The works of the Reverend and learned John Lightfoot D. D., late Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge such as were, and such as never before were printed : in two volumes : with the authors life and large and useful tables to each volume : also three maps : one of the temple drawn by the author himself, the others of Jervsalem and the Holy Land drawn according to the author's chorography, with a description collected out of his writings.

SECT. III. Penalties inflicted upon unclean persons found in the Temple. Whipping and the Rebels beating.

IT was not a small awe, that this might work in the hearts of the people, towards their restraining from going into the Sanctuary in their uncleanness, to have this im∣pressed and inculcated upon them [as it was continually,] that such a venture did hazard them both body and soul, and brought them ipso facto into Gods dreadful displea∣sure, and into undoubted danger of accrewing judgment.

But did they let the offender thus alone, that had offended, as if he was fallen under the guilt of death, by the Hand of Heaven, or under the guilt of cutting off, that they had no more to do with him, but leave him to the justice of God, and to judgment, when it should fall upon him? Many a wretch would make sleight of this matter, and because sentence upon his evil work was not executed speedily, his heart would be fully set in him to do so again, as Eccles. 8. 11. Therefore they let not the Delinquent so escape, but as he had fallen under the wrath of God, so they also brought him under a penalty by the hand of man. And this penalty was twofold, either 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 or 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 whip∣ping by the appointment of the Judges, or mawling and beating by the people.

1. There was the penalty of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 whipping or scourging, upon the censure of the Judges, according to the Law, Deut. 25. 2. Where he was to receive forty stripes: but their Tradition brought it to forty save one, 2 Cor. 11. 24. And the reason of this was, because they would make a hedge to the Law, and whereas that commands that they should not give to a Delinquent that was whipt, above forty stripes, lest their brother should seem vile unto them, they abated one of forty to make sure to keep within compass: The measure and manner of their whipping is largely described in the Treatise Maccoth, thus in their own words a 1.1 How many stripes do they give him? [saith the Mishueh there.] Why, forty lacking one: As it is said by a certain number, forty stripes; that is a number near to forty: Rabbi Judah saith, he is beaten with full forty; and where hath he the odd one above thirty nine? Between his shoulders: They allot him not stripes, but so as they might be triplica∣ted: They allot him to receive forty, he hath had some of them, and they say he is not able to bear forty, then he is quit: they allot him to receive eighteen, and as he is in whipping they say he is able to bear forty, yet he is quit. How do they whip him? His hands are tied to two pillars or posts, and the Officer of the Court lays hold of his garments, and rip or rent, it is no matter; he pulls them down till he have bared his breast. Now there was a stone lay be∣hind him, upon which the Officer of the Court stood, with a whip of whit-leather in his hand, platted four plats, and two lashes hanging by it; the handle was a hand bredth long, and the whip a hand bredth broad, and the end of it raught to his belly: A third part of his stripes he gave him before [on his belly,] two parts behind: And he beats him not standing nor s••••ting, but bowed down, as it is said, The Judge shall cause him to lie down, and he strikes him with one hand with all his might▪ And in the mean while, one standing by, reads or says these por∣tions of Scripture: But if thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this Law, &c. Then the Lord will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, &c. Deut. 28. 58, 59. And therefore ye shall keep the words of this Covenant, &c. And he concludes with, But he being full of compassion forgives iniquity, and destroyeth not, Psal. 78. 28.

This was the manner of their scourging; a very sharp penalty, thirteen lashes with a three-lash whip, which by that triplication, arose to forty save one, or if the number were allotted less, yet it was as many stripes as they conceived the party could bear.

2. There was the penalty of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 The Rebels beating, the beating or the maw∣ling by the people; which was a terrible rugged beating by all the people, without any sentence of the Judges passed upon him at all, and without any measure: As in divers cases, if a man were deprehended faulty in such or such an offence, the people made no more ado, but fell upon him pell mell, with fists, staves or stones, and mawled him unmea∣surably, and very often to death: Rabbi Nathan describes it thus, b 1.2 The beating accor∣ding to the Law is, of those that transgress against negative precepts, and it is by measure, and for admonition, and with a three corded whip: But he that transgresseth against affirmative speeches, they beat him till his life depart, and not with a threefold whip. And likewise, whosoever transgresseth against the words of the wise men, they beat him without number and measure, and they call it 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, The Rebels beating, because he hath rebelled against the words of the

Law, and against the words of the Scribes. The reason of this beating, c 1.3 [saith another Jew] is because he transgressed against a prohibition of theirs, in a thing which hath its foundation in the Law, and he is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 A Son of Rebellion: The frequent taking up of stones by the People to have stoned our Saviour, and that incursion upon him, Mat. 26. 67. and upon Stephen, Act. 7. 57, 58. for blasphemy as they would have it, and upon Paul, Act. 21. 31. for defiling the Temple, as they supposed, were of this nature.

