CHAP. XI.Of the Sadduces.

[110]Beza in majoribus suis annotationibus. Marc. 7. 3.

[111]Drusius præterit. Mat. 15. in addend. & Buxtorf. synag. Judaic. c. 6. p. 93. ex Talmud.

We may observe three sorts of washing of hands in use among theJews. 1.Pharisaicalandsuperstitious, this was reproved. 2.Ordinary, for outwarddecency; this was allowed. The third, in token ofinnocency; this was commanded by theEldersof the neighbour-Cities, in case of murder,Deut. 21. 6.It was practised byPilate,Matth. 37. 24.and alluded unto byDavid, I willwash my hands in innocency, so will I compass thine altar,Psal. 26. 6.

2.When they came from the Market they washt,Mar. 7. 4.The reason thereof was, because they there having to do with divers sorts of people, unaware; they might be polluted. The word used by SaintMark, is, βαπτίσωνται,they baptized themselves: implying thewashing of their whole body. And it seemeth that thosePhariseeswho were more zealous than others, did thuswashthemselves alwayes before dinner. ThePhariseemarvelled thatChristhad not first washed himself before dinner,Luke 11. 38.Unto this kind of superstition St.Peteris thought to have inclined, when he said,Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands,and my head,John 13. 9.Thus finding his modesty disliked, when he refused to have his feet wash’d by hisLordandMaster; now he leapeth into the other extream, as if he had said, Notmy feet only, but my whole body. Hence proceeded that Sect of theHemerobaptistæ, i.e.Daily baptists, so called[112]because they didevery day thus wash themselves.

[112]Epith. l. 2. Tom. 1. c. 17.

3.They wash’d their cups, and pots, and brazen vessels, and tables,Mark 7. 4.

4.They held it unlawful to eat with sinners,Mat. 9. 11.yea, they judged it a kind of pollution to be touched by them,Luke 7. 39.If this man were aProphet, he would surely have known who, and what manner of woman this is which toucheth him, for she is a sinner. Of such a people theProphetspeaketh: They said, stand a part, come not near to me, or (as the words may be rendred)[113]Touch me not, for I am holier than thou,Esay. 65. 5.The like practice was in use among theSamaritanes,[114]who if they met any stranger, they cryed out, μὴ πρόσψαυσον,Ne attingas,Touch not.

[113]‎‏אל תגע בי‏‎ Ne attingas me.

[114]Scalig. de emend. temp. lib. 7. Idem refert Epiphan. lib. 1. Tom. 1. cap. 13.

5.They fasted twice in the week,Luke 18. 12.Namely,[115]MundaysandThursdays. BecauseMoses(as they say)[116]went up into the MountSinaion aThursday, and came down on aMunday.

[115]Theophylact. in Luke 18. 12. It. Epiph. hær. 16.

[116]Drusius in Luc. 18. 13.

6.They made broad their Phylacteries, and inlarged the borders of their garments,Matth. 23. 5.Here three things are worthy our consideration. First, What thesePhylacterieswere. Secondly, What was written in them. Thirdly, Whence they were so called.Epiphanus[117]interpreteth thesePhylacteriesto be πλατέα σήματα πορφύρας,purple studs, or flourishes, woven in their garments: as ifEpiphaniushad conceived thePhariseesgarment to be like that which theRoman Senatorswere wont to wear, termed, by reason of thosebroad-studsandworkswoven in it,Laticlavium: but seeing that thesePhylacterieswere additaments and ornaments, whereof there were[118]two sorts, the one tied to theirFore-heads, the other to theirLeft-hands; hence it followeth, that by thesePhylacteriescould not be meant whole garments, or any embosments, or flourishings woven in the cloth. Generally they are thought to be schedules or scroles of parchments, whereof, as I noted, there were two sorts;Phylacteries for the Fore-head, orFrontlets, reaching from one Ear to the other, and tied behind with a thong; andPhylacteries for the hand, fastned upon the Left-arm above the Elbow on the inside, that it might be near the heart. Both these sorts were worn, not by thePhariseesonly,[119]but by theSadducesalso, but with this difference; ThePharisees, haply for greater ostentation, wore theirHand-Phylacteries above their Elbows: theSadduces on the palms of their Hands.[120]Nay, all theJewswore them, ourSaviour Christnot excepted. The command was general,Exod. 13. 9.It shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes. So that it is not the wearing of them which ourSaviourcondemned, but the making of them broad, whereby they would appear more holy than others.

