xvi. 1) in all probability the same as the ancient

Gezer or Gazer (Josh. x. 33; xii. 12), between the lower Beth-horon and the sea. Thither we find David pursued the Philistines (2 Sam. v. 25; 1 Chr. xiv. 16), and the place was fortified by Solomon as commanding the communication between Egypt and Jerusalem. See _Class-Book of Old Test. Hist._ p. 361.

33 ‒ During the Captivity the Idumæans advancing westward had occupied the whole territory of the ancient Amalekites (Jos. _Ant._ II. 1. 2), and even took possession of many towns in Southern Palestine, including Hebron (Jos. _Ant._ XII. 8. 6; _B. J._ IV. 9. 7). The name Edom, or rather its Greek form Idumæa, was now given to the country lying between the valley of Arabah and the shores of the Mediterranean; and Roman authors sometimes give the name Idumæa to all Palestine, and even call the Jews Idumæans. Virgil, _Georg._ III. 12; Juvenal, VIII. 160.

34 ‒ The ancient Ashdod. See _Class-Book of Old Testament History_, pp. 259, 263, 272.

35 ‒ The Greek form of the ancient Jabneel (Josh. xv. 11), the modern _Yebna_, 11 miles S. of Jaffa, 4 from Ekron. In the time of the Maccabees it was a strong place. After the fall of Jerusalem it became one of the most populous places in Judæa, was the seat of a famous school, and according to an early Jewish tradition, the burial-place of the great Gamaliel.

36 ‒ Beth-sura, or Beth-zur, _house of rock_, is named between Halhul and Gedor in Josh. xv. 58, and was fortified by Rehoboam for the defence of his new kingdom (2 Chr. xi. 7). It occupied a strong position, and commanded a great road, the road from Beer-sheba and Hebron, which has always been the main approach to Jerusalem from the south.

37 ‒ The ancient Accho (Judg. i. 31). During the period that Ptolemy Soter was in possession of Cœlesyria, it received the name of _Ptolemais_ from him, by which it was long distinguished.

38 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XIII. 2. 1.

39 ‒ According to some, he was a natural son of Antiochus Epiphanes (Jos. _Ant._ XIII. 2. 1), but he was more generally looked upon as an impostor who falsely laid claim to the connection. Justin, XXXV. 1; Polyb. XXXIII. 16.

40 ‒ Comp. Jos. _Ant._ XIII. 4. 3.

41 ‒ Comp. 1 Macc. xi. 33; Jos. _Ant._ XIII. 5. 3.

42 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XIII. 5. 6.

43 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XIII. 5. 8.

44 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XIII. 5. 11; Smith’s _Bibl. Dict._, Art. _Jerusalem_.

45 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XIII. 6. 1.

46 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XIII. 6. 7; Smith’s _Bibl. Dict._, Art. _Jerusalem_.

47 ‒ “Nehemiah mentions a palace, or rather fortress, which appertained to the Temple (Neh. ii. 8); and in the Hebrew Birah we have probably the origin of the Greek Baris, which Josephus tells us was the name of the fortress subsequently called _Antonia_. It was the fortress of the Temple, as the Temple was of the city.” Porter’s _Handbk._ I. 128, 129.

48 ‒ Milman’s _History of the Jews_, II. 21.

49 ‒ Comp. Jos. _Ant._ XIII. 7. 2.

50 ‒ By this king the privilege of a national coinage was granted to Simon, 1 Macc. xv. 6. “Numerous examples of them are extant, bearing the dates of the first, second, third and fourth years of the ‘liberation of Jerusalem;’ and it is a remarkable fact confirming their genuineness, that in the first year the name Zion does not occur, as the citadel was not recovered till the second year of Simon’s supremacy, while after the second year Zion alone is found. The emblem which the coins bear have generally a connexion with Jewish history――a vine-leaf, a cluster of grapes, a vase (of manna?), a trifid flowering rod, a palm-branch, surrounded by a wreath of laurel, a lyre, a bunch of branches symbolical of the feast of Tabernacles.” Smith’s _Bibl. Dict._, Art. _Maccabees_.

51 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XIII. 8. 1.

52 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XIII. 8. 2.

53 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XIII. 8. 3.

54 ‒ Samaria itself was now razed to the ground, the hill on which it had stood being full of springs, was pierced with trenches, and the site of the city flooded and converted into a pool of water. Jos. _Ant._ XIII. 10. 3.

