1. The trial of our Lord before Pilate was, in a legal sense, a trial for the ofTence hesce majestatis — one which, under the Julian law, following out that of the twelve tables (Dir/est, iv, 1,3), would be punishable with death (Luke xxiii, 2, 38; John xix, 12, 15). See Jesus Christ.
2. The trials of the apostles, of Stephen, and of Paul before the high -priest were coniiucted acconling to Jewish rules (Actsiv; v, 27; vi, 12; xxii, 30; xxiii, 1). See Stei^hen.
3. The trial, if it may be so called, of Paul and Silas at Philippi was held before the duumviri, or, as they are called, arpnr?/yo(, praetors, on the charge of innova- tion in religion — a crime punishable with banishment or death (Acts xvi, 19, 22). See Sergeant.
4. The interrupted trial of Paid before the proconsul Gallio was an attempt made by the Jews to establish a charge of the same kind (Acts xviii, 12-17, see Cony- beare and Ilowson, i, 492-496).
5. Thetrialsof Panlat Cffisarea (Actsxxiv, xxv, xxvi) were conducted according to Roman rules of judicature, of which the procurators Felix and Festus were the rec- ognised administrators. (1.) In the first of these, before Felix, we observe («) the employment by the plaintiffs of a Roman advocate to plead in Latin [see Orator]; (b) the postponement (umplintio) of the trial after Paul's reph' (see Smith, Diet, of Class, Antiq. s. v. "Judex") ; (r) the free custody in which the accused was kept, pending the decision of the judge (Acts xxiv, 23-26). (2.) The second formal trial, before Festus, was proba- bly conducted in the same maimer as the former one be- fore Felix (xxv, 7, 8), but it presents two new features: («) the appeal, appellatio or prorocatio, to C:^sar by Paul as a Roman citizen. The right of appeal ndpopu- luni, or to the tribunes, became, under the empire, trans- ferred to the emperor, and, as a citizen, Paul availed himself of the right to which he was entitled, even in the case of a provincial governor. The effect of the ap- peal was to remove the case at once to the jurisdiction of the emperor (see Conybeare and Howson, ii, 360; Smith, ut sup. s. v. " Appellatio;" Dif/est, xlix, 1, 4). (6) The conference of the procurator with "the council" (Acts xxv, 12). This council is usually explained to have consisted of the assessors, who sat on the bench with the prajtor as consiliarii (Sueton. Tib. 33 : Grotius,
TRIAL SERMON
544
TRIBE
On Acts XXF ; Conybeare and Howson, ii, 358, 361). Itiit, besides the absence of any previous mention ot'anj' assessors (see below), tlie mode of expression orXXoX/j- ni((j fitTu Tov <n<i.(j^orM(w seems to a(bnit tbe explana- tion of conference with the deputies from tbe Sanlie- <lrim (to avfili.). Paul's appeal would jirobably be in tbe Latin langnas;;e, and would require explanation on the part of the judge to tbe deputation of accusers be- fore he carried into effect the inevitable result of tbe appeal, viz. the dismissal of the case so far as they were concerned. See 1'aii,.
(). We have, lastly, the mention (Acts xix, 38) of a judicial assembly which held its session at Ephesus, in which occur the terms «yo|0o7ot (i.e. if/^i'tpai) uyovrai and dr^vTraroi. Tlie former denotes the assembly, then sitting, of provincial citizens forming the conventus. out of which the proconsul, nvBinrarog, selected "judices" to sit as his assessors. The ch'^vTraTot would thus be the judicial tribunal composed of the proconsul and his assessors. In tbe former case, at Ciesarea, it is difficult to imagine that there could be any conventus and any provincial assessors. There the only class of men <piali- fied for such a function would be the h'oman officials at- tached to the procurator; but in Proconsular Asia such assemblies are well known to have existed (Smhh, Diet, (if ('fin's. Anfii). s. V. " Provincia").
Early Christ ian practice discouraged resort to heathen tribunals in civil matters (I Cor. vi, 1). See PfXisii-
aiKNT.
Trial Seiinon. See Trials.
Trials, the name given in ecclesiastical diction to those di-scourses delivered before the presbytery by students who have finished their course, and are seek- ing to be licensed to preach. These discourses are a sermon, a lecture, a homily, an exegesis or exercise with adtlitioMS, and a thesis. There are also examinati(ins on systematic theology and practical piety, on Church history, and on thetireek and Hebrew Scriptures.
Triangle Controversy, Thk, was a dis|)ute oc- casioned by T/k' Tiiaiif/le. a book by Samuel Whelpley (1816) against limited atonement, inability, and imme- <iiate imputation. The controversy led to the trial of Albert P)arnesand of Lyman Beeclicrfor alleged heresy, and finally to the disruption of the Presbyterian Church in 1837. See Hagenbach, //m^ o/'/Voc/. ii, 4-l"2.
Tribe (n;i"3 and 152'C, both originally meaning a rod or branch ; <pv\i}) is tbe name of the great groups of families into which the Israelitish nation, like other Oriental races, was divided. The modern Arabs, tbe Ik'dawin, and the Uerbers, and also the jMoors on the northern shores of Africa, are still divided into tribes. The clans in Scotland are also analogous to the tribes of the ancient Israelites. The division of a nation into tribes differs from a division into castes, since one is a division merely according to descent, and the other superadds a necessity of similar occupations being ))revalent among persons connected by consanguinity. There occurs, however, among the Israelites a caste also, namely, that of the Levites. In Cien. xlix the tribes are enumerated according to their progenitors; viz. 1, Penbcn, the first-born; 2, Simeon, and 3, Levi, instruments of cruelty; 4, Jiidah, whom his brethren shall praise; 5, Zcliulon, dwelling at the haven of the sea; 6. Issacbar. the strong; 7, Dan, the judge ; 8, (Jad, •whom a troop shall overcome, but wbfi shall vanc[uish at last; 9, Asher, whose bread shall be fat; 10, Naphtali, giving goodly words; 1 1,. Joseph, the fruitful bough ; 1"2, Benjamin, the wolf: all these were originally the twelve tribes of Israel (see Allin, PropheciiS of the Ticelre Tribes [Lond. 1855]). In this enumeration it is remarkable that tlie sidiseqnent division ofthe tribe of .Joseph into the two branches of Epbraim and iSIanasseh is not yet alluded to. After this later division of tbe very numerous tribe of Joseph into the two branches of Epbraim and IVIanas- seh had ta,ken place, there were, stricth' speaking, thir- teen tribes. It was. however, usual to view them as