tract of time, of which, as far as religion is concerned, we have a history pretty particular. All that appears before the captivity on this subject is, that numbers of young men were wont, for the sake of instruction, to attend the most eminent prophets, and were therefore called the sons, that is the disciples, of the prophets; and that in this manner were constituted a sort of ambulatory schools, for communicating the knowledge of letters, and of the law. In these were probably taught the elements of the Hebrew music and versification. We are informed also, 2 Chron. xvii. 7-9, that Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, sent priests, Levites, and others, to teach in all the cities of Judah. But this appears to have been merely a temporary measure adopted by that pious monarch for the instruction of the people in his own time, and not an establishment which secured a succession and continuance. Now, this is quite different from the erection that obtained afterwards in their cities, of a sort of permanent academies for the education of the youth destined for the upper stations in society.

3. Further, to give the greater lustre to those seminaries, they were commonly men of note, in respect of their station and quality, as well as distinguished for their learning, who were appointed to preside and teach in them. These were mostly priests and Levites, but not entirely; for eminent persons from other tribes, were also admitted to share in this honour. No sooner did erudition become an object of national attention in Judeano sooner were endowments made for advancing and promoting it-than the emulation of literary men was excited to attain the honours peculiar to the profession, by having the direction, or a principal part in the teaching, in some noted school. Even a certificate from the persons qualified, of being equal to the charge, was not a little prized. Though at first sight it may appear but a small circumstance, it will be admitted by the judicious to be a considerable evidence that, in our Saviour's time, learning was in general and high esteem among the Jews, to find that those titles which related to the business of teaching, were with so much solicitude courted, and with so much ostentation displayed by persons of distinction. Of this kind, the honorary titles, father, rabbi, doctor or teacher, guide or conductor, the name scribe, often indeed a name of office, lawyer, doctor of law, may justly be accounted. I do not, however, mean to affirm, that all these titles are of different import. Some of them, as will soon appear, are justly held synonymous.

4. Some of these had come into use but a little before our Saviour's time. This was the case, in particular, of that most celebrated title rabbi or rab, and rabban, as, for some time, these seem to have been distinguished by some difference of signification. In the Old Testament, we find the term 7 rab, in composition with some other word, employed as a name of office and

dignity, but not till the people became acquainted with the Chaldeans, concerning whom only it is used. The word, both in Hebrew and in Chaldee, signifies sometimes great, sometimes many, and when used substantively, denotes one who is at the head of any business, of whatever kind it be. Thus bann 27 rab hachebel, (Jonah i. 6,) is in the Septuagint Towρεve; rab tebachim, (Jerem. xxxix. 11,) aoxiμayeipos, chief cook-the word will bear this version, but it does not suit the context in the passage where it is found;-and Drab serisim, (Dan. i. 3,) aoxiεvvovxos; the first rendered, in the English version, ship-master, the second, captain of the guard, and the third, master of the eunuchs. It is used in the plural also for chief men in general, superintendants, or those at the head of affairs. Thus, rabbe hammelech, (Jer. xxxix. 13,) are the chief men employed by the king over the different departments of the state. It is rendered the princes of the king in the common translation. The original term suits entirely the import of the Latin word princeps, but not of the English word prince, at least in its most common acceptation; for it is not the king's sons, or any order of nobles, who are so denominated. The word, among the Chaldeans, appears evidently to have been equivalent to the term shar, among the Hebrews. Accordingly, he who is styled by Daniel, in the passage above quoted, 7, is four times in the same chapter called ' shar haserisim, Dan. i. 7—9, 18. And this use of the name rab seems to have continued long in Syria as well as in Chaldea. Thus, in the Syriac New Testament, it is found in the same manner united with the common appellation of any sort of officer, in order to denote the principal person in that office. Thus, rab-cohana, (Matt. xxvi. 51,) is the high-priest, rab-machsa, (Luke xix. 2,) is chief of the publicans, and rab-raghotha, (1 Pet. v. 4,) is chief shepherd. Rab, construed in this manner, is equivalent to the Greek apxt, as used in composition. The preceding titles are accordingly thus expressed in the Greek, αρχιερευς, αρχιτελώνης, and αρχιποιμην.