55 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XIII. 10. 6.

56 ‒ Raphall’s _History of the Jews_, II. 103.

57 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XIII. 16. 3.

58 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XIV. 1. 2.

59 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XIV. 2. 1.

60 ‒ Milman, _History of the Jews_, II. 42.

61 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XIV. 2. 3; _B. J._ I. 6. 3.

62 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XIV. 3. 1.

63 ‒ Jos. _B. J._ I. 6. 6.

64 ‒ Jos. _B. J._ I. 7. 3.

65 ‒ Liv. _Epit._ 102.

66 ‒ Comp. Cic. _pro Flacco_, c. xxviii.; Tac. _Hist._ V. 5.

67 ‒ Jos. _B. J._ I. 8. 5; _Ant._ XIV. 5. 2–4.

68 ‒ Merivale’s _Romans under the Empire_, I. 381, 382.

69 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XIV. 7. 2; _B. J._ I. 8. 8, 9; Milman, II. 51.

70 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XIV. 7. 4.

71 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XIV. 8. 1; _B. J._ I. 9. 5.

72 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XIV. 8. 3; _B. J._ I. 9. 5.

73 ‒ Jos. _B. J._ I. 10. 2, 3; _Ant._ XIV. 8. 5.

74 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XIV. 9. 2.

75 ‒ Merivale, III. 377.

76 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XIV. 9. 2; _B. J._ I. 10. 5.

77 ‒ See Merivale, III. 375.

78 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XIV. 9. 4.

79 ‒ Jos. _B. J._ I. 11. 1.

80 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XIV. 11. 2.

81 ‒ Jos. _B. J._ I. 11. 3; _Ant._ XIV. 11. 2.

82 ‒ Jos. _B. J._ I. 12. 4; _Ant._ XIV. 12. 2.

83 ‒ See above, p. 71.

84 ‒ Jos. _B. J._ I. 12. 6; _Ant._ XIV. 13. 1, 2.

85 ‒ Jos. _B. J._ I. 13. 4–6.

86 ‒ Jos. _B. J._ I. 13. 6; _Ant._ XIV. 13. 7–9.

87 ‒ Masada, now called _Sebbeh_, was situated at the S.W. end of the Dead Sea, on a rock from 1200 to 1500 ft. in height, separated from the adjoining range of mountains by deep ravines on the N. and S., and only attached to them on the W. by a narrow neck about two-thirds of its height. The fortress was first built by Jonathan Maccabæus, but Herod the Great added to it and made it an impregnable place of refuge for himself in case of danger. The rock on which it was built overhung the Dead Sea, and was only accessible by two rock-hewn paths, one on the W., the other on the E. side, carried up from the shore by a zigzag cut in the precipice, and called “the Serpent.” The summit of the rock was not pointed, but a plain of 7 stadia in circumference, surrounded by a wall of white stone, 12 cubits high and 8 thick, fortified with 37 towers of 50 cubits in height, and adorned with a palace and baths. The interior being left free for cultivation, so that the garrison might partially raise their own food. Traill’s _Josephus_, II. 109–115; Porter’s _Handbk. of Syria and Palestine_, p. 239.

88 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XIV. 13. 8.

89 ‒ Jos. _B. J._ I. 14. 2; _Ant._ XIV. 14. 2, 3.

90 ‒ Jos. _B. J._ I. 13. 9; _Ant._ XIV. 13. 10.

91 ‒ Jos. _B. J._ I. 14. 4. See above, p. 73.

92 ‒ Jos. _B. J._ I. 14. 4; _Ant._ XIV. 14. 5.

93 ‒ Jos. _B. J._ I. 18. 3. “Antonius was the first of the Romans who consented to smite a king with the axe.” Merivale, III. 382.

94 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XIV. 16. 4.

95 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XV. 2. 2.

96 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XV. 3. 4.

97 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XV. 3. 5.

98 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XV. 6. 6; _B. J._ I. 20. 1.

99 ‒ Jos. _B. J._ I. 20; Merivale, III. 356.

100 ‒ He at the same time bestowed upon him the 400 Gauls, who had formed the bodyguard of Cleopatra. Jos. _Ant._ XV. 7. 3; _B. J._ I. 20. 3.

101 ‒ Milman’s _Hist. of the Jews_, II. 70; Jos. _Ant._ XV. 7. 7; Merivale, III. 386.

