Before we conclude this digression, it will be proper to add a word or two with reference to the version and notes on Luke ii. 1. where the terms in the original, which according to the letter signify, All the habitable earth, are rendered by, the whole country, that is, Judea. We are not ignorant, that some famous authors understand by this expression, that great part of the world then in subjection to the Romans, and that they actually styled themselves The masters of the world! But it is extremely improbable that ever Augustus, or any other emperor, did enrol, or tax the whole Roman empire at once. For, 1. No historian makes mention of any such thing, excepting Suidas, and he is too modern an author to be credited; besides, he has it from an anonymous writer. Now can it be imagined that among so many Roman historians, as have been handed down to us, not one should mention this supposed general taxing of the whole empire, especially since they have taken notice of several particular ones? 2. Taxing of particular countries, always occasioned abundance of murmurings and discontent, and therefore what noise must a general one have caused? Dio Cassius relates, that Augustus having once attempted to take an account of the value and incomes of some provinces, in order to lay a tax upon them for the maintaining his armies, they declared, that they were resolved rather to undergo the greatest hardships and miseries, than suffer any such thing; so that Augustus was forced to get it done privately and by stealth". Which certainly was very far from being like a public decree for a general tax. It is well known, that when Quirinus undertook, by Cæsar's order, to raise a tax in Judea, the Jews could hardly be prevailed upon to submit, and that it caused a very great sedition'. Tacitus informs us, that when Cappadocia

(e) Petron. Satyr. Florus, l. iv. p. 2. s. 1. Dionys. Deipnosoph. 1. 1. (g) Dio Cassius, p. 56. Aug. p. 27. (h) Dio Cassius, ubi supra. xviii. p. 1. et de Bello Jud. 1. ii. p. 8. Acts v. 37.

Halicarn. (ƒ) Athen. Monum. Ancyr. Suet. (i) Joseph. Antiq. 1.

was reduced to a province, part of the country rebelled upon their being enrolled, in order to be taxed. The emperor Claudius, in a speech to the senate speaks of enrollings as a very delicate point, though designed only to know the riches of the empire'. 3. As St. Luke takes occasion of mentioning this first taxing, when he is speaking of that of Quirinus, which was confined to Judea, it is natural to judge of the one by the other; and by all the world, to understand only the whole country of Judea, including the Tetrarchies. This way of speaking seems to be very conformable to the style of this Evangelist. Thus he tells us, that men's hearts shall fail them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth*, that is, on Judea, as is evident from the 23rd verse. It is also much more probable that when he tells us, in another place", that Agabus had foretold there should be great dearth throughout all the world; he understood thereby only all Judea. It is true some historians' mention a famine that happened at Rome in the time of the emperor Claudius; but Rome was not the whole world; and this dearth was neither in Egypt nor Cyprus, since, according to Josephus", queen Helena sent for provisions from thence to relieve the inhabitants of Jerusalem, which were ready to perish for want of sustenance. You may observe here, that Josephus mentions only Jerusalem, and therefore it may from hence be inferred that the famine was not universal. This way of speaking was not peculiar to St. Luke, for the sacred writers of the Old Testament often give Judea the name of the whole earth', which the seventy most commonly render by the habitable world'; and they call so not only Judea,

(k) Tacit. Annal. J. vi. p. 41. (1) Gruter Inscript. p. 502. (m) Luke xxi. 26. *T oikovμévη the same word as is used chap. ii. p. 1. See Dr. Hammond in loc. (n) Acts xi. 28. (o) Dio Cassius, p. 60. Sueton. Vit. Claudii, p. 11. (p) Joseph. Ant. 1. xx. c. 2. Josh. xi. 23. Jer. i. 18. iv. 20. viii. 16.

.23 .Deut. xxix כל-הארץ (9)

xxiii. 15.

(r) Oikovμévn. Isaiah xiii. 5. xiv. 26, &c.

which was looked upon as the earth by way of eminence, but any other country they are speaking of, as St. Jerome hath observed'.

In the mean while, Herod-Antipas and Philip were in peaceable possession of their Tetrarchies. As mention is often made of these princes in the gospel, it will be proper to give some account of them. Josephus* seems not to be consistent with himself, when he speaks of the mother of Herod-Antipas; he calls him sometimes the son of Cleopatra, and at other times of Malthace, which were two of Herod's wives: but this is a matter of very little consequence to our present purpose. He cannot but very improperly be called a king', since he never was so. Herod had indeed in his first will nominated him his successor to the kingdom; but he altered it afterwards, and conferred that dignity upon Archelaus, who notwithstanding had it not. Antipas is represented in the New Testament as a very vicious prince, who added the death of John the Baptist to all the evils which he had done". Josephus gives him no better character. He plainly discovered his incontinence by marrying Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. It must be observed, by the by, that this Philip seems not to have been the Tetrarch of Ituræa, and son of Cleopatra: for, according to Josephus", he, whose wife Antipas married, was the son of Mariamne, the daughter of the high-priest Simon. Josephus does not indeed call this son of Mariamne, Philip; but all the Evangelists give that name to him, whose wife Antipas married". That historian styles him only Herod the brother of Herod (Antipas), by another mother. And therefore in the note on that place we have chose rather to follow the Evangelists, who lived in those days, than Josephus, who might easily be mistaken in a fact so long before his time, and besides

