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. Of the Stationary men, or Israelites of the Station.

AS there were four and twenty Courses of the Priests, and as many of the Porters and Singers, so also were there four and twenty Courses of Israelites for the station. This indeed, is a title that is a stranger to the Scripture, and not mentioned there, and yet the thing it self seemeth not to want its ground, nor the men themselves their warrant from thence.

There were two Maximes in reference to their Sacrifices, which were as premises, out of which was necessarily deduced the conclusion for Stationary men, and those were these. 1. A mans Sacrifice could not be offered up, unless he himself were present at it, and stand∣ing by it, and so is the undoubted Tenet in both Talmuds 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 a 1.1 A mans Sacrifice may not possibly be offered up, if he himself be not present at it. And hence it was that although Women were at all other times, for∣bidden coming into the Court of Israel, yet when any Woman had a Sacrifice to be offe∣red up for her, she had admission into the Court, and there was a kind of necessity that she should be there, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 b 1.2 A Woman might not be seen in the Court, but only at the time of her Offering: and then she might be, nay then she must be present there. And the reason of this was, because of that command, that whosoever had a burnt Sacrifice to offer up, c 1.3 he must bring it to the Sanctuary him∣self, and if Bullock or Lamb, he must put his hand upon the head of it, Levit. 1. 3. and 3. 2. 8.

2. There were some Sacrifices, that were the Sacrifices of all Israel, or of the whole Con∣gregation: and particularly 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 d 1.4 the continual daily Sacrifice was the Offering for all Israel: And accordingly the e 1.5 Lambs for the daily Sacrifice, and other Sacrifices which were offered up for the whole Congregation were provided, at the Publick Charge, out of the Temple Treasury.

Now it was impossible that all Israel should be present at the Sacrifices that were to be offered up for all Israel, and therefore it was needful that some representatives should be chosen, who in stead, and behalf of all the People, should be present at every Sacri∣fice that should be offered up for the whole Congregation: And because this attendance would be continual, in regard of the daily Sacrifice, which was a Sacrifice of this Nature, and so the Service would be very heavy for any one company of Men to attend continu∣ally; therefore they appointed four and twenty Courses of these Stationary men, as well as of the Priests and Levites, that their attendance in these vicissitudes might be the more easie and portable, even as the others were also divided into the like Courses for the same ease. The Jews hold that these stations were first ordained by the former Prophets. For the former Prophets appointed [saith f 1.6 Maymony] that they should choose out of Israel, men upright and religious, and that these should be as the Messengers of all Israel, to stand by the Sacrifices, and these are called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 The Men of the station, and they divided them in∣to four and twenty Courses, according to the number of the Courses of the Priests and Levites, and over every station there was one made Chief or President, and him they called, the Presi∣dent of the station.* 1.7

g 1.8 These men of the Station in every Course, did as the Priests and Levites did in their Courses, those that were in Jerusalem and near it, when their week came, went and attended upon their station: but those that were at distance and further off, gathered to∣gether into their several Synagogues, and there fasted and prayed, and read some part of the Law: because though at distance, yet would they joyn in service with, and for their brethren of their Course, who were now in their attendance at Jerusalem: They fasted on the second, third, fourth and fifth days of that week, and read over the story of the creation, in Gen. 1. & 2. in the six days, every day a portion of it. They would not fast on the first day of the week, because they would not slip out of the joy and delight of a Sabbath into a Fast, and they would not fast on the last day of the week, because they would not preface the joy and delight of the Sabbath, with a Fast neither. But the four days between, they spent in that solemn duty, for the prosperity of their brethren that were at Jerusalem, and of the work that they were about.

The Stationary men that were at Jerusalem, were to attend constantly upon the Temple Service, whilst it was in hand, except at some particular times, when they had a dispensa∣tion, of which anon: and their attendance referred especially to two ends:

First, They stood to be a representative Congregation, in behalf of all the people, at the offering up of the daily sacrifice, which was the sacrifice of all the people; and at the use and administration of the publick Ordinances and Service. The Jews were so precise and punctual about this point, of having a competent congregation present, when the publick Ordinances were administred; h 1.9 that in their Synagogues they would not have publick Prayers, nor reading of the Law, unless ten men were there; much more was there a fitting Congregation of the people required to be at the Temple-service, which concerned all the people, to be administred unto, besides the Priests which were to ad∣minister: There was sacrificing there, twice a day, and reading of the Law at the least twice, and Prayers four times, and it had becomed and behoved [if it had been possible] all the people to have been there present and attending; which because it could not possi∣bly be done, that all the people should be constant there, they ordained and provided these Courses of Stationary men, to be as the Deputies of all the people, and a repre∣sentative Congregation in their behalf. It had been a visible contempt of those ordi∣nances, to have had them administred daily, and none of the people to have been atten∣ding on them: and it would have been a hazard, that in time they would have been neg∣lected by the people, if they had been only left to their own liberty, to come, or not to come to them, as they saw good; therefore to prevent this visible contempt that might have accrewed, and to provide that there might be always a Congregation of the people, these stationary Courses were ordained, that if devotion brought no other of the people to the service, yet these their representatives might be sure to be attending 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 And this their standing there, at prayers, supplications and oraisons, and at the reading of the Law, was called the station.

A second imployment that they, or at least, some of them had, was to take care [as representatives of the people] that those of the people that had been under any un∣cleanness, and being now cleansed were come to have their atonement made, might be dispatched, and the business done for which they came. And so it is intimated by the treaty Tamid, when it relateth i 1.10 that upon the ringing of the Migrephah, [of which hereafter] by those that went into the holy place to offer incense, the head or chief man of the station, brought such persons up into the gate of Nicanor, to have their atonement made.

There have been some who have conceived that these Stationary men, as representatives of the whole Congregation, were to lay their hands upon the head of the daily sacrifice, which was an offering for all the people; I did once go along also with this opinion, but now I find the Jews on the contrary, asserting k 1.11 That there was no laying on of hands upon the sacrifices of the whole Congregation, but only in two cases. The one was upon the scape∣goat, and the other was upon the bullock that was offered for the whole Congregation, when it sinned of ignorance, and the thing was hid from the eyes of the Assembly: And that it was a Tradition delivered even by Moses himself: that for the whole Congregation, hands were laid but upon these two sacrifices. And accordingly there were divers sacrifice times, when the Stationary men were excused from attendance; though the sacrifice were a sacrifice for the whole Congregation; l 1.12 As they never made a station at the morning sacrifice all the eight days of the feast of Dedication, nor at the evening sacrifice on those days, when there was an additional sacrifice, added to the dayly.

These Stationary men in the week of their attendance, might neither be trimmed by the Barber, nor might they wash their cloaths in all that time: And the reason of this was, because they were to do these things before they entred their attendance, and to come neat to it, and not to have these things to do, when they were entred.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Vid. Talm. utrumque in Taanith. per. 4. Maym. in Kele Mikd. per. 6.
• b 1.2

  Tosaph. in Erach. per. 2.
• c 1.3

  Ab. Ezr. in Lev. 1.
• d 1.4

  Tal. Ieru. in Pesachin. per. 3.
• e 1.5

  Shek. per. 4.
• f 1.6

  Maym. ubi sup.
• * 1.7

  〈…〉〈…〉
• g 1.8

  Taan. per. 4. Maym. ubi sup.
• h 1.9

  Megillah? per. 4. Maym. in Tephillah. per. 11.
• i 1.10

  Tam. per. 5.
• k 1.11

  Maym. in Corban. per. 3.
• l 1.12

  Id. ib. Tal. in Taan. per. 4.