102 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XV. 7. 9. 10.

103 ‒ Jan. 13, A.U.C. 727, B.C. 27. Dion LIII. 16; Liv. _Epit._ 134; Merivale’s _Romans under the Empire_, III. 417.

104 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XV. 8. 5; _B. J._ I. 21. 2.

105 ‒ In B.C. 22 he contracted another marriage, and united himself with a second Mariamne, the daughter of one Simon, an obscure priest of Jerusalem, whom he raised to the dignity of high-priest, after deposing Joshua, the son of Phaneus, thus again throwing discredit on an office which he persisted in depriving of all political weight and influence.

106 ‒ The full name was Cæsarea Sebaste, Jos. _Ant._ XVI. 5. 1, but it was sometimes called Cæsarea Stratonis, or Cæsarea Palestinæ, or the “City by the Sea,” Jos. _B. J._ III. 9; VII. 1. 3. Its modern name is _Kaisariyeh_. It became the official residence of the Herodian kings, as also of Festus, Felix, and other Roman procurators. Tacitus calls it “the head of Judæa,” _Hist._ II. 79. In the centre of the city rose a vast temple, conspicuous from the sea, dedicated to Octavius, and adorned with two colossal statues, one of the Emperor, the other of the Imperial city. The foundations were laid in B.C. 21, and the work was completed in B.C. 10. Jos. _Ant._ XV. 9. 6; Lewin’s _Fasti Sacri_, p. 89.

107 ‒ Jos. _B. J._ I. 20. 4.

108 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XV. 10. 1.

109 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XV. 10. 3; _B. J._ I. 20. 4.

110 ‒ Jos. _B. J._ I. 21. 3.

111 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XV. 10. 4.

112 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XV. 11. 2.

113 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XV. 11. 2.

114 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XV. 11. 6.

115 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XX. 9. 7.

116 ‒ For the maintenance of the service the half-shekel claimed by the Law (Ex. xxx. 13) from every male Israelite above twenty years old was religiously executed. This is the tribute-money mentioned Matt. xvii. 24, under the name δίδραχμα, and according to Josephus, was collected from all Jews even in foreign countries, their foreign coins being exchanged by the κολλυβισταί for the half-shekels of the temple-money (Matt. xxi. 12; Mk. xi. 15; Jn. ii. 15).

117 ‒ Dixon’s _Holy Land_, II. 47, 48; Raphall’s _History of the Jews_, II. 335–337; Milman, II. 77.

118 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XV. 11. 6.

119 ‒ On the way he gave proof of his ardent zeal for Grecian customs, stopping at Elis to witness the Olympic games, and settling an annual revenue on the inhabitants. Jos. _B. J._ I. 21. 12.

120 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XVI. 2. 1.

121 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XVI. 1. 2.

122 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XVI. 3. 3; _B. J._ I. 23. 1.

123 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XVI. 4. 6; Comp. _Ant._ XV. 9. 6.

124 ‒ Jos. _B. J._ I. 24. 1.

125 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XVI. 5. 1.

126 ‒ Built on the site of the more ancient town of _Caphar Saba_, sixteen Roman miles from Joppa, and twenty-six from Cæsarea. The old name lingers under the modern form _Kefr-Saba_.

127 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XVI. 11. 1–6. Berytus was a town of Phœnicia, identified by some with the Berotha, or Berothai of Scripture (2 Sam. viii. 8; Ezek. xlvii. 16). After its destruction by Tryphon B.C. 140, it was reduced by Agrippa, and colonised by the veterans of the V. Macedonica Legio, and VIII. Augusta, and became a Roman colony under the name of _Colonia Julia Augusta Felix Berytus_. See Smith’s _Dict. Geog._, Art. _Berytus_.

128 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XVI. 11. 7.

129 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XVII. 2. 4.

130 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XVII. 4. 2.

131 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XVII. 5. 1; _B. J._ I. 31. 4.

132 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XVII. 6. 2. 3.

133 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XVII. 6. 5; _B. J._ I. 33. 5.

134 ‒ On the eastern side of the Jordan, and not far from the Dead Sea. Jos. _Ant._ XVII. 6. 5.

135 ‒ Probably some day between the 13th March and 4th April A.U.C. 750 = B.C. 4. See Wieseler’s _Synopsis_, p. 51.

