not a Gentile. See King. Judges, genealogists, the heads of families or clans, and those who, from the rela- tion they sustained to the common class of people, may be called the princes of the tribes, retained their author- ity after as well as before the introduction of a monarch- ical form of government, and acted the part of a legis- lative assembly to the respective cities in or near which they resided (1 Kings xii, 1-24 ; 1 Chron. xxiii, 4 ; xxvi, 29). The headship of the tribes and fam.ilics was hered- itary, though probably subject to the royal approbation; but the judges and genealogists were appointed by the king. Besides these, we read of certain great officers, as '■ the royal counsellors" (1 Kings xii, G-12 ; 1 Chron. xxvii, 32 ; Isa. iii, 3), among whom the prophets were included by pious kings (2 Sam. vii, 2 ; 1 Kings xxii, 7, 8 ; 2 Kings xix, 2-20) ; while others of a different char- acter imitated the example of heathen princes, and called in to their aid soothsa3'ers and false prophets (I Kings xviii, 22 ; xxii, G ; Dan. i, 20). The secretary or "scribe" (2 Sam. viii, 16; xx, 24; 1 Kings iv, 3) com- mitted to writing not only the edicts and sayings of the king, but everything of a piiblic nature that related to the kingdom ; and it was likewise his business to present to the king in i\Titing an account of the state of affairs. The high-priest may be also reckoned among those who had access to the king in the character of counsellors (2 Sam. viii, 17; 1 Chron. xviii, 16). See Counsellor. During the Captivity and after that period the Hebrews continued among them that class of officers denominated heads of families, and perhaps likewise the princes of the tribes, who, under the direction of the royal gov- ernors, ruled their respective tribes (Ezra i, 5 ; iv, 3, 5; Nch. ii, IG; vi, 17, 18; Ezek. xiv, 1) ; but it is most probable that Jehoiachin, and afterwards Shcalticl and Zerubbabel, held the first rank among them, or, in other words, were their princes. After their return to their native country the Hebrews obeyed their l^^l2,p«c//r//^', or president. Such were Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehe- miah, who were invested with ample powers for the pur- poses of government (Ezra vii, 25). When, from any cause, there was no person authorized by the civil gov- ernment to act as president, the high-priest commonly undertook the government of the state. This state of things continued while the Jews were under the Per- sians and Creeks, until the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, in whose reign tlicy appealed to arms, shook off the yoke of foreign subjugation, and, having obtained their freedom, made their high-priests princes, and at length kings. The Jews, likewise, who were scattered abroad, and had taken up their residence in countries at a dis- tance from Palestine, had rulers of their own. The per- son who sustained tlie highest office, among those who dwelt in Egypt was denominated aluharch (q. v.) ; the magistrate at the head of the Syrian Jews was denomi- nated arc/ion. See Ruler. While the Jews were un- der the Roman government they enjoyed the privilege of referring litigated questions to referees, whose deci- sions in reference to them the Roman prastor Mas bound to see put in execution.
After the subjugation of the Jews by the Romans, certain provinces of Judrea were governed by that class of magistrates denominated tetrarchs, an office said to have originated among the Gauls; and this appellation, although originally applied to the chief magistrate of the fourth jiart of a tribe, subject to the authority of the king, was afterwards extended in its application, and ap- plied to any governors, sidiject to some king or emperor, without reference to the fact whether they nded or not precisely the fourth part of a tribe of people. See Tetkarch. Herod Antipas, accordingly, and Philip, al- though they did not rule so much as a fourth part of Judrea, were denominated tetrarchs (ilatt, xiv, 1 ; Lid^e ix, 7; Acts xiii, 1). Although this class of rulers were dependent upon Caesar, that is, the Roman emperor, they nevertheless governed the people who were committed to their immediate jurisdiction as much according to I their own choice and discretion as if thev had not been
MAGISTRATES
651
MAGNANBIITY
thus dependent. They were inferior, however, in point of rank, to the ethnarchs, who, although they did not publicly assume the ;iarae of king, were addressed with that title by their subjects, as was the case with respect to Archelaus (Matt, ii, 22). A class of magistrates well known among the Komans, termed jirocurafors, are de- nominated in the New Testament yyei-wvec, but it ap- pears that they are called by Josephus tTrirpoTrot. Ju- d;Ba, after 'the termination of the ethnarchate of Arche- laus, was governed by riders of this description, and like- wise during the period which immediately succeeded the reign of Herod Agrippa. Augustus made a new parti- tion of the provinces of the Roman empire into p?-oi-iiici(e senafo?-ia', which were loft under the nominal care of the senate, and pronnciai impei-atorice vel Ccesarum, which were under the direct control of the emperor. To their provinces the senate sent officers for one year, called proconsuls, with only a civil power, and neither military command nor authority over the taxes : those sent to command in the imperial provinces were called lec/ati Ccesaris pro consule, etc., and had much greater powers. In each of these provinces, of both kinds, there was, be- sides the president, an officer called jjrociirator Cmsaris, who had the charge of the revenue, and who sometimes discharged the office of a governor or president, especial- ly in a small province, or in a portion of a large one where the president could not reside ; as did Pilate, who was procurator of Judiea, which was annexed to the 2)roi'iiicia imperatoi-ia of Syria ; hence he had the pow- er of punishing capitally, which the procurators did not usually possess ; so also Felix, Festus, and the other pro- curators of Judaja. Some of the procurators were de- pendent on the nearest proconsul or president ; for in- stance, those of Judiea were dependent on the proconsul, governor, or president of Syria. They enjoyed, how- ever, great authority, and possessed the power of life and death. The only privilege, in respect to the officers of government, that was granted by the procurators of Ju- dffia to the nation was the appointment from among them of persons to manage and collect the taxes. In all other things they administered the government them- selves, except that they frequently had recourse to the counsel of other persons (Acts xxiii, 24-35 ; xxv, 23). See Province.