[117]Epiph. lib. 1. Tom. 1. cap. 15.

[118]Moses Kot. præcept. affirm. 22.

[119]Maimon. in Tephillim. c. 4. sect. 3.

[120]Scal. Trihæres. p. 258.

In these Parchments they wrote[121]only theDecalogue, or Ten Commandments, in the opinion ofChrysostomeandHierome: but generally, and upon better grounds, it is thought they wrote these four sections of the Law.

[121]Chrysost. & Hieronym. in Mat. 23.

1. The first began, Sanctifie unto me all the firstborn,&c.Exod. 13. 2.to the end of the 10.verse.2. The second began, And it shall be when theLord shall bring thee,&c.Exod. 13. 11.to the end of the 16.verse.3. The third began, Hear O Israel,Deut. 6. 4.and continued to the end of the ninthverse.4. The fourth began, And it shall come to pass; if you shall hearken diligently, &c.Deut. 11. 13.to the end of the one and twentiethverse.

1. The first began, Sanctifie unto me all the firstborn,&c.Exod. 13. 2.to the end of the 10.verse.

2. The second began, And it shall be when theLord shall bring thee,&c.Exod. 13. 11.to the end of the 16.verse.

3. The third began, Hear O Israel,Deut. 6. 4.and continued to the end of the ninthverse.

4. The fourth began, And it shall come to pass; if you shall hearken diligently, &c.Deut. 11. 13.to the end of the one and twentiethverse.

These four Sections written in scrols of Parchment, and folded up, they fastned to theirfore-headsand theirleft-arms: those that were for thefore-head, they wrote in four distinct pieces of parchment[122]especially, and if they wrote it in one piece; the length of every Section ended in one column, and they did put them into one skin, in which there was the proportion of four houses or receptacles, and not into four skins: every receptacle was distinct by it self; and those that were for the hand, were written in one piece of Parchment principally, the four Sections in four columns; but if they wrote them in four pieces, it was at length, and they put them in a skin that had but one receptacle.[123]In time of persecution when they could not openly wear thesePhylacteries, then did they tye about their hands a red thread, to put them in mind of the blood of the Covenant of the Law.

[122]Moses Kotsen. fol. 104. col. 3.

[123]Munster. de præcept. affirm.

Touching the nameMosescalleth them ‎‏טוטפות‏‎Totaphot, which word hath almost as manyEtymologies, as Interpreters; the most probable in my opinion, is, that they should be so calledper Antiphrasin, from ‎‏טטף‏‎Incedere,to goormove, because they wereimmoveable: Hence theSeptuaginttranslate them, ἀσάλευταImmoveable ornaments. The Rabbins call themTephillim,Prayer ornaments:[124]others call themPittacia, &Pittaciola, from πιττάκιον, which signifieth a piece orparcel of Cloth. In the Gospel they are called φυλακτήρια,Phylacteries, from φυλάττω, toconserveorkeep. First, because by the use of them, theLawwaskeptandpreservedin memory. Secondly, because thePhariseessuperstitiously conceited, that by them, as by Amulets, Spells, and Charms, hanged about their necks themselves might bepreserved from dangers. The word φυλακτήριον signifieth a Spell; andHierometestifieth, that thePhariseeshad a such a conceit of these ornaments: In which place he compareth thePhariseeswith certain superstitious women of his time, who carried up and down, upon the like ground,pervula evangelia, & crucis ligna, short sentences out of the Gospel, and the reliques of the Cross. The same superstition hath prevailed with many of latter times, who for the same purpose hang the beginning of[125]SaintJohn’sGospelabout their necks. And in the year of ourLord692. certain Sorcerers were condemned for the like kind ofMagick, by the name of[126]φυλακτήριοι, that is,Phylacterians.

