* Dillmann thinks that Judges who gave judgment In > sanctuary were called D'n7K in the older Hebrew ; cf. his not* on this pas&i^'e in the Ktirzaefasstea exegetischf^ Uandtntch zum AT, but Marti refers the word to the household goda (Geachichte der wraelitischen Religion, pp. 29, 4S).
t Of the D'l^!:' little is known. They first appear as Israel- itish superintendents of forced lahour in Egypt (Ex 5, JE), then as 'otlicers' aasociated with the elders in the wilderness (Nu 1118, JE). After this they are not mentioned until Deuler. onomy. They seem to have been police officials. See note in Driver's commentary on Dt 1'^.
JUDGES
JUDGES
80"
ofScials of the Moabites {Die kleinen Propheten, p. 126).
The destruction of the monarchies and the exile of both the kingdoms limited the judicial power of the people. In their captivity they were entirely subject to their conquerors. The study of their own law increased, indeed may be said now to have seriou.sly begun, but what little they could carry into practice was only by an act of grace on the part of their masters. The return froui exile led to the constitution not of a political power, but of a reli{pous community. The Deuteronomic code was received by it as bind- ing (Neh 8-10), and its provisions were obser\'ed as far as was consistent with the laws of the Persians, and afterwards of the Greeks and Romans. Under the Persians the Jews were allowed to follow their own laws in purely internal matters (tlie elders of the city are mentioned in Ezr 7" 10"), but quarrels with neighbouring powers were submitted to the Persian court (Ezr 4 and 5). In Jud.-ea the Priestly code was soon added to the Deuteronomic, but as this is chiefly religious it scarcely affected the ordinary administration of justice. It was prob- ably during the time of the Greek domination that further organization led to the establishment in Jerusalem of the Sanhedrin as the supreme court of the Jewish community (see Sanhedkin). In the small towns and villages justice was ad- ministered by a council of seven (Jos. Ant. IV. viii. 14; cf. Schiirer, Zcitalter Christi, ii. 132 ff., 3rd ed. ii. 176 ff. {HJP II. i. 163 ff.]), and in larger places by one of twenty-three members (Mishna, Sank. i. 4). It is to one of these councils that Christ refers in Sit 5^, and to their members in v.*. For further details as to the courts in the time of Christ, see the articles Roman Law and San- hedrin.
LiTERATURB.— The works on Heb, ArcbBoIo^ of Nowack and fi«nzmger ; for the odininistratioD of Justice amon^ oomad Arabs, Jacob, AUarabuchet BeduinenUbevfl^ 209 ff.
G. W. Thatchbr. JUDGES, PERIOD OF THE.—
1. Ext«nt of the Period.
U. Authorities. 111. ChroHolopi-. iv. Political Geog^phy.
T. The History.
vi. Trust worthineaa of the History. Tli. Relij^on. viiL Parallel with the Maccabcan Period.
L The period extends from the death of Joshua to the anointing of Saul as king over Israel.
ii. Our main authorities are the Book of Judges (specially ch. 5, ' the Song of Deborah ') and 1 S 1-10. In addition to these the blessing of Jacob (Gn 49) was formerly reckoned to belong to this period ; but the more modem view is trjit, while w.»-'- "'■ ""• point to the period of the Judges, other verses transplant us to a later tiir.e (Kuenen, Hex. p. 240, Eng. tr. : Dillmann, Gen. vol. ii. p. 447, Enc. tr.). The Book of Ruth has reference to this period, but its conifiosition is referred to post- exilic times by recent critics.
iii. CilKONOLOOY. — The whole period i« devoid of certain dates ; the most that can be said is that its close may be assigned with probabilitv to with- in fifty years of n.c. 10(X). The length of the period is also very doubtful. If we follow what seems to be the Chronology of the Book of Judges it- self, we have to conclude that the Judges (extliisive of Eli and Samuel) occupied a period of mure than 410 years. No critic, however, has ever accepted this high total, and there are three good reasons why it should be rejected. (1) It contradicts 1 K 6' (480 years from the Exodus to the building of the temple). (2) It has always appeared probable that some of the Judges were contemimraries and not successors or predecessors of the re.st. (3) It is
improbable that Israel could have existed in the disorganized condition which was hers under the Judges for so long a period as 400 years without being absorbed and lost in the surrounding Canaan- ites. Moreover, several of the details of which the number 410 is made up do Dot inspire confidence; the numljer 40 (representing a generation) or its multiples occurs fret^uently, and the writer of the book seems to be giving merely a rough reckoning by generations. In the present article it is a-ssomed that the period of the Judges was relatively short, perhaps about 200 years. See Chronology op Old Test. vol. i. p. 399.
iv. Political Geography.— A careful study of Jg, particularly of chs. 1 and 4, shows that the Israelites on entering Palestine did not conquer it, but only overran the inland part of it. A broad strip of land along the coast remained in the hands of the Philistines (cf. Moore on Jg 1'*- '•) and of the Zidonians (Jg 1"). The fortresses which girdled the plain of Esdraelon (Jg l'-"), and consequently the plain itself, remained unconquered. Moreover, scattered over the land there were cities, e.g. Jerusalem (Jg l'"), Gezer (l**), and probably Shechem(Jg9'^'*; Kittel, ii. 74), in which apparently the Israelites had a footing, but not the supremacy. No doubt some cities came at an early date into the hands of Israel or of their allies (Hebron, Jg I" ; Bethlehem, Jg 129-'« ; Bethel, Jg 1=^), but it may be said generally that the Canaanites still kept their fortified cities while the Israelites occupied the villages. It was indeed only to be expected that Israel on ceasing to be a nomadic people, would pass through a stage of free village life before they could accustom tnemselves to the restricted life of cities. These villages were fixed encampments, collections of tents, rather than houses ordered in streets. ' To your tents, O Israel,' was the earlier form of the signal for dispersion, as 'every man to his own city' (1 K 22*") was the later. The heaviest blow which could fall on Israel at this period is descrilwd in the Song of Deborah in the words, 'The villages (or 'villagers') ceased in Israel' (Jg 5' AV and RVm). The only refuge of the people was in dens and caves and natural strongholds (Jg 6' 1 S. 13'). They had destroyed such fortresses as they had won.