(s) Hieronym. in Esai. xiii. 5. (t) Matt. xiv. 9. (u) Luke iii. 19, 20.

*De Bello Jud. 1. i. c. 20, 21. (x) Joseph. Antiq. Jud. 1. xix.

c. 7. (y) Id. Antiq. 1. xviii. c. 7. de Bell. Jud. 1. i. c. 19. (z) Matt. xiv. 3. Mark vi. 17. Luke iii. 19.

of

very

little consequence. There is certainly a vast deal of confusion in the genealogies of Herod's family, given us by Josephus". However this be, such a vile thing as the debauching his brother's wife, and basely putting away his own, which was the daughter of Aretas king of Arabia, manifestly shews the character of Herod-Antipas was but very indifferent. The death of John the Baptist, of which he was the author, was a complication of crimes; for he could not commit this murder without great impiety, because John was looked upon as a prophet, and Herod himself seems not to have been ignorant of it. However, he was severely and justly punished for this wickedness: for Aretas, to revenge the injury done to his daughter, denounced war against Herod, and utterly routed his army: the generality of the Jews, if we may believe Josephus, were of opinion that this was a just judgment of God upon that prince and his army, for the murder of John the Baptist; but it is doubted whether this passage be genuine. In what year the death of John the Baptist happened, is not well known; but it is certain that JESUS CHRIST had then preached a considerable time, and done many miracles in Galilee. It may therefore seem strange, that Herod-Antipas should have so little knowledge of what passed in his dominions, as never to have seen JESUS CHRIST, as the Evangelist tells us. But it may be, Herod was absent whilst our blessed Saviour preached in Galilee; accordingly Josephus makes mention of his taking a journey to Rome, before he married Herodias. After his return from thence, he had not the satisfaction of seeing JESUS CHRIST, though he was very desirous of it. This was indeed a very suspicious kind of curiosity in a prince, who well knew how to disguise his ill designs with a fair outside, and draw the innocent into his snares, as well as oppress them by open force. JESUS CHRIST was so far from gratifying his

(a) Joseph. Antiq. 1, xvii. c. 1. (b) Id. ibid. 1. xviii. c. 7. (c) Luke

xxiii. 8.

desire, that he went away into another place, that he might elude and defeat the craftiness and the vices of that for, as he is pleased to style him. Herod could not therefore obtain his desires in this respect, till the time of our Saviour's arraignment and condemnation; when Pilate knowing that Jesus was a Galilean, and consequently belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, sent him to him, intending thereby to do him a pleasure, and also that he might at the same time get rid of the trouble of judging him. In what manner he treated him we are told by St. Luke, who adds that at that time Pilate and Herod were made friends together, when before they had been at enmity.

The unlawful marriage which this prince contracted with Herodias, was the cause of his ruin. For that ambitious woman, out of the pride of her heart, not being able to bear that her brother Agrippa, the son of Aristobulus, and nephew of Antipas, should be advanced to the throne, and excel her in splendour, dignity, and power, compelled, in a manner, her husband to go to Rome, and get the like honour and preferment for himself. But Agrippa countermined him, by giving Caligula, who was then emperor, just reason of suspecting his loyalty to him: so that instead of making him king, he banished him to Lyons, and afterwards to Spain. This Herod built or repaired some cities, as Sephoris", which he named Tiberias in honour of Tiberius; and another in Peræa, which was by him called Julias, in memory of Julia the daughter of Augustus. He enjoyed his Tetrarchy forty-three years.

As for his brother Philip, who was Tetrarch of Ituræa, and Trachonitis, mention is made of him only in St. Luke'. It is true that St. Matthew and St. Mark* speak of one Philip, the brother of Herod; but as hath already been observed, Josephus gives us reason (e) Luke xxiii. 7, 8, 11, 12. (f) Joseph. (g) Id. Ibid. (h) Joseph. Antiq. 1. xviii. c. 3. (k) Matt. xiv. 3. Mark vi. 17.

(d) Luke xiii. 32. Antiq. 1. xviii. c. 9. (i) Luke iii. 1.