[124]Hieronym. in Mat. 23.

[125]Scalig. Tribær. cap. 70.

[126]Concil. quini Sexti, Canon 61.

Thus much of theirPhylacteries: In the same verse is reproved theinlarging of their borders.[127]That which we read borders in theGospel, is called,Num. 15. 38.‎‏ציצות‏‎Tsitsith,Fringes: and ‎‏גדילים‏‎Gedelim,Deut. 22. 10.which word we likewise translate in that place,Fringes. They were in the fore-quoted places commanded, and ourSaviour Christhimself did wear them,Luk. 8. 44.The latter Hebrew word signifieth alarge Fringe, which agravateth the superstition of thePharisees, in making their Fringeslarger, when the Law had allowed themlarge. This literal exposition I take to be most agreeable with theText, though toinlargeinGreekandLatine[128]sometimes,signifieth toboast, vaunt, or brag of a thing; and in this sense it may very well fit aPharisee. The reason of this command was, to put them in mind of the Commandments,Numb. 15.And for the furtherance of this duty,[129]they used sharp thorns in in their Fringes, that by the often pricking of the Thorn, whether they walked or sate still, they might be the more mindful of the Commandments.

[127]Vide D. Kimchi. Radic.

[128]Τὸ μεγαλύνεσθαι, apud Euripidem in Bacchis, valet, Magnifice jactare, Efferre. Magnificare apud Varronem & Plinium eadem significatione usurpatur, Theodor. Beza in Mat. 23.

[129]Hieron. in Mat. 23.

There were[130]seven sorts ofPharises. 1.Pharisæus Sichemita.He turnedPhariseefor gain, as theSichemitessuffered themselves to be circumcised.

[130]Talmud. tract. Suta. cap. 3.

2.Pharisæus truncatus, so called, as if he had no feet, because he would scarce lift them from the ground when he walked, to cause the greater opinion of his meditation.

3.Pharisæus inpingens.He would shut his eyes when he walked abroad, to avoid the sight of Women, in so much that he often dash’d his head against the walls, that the blood gush’d out.

4.Pharisæus, Quid debeo facere, & faciam illud.He was wont to say,What ought I to do? and I will do it.Of this sort seemeth the man in theGospelto have been, who came untoChrist, saying,Good Master, what shall I do? &c.and at last replyed,All these I have done from my youth upward,Luke 18.

5.Pharisæus mortarius; so called because he wore a hat in manner of a deepMortar, such as they use to bray spice in, in so much that he could not look upward, nor of either side; onely downward on the ground, and forward or forthright.

6.Pharisæus ex amore; Such a one as obeyed the Law for the Love of Vertue.

7.Pharisæus ex timore; Such a one obeyed the Law for fear of punishment. He that conformed for fearhad respect chiefly to thenegative Commandements; but he that conformed for love, especially respected theAffirmative.

To omit otherEtymologiesof the name, there are two onely which have shew of probability. Some[131]derive it fromSedec,Justitia; as if they had beenJustitiaries, such as would justifie themselves beforeGodsTribunal. There are[132]that derive it, and that upon more warrantable grounds, fromSadoc, the first Author of the heresie; so that theSadduceswere so called fromSadoc, as theArriansfromArrius, thePelagiansfromPelagius, theDonatistsfromDonatus, &c.

[131]Epiphan. l. 1. cap. 14.

[132]ἀπὸ αἱρεσιάρχου Σαδὼκ ὀνομάζεται. Theophylact.