Again, the word rab is sometimes found in that version combined, not with the title of any sort of officer, but with a term denoting the office or charge itself; in which case it always means the person who is principally entrusted with the business. Thus, rab-beth (Matt. xx. 8.) is the steward, TITρоToç, he who is over the household; and rab-canoshetha, (Mark v. 35,) is the ruler of the synagogue, apxiovvaywyos. It is not unlikely, though I do not find any example of it in Scripture, that the term has at first been similarly compounded with some word signifying a school, or perhaps with the name of the art or science taught, in order to denote the overseer of such a seminary, or the teacher of such an art. This hypothesis is at least favoured by analogy. As use however is variable, it appears, from what has actually happened, extremely probable, that when all other applications of the

term have been dropped, it has still remained as an honourable compellation of the learned. And when the term rab came to be peculiarly applied to such, the word wherewith it was at first, for distinction's sake, compounded, would be superseded as un

necessary.

It is at least certain, that the Jewish doctors who resided at Babylon about the time of our Saviour were called simply rab. But in the Old Testament there is no trace of such a title as rab, rabbi, or rabban, given to a man of letters; nor is any of the old prophets, or scribes, or indeed any other person, distinguished by this mark of respect prefixed to his name. Though the introduction of titles is always occasioned by the erection of useful and important offices, it is commonly in the decline of merit that pompous titles are most affected. At first, no doubt, vain glory has led many to assume them to whom they did not belong in right of office, and an interested adulation has induced others to give them. Some of them, however, came soon among the Jews to be converted into a kind of academical distinctions, which, to give them more weight, are said to have been conferred solemnly in their schools or colleges, accompanied with certain religious ceremonies. From this practice, I may observe by the way, sprang literary degrees in Christian universities, to which there is nothing similar in all Pagan antiquity, either Greek or Roman, but to which the Jewish custom above mentioned bears an evident and close analogy.

5. Those who belonged to the school were divided into three classes or orders. The lowest was that of the disciples, or learners; the second, that of the fellows, or companions-those who, having made considerable progress in learning, were occasionally employed by the masters in teaching the younger students; the highest was that of the preceptors, or teachers, to whom they appropriated the respectful title of doctor, or rabbi, which differs from rab only by the addition of the affix pronoun of the first person. All belonging to the school were accounted honourable, in a certain degree. Even the lowest, the name disciple, was considered as redounding to the honour of those youths who were selected from the multitude, had the advantage of a learned education, and by their diligence and progress gave hopes that they would one day fill with credit the most important stations. The title companion, fellow, or associate, was considered as very honourable to the young graduate who obtained it, being a public testimony of the proficiency he had made in his studies; and the title rabbi was their highest academical honour. That it was only the youth, in what are called the genteeler stations, who had the advantage of a learned education, is manifest from the contempt which our Lord's parentage drew on him, as a teacher, from his fellow-citizens: "Whence," say they, "hath this man this wisdom? Is not this the carpenter's

son?" Matt. xiii. 54, 55. They conclude that he must be illiterate, from the mean condition of his parents. It was not the children of such, then, we may reasonably infer, who were trained in those seminaries.

In the Gospels didaσkaλoç is given as the Greek translation of the Syriac rabbi, John i. 38. Yet this word does not, as the Greek, literally signify teacher; but, having been conferred at first as a mark of respect on actual teachers, and afterwards on other learned men, didαokadoc was justly accounted as apposite a version as the Greek language afforded. It is certain, the term rabbi began soon to be used with great latitude. But though it came gradually to be bestowed on those who were not actual teachers, it always retained, ever since it had been appropriated to the learned, a relation to learning; and, being understood as an addition due only to literary merit, it still denoted, that though the person who enjoyed it might not be actually employed in teaching, he was well qualified for the office. Rabban is not the name of a degree superior to rabbi, though it seems intended for heightening the signification. It may be understood to denote eminent or learned rabbi, and appears to have been but very seldom used. The title rabboni, which we find twice given to our Lord, is rabban, with the addition of the affix of the first person, and accommodated to the pronunciation of Judea. One of those who addressed him with this compellation, was blind Bartimeus, when he applied for the recovery of his sight, Mark x. 51: the other was Mary Magdalene, when she first saw Jesus after his resurrection, John xx. 16.

