PROSTITUTE
GGG
PROTAGORAS
bidden by the Mosaic law, especial prohibition was laid upon [sraelitish women from hiring themselvi - as pros- titutes ( Lev. xix. 29; comp, xxi, 9); and. with special reference to the Phoenicians, they were forbidden to abandon themselves to the use of men | Deut xxiii. 17). The "hire of a whore" <""" ",:rX; comp. also Ezek. xvi, 33, and Rosen ra Hller, ud foe.) must not be accepted by the priests as the subject of a vow, or a gift of devo- tion in the Temple (Dent, xxiii, 18 I; this hire, consist- ing in a piece of money or a kid (Gen. xxxviii, 17), if 1 at the Temple for a sacrifice, and received as among other ancient nations, would have seemed to al- low prostitution (comp. Mishna, Terumoth, vi. 2; .Mo- vers Phonic, i. 680). In Paphos, a kid was offered to the goddess "f love (Tacitus, Hist. ii,3). The Hetsene used i" bring io Aphrodite Pandemos tin- sacrifice of a goal (Lucian, Dial. Meret. \ ii. 1 i. The trade of pros- titution was s etimes very profitable among the an- cients (Herod, i, 93). In spite of all prohibitions, there were always public prostitutes among the Hebrew* who, probably, as among the Arabs and Persians, prac- ticed dancing and music (Baruch vi, 8, 43; VVisd. i\. •1; 1 Kings iii, 16; Prov. vi. 26 sq.; \ ii. 10 sq., 23, 27; Amos ii. 7; vii, 17; Hosea i. 2), and may have been in part foreigners i Movers, Phonic, i, 53), as l'lue- nicians and Syrians (Judg. xvi. 1). Syrian harlots travelled in the time id' the Roman empire, and were called Imbubaja (Sueton. Nero, '27; Horace. Sat. i. 2, l i, because they were sometimes skilled in playing on the harp (see Heindorf, on Horace, 1. c; comp. Apu- leieus, M< tarn, viii, p. 182, ed. Bip.). But the Hebrew name ^~-} perhaps means, not a stranger, but the strange women, like FPiT; hence, adulteress.
The harlots walked in public, adorned and veiled (Gen. xxxviii, 14; Petron.&rfyr.'xvi; but see Pococke, East, i. 76), or seated themselves by the wayside, and, with seductive gestures, strove to lead aside travellers (Gen. xxwiii, 11; Baruch vi, 43; comp. Dougtaei Analect. i. p. 12 sq.). We may well suppose that the harlots could be in some way recognised in dress. gait, etc., even when they put on a show of modest behavior (comp. Hartmann, Hebr. ii. 195 sq.). Ii is not probable that, the veiling ever distinguished the harlots from chaste women. See Veil. (Comp. Buckingham, Mesop. p. 55.) In the brothels the girls bore peculiar names which had become by some chance attached to them (Senec. Controv. i. 2. p.84,ed. Bip.). Some would inter- prel in allusion to this the words in Rev. xvii. ."). hut
see Ewald, ad he. At the time of the division of the Hebrew kingdom, whoredom was practiced, especially among the ten tribes, under the Syrian influences then pouring in (comp. Numb. xxv. 1 sq.), often even in ser- vice of the gods, especially oi' Astarte (Hosea iv, II; 1 Kings siv, 24; xv, 12; xxii, 17: 2 Kings xxiii. 7; comp. Baruch vi,43; Herod, i, 199; Justin, xviii, 5 ; Strabo, viii, :;7.S; xii, 559; Val. .Max. ii. 6, 15; Augus- tine, Civ. />< i. iv, L0; Heyne, in Commentat. Soc. (,',,/ii,,,/. xvi. and see I iesen. ,<n Tsa. ii, 339 sip |. The law did not
establish municipal and p.. lice penalties against noto- rious hail. .is. and the toleration of those from abroad (which certainly was not the design of the law-giver.
tl gh ii is easily explicable among an < Iriental people
when polygamy was allowed) seem- in have been un- conditional (see Potter, Greek Intiq. i, 354; Wachs- muth, Hellen, Alterth. II. ii. 48). Winer. The exist- ence "i companies of prostitutes in the sacred groves and high-places of the ancient dews may rerve to ac-
COUUt I.. r the rendering which the Sept. gives to the
expression "high-places" in Ezek. xvi. 39, by a term which in Greek denotes a place ..i indecent resort. The Sukkoth /„,„,//,. iii, .rally "tabernacles of daughters,"
which l he men of Babylon are mentioned ill 2 Kings xvii. 30 as having made, are probably places of the same kind, being haunts ,.i wickedness. According to Josephus i \nt. iv, 8,23), all intercourse with a prosti- tute was illegal, which is natural, since even the sons
of public harlots could never attain citizen's rights among the .lews (Deut. xxiii. 2), and had no claim to share in their lather's inheritance (comp. Judg. xi, 1). Among the tireeks and Romans, at the time ol the appearance of Christianity, prostitution had become a great public evil. The cause of this lay by no means alone in the excessive worship of certain divinities ( Wisd. xiv, 2(1 sq.),but in the frivolity of the t inn sand i he general decay of morals. In Rome harlots were le- gally tolerated (Zimmerm. Rom. Rechtsalterth. I. ii, 189; comp. Schoiigi ii. //../. //./.,. i. 168 s.p i. The laxer the principles of men in general were on this subject in iis various tonus, and the more boldly they avowed it (comp. Terence. Ad.//,/,, i. 2. 21 sip; Eunuch, iii, 5, 35 sq.), t lie more vigorously ware the apostles compelled
to oppose unchastity w here ii had entered the < Ihristian