between these terms, in their practical application, is not, however, very clear. Ginsburg, in KITTO's Cyclopedia, s. v. Rabbi, quotes from two ancient Babylonian Jews to the effect that the title Rab is Babylonian, and was given to those Babylonian sages who received the laying-on of hands in their colleges; while Rabbi is the title given to the Palestinian sages, who received it with the laying-on of hands of the Sanhedrim. They also state that Rab is the lowest title, Rabbi next higher, and Rabbon highest of all, and given only to the presidents.

There is, however, a different explanation of these titles given in the Aruch, or Talmudical lexicon. According to this, a Rabbi is one who has disciples, and whose disciples again have disciples. When he is so old that his disciples belong to a past generation, and are thus forgotten, he is called Rabbon; and when the disciples of his disciples are forgotten he is simply called by his own name.

These distinctions probably belong to a later age than Christ's ministry. The terms Rabbi and Rabbon seem to have been used with the same general meaning. Jesus was called both. See John i, 38; xx, 16.

Witsius states that the title was generally conferred with a great deal of ceremony. Besides the imposition of hands by the delegates of the Sanhedrim, the candidate was first placed in a chair a little raised above the company; there were delivered to him a key and a table-book: the key as a symbol of the power and authority conferred upon him to teach others, and the table-book as a symbol of his diligence in his studies. The key he afterward wore as a badge of honor, and when he died it was buried with him.--BURDER's Oriental Literature, No. 1,220.

700.-HYPOCRISY.

XXIII, 14. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayer. See also Mark xii, 40; Luke xx, 47.

1. The scribes and Pharisees had peculiar facilities for obtaining property under false pretenses. The scribes, on account of their knowledge of law, were often consulted on property questions; and the Pharisees, by reason of their supposed piety, exercised great influence over the people. Those who were inexperienced in business intrusted their property to these men for safe keeping, and many lost by it,

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2. Some of the Pharisees prayed an hour, besides meditating an hour before and an hour after prayer, This, repeated three times a day, made nine hours spent in pretentious devotion. One of the rabbis says: Since, therefore, they spent nine hours every day about their prayers, how did they perform the rest of the law? and how did they take care of their worldly affairs? Why, herein-in being religious, both the law was performed and

their own business well provided for." And again: "Long prayers make a long life."-LIGHTFOOT, Hora Hebraicæ.

701.-WINE-STRAINING.

XXIII, 24. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

This would be more correctly rendered by "strain out a gnat." The at is supposed to have been originally a typographical error, which has since been universally copied. Alford, however, doubts this, and supposes that it "was a deliberate alteration, meaning, 'strain [out the wine] at [the occurrence of] a gnat.' In either case the meaning is the same. The reference here is to an old proverb, which, in turn, refers to an old custom. The Jews, in common with other Oriental people, strained their wine before drinking it, not only to keep the lees from the cup, but also to get rid of the insects, which, in a hot climate, collected around the fluid.

Wincklemann describes an instrument, evidently intended for a wine-strainer, and which was found in the ruins of Herculaneum. It is made of white metal, of elegant workmanship, and consists of two round and deep plates, about four inches in diameter, with flat handles. Plates and handles fit into each other so exactly that when put together they seem to make but one vessel. The upper plate is perforated, and the wine, passing through the holes, fell into the deeper vessel below, whence it was drawn into drinkingcups. The dregs and insects remained on the upper plate.

702.-WHITEWASHED TOMBS.

XXIII, 27. Ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

The tombs were whitened with lime, so that they could be easily distinguished, and thus prevent the Jews from being ceremonially defiled by approaching them. See Num. xix, 18. This whitewash became soiled and washed off by the rains, and it was therefore necessary to renew it at intervals. This was usually done in the middle of the month Adar, when the streets and sewers were mended.

It is still customary in Palestine to whitewash the tombs. Moliammedans, as well as Jews, are very particular about this. See engraving on the opposite page.

703.-DECORATED TOMBS.

XXIII, 29. Ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous.

The Jews not only whitewashed the tombs, but, in common with other peoples, they ornamented them in various ways. This is still customary in

the East. The graves of the most eminent Mohammedan saints are each covered with a stone or brick edifice called welee. It has a dome or cupola

over it, varying in height from eight to ten feet.

Within lamps are often

hung, and the grave proper is covered with carpet and strings of beads. Sometimes more costly ornamentation is used.

XXIV, 1. Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to show him the buildings of the temple. See also Mark xiii, 1; Luke xxi, 5.

This is what is commonly known as Herod's temple, and was a restoration or reconstruction of the temple of Zerubbabel; that structure being taken down piecemeal, and this gradually substituted for it. It was, however, larger and more splendid than the temple of Zerubbabel; its courts occupied more ground than those which surrounded that old temple, and far exceeded them in magnificence.

According to the Talmud the entire temple area was five hundred cubits square. Around the edge of this square, and against the massive stone wall which inclosed it, cloisters were built, (1, 2, 3, 4, *) their cedar roofs being supported by rows of Corinthian columns of solid marble. The cloisters on The figures refer to the corresponding figures on the diagram. See next page.

the north, west, and east sides (1, 2, 3) were alike in height and width, the columns which upheld the roof being twenty-five cubits high, and the halls themselves thirty cubits wide. The colonnade on the east (3) was called Solomon's Porch, and is mentioned in John x, 23; Acts iii, 11; v, 12. The cloisters on the south (4) formed an immense building known as the Stoa Basilica, or King's Porch. It was much wider than the cloisters on the other sides, and consisted of a nave and two aisles. This immense building, with its high nave, its broad aisles, and its marble columns, presented a grand appearance. Josephus says: "Its fineness, to such as had not seen it, was incredible; and to such as had seen it was greatly amazing." The southeastern corner of this building is supposed to have been the "pinnacle of the temple," where the devil took Jesus in the Temptation. See note on Matt. iv, 5. In these cloisters the Levites resided. Here the doctors of the law

met to hear and answer questions. See Luke ii, 46. They were favorite places of resort for religionists of different sorts to discuss various points of doctrine. Jesus often spoke here to the people; and after his death his followers met here. See Acts ii, 46.

North of the center of the large area inclosed by these cloisters stood the sacred inclosure of the temple, its boundaries extending nearer to the cloisters on the west than to Solomon's Porch on the east. The space surrounding this inclosure was the Court of the Gentiles (5), and was open to all comers. It was paved with stones of various colors. It was here that the cattle-dealers and money-changers desecrated the house of God. See note on Matt. xxi, 12. This court was also called the Outer Court, the Lower Court, and, by the rabbins usually, the "Mountain of the Lord's house."

The inclosure of the temple proper was on a terrace about six cubits higher than the Court of the Gentiles. It was approached by steps, and was surrounded by a wall three cubits high (6). This wall was designed to shut off the Gentiles, and there were pillars erected in the wall at certain distances with inscriptions iu Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, warning all Gentiles to come no further under penalty of death. The Jews, on one occasion, accused Paul of having brought "Greeks" up the steps, and into the sacred inclosure, in violation of the standing order. See Acts xxi, 28. To this wall of separation Paul is thought to refer: "For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us." Eph. ii, 14. At the top of the terrace, and going entirely around it, was a platform (7) ten cubits wide extending to another wall.

In the eastern side of the latter wall was a gate (8) of elegant workmanship, forty cubits wide, and supposed to have been the "Gate Beautiful," mentioned in Acts iii, 2, 10. It was sometimes called the "Gare Susan," because it had a representation of the town of Susa sculptured in relief on it. Though there were gates on the north and south sides, this was the grand entrance to the Court of the Women (9), which was the general place of public worship at the time of the sacrifices. It received its name, not because it was exclusively appropriated to the women, but because the women were not allowed to go beyond it. There were smaller courts in the four corners of this; and on the north, east, and west sides were galleries supported by columns. In front of these columns were distributed the eleven treasure chests of the temple, in addition to the two at the gate Susan, for the halfshekel tax. It was into one of these that the poor widow threw her two mites. Mark xii, 41, 42; Luke xxi, 1, 2. It was near these treasure chests that the incidents recorded in the eighth chapter of John took place. See John viii. 20.

West of the Court of the Women, separated from it by a wall, and on a terrace higher still, was the Court of the Israelites (10). This was a narrow