Sanhedrin, he not resisting its erection again, when he had now taken away the Men of his displeasure.
Hillel was President, and sat so forty years, and died [by the Jews computation ap∣plied to the Christian account] much about this twelfth year of Christ. For they say that he lived an hundred and twenty years, the last forty of which he spent in the Presidency of the Sanhedrin, entring upon that dignity an hundred years before the destruction of the City.
Menahem was at first Vicepresident with him, but upon his going away to Herods ser∣vice, Shammai came in his room: and now two as eminent and learned men sat in those two Chairs, as ever had done since the first birth of traditions. Hillel himself was so de∣serving a man, that whereas in the vacancy of the Presidentship, by the death of Shemaiah and Abtalion, R. Judah and R. Jeshua the Sons of Betirah might have taken the Chairs, they preferred Hillel as the worthier person, Talm. Jerus. in Pessachin. fol. 33. col. 1. He bred many eminent Scholars, to the number of fourscore, the most renowned of which by name were, Jonathan ben Uzziel the Chaldee Paraphrast, and Rabban Jocanan ben Zaccai: both probably alive at this year of Christ, and a good while after. The latter was undoubt∣edly so, for he lived to see the destruction of the City and Temple, and sat President in the Sanhedrin at Jabneh afterwards. And till that time also lived the Sons of Betirah men∣tioned before.
Shammai was little inferior to Hillel in learning or in breeding learned men: and their equal learning and Schools bred differences between them in point of learning, and determination about some things in their traditions. The two Masters controver∣ting about a few Articles, but their Scholars about very many, and their differences very high.
This contention of the Scholars grew so very high even in the Masters time, that it is recorded that the Scholars of Shammai affronted and bandied against Hillel himself, in the Temple Court. Jerus. in Jom. Tobh. fol. 61. col. 3. And the quarrelings of these Schools were so bitter, that as the same Talmud relateth, it came to effusion of blood and mur∣dering one another, Shabb. fol. 3. col. 3. These are some of the Traditions that were made or setled in the Chamber of Hananiah the Son of Ezekia, the Son of Garon. The persons were numbred, and the Scholars of Shammai were more than the Scholars of Hillel. That day was a grievous day to Israel, as was the day of the making of the Golden Calf. The Scholars of Shammai stood below and slew the Scholars of Hillel. Nor did these animosities cease, but they were ever crossing and jarring, till at the last the Schools of Hillel carried it, by the determination of a Divine Voice from Heaven, as was pretended [for to such fictions they were glad to betake themselves.]
Till the Divine Voice [Bath Kol] came forth, it was lawful for any one to practise accor∣ding to the weighty or light things of the School of Shammai, or according to the weighty or light things of the School of Hillel. There came forth a Divine Voice at Jabneh, and said, The words of the one and of the other are the words of the Living God, but the certain determination of the thing is according to the School of Hillel. And whosoever transgresseth against the words of the School of Hillel, deserveth death. Ibid. in Beracoth fol. 3. col. 2.
At these times then that we are upon, their School-Learning was come to the very height, Hillel and Shammai having promoted it to a pitch incomparably transcendent above what it had been before; and accordingly now began the Titles of Rabban and Rabbi; Rabban Simeon the Son of Hillel being the first President of the Sanhedrin that bare a Title, for till these times their great and Learned Men had been called only by their bare proper names. So that now in a double seasonableness doth Christ the Divine Wisdom of God appear and set in among them, at twelve years old beginning, and all the time of his Ministry after, going on to shew them their wisdom folly, and his own Word and Doctrine the Divine Oracles of Wisdom. In a double seasonableness I say, when their Learning was now come to the height, and when their Traditions had to the utmost made the Word of God of no effect.
This twelfth year of Christ was the last year of the Reign of Archelaus the Son of He∣rod, of whom is mention, Matth. 2. 22. He is accused to Augustus for Male-administra∣tion, and thereupon banished by him to Vienna, as was mentioned before. And Coponius comes Governour of Judoea in his stead.
[CHRIST. XIII] AUGUSTUS Caesar dieth this fourteenth year of Christ, on the nine∣teenth [CHRIST. XIV] day of August: duobus Sextis, Pompeio & Apuleio. Coss. Suet. in Au∣gusto cap. 10. He was 75 years, 10 months and 26 days old, having been Monarch since his victory at Actium 44 years, wanting 13 days. Dion. Cass. lib. 56. TIBERIUS Cae∣sar reigneth in his stead.