136 ‒ Westcott’s _Introduction to the Gospel History_, pp. 47, 48.

137 ‒ Conybeare and Howson, _Life and Travels of St Paul_, I. 16; Merivale, III. 358.

138 ‒ See above, p. 7.

139 ‒ See above, pp. 8, 9.

140 ‒ See above, p. 10.

141 ‒ See above, p. 15.

142 ‒ See above, p. 54. This was probably Lucius Calpurnius Piso, consul in B.C. 139.

143 ‒ The _Sanhedrin_, or supreme court of judicature amongst the Jews, in things spiritual and temporal, consisted of seventy, seventy-one, or seventy-two members, chosen from the chief priests, scribes, elders, and some of the inferior members of the priestly order. Its President, generally but not always the high-priest, was called _Nasi_; the vice-president, _Ab Beth Din_, its place of meeting (βουλή, βουλευτήριον) was the chamber _Gazith_ in the temple, where the members sat in a half-moon.

The Jews traced back its origin to the time of Moses (Deut. xvii. 8), but it is only after the return from the Captivity, and especially during the Asmonean era, that we find it first mentioned.

Its decrees were of binding force not only in Palestine, but amongst the extensive colonies of Jews in Egypt, Babylonia, and Asia Minor, and related to the worship of the temple, offences against the state, the levying of war, claims to the prophetical office, and questions appertaining to the high-priest’s functions. Ordinary cases came before the _Lesser Sanhedrin_, of which courts there were two at Jerusalem, and one in every town containing more than 120 inhabitants.

The jurisdiction and authority of the Sanhedrin were much curtailed, first by Herod, see above, p. 82, and afterwards by the Romans (Comp. Jn. xviii. 31; xix. 6; Jos. _Ant._ XX. 9. 1).

144 ‒ Comp. Hor. _Sat._ I. ix. 69 sq.; Juvenal, III. 296; XIV. 96; Cic. _pro Flacco_, ch. XXVIII.

145 ‒ Merivale’s _Romans under the Empire_, III. 369. “We find that at Tyre, at Sidon, and at Ascalon, the Romans published their decrees in the Latin and the Greek idioms; in the Latin, in token of their own supremacy; in the Greek, as the language most generally understood by the conquered people. Ascalon became famous for its Greek writers in philosophy, history, and grammar. Gadara, a city of Greek foundation, is celebrated by Strabo for its contributions to Hellenic science.”

146 ‒ The three words for the elect nation used in the New Testament are

i. Ἰουδαῖος = a Jew as regards his nation, in opposition to Ἕλλην, a Gentile;

ii. Ἑβραῖος = a Jew in respect to his language and education, in opposition to Ἑλληνιστής, a Jew of the Grecian speech;

iii. Ἰσραηλίτης = a Jew in respect to his religious privileges, the sacred name. Trench, _N. T. Synonyms_.

147 ‒ Compare with this the assemblies for prayer and worship held by the prophets or their scholars in the kingdom of the Ten Tribes, 2 K. iv. 33.

148 ‒ Generally they were erected and maintained by the congregation, but sometimes were built by private individuals: Comp. Lk. vii. 5.

149 ‒ Godwyn’s _Moses and Aaron_, p. 71.

150 ‒ The officers of the synagogue exercised a judicial power. And in the building itself could (i) bring an offender to trial (Lk. xii. 11; xxi. 12); and (ii) scourge (Matt. x. 17; Mark xiii. 9; Acts ix. 2).

151 ‒ Smith’s _Bibl. Dict._, Art. _Synagogue_.

152 ‒ The service was held on Sabbaths and feast-days, later on the Mondays and Thursdays also.

153 ‒ This would be the case at least in the Palestine synagogues.

154 ‒ Godwyn’s _Moses and Aaron_, pp. 69–73; Conybeare and Howson, I. 59.

155 ‒ Comp. Juv. III. 296, _in quâ te quæro proseuchâ?_

156 ‒ See above, p. 20. Comp. Merivale, III. 370.

157 ‒ See above, p. 9.

158 ‒ See Raphall’s _History of the Jews_, Vol. I. pp. 160, 162.

159 ‒ Others, however, derive their name from Tsadikim, ‘the righteous,’ but its origin appears uncertain.

160 ‒ See above, p. 60.

161 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XVIII. 1. 4.

162 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XIII. 10. 6; XVIII. 1. 4.

