When they had posted themselves in the porticos, the Jews were thrown into a prodigious fright, and fled from the temple into the city. So great was the crowd in the passages, that ten thousand were pressed or trod to death.'

These two cases have this difference, that in the latter there had been a manifest affront offered to the temple; but in the former they only supposed there had been one. For the rest, there is a great agreement: the temper of the people is much the same, and they were for immediately doing themselves justice: and a strong body of soldiers is brought to keep the peace.

V. The Jews' great respect for the law appears in some texts already transcribed in this chapter, and in many other places of the New Testament, some of which cannot but occur to the reader's thoughts.

Not long after the just mentioned insolence at the temple, A soldier having found the sacred law in a certain village, tore the book to pieces and threw it into the fire. 'The Jews were hereupon no less astonished than if the 'whole country had been in flames; and all with one accord, out of concern for their religion, as if moved by one common spring, flocked to Cumanus at Cæsarea, and ' entreated him that the man who had offered this affront to God and the law might not go unpunished. He, per'ceiving the multitude was not to be appeased unless some 'satisfaction were given them, ordered the soldier to be brought forth, and to be led through the crowd of his ac'cusers, and put to death.'

VI. Beside the great resort to Jerusalem at the feasts, and the worship at the temple at their seasons, and the regard expressed for the temple itself and the law, we have in the New Testament frequent mention of the synagogue worship. Luke iv. 17-20, " And he [Jesus] came to Nazareth, and as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath-day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias." Acts xv. 21, "For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath-day:"

De B. J. lib. ii. cap. 12. sect. 1.

* Ιωδαιοι δε, ὡς όλης

αυτοις της χωρας καταφλεγείσης, συνεχύθησαν, και καθαπερ οργανῳ τινι τη δεισιδαιμονία συνελκόμενοι, εἰς ἐν κηρυγμα παντες εις Καισαρειαν επι Κεμανον συνεδραμον, κ. λ. Ibid. sect. 2.

Nor had they only readings of the law and the prophets, but they had discourses made in their synagogues. "And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue. And straightway on the sabbath-day he entered into their synagogue and taught." Matt. xiii. 54; Mark i. 21. "And it came to pass in Iconium, that they went both together [Paul and Barnabas] into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed," Acts xiv. 1.

A passage or two from Josephus and Philo will confirm both these particulars. Josephus in his second book against Apion, speaking of Moses, says: And that men might not have the pretence of ignorance for their transgression, (in points he before mentioned,) he gave us the law, the most 'excellent of all institutions. Nor did he appoint that it 'should be heard once only, or twice, or often, but that laying aside all other works we should meet together 6 every week to hear it read, and gain a perfect understand'ing.'s

as

Josephus relates a difference which happened between the Greeks and Jews at Cæsarea in the 12th year of Nero's reign. The Jews presented a petition to Florus their procurator. He made them fair promises, but immediately went from Cæsarea to Sebaste, without taking care about the matter. The next day being the seventh day, the Jews were coming to the synagogue, a turbulent fellow of Cæsarea brought an earthen vessel, and having 'placed it with the bottom uppermost, sacrificed birds as the Jews were coming in. This provoked the Jews ex'tremely, to see their laws thus insulted and the place defiled.'-It was impossible to compose them; they and the Cæsareans had a battle. Jucundus, a Roman officer who was there, came in to the assistance of the Jews, but he had but a few men with him. He being overpowered by the 'violence of the Cæsareans, the Jews taking the laws with' drew to Narbata, a place sixty stadia distant from Casa'rea.'"

There should be some evidence of their having discourses made in their synagogues. This I shall give in the words of Philo. And from that time [the days of Moses] to

* Ουδε γαρ την απ' αγνοιας ὑποτιμησιν ηνέσχετο καταλιπειν, αλλα και καλλιπον και αναγκαιότατον απέδειξε παιδευμάτων τον νομον εκ εισάπαξ ακροασαμενες, εδε δις η πολλακις, αλλ' έκατης εβδομάδος, των αλλων εργων αφεμένες, επι την ακρόασιν τω νόμω εκέλευσε συλλεγεσθαι και τετον ακριβώς εκμανθάνειν p. 1378. in. A. D. 66. " De Bell. lib. ii. cap. 14. sert. 5.