ThisSadoclived underAntigonus Sochæus, who succeededSimeontheJust. He wasAntigonushis scholar, and by him brought up in the Doctrine of thePharisees, but afterwards fell from him, and broacht the heresie of theSadduces; which heresie, because it had much affinity with that which the HeretiqueDositheustaught, hence are theSadducessaid to[133]be a branch or skirt of theDositheans, though in truthDositheuslived not till[134]afterChrist; and although these two heresies did agree in many things; yet in a main point they differed.[135]Dositheusbelieved the Resurrection, theSadducesdenyed it; and by consequence theDositheansbelieved all other points necessarily flowing from this.

[133]Epiph. hæres. 14. It. Tertul. de præscript. c. 5.

[134]Origen. contra Celsum. l. 2.

[135]Epiph. hæres. 13.

The occasion of this heresie was this.[136]WhenAntigonustaught, that we must not serve God as servants serve their Masters, for hope of reward, his scholarsSadocandBaithusunderstood him, as if he had utterly denied all future rewards or recompence attending a godly life, and thence framed their heresie, denying theresurrection, the world to come, Angels, Spirits, &c.

[136]Aboth. cap. 1.

TheirDogmata,Canons, orConstitutions, were, 1.They rejected[137]the Prophets, & all other Scripture save only the five books of Moses.Therefore ourSaviourwhen he would confute their errour, concerning the resurrection of the dead, he proves it not out of theProphets, but out ofExod. 3. 6.I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,Mat. 22. 32.

[137]Joseph. Antiq. lib. 13. c. 18.

2.They rejected[138]all traditions.Whence, As they were called ‎‏מינין‏‎Minæi, i.Heretiques, in respect of the general opposition between them andPharisees. First, because thePhariseeswere in repute the onlyCatholicks. Secondly, because in their Doctrine, thePhariseeswere much nearer the truth than theSadduces: so in this respect of this particular opposition, in the ones rejecting, the others urging of traditions, theSadduceswere termed[139]‎‏קראים‏‎Karaim,Biblers, orScripturists.

[138]Elias de ‎‏שרק‏‎.

[139]Drusius de trib. sect. c. 8. l. 3 p. 130.

3.They said there was no reward for good works, nor punishment for ill, in the world to come.Hence SaintPaulperceiving that in theCouncelthe one part wereSadduces, the otherPharisees, he cried out,Of the hope of the reward expected, and of the resurrection of the dead, I am called in question, Act. 23. 6.

4.They denied the resurrection of the body, Act. 22. 8. Matth. 22. 23. Luke 20. 27.

5.They said the souls of men are annihilated[140]at their death.

[140]Joseph. de bello Judaic. lib. 2. c. 12.

6.They denied Angels and spirits, Act. 23. 8.

7.They wholly denied[141]Fate or Destiny, and ascribed all to mans Free-will.

[141]Joseph. l. 13. c. 9.

TheSamaritanesand theSadducesare of near affinity: but yet they differ. First[142]TheSamaritanes sacrificedat the Temple built upon MountGerizim, but theSadducessacrificed atJerusalem. Secondly, TheSamaritanesallowed no commerce with theJews,John 4. 9.yea, the mutual hatred between theSamaritansand theJewswas so great, that it was not lawful for theJewsto eat or drink with theSamaritans. How is it that thou being aJew, askest drink of me which am a woman ofSamaria,Joh. 4. 9.Nay, whereas liberty was granted unto all Nations of the earth to becomeProselitesto theJewes, so did theJewshate theSamaritanes, that they would not suffer aSamaritanto be aProsylite. This appeareth by that solemnExcommunication,[143]termedExcommunicatio in secreto nominis tetragrammati: the form thereof: as it was applyed (say they) byEzraandNehemiahunto theSamaritanes, was thus,They assembled the whole Congregation into the Temple of the Lord, and they brought 300 Priests,and300 Trumpets,and300 books of the Law, and as many boys, and they sounded their Trumpets and the Levites singing cursed the Samaritanes by all the sorts of Excommunication, in the mystery of the nameJehovah, and in the Decalogue, & with the curse of the superiour house of judgement, and likewise with the curse of the inferiour house of judgement, that no Israelite should eat the bread of a Samaritane, (whence they say, he which eateth of a Samaritans bread is as he who eateth swines flesh) and let no Samaritane be a Prosylite in Israel, and that they should have no part in the resurrection of the dead.R. Gersom[144]forbade the breaking open of the Letters, under the penalty ofthisExcommunication. This proveth what formerly was said; namely, that between theJewsand theSamaritanesthere was no commerce; but theSadducesfamiliarly conversed with the otherJews, even with thePhariseesthemselves; yea, both sat together in the sameCouncil,Acts 23. 6.Now theSamaritanesandSadducesagree. 1.In the rejection of all the others traditions.2.In the rejection of all other Scriptures, save only the five Books ofMoses.3.In the denial of the Resurrection, and the consequences, as future punishments, and rewards according to mens works.But theSamaritanesheld that there wereAngels, which theSadducesdenied. For the proof of these agreements and disagreements between them, readEpiphanius, hæres. 9. & 14.