163 ‒ The later sect of the Karaites, or _Karæans_, ‘Scripturists,’ succeeded to the Sadducees, but chiefly in respect of the rejection of tradition, and their strict adherence to the letter of the law.

164 ‒ See above, p. 30.

165 ‒ The _Scribes_ (γραμματεῖς) are often mentioned in the Gospels in connection with the Pharisees and elders. Originally they appear to have been employed in transcribing the Jewish Scriptures, but subsequently became interpreters of the Law and teachers of the people. The majority of them probably belonged to the sect of the Pharisees, but not all, see Acts xxiii. 9.

166 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XIII. 5. 9, and see above, p. 60.

167 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XVIII. 1. 3.

168 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XIII. 10. 5; _B. J._ I. 5. 2, 3.

169 ‒ Comp. above, p. 63, and Luke xi. 43.

170 ‒ See above, pp. 60, 62.

171 ‒ The Jews of later times were very zealous in making _proselytes_ (Comp. Horace, _Sat._ I. iv. 143), and succeeded to a great extent, especially among the women. They are said, though it does not appear absolutely certain, to have been divided into two classes; (i) _Proselytes of righteousness_, who were admitted to all the privileges of Judaism after submitting to circumcision, and baptism, and offering sacrifice: (ii) _Proselytes of the gate_, who were not circumcised, but simply bound themselves to observe what were called ‘the seven precepts of Noah,’ i.e. (1) to renounce idolatry, (2) to worship the one true God, (3) to abstain from bloodshed, (4) incest, (5) robbery, (6) to be obedient to the magistrates, (7) to abstain from eating flesh with the blood. Josephus calls such Proselytes οἱ σεβόμενοι, _the worshippers_, and they are supposed to be meant by the same word, rendered in our Version _devout men_ in such passages as Acts xiii. 50; xvi. 14; xvii. 4, 17; xviii. 7.

172 ‒ Analogous to the Essenes were the _Therapeutæ_, who lived in Egypt, were bound by even stricter rules, and spent their time in still greater seclusion, Godwyn’s _Moses and Aaron_, I. 12.

173 ‒ Conybeare and Howson, I. 33; Godwyn, Lib. I. 13.

174 ‒ _Class-Book of O. T. History_, p. 427.

175 ‒ Compare for a notice of such a process, Herod. III. 149; VI. 21, quoted in Trench, _Miracles_, p. 311, note.

176 ‒ Comp. Jos. _Ant._ X. 9. 7; IX. 14. 3.

177 ‒ See above, p. 5.

178 ‒ ‘The Samaritans have a firm belief in the coming of Messiah. They found this upon the words of Moses (Deut. xviii. 15). They differ, however, with regard to the character of the Messiah, as well from Jews as from Christians. They ridicule the Jewish idea of his being a king and a great conqueror. His mission, they say, is not to shed blood, but to heal the nations; not to make war, but to bring peace. He is to be, according to Moses’ promise, a great Teacher, a Restorer of the Law, one that will bring all the nations, by the illumination of his teaching, to unite in one service to one God. Therefore his common name with them is _Taebah_ (‏תהבה‎), though the better known name is _Hatah_ or _Hashah_, the Restorer, or the Arabic equivalent, Al Mudy, because it is he whose mission it is to turn the ungodly and unbelieving unto the Lord.’ Mill’s _Modern Samaritans_, 215, 216.

179 ‒ Westcott’s _Introduction to the Study of the Gospels_, 148, 9.

180 ‒ Godwyn’s _Moses and Aaron_, Lib. I. p. 48; Trench, _Miracles_, p. 311.

181 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XX. 6. 1; _B. J._ II. 12. 3.

182 ‒ Jos. _Ant._ XVIII. 2. 2.

183 ‒ See _Class-Book of Old Testament History_, p. 483.

184 ‒ Ebrard’s _Gospel History_, p. 487; Westcott’s _Introduction to the New Testament_, pp. 92, 95.

185 ‒ So Grotius, Lightfoot and others. Reland and Robinson identify it with Juttah in the mountain-region of Judah, near Maon and Carmel (Josh. xv. 55), allotted to the priests (Josh. xxi. 16), now _Yŭtta_. The traditions of the Greek and Latin Churches point on the other hand to _Ain Karim_, a village near Jerusalem. Thomson’s _L. and B._ 664.

