For their judicial and teaching activity the ‘lawyers’ or ‘doctors’ were understood to receive no payment. Some of them would therefore maintain themselves by following a trade (cf. Ac 185), and doubtless many men of means would
adopt a profession which was almost universally held in the very highest esteem. They were not,
however, always so unselfish as Jewish sources represent them (οἵ. Mk 12%=Lk 207). They were also exceedingly ambitious of honour (Mt 23-4, Mk 12%: %, Lk 114 # 2055). More especially they demanded, and received, such honour from their pupils. According to the Talmud, one’s teacher 15 to be more reverenced and honoured than one’s father, if the latter is not also a man of learning ; ‘for his father has only brought him into this world, while his teacher, who teaches him wisdom, brings him to life in the future world’ (quoted in Schiirer, HJP π΄ i. 317). See, further, art. SCRIBES.
LITERATURE.—The article ‘Schriftgelehrte’ in Herzog’s RE2 by Strack, in Schenkel’s Bibel-Lexikon by Klépper, in Riehm’s HWB® by Schiirer ; cf. also the latter writer's G/JV® ii. 312 ff. (AJP τι. i. 312ff.); Edersheim, Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, i. 93 ff. ; O. Holtzmann, Neutest. Zeitgeschichte, 151 ff. ; H. J. Holtzmann, Neutest. Theol. i. 36ff.; Wellhausen, 787. u. Jiid. Gesch.3 193 ff., and passim; Weber, Jiid. Theologie auf Grund des Talmud, etc., 1897, p. 105 ff., and passim.
D. EATON.
_ LAY.—An abrupt use of the simple verb to od is found in Mt 815 ‘ He saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever.’ It is a literal tr. of the Gr. βεβλημένην καὶ πυρέσσουσαν ; RV gives ‘lying sick,’ ignoring the καί. The full form occurs in Mk 7 ‘She found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed’ (βεβλημένην ἐπὶ τῆς κλίνης (edd. τὸ παιδίον βεβλημένον ἐπὶ τὴν κλίνην). Cf. Ac 1388 ‘David . . . fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers’ (προσετέθη πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας αὐτοῦ). Hall, VW orks, ii. 52, says, ‘His servant is sick; he doth not drive him out of doores, but layes him at home.’
The simple verb to lay is used in Jon 3° in the sense of ‘lay aside,’ ‘He arose from his throne
and he laid his robe from him.’ The Sspreescn is irregular, and due to the word ‘from’ following.
LAYING ON OF HANDS
To lay means to ‘impute’ in Job 24" ‘God (
layeth not folly to them’ (ον τ, RV ‘imputeth it not for folly’; ef. 1S 22 ‘Let not the king impute anything unto his servant,’ Heb. ov;-dx) So Jonson, Sejanus, ii, 1— ‘So prepare the poison As you may lay the subtle operation Upon some natural disease of his.’
Some phrases demand attention: 1. Lay along, see ALONG. 2, Lay apart, Ja 151 ‘Wherefore lay apart all filthiness’ (ἀποθέμενοι, RV ‘putting away,’ a metaphor from the putting off of clothes — Mayor). 3. Lay at, meaning ‘strike at,’ Job 41% ‘The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold.’ Cf. Holland, Suetonius’ Caligula, ¢. 25, ‘With her perilous fingers shee would not sticke to lay at the face and eyes of other small Children playing together with her.’ 4 Lay away, t.e. lay aside, Ezk 9016 ‘Then all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and lay away their robes’; Ad. Est 142 ‘Esther . . . lai away her glorious apparel.’ Cf. Spenser, ΚῸ 1. viii. 49—
‘Such the sight Of fowle Duessa, when her borrowed light Is laid away, and counterfesaunce knowne.’
8. Lay down, meaning to stake or deposit, Job 178 ‘Lay down now (8) πον, RV ‘Give now a Eee 2); put me in a surety with thee.’ Cf. Is 14%, Coy. ‘Yet darre I laye, that thou shalt be brought downe to the depe of hell.’ 6. Lay hands on. The verb κρατέω ‘to gain power over,’ ‘seize,’ is so tr? in Mt 18% 21%, au πιάζω ‘to seize,’ ‘capture,’ in Jn 8”. For xparéw RV prefers the more modern ‘lay hold of,’ and for πιάξω ‘take.’ 7. Lay open, Pr 13 «A fool layeth open his folly’ (RV ‘spreadeth out,’ as AVm). Cf. Fuller, Holy Warre, v. 2 (p. 231), ‘I will lay open my cause, and justice shall be done without any by-respect.’ 8. Lay out, 2K 12" ‘And they gave the money, being told, into the hands of them that did the work... and they laid it out to the carpenters and builders,’ a compromise between the Gen. version ‘ payed it out’ and the literal tr® ‘brought it forth,’ RV ‘paid it out.’ 9. Lay wait occurs often. The more modern form ‘lie in wait’ is also found, as well as ‘laying await’ and ‘laying of wait.’ See WAIT. J. HASTINGS.
LAYING ON OF HANDS (ἐπίθεσις χειρῶν, Vule. impositio manus or manuum), Ac 818,1 Ti 4%, 2 Ti 1°, He 62.—The ceremony thus described is men- tioned frequently both in OT and NT, where it appears in connexion with religious acts of widely different character.
i. OLD TESTAMENT.—(a@) It occurs as a symbol of benediction in Gn 48 ‘Tsrael stretched out his right hand and laid it (nen, éré8adev*) upon Ephraim’s head... and Joseph said... Put (av, ἐπίθες) thy right hand upon his (Manasseh’s) head.’ In giving the high priestly blessing to the con- gregation ‘Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people’ (Ly 9* xy, ἐξάρας) ; but the action, though ritually distinct,+ seems to have had in this case the same significance as the imposition of hands upon an individual (cf. Nu 67 ἐπιθήσουσιν τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς ᾿Ισραήλ, καὶ ἐγὼ Κύριος εὐλογήσω αὐτούς). (6) The laying on of hands occupies an important place in the sacrificial system of P (Ex 9910. 15.19 Ty 14 (LXX) 35. 8. 18. qi 2 29. 88. 614-18 1671; cf. 2 Ch 29%). It is preseribed in the case of (1) the bullock and the rams offered at the conse- cration of Aaron and his sons ; (2) private offerings of quadrupeds on all occasions; + (3) sin ofierings