[142]Epiphan. Tom. 1. l. 1. hæres. 14.

[143]Drusius de trib. sect. l. 2. cap 11. ex Ilmedenu.

[144]Buxtorf. Epist. Heb. p. 59.

Touching theSamaritanes, there are three degrees of alteration in their Religion observable. First, the strange Nations, transplanted bySalmanesarintoSamaria, whenIsraelwas carried away captive intoAssyria, worshipped every one theGod of their own Countries,2 King. 17.Secondly, when they saw they were devoured by Lyons, because they feared not the Lord, theKingofAssyriasent one of thePriestswhich was taken captive, to instruct them in the true worship ofGod: which manner of worship though they received, yet they would not lay aside their former Idolatry, but made a mixture of Religions, worshipping the livingGod, and their own dumbIdols. Thirdly,Manasses, brother toJaddustheHigh priest, inJerusalem, being married toSanballat, theHoronite’s Daughter, by reason ofNehemiah’s charge of putting away their strange Wives, being driven to that exigent, that he must either put away his Wife, or forgo the hope of thePriest-hood; bySanballat’s means he obtained leave fromAlexanderthe Great, to build aTemple[145]upon MountGariazim, one of the highest Mountains inSamaria, whither many other ApostatedJewsfled, together withManassesbeing made theirHigh-Priest; and now the Sect of theSamaritanes(between whom and theJewsthere was such hatred) began, now all those fore-mentioned errors were maintained: And of this Hill it is, that the woman ofSamariaspeakethJohn 4. 20.Our Fathers worshipped in thisMountain,&c.

[145]Joseph. Antiq. lib. 11. cap 8.

By comparing theDogmataof thePharisees, with these of theSadduces, we may perceive a manifest opposition between them; yet both these joyned againstChrist,Mark 12.

This heresie, though it were the greatest amongst theJews, yet was it imbraced and maintained by some of theHigh Prieststhemselves:[146]Joannes Hyrcanuswas aSadducee, so were his sons,AristobulusandAlexander,[147]and likewiseAnanusthe younger; so thatMosesChair was not amongst them exempted from error; no nor heresie.

[146]Gorionides, cap. 29.

[147]Euseb. hist. l. 2. c. 23. Ex Joseph. Antiq. lib. 20. cap. 8.

TheEtymologiesof the namesEssæi, orEsseni, i.e.Essenes, are divers, that which I prefer is from theSyriake‎‏אסא‏‎Asa, signifying θεραπεύειν to heal, or cure Diseases. Hence[148]are the men so often termed, θεραπευταὶ and the women amongst them, θεραπευτρίδες, that is,Physicians. Forthough they gave themselves chiefly to the study of theBibleyet withal they studiedPhysick.

[148]Joseph. de bello Judaic. lib. 2. c. 12. p. 786.

Of theseEssenesthere were two sorts, someTheoricks, giving themselves wholly tospeculation; othersPracticks, laborious and painful in the daily exercise of thosehandy-crafts, in which they were most skilful. Of the latter,Philotreateth in his book entituled,Quod omnis vir probus: Of the former, in the book following, entituled,De vita contemplativa.