186 ‒ See _Class-Book of O. T. History_, p. 123. For the composition of the Incense, _Ibid._ p. 135.

187 ‒ See Smith’s _Bibl. Dict._, Art. _Incense_.

188 ‒ Hebrew Jochanan = _God is gracious_.

189 ‒ The number present appears to indicate that it was the Sabbath-day.

190 ‒ It is one peculiarity of the Galilæan hills, as distinct from those of Ephraim or Judah, that they contain or sustain green basins of table-land just below their topmost ridges; forming marked features in any view from the summit of Tabor, or further north from the slopes of Hermon.... Such above all is Nazareth. Fifteen gently rounded hills “seem as if they had met to form an enclosure” for this peaceful basin――“they rise round it like the edge of a shell to guard it from intrusion. It is a rich and beautiful field in the midst of these green hills――abounding in gay flowers, in fig-trees, small gardens, hedges of the prickly pear; and the dense rich grass affords an abundant pasture. The expression of the old topographer, Quaresmius, was as happy as it is poetical: ‘Nazareth is a rose, and, like a rose, has the same rounded form, enclosed by mountains as the flower by its leaves.’” Stanley’s _Sinai and Palestine_, p. 365.

191 ‒ As the first leader of the hosts of Israel was called first Hoshea, a _Saviour_, and afterwards Jehoshua or Joshua, _God the Saviour_ or _God’s Salvation_, in Greek, ΙΗΣΟΥΣ, JESUS, and saved the Israelites from their enemies the Canaanites, so the second Joshua was to save His people from enemies no less real――even _their sins_ (Matt. i. 21). Compare the title of Conqueror so often applied to our blessed Lord in the Book of Revelation, as ii. 7, 11; iii. 5, 12, 21; v. 5; vi. 2, &c., as also in St John’s Gospel, xvi. 33, and in 1 Jn. ii. 13, 14; iv. 4. See Pearson _On the Creed_, Art. II.; _Class-Book of O. T. History_, pp. 173, 223.

192 ‒ The distance from Nazareth to Jerusalem is about 80 miles, and if Zacharias lived at Hebron 17 miles south of Jerusalem, the whole journey would occupy four or five days. (i) The most direct route was by Nain and Endor, and through Samaria and southward by Bethel. (ii) If for any cause Samaria was to be avoided, the Jordan would be crossed near Scythopolis, and the way followed through Peræa along its eastern bank. This was the common route with the Jews in their journeyings to the feasts, if they wished specially to avoid Samaria. (iii) Still a third way was by Dor on the sea-coast, passing through Lydda, and thence over the mountains of Ephraim. Andrews, p. 64.

193 ‒ See _Class-Book of O. T. History_, p. 158.

194 ‒ Locusts were frequently used as an article of food (comp. Levit. xi. 21, 22), being sometimes ground and pounded and then mixed with flour and water and made into cakes, sometimes salted and then eaten, or prepared in many other ways. See Kitto’s _Bible Illustrations_, VII. 191, 2; Kirby and Spence’s _Entomology_; Thomson’s _Land and the Book_, pp. 419, 20.

195 ‒ Merivale’s _Romans under the Empire_, III. 401, smaller edition.

196 ‒ From Suetonius (_Aug._ Chap. XXVII.) we learn that Augustus three times held a census for Italy, A.U.C. 726, 746, and 767; and Strabo speaks of one in Gaul and another in Spain. Tacitus (_Ann._ I. 11) tells us that he had a little book written out in his own hand treating of the numbers of his soldiers, the taxes, imposts, &c., of his empire, which is also alluded to by Suetonius and Dion Cassius, and must have been based on surveys of all parts of the empire. It is also well established that he commenced, if he did not carry out, a complete geometrical survey of the empire (see Merivale’s _Romans_, III. 404). Though these facts do not absolutely _prove_ the holding of a general census, they go far to _confirm_ the Evangelist’s statement.

197 ‒ St Luke relates that _this taxing or enrolment took place as a first one, when Cyrenius was governor of Syria_ (Lk. ii. 1). But Josephus states that Cyrenius was sent as governor of Syria after the deposition of Archelaus and the annexation of Judæa as a Roman province to Syria, and that he then instituted a census. This could not be earlier than A.U.C. 758 or 760; but the Saviour was born before Herod’s death in A.U.C. 750. Various explanations have been offered of the Evangelist’s words: