Page:Jewish Encyclopedia Volume 6.djvu/87

59 sity it coincided with the city government, and where a royal officer was appointed as governor of tlie city (1 Kings xxii. 36). Otherwise tlie royal officers do not seem to have interfered much officially in the affairs of the communities so long as the taxes wore promptly paid. The ziljne ha-'ir (see above), the ciders of the community, constituted tlie local gov- ernment, and still retained their judicial functions {Deut. xix. 13, xxi.'^etseg., xxii. 15 etseq.); node- tails, however, are known regarding this local coun- cil. The number of its members corresponded to that of the prominent families of the place; e.g., the 77 elders of the small city of Succoth are mentioned {Judges viii. 14).

Constitution Under Persian Rule.

The ancient tribal constitution was revived during the Exile, after the national kingdom had perished; and the heads of the families appear again as the representatives of the community (Ezra viii. 1, x. 1). The return to Palestine was also a matter of the various families or communities (comp. Ezra i. 5); and after the Exile this democratic family organization naturally was revived among the Jews. The Persian king did not intend to restore national autonomy; the country remained with the Persian empire as a part ("medinah"; Neh. vii. 6; Ezra ii. 1) of the west- Euphratic province (Ezra v. 3). There was, at least part of the time, a special Persian governor ("pchah," "tirshata") for Judea, under the satrap of the province. Nehemiah speaks of himself as being such a governor (iSTeh. v. 15 et seq.), but no mention is made of any of his successors. The Persian officer, who resided at Samaria, seems to have had a representative at Jerusalem (Neh. xi. 24).

These Persian satraps in any case did not interfere greatly in the internal affairs of the people, having no reason for doing so as long as the tribute-money and their salaries were paid regularly. They gave attention only to the building of temples and walls. The freedom of worship granted to the Jews entailed necessarily great freedom in the government, and especially in the administration of justice. The courts and the police were in the hands of the Jewish provincial authorities, designated as "sabe Yehudaye" (elders of the Jews), who represented the people before the Persian governor (Ezra v. 9 et seq., vi. 7 et seq.); it is not known whether this body is identical with the frequently mentioned "seganim " (prefects). In addition to them, the ancient local form of government was revived under the elders of the towns, who administered justice as in olden times. In relation to them the so-called college of the "elders of Judah" at Jerusalem may have constituted a certain supreme authority. It is noteworthy that the priests and the Levites did not belong to this body (comp., e.g., Neh. viii. 9, 38; X. 37).

Hellenic Time.

The development of the government from Ezra to the Greek period is shrouded in darkness. But the basis on which it rested was the law that came into force in 444 B.C. through Ezra-Nehemiah. It is not known how much time elapsed before this constitution was completely enforced; in the Hellenic period affairs were arranged as prescribed by that law. The high priest was the head of the entire community ; he was the president of the gerusia, the ancient aristocratic senate, the assembly of the elders. The Ptolemies and Seleucids recognized him as ethnarch. He was empowered to levy taxes, and was responsible for the tribute of the people (Josephus. " Ant."xii. 4, ?§ Ifi s«g.). In view of this importance the Ptolemies and Seleucids claimed the right of appointing and dismissing the high priest. But otherwise these overlords, like the Persians, so long as their supremacy was recognized, interfered little in the inner affairs of the people.

The rise of the Hasmonean house marked no change in government. From the time of Jonathan, except during war, when the Maccabees exercised a sort of dictatorship, its members took their places at the head of the people as high priests (I Mace. xi. 37), for which, however, they did not have the legal qualifications. Tlie gerusia continued to exist in the meanwhile (I Mace. xi. 23; xii. 6, 35;xiii. 36, etc.), al- though its influence was greatly diminished. Nor was the constitution actually changed when Aristo- bulus (105-104 B.C.) took the title of king; the fact that the Hasmoneans called themselves kings was merely an external indication that the spiritual im- plications of their office had long since become for them a minor matter. The gerusia liad little power under rulers like Hyrcanus and JanniEus, but its authority under Alexander was very great. It is not known when the term " Sanhedrin " first came into use.

Roman Period.

Under the Romans the high priest, excepting for a short time, was also ethnarch, and again shared his functions with the gerusia. But it soon became apparent that strong rulers like Antipater and Herod had complete control of this body; Herod simplified matters for himself by removing his opponents in council (Josephus, "Ant." xiv. 9, § 4; comp. XV. 1, i5 3).

Soon after Herod's death Archelaus was deposed as King of Judea and the country changed into a Roman province under a procurator, who in some instances was under the governv of the province of Syria, but had entire control of military and civil affairs. The Romans left the Jews full freedom in their internal affairs. The Sanhedrin then had more power than it had formerly possessed under the na- tive princes. The office of high priest was no longer hereditary after the time of Herod. He as well as the Romans appointed and deposed high priests in quick succession, and thus this office lost more and more its political importance, as did the gerusia (the Sanhedrin), over which the high priest continued to preside. See Sanhedrin.

Bibliography : Saalschutz, Mmaiscliea Becht, and Mlchaelis, Miisaliches Bevht ; also the liistories ol Israel by Wellhausen, Klttel, Klostermann, Stade, Guthe, Graetz ; the archeologies byDeWette, Ewald. Ketl, Nowark, Benzinger; Benzinger, art. Govemment, in Cheyne and Black, ''Encyc. Bibl.''; Selden, Synedria Veterum Hebrceorum.

—In Rabbinical Literature: The Mishnah (B. B. i. 5) says: "They force him [any citizen] to build for the town walls, gate, doors, and bolts. How long must one have been there to become liable as a citizen? Twelve months; but one who buys