TheirDogmata, theirOrdinance, orConstitutions, did symbolize in many things withPythagorashis, where they do agree. Therefore my purpose is, first to namePythagorashis; and then to proceed on with theEssenes. They follow thus.

The[149]Pythagoreans professed a communion of goods:So the Essenes.[150]they had one common purse or stock, none richer, none poorer than other; out of this common treasury, every one supplyed his own wants without leave, and administred to the necessities of others: only they might not relieve any of their kindred without leave from their Overseers. They did not buy or sell among themselves, but each supplyed the others want, by a kind of commutative bartring: yea, liberty was granted to take one from another what they wanted, without exchange. They performed Offices of service mutually one to another; for mastership and service cannot stand with communion of goods: and servants are commonly injurious to the state of their Masters, according to that saying ofR. Gamaliel,[151]He that multiplyeth servants, multiplieth thieves. When they travelled, besides weapons for defence, they took nothing with them, for in whatsoever City or Village theycame, they repaired to the Fraternity of theEssenes, and were there entertained as members of the same. And if we do attentively readJosephus, we may observe that theEssenesof every City joyned themselves into onecommon FraternityorColledge. Every Colledge had two sorts of Officers:First,Treasurers, who looked to the common stock, provided their diet, appointed each his task, and other publick necessaries. Secondly,Others, who entertained their strangers.

[149]Aul. Gell. l. 1. c. 10. It. Laer. in Pythag. Κοινὰ τὰ φίλων εἶναι.

[150]Joseph. lib. 18. cap. 2.

[151]‎‏מרבה עבדים מרבה גזל‏‎ Marbe gnabadim. Marbe gezel, Pirke Aboth. cap. 1.

2.The Pythagoreans shunned pleasures.[152]So did the Essenes:[153]to this belongeth their avoiding of oyl, which, if any touched unawares, they wiped it off presently.

[152]Justin. lib. 20.

[153]Joseph. de bello Judaic. lib. 2. c. 12.

3.The Pythagoreans garments were white:[154]So were the Essenes white also,[155]modest, not costly: when once they put on a suit, they never changed it till it was torn, or worn out.

[154]Suid. It. Ælian. de varia hist. l. 18. cap. 32.

[155]Joseph. de bello Judaic. lib. 2. cap. 12.

4.The Pythagoreans forbade Oaths.[156]So did the Essenes;[157]they thought him a noted lyar, who could not be believed without an oath.

[156]Laert. in vita Pythagoræ.

[157]Philo Judæus.

5.The Pythagoreans had their Elders in singular respect.[158]So had the Essenes.[159]The body, or whole company of the Essenes, were distinguisht εἰς μοίρας τέσσαρας into fourranks, ororders, according to their Seniority; and if haply any of the superior ranks had touched any of the inferior, he thought himself polluted, as if he had touched anHeathen.

[158]Suidas. It. Laertius.

[159]Joseph. de bello Judaic. lib. 2. cap. 12.

6.The Pythagoreans drank water.[160]So did the Essenes only water,[161]wholly abstaining from wine.

[160]Suidas.

[161]Philo de vita contemplativa.

7.The Pythagoreans used θυσίαις ἀψύχαις inanimate Sacrifices.[162]So did the Essenes:[163]they sentgiftsto the Temple, and did not sacrifice, but preferred the use of theirholy waterbeforesacrifice, for whichreason the otherJewsforbad them all access unto the Temple.

[162]Laertius in vita Pythag.

[163]Joseph. Antiq. lib. 18. cap. 2.

8.The Pythagoreans ascribed all things to fate or destiny.[164]So did the Essenes.[165]In thisAphorismall three Sects differed each from other. ThePhariseesascribed some things toFate, and other things toMans Free-will. TheEssenesascribed all toFate, nothing tomans free will. TheSadduceswholly denyFate, and ascribed all things to thefree will of man.

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