Thus he that committed a transgression for which he became liable either to Death by the hand of Heaven, or to Cutting off, he did not escape barely with that liableness, but either he was to be whipt, or thus mawled, or in some cases was to suffer death by the sentence of the Judges: d 1.4 Every negative precept [saith Maymony.] upon which they be∣come liable to death by the hand of Heaven, they are beaten for it: Much more where there is a liableness to cutting off, which is the greater guilt. And the same Author e 1.5 reck∣ons eighteen offences, that fell under liableness to death by the Hand of Heaven, and for which the Offenders were whipt: and twenty one that fell under liableness to cutting off, and for which the Offenders were also whipt, and were not put to death by the Judges.

Amongst those transgressions that deserved these penalties; going into the Sanctuary in uncleanness; fell under as many of them as any one offence whatsoever: It were too tedious to insist upon all particulars, let us take up these few, and guess and conjecture of the rest by them: A Priest or any other that went into the Court being unclean, fell under the guilt of being cut off, and if they served there in their uncleanness, the Priest at the Al∣tar, and any other person in laying on of his hands on the sacrifice, or waving any part of it, they then became liable to death by the hand of Heaven. And such a Priest being de∣prehended thus faulty, f 1.6 they never brought him before the Sanhedrin; g 1.7 but the young men of the Priests thrust him out of the Court, and dasht out his brains with the billets: And the like they did by the other persons; A Leper that entred into the Mountain of the House was beaten with eighty stripes: He that was defiled by the dead, or unclean for a day, if he went into the Court of the Women, he was to be beaten with the Re∣bels beating: And so was he that came in, having eaten or drunk any unclean thing, or after a seven days uncleanness would go into the Court of Israel before his atonement was made. And he that brought in a Vessel, or came in any Clothes which one that was de∣filed by the dead had toucht, was to be whipt. And not to multiply particulars, who∣soever came within the holy Ground, being unclean, and knowing of it, and yet would come in, he incurred the guilt of cutting off ipso facto; and if he were discovered, and the matter proved by witness, he was sure either to be whipt, or else to be mawled with the Rebels beating, the former always most terrible, the latter deadly very oft. It is indeed a common saying among the Talmudick Writers; that for such or such offences, though a man be not whipt, yet is he beaten with the Rebels beating, as if the latter were the gent∣ler castigation; they do not mean, that the Rebels beating was the less penalty, but they intend this, that though there be no express in the Law, that appoints his whipping, yet the decrees of the Wise-men which he hath broken, appoint him to be beaten: h 1.8 Who∣soever had incurred the guilt of being Cut off, after he is whipt is acquitted from that guilt: as it is said, Lest thy brother be vile in thine eyes: Behold after he is whipt he is thy brother again: But the beating with the Rebels stripes, very ordinarily cost the life.

This then was the sure guard of the Temple, that kept it from defilement and polluti∣on: the dreadful penalties that were sure to light upon those that were discovered to be unclean, and to know so much, and yet to have dared to enter there: Nay, he that knew not of his uncleanness, if he came in there, was not so entirely excused by this his igno∣rance, but that whensoever he came to know in what case he was, he was bound to bring an Offering for this his sin, and so was he to do in the other cases [whose witting and wilful committing them, deserved cutting off] if he did any of them unwillingly and not knowing: Did he eat fat or blood, and not know what he eat, or come into the Sanctu∣ary in uncleanness, and not know that he was unclean, or commit any of the other trans∣gressions mentioned, and not know that he transgressed, there was an Offering appoint∣ed to atone for him, which he was to bring as soon as he came to know that he had misdone: but he that knowingly and wilfully would run into those faults, there was no Sacrifice to atone for him, but he fell under the indignation of God, and liableness to divine ven∣geance, and humane penalty, and expectation when it would seize upon him: And to this the Apostle writing to the Hebrews who were very well acquainted with these things, seem∣eth to allude in those words, Heb. 10. 11. If we sin wilfully after we have received the know∣ledge of the truth, there is no more sacrifice for sin, but a certain fearful looking for of judge∣ment and fiery indignation, &c. Heb. 10. 26, 27.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Maccoth. per. 3.
• b 1.2

  Aruch in 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
• c 1.3

  Gloss. in Maym. in Sob∣bath. per. 1.
• d 1.4

  Maym. in Blath. Mikdash. per. 4.
• e 1.5

  Id. in San. per 19.
• f 1.6

  Id in Bi∣ath. Mikd. ubi supr.
• g 1.7

  Talm. in Schedr. per. 9.
• h 1.8

  Talm. in Maccoth. per. 3.