kind of death was inflicted by Nicocreon, the tyrant of Cyprus, on Anaxarchus the philosopher at Abdera, and favourite of Alexander the Great; whose reply to the tyrant has immortalized his name, "Pound as thou wilt the body of Anaxarchus, his soul thou canst not hurt." Lastly, casting persons into a tower full of ashes, was the punishment of those who were guilty of sacrilege and rebellion. Antiochus put Menelaus to death in that way at Berea. Darius Ochus punished his brother Sogdianus thus. Another brother named Arsites, and Artipheus the son of Megabyzus, were also thus put to death; and a similar death was inflicted on Pisuthnes, the governor of Lydia." It was originally a Persian punishment; the first invention of which is mentioned in Valerius Maximus.c Such were the civil capital punishments in use among the Jews. But before leaving them, it may be proper to add somewhat concerning their pri sons, the executioners of the law, and the ceremonies used in bringing offenders to punishment. The ancient eastern prisons were not public and separate buildings, but apartments belonging to the house of the judge; and the jailer was his most confidential servant. Hence the royal prison, or that which was within the precincts of the palace, for more honourable offenders, was in the house of Potiphar, the captain of the guard; and Jeremiah was confined, first in the court of the prison, which was in the king of Judah's house, and afterwards in the house of Jonathan the scribe. A discre a 2 Maccab. xiii. 4, 8. Lib. ix. cap. 2. b Prid. Connex. A. A. C. 424, 422, 414. d Jer. xxxii. 2. e Jer. xxxvii. 15. tionary power was also given to the jailer, to treat them as he pleased, provided he produced them when called for. If a bribe, therefore, was given by the prisoner, he might lodge in the jailer's house, and partake of its comforts, although he were the greatest miscreant; and if one was given by the accuser, the prisoner was treated with every inhumanity." It was this discretionary power that Jeremiah felt, when he was cast by the princes, his enemies, "into the dungeon of Malchiah, the son of Hammelech, which was in the court of the prison, and in which was no water, but mire, so that he sunk in the mire," Few situations could be more deplorable; and unless Ebedmelech had pitied his case, and obtained his deliverance, he must soon have died. As for the executioners of the law, in the common cases of punishing offenders, they have always in the East been the guards of the king. Hence, when Ahab, king of Israel, resolved in his rage, to slay Elisha, as if he had been the cause of all the calamities that were experienced in Samaria during the siege, he sent a man from before him, meaning one of his guard, to cut off his head; but was happily prevented. (2 Kings vi. 31-33.) Herod the tetrarch sent one of his σπεκουλάτωρες, or guard, to behead John the Baptist. And the original words for "Potiphar and Arioch the captain of the guard," in Gen. xxxix. 1, and Dan. ii. 14, literally mean "Potiphar and Arioch the chief of the executioners." с But let us next notice the ceremonies which were generally observed by the Jews in carrying the sen a Clarke's Harmer, ch. ix. Ob. 84. с d Mark vi. 27. b Jer. xxxviii. 6. b C a tences of the law into execution. In the first place, the judges used the utmost deliberation during the trial; the pannel was set on some high seat, in the presence of all the court; two witnesses at least, coinciding in their evidence, were necessary to convict him, who laid their hands on his head while deponing; and when sentence was pronounced, the judge, laying his hands upon his head, said, "Thou art guilty; thy blood be upon thine own head." After sentence, the person was led to the place of execution, which was always without the city; accompanied by two executioners, a band of officers, properly armed, to prevent either riot or escape; and a crier, who went before them proclaiming the following words: "A. B. is going to suffer such a death, because he hath committed such a crime, in such a place, at such a time, and these persons, N. and N. are witnesses. If any person knoweth any thing in his favour, (of which we have an instance in the History of Susanna, verses 45, 50,) let him come and make it known." And a person also was appointed to stand at the door of the court, with a handkerchief in his hand, to wave to another person on horseback, who was stationed at some distance, to bring the condemned person back to the court, if any thing favourable had occurred. Nay, the criminal himself had the privilege of returning to the court-house five times, if he had aught to plead, that was judged of consequence by the two scholars of the wise men, who were sent to accompany him for that purpose. But, if he had nothing to urge, and if no exculpatory evidence appeared, he was besought to confess, с a 1 Kings xxi. 9. b Deut. xix. 15. Susanna, ver. 34, 40. b that he might not die with a lie in his heart, and might have his portion in the world to come." They generally, also, gave him a grain of myrrh or frankincense mingled in wine, to render him less sensible of pain; and when the law had taken its course, the tree on which he was hanged, or the stone wherewith he was stoned, or the sword with which he was beheaded, or the napkin with which he was strangled, were generally buried with him, that none might say that they had been used at his execution. Such were the inferior and capital civil punishments among the Jews. с SECT. V. Ecclesiastical Punishments among the Jews. The Neziphè or Admonition, its nature and duration. The Nedui or Separation. The Herem or Cutting off. The Shemeta or Greater Excommunication. A Copy of it. THEIR ecclesiastical punishments admitted of various degrees, the lowest of which, viz. 1st, The Nexiphè, or admonition, was always private, and administered by the minister, or leading men in the synagogue. Its common term of continuance was not less than seven days, nor d a Mishna, Tractat. de Synedriis, cap. vi. sect. 1, 2. Lightfoot's Heb. and Talm. Exer. on Acts vii. 51. b Mark xv. 23. Lightfoot's Heb. and Talm. Exer. on Matth. xxvii. 3. John xix. 29. с Lightf. Heb. and Talm. Exer. Acts vii. 58; viii. 1. Leusden's Philologus Hebræo-mixtus, dissert. 47. In the treatises in the Mishna, entitled, De Pœnis, De Jurejurando, De Controversiarum Testificationibus, De Capite Patrum, De Judicum Documentis, we have a number of particulars as to the Jewish manner of administering justice. d Founded on Numb. xii. 14. more than thirty; and it differed from the next higher degree, in the following things. The person admonished remained at home, as one ashamed; did not abstain from his company. yet other persons And he needed no absolution at the expiration of the term; for, when he had taken the reproof to heart, and the time had expired, he became free. In short, it was a voluntary act of the individual, arising from a conviction of his past misconduct, and the offence he had given to society and the church. It was submitting to the sentence of the synagogue as just and proper." b 2dly, The Nedui ", or separation, was inflicted on him who despised the admonition, or had been guilty of refusing to pay any debt, which the bench of three had found him liable to, or had been guilty of any of the twenty-four offences which are collected by Dr. Lightfoot, and Dr. Owen out of the Talmud. It might be pronounced by any of their religious assemblies, but was commonly executed by the synagogue, or rather by the bench of three attached to the synagogue; who sent their officer to summon him to appear on a certain day. Thus, they appointed him the second day of the week, or their first court-day; the fifth day of the week, or their second courtday; and the second day of the week following, or their third court-day. And if the matter was about money which he owed to any member of the synagogue, they allowed all the three days to run, before declaring him contumacious, and thereby a Lightfoot's Heb. and Talm. Exer. 1 Cor. v. 5. |