4. A remarkable feature in Jewish iife is the persistence of the religious and semi-political self- government of their communities in the dilt'erent empires in which they were dispersed. Every- where we find them submitting tlieir disputes to the judgment of their own olUcials rather than to those of the state in which they live ; everywhere they claim and are granted special exemption from certain civU laws (as those regarding military conscription) on the giound of religious scruple. Many examples of their peculiar privileges in Palestine are found in the NT (cf. Ac 9= 18'-'-" 22" 26"). But in Alexandria this is even more striking. Thanks to the favour of Alexander the Great, they early established themselves in the position of a favoured people in the new city. That favour was continued to them by the Ptol- enues, and they had in addition equal rights with others as citizens {laoriiila). Their own governor (idvafixn^) is mentioned by Strabo (cf. Jo.s. Ant. XIV. vii. 2). Some of the Roman decrees conferring privileges upon them are preserved by Josephus (Ant. XIV. X., XVI. \\.). Philo tells us that on the death of a yfvapxn^ Augustus apiiointed a yepouaia for the conduct of Jewish all'airs (in Maccum, sec. 10). In Rome there was not the same political organization as in Alexandria, but the diUerent synagogues were organized separately, each with its own fferousia and officials. (See further Schiirer, JIJP II. ii. 244 ff.).
5. After the fall of Jerusalem in B.C. 586, the Jews became subject to foreign governments, and have remained so since, except for the short interval when the Maccaboean princes ruled, or more exactly from B.C. 142 when Simon ceased to pay tribute, or 139 when the right of coining money proclaimed the independence of Judaja. The civil government of this time is, however, no longer distinctively Jewish, but a mere modifica- tion of Western forms to suit the religious laws of the people. These laws had come into force at the time when Ezra had brought back from Babylon many of the devontest Jewish exiles. At a solemn assembly a new community had been formed, which was to realize the idea of the ' remnant' of Isaiah and his successors, a spiritual Judah, subject to the civil government of the suzerain power, but in all matters pertaining to religion following as far as possible the precepts of Deuteronomy and the new law book (r) compiled and edited about this time (cf. Neh 9. 10). Since then the Jewg have ever remained subject to this doable form of government. The conflict of the two led to their perpetual strife with their civil rulers, and to th«
GOVERNOK
GUZAN
'Jii
final fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. According to Je^viJh authorities, tlie chief representative of tlie religious governing power during this period was the ' Great Synagogue' (■ii'n;n fj}?), which existed from Ezra to Simon the Just. ' Some such body may have existed, but much of the literature con- ccrniii;^ it contains legendary material (cf. Svna- aoouic, THE ciu-AT). At the time of Christ the Sanhcilriu lind taken its place (cf. Sa.VHEDRIN). For tlie more strictly civil government of the time of Christ, see art. Roman EMPIRE. See also Chuucii Government and Helps.
LiTKRATURg.— In addition to the articles in this Dictionary on the separate jud^res, Idii^, and other ollicials mentioned al»ove, see .McCunly, UPM i. ch, iii. ; Nowaclt, Ueb. Arcluzol. i. 3cK)-:i87; W. R. Smith, RS 70 (T., Kinship and Marriage in J-Jarln Arabia (pasfim); Nallino, 'Sulla costituzi6ne delle tribii Arabe' in Nitooa Antolo^jia, tcrza eerie, xlvii. C14 ff. ; Marcel Uieulafoy, Le Rot David ; ilominsen, Prvvinces o/ Ihf Roman Empire^ chs. viii.-xi. ; the works on the times of Christ by Scbiirer, Uausrath, and Uoltzmann.
G. W. Thatcher.
GOVERNOR. — This word occurs as the rendering of several Heb. and Gr. terms. In OT it is used iiio>t frojuently for the J'c/uth {'"":'?), a district ruler administering under a sovereign. The title is employed both for Persian satraps and for their subordinate magistrates. Thus it appears a.s a designation of Tattenai (Ezr 5'- ' 6"), who seems to have been the satrap of a large province which extended from Posideium on the frontiers of Cilicia and Syria to Egypt, and which included Phfenieia, Palestine, and Cyprus (Herod, vi. 91). It is also apjilied to Zeruboabel, who was appointed under this satrap to the district of Judah (Ezr 6'). Tlie subordinate Pc/uih, as well as his sui)erior, was directly commissioned by the king (Ezr 5"). Tlie other Ileb. words rendered ' jjovernor ' are of a less technical character, signifying leadership, '\-htt, r^K Zee 9' 12'- «, and t:; 2 Cli 1= ; jndii-inl and legislative functions, pp^n Jg5'; rulinrj auihoriti/, S?3 On 45^, B-Vp Gn 42", i;' 1 K 22-« ; admini- strative oversight, Tpy Jer 20' ; and social rank, H-,-; 2 Ch 1'.
In NT the word 'governor' most frequently occurs as a rendering of tlie Or. Tiyepuiv (Vulg. prcescs, Luth. LandpJIeger), a term which is used in the plur. for rulers generally (e.g. Mk 13'', 1 P 2"), out which more otten has a dciinite api>li- cation to the Roman Procurators, referring in the Gospels to Pontius Pilate (e.g. Mt 27'. Lk 20-"), who is designated Procurator by Tacitus — 'Chris- tus Tiberio iiiinerante per prociirntnniiu Pontium Pilatuiii supplicio adfectus erat ' {Ann. xv. 44), and in Ac to Felix (Ac 23-") and Festus (Ac 26^"). Judipa was not entirely incorporated in the jiro- vince of Syria, but the Procurator was to a certain extent depemlent on the Legate of Syria, the latter having a right to interfere when iliHicuUies aro.se (Jo.s. .4nt. XVIII. i. 1, iv. 2; Bell. Jud. II. viii. 1). Thu!' Jud:pa belonged to the tliird cl.'iss of jtro- vincos in Strabo's classification (Gcog. xvii. 3. 2.')), one containing only a few |)rovinces re-^arded either as semi-barbarous or as exceptionally insub- ordinate, e.g. Egypt. Augustus preferred the title Prc^ffctus (Irapxoi) for the governors of such pro- 'irucs, but bj' the time of Claudius Procurator vhrirpojros) was the recognized name. Josiphiis 6in])loj's both ^Tr/rpoiros and lirapxot, and also the word used in NT, Ttye/iuy, for the governor of Judxa. That Procurator is the correct title of this official is suggested by the pa.ssage from Tacitus quoted above, and by the use of the word ^TrlrpoTroi in a decree of Claudius as rendered by Joseplius (Ant. XX. i. 2). Technically, the Pro- curator was a linancial ollicer attached either to a proconsul or to a jiioprn'tor for the iiur]iose of col- lecting the Imperial revenues. But he was always entrusted with magisterial powers for the decision