That the use of the term rabban has not extended far beyond Palestine, may be presumed from the following circumstance. Though the word rabbi is very common in the Syriac translation, the Greek didaσkade being generally so rendered; yet in the only place where that translator introduces the word rabboni, which is that quoted from John, he prefixes in Hebrew, that is, in the dialect of Palestine, which was then so called, adding the explanation given by the evangelist, that is, teacher; which plainly shows that the word rabboni was not Syriac. This is the more remarkable, as in the other passage, (John i. 38,) where the historian interprets the word rabbi in the same manner, adding, ὁ λεγεται ἑρμηνευομενον διδασκαλε, that interpreter omits this explanatory clause as intended only for the Grecian reader, and of no use to those who understood Syriac. In the passage in Mark where rabboni occurs, as the evangelist had added no explanation, his interpreter has not thought it necessary to change their own word rabbi. This is an evidence that he also considered the difference in signification between the two words as inconsiderable. Another strong presumption of the same point is, that the apostle John explains both by the same Greek word; John i. 39; xx. 16.

It may be observed here by the way, that they likewise used to raise the import of a title by doubling it. Thus our Lord, speaking of the Pharisees, says, They love to be called of men rabbi, rabbi, Matt. xxiii. 7. In this manner he was himself addressed by Judas, at the time when that disciple chose to assume the appearance of more than ordinary regard, Mark xiv. 45. The title Kupiɛ seems to have been used in the same manner: Not every one who saith unto me Lord, Lord, Kupiε, Kupɩɛ, Matt. vii. 21. This is very agreeable to the genius of the oriental tongues, which often, by the repetition of an adjective, express the superlative degree.

6. I took notice once before, that, in the common version of the Gospels, didaokaλoç is generally rendered master. I cannot say that the word is mistranslated when so rendered, since it is the most common title with us wherewith scholars address their teacher. But it is rather too indefinite, as this term does not distinguish the relation meant, from almost any other relation wherein superior and inferior are brought together. The word master serves equally for rendering κυριος, δεσποτης, επιστατης, Kanуnτns, as for didaσkados; and therefore, in many cases, especially where the context requires a contradistinction to any of those terms, the word master is not proper. It is indeed evident to me, that in the ordinary Hellenistic use it corresponds nearly to the English word doctor. Both are honorary titles, expressive of the qualifications of the persons to whom they are given: both are literary titles, that relate to no other sort of merit but learning; and both are solemnly conferred with certain ceremonies, which we call graduation, by those who are accounted the proper judges. Our translators have, in one place, very properly rendered it doctor. Joseph and Mary, we are told, Luke ii. 46, found Jesus in the temple sitting "in the midst of the doctors," εν μεσῳ των διδασκαλων. Το have said, in the midst of the masters, would have been a very vague expression of the sense. Nor have we reason to believe that it would have been proper here to translate the word teachers, as it did not imply that they were such by profession. In composition, our interpreters have commonly rendered it doctors. There were Pharisees and" vouodtdaokado, "doctors of the law sitting by," Luke v. 17: again, "There stood up one of the council, a Pharisee named Gamaliel," voμodidaσkaλos, "a doctor of law," Acts v. 34. Besides, we νομοδιδάσκαλος, are accustomed to hear the words Jewish rabbis and Jewish doctors used synonymously. In Justin Martyr's dialogue with Trypho the Jew, the rabbis are always called Sidaokaλoi.

7. But it may be objected, that this does not account for the application of the title to our Lord: as he did not derive his doctrine from any of those learned seminaries frequented by such of the youth as were reckoned the flower of the nation, the name doctor could not with propriety be applied to him. In