Literature. — G. A. Smith, HGHL, Index, s.v. ' Roads' ; artt. by F. Buhl and W. M. Ramsay in Hastings' DB, Extra Vol.
pp. tiUS-Ju:; ; Thomson, LB\ Stanley, SP\ Conder, J'alesUiw ; Kinglake, Eothen. K. LeGGAT.
ROBBER {Xya-rris, Vulg. latro) is found in AV only in Jn 10'- « 18-"' (Barabbas). In RV it stands for'the same Greek word also in Mt 21^3 ^^m^ 11" = Lk 19-'« ('den of robbers') ; Mt 265'^ = Mk W^ = Lk 22^- (' Are ye come out as against a robber ? ') ; Mt 27^8- ^^ = Mk 15-^ ('two robbers'); Lk 10^»-^« (' fell among robbers'). In all these places AV has ' thief,' wliich elsewhere is the equivalent of kX^tttijs. The two (Ireek A\ords ditler precisely as the two English ; the Xrjtrr^? (robber, brigand, highwayman) takes by force, the /vX^tttt/s (thief) by stealth. Judas was a thief (Jn 12''), Barabbas a robber
(18-*", cf. Mk 15'). But earlier English versions join witii AV in ignoring this distinction; 'thief occurs in them all in the above passages from the Synoptists ; in Jn 10'- ** wiien another word was needed, Tind. and Geneva have 'robber,' but Cranmer ' murtherer ' (cf. Luther, Mnrder) ; in 18^" Wye. and Khem. have 'thief,' Tind. 'robber,' Cran. and Gen. 'murtlierer.' But in 16th cent. English, 'thief was used in a wider sense tiian now, including all kinds of robbery. Thus Shake- speare calls pirates 'water thieves' [Merchant of Veiiire, I. 3); Latimer (Sermons, Parker Soc. 208) calls Robin Hood ' a traitor and a thief,' and (139) applying Is 1-^ says ' He calleth princes thieves. Had they a standing at Shooter's Hill or Standgate Hole, to take a purse ? ' So Cranmer (Remains, I'arker Soc. 107), 'Job said not "These wicked tiiieves have wrought me this woe " ; but re- ferred all to God.' See Trench, NT Synonyms, %\\iv.
Palestine has always, if its government has been weak, been infested by robbers, to wliom its rocks and caves afford plentiful cover and shelter (cf. Jg 9-^ Hos 6" 7M- Herod, when quite young, first made his reputation by ruthlessly executing robbers in Galilee (Josephus, Ant. XIV. ix. 2, BJl. x. 5). At a later time he destroyed robbers who lived in inaccessible caverns, by lowering cliests full, of soldiers from the clifi" above (Ant. XIV. xv. 4-5, BJ I. xvi. 2-4). This reminds us of 'den of robbers' (Jer 7", Mt 21'^ ||). Not only had the Temple be- come a haunt of ' robbers ' — the dealers in the Temple market were notorious for their extortion — but it gave them fancied security in their evil-doing. (During the Jewish War the Temple was literally the stronghold of the robbers or Zealots, BJ IV. iii. 7, etc.). There was a great outbreak of robbery on the death of Herod (Ant. xvil. x., BJ II. iv.). We read later of robbers plundering a servant of the Emperor's, near Bethhoron, which was avenged on the neighbouring villagers by Cumanus (Ant. XX. V. 4, BJ II. xii. 2), and of Fadus, Felix, and Festus destroying large numbers of them (Ant. XX. i. 1, viii. 5, 10, BJlI. xiii. 2, xiv. 1). Under the later pi'ocurators tlie country swarmed with them. It is probable that some of these ' robbers ' were really Zealots, in rebellion against the authority of Rome, so that there Avas an element of misplaced patriotism and even religion in their proceedings. Trench (I.e.) shows how this may throw light on the character of the 'Penitent Robber.' In any case, Josephus at a later date identifies robbers and Zealots (BJlv. iii. 3. 9, etc.).
Tiie road from Jerusalem to Jericho, the scene of the parable of the Good Samaritan, has always had a bad name for robbers. Near it Pompey destroyed two robbers' strongholds (Strabo, xvi. 2) ; Jerome (on Jer 3-) speaks of its dangers, and de- rives the ' ascent of Adummim ' on tliis road from the blood shed there by robbers (Lor. Heh. s.v.). See Stanley, Sin. and Pal. 314, 424, and art. Samaritan (The Good). Harold Smith.
ROBE.— See Dress.
ROCK (Trerpa).— 1. In Mt 7"-' the word stands for a rocky foundation, which would remain solid, not- withstanding the sapping effect of floods ; while the sandy foundation means a carelessly ciiosen site, where the loose formation of the soil would be very easily penetrated by torrents, thus making the building erected on it very insecure. The moral and spiritual parallel is tliat of two contrasted lives, one durable, the other perishing and worth- less. The man who listens to Christ's words but does not carry them out, never allowing them to afiect his chai'acter, is one who builds upon the sand. He, again, who hears the word and straight- way can-ies it into action, doing the Avill of God Avith his might, has chosen the rocky foundation. To him the storms and trials of life act as tests of character, Avhich shoAV it to be securely founded, and make it more firm and durable. Perhaps faith and obedience are the tAvo prominent character- istics of the man Avho builds his house upon the rock. See art. Building.
2. At Cajsarea Philijipi, Christ asked His dis- ciples about the various opinions men Avere hold- ing regarding Him. St. Peter answered for the Apostles : ' Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.' The Saviour Avas pleased by this ansAver of faith, Avhich had been revealed to Peter by the Heavenly Father, and commended him by saying (Mt 16^^), 'Thou art Peter (veTpos), and on this rock (irerpa) I Avill build my Church.' St. Peter thus shoAved himself to be one Avho had profited by Christ's teaching, being a doer of the Avord as Avell as a hearer. Only the faithful and obedient heart could have given him such a deep knoAvledge of the truth. As Jerusalem stood on the rocky foundation of Mt. Zion, and Avas faced by the dark rocks of the valley of Hinnom, a scene of death and corruption ; so the neAV city of God, the ^KKXrjala of Christ, is to be founded on imperishable founda- tions, so that the opposing gates of Hades (all the