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CHAPTER VII.

OF THE TITLE RABBI.

THE title Rabbi, with several others from the same root,

rabhabh, magnus est, vel multiplicatus est, began first to be assumed, according to Godwin, as a distinguishing title of honour by men of learning, about the time of the birth of Christ. We find it anciently given, indeed, to several magistrates and officers of state. In the Book of Esther, it is said, the king appointed - col-rab betho, which we render

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❝ all the officers of his house;" chap. i. 8. In Jeremiah we read of the rabbè hammelek, "the princes of the then king;" chap. xli. 1. In the Book of Job, it is said, that the Dan rabbim, which we render "great men, are not always wise," chap. xxxii. 9 Engl., 10 Heb. ; a rendering, which I apprehend well expresses the original meaning of the word. It was not therefore in those days properly a title of honour, belonging to any particular office or dignity, in church or state; but all who were of superior rank and condition in life, were called a rabbim. We do not find the prophets, or other men of learning in the Old Testament, affecting any title beside that which denoted their office; and they were contented to be addressed by their bare names. But as religion and true knowledge declined among them, their pride discovered itself in affectation of titles of honour. Thus, in the first ages of the Christian church, during the prevalence of truth, and of piety and humility, the ministers of Christ had no other titles, but the mere names of their office, apostles, pastors, &c., whereas, in the later corrupt ages of ignorance and pride, a number of titles of honour were invented, to support their dignity, and conciliate the respect and reverence of the people; as masters, doctors, &c.

The first Jewish rabbi, said to have been distinguished with any title of honour, was Simeon, the son of Hillel, who succeeded his father as president of the Sanhedrim; and his title

was that of Rabban.* He is supposed by Altingius to have been the Simeon who took the infant Jesus in his arms, and blessed him, Luke ii. 25; and for this reason, as he conceives, he is seldom mentioned by the later rabbies, though he was a man of such honour and dignity, and the first who was distinguished by their favourite title.+ Others think it hardly probable, that the Simeon who was directed by the Holy Ghost to pay that respect to our Saviour, was the president of the Sanhedrim; for Gamaliel, the president's son, was tutor to St. Paul, who received no favourable notion of Christianity from him, as in all probability he must have done from the son of that Simeon who took our Saviour in his arms and blessed him. Besides, had he, who did this, been president of the great council, St. Luke in all likelihood would have taken notice of so extraordinary a circumstance, instead of mentioning him only as "a certain man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon."+

The later rabbies tell us, this title was conferred with a good deal of ceremony. When a person had gone through the schools, and was thought worthy of the degree of rabbi, he was first placed in a chair somewhat raised above the company; then were delivered to him a key and a table-book: the key, as a symbol of the power or authority now conferred upon him, to teach that knowledge to others, which he had learned himself; and this key he afterward wore as a badge of his honour, and when he died, it was buried with him: the table-book was a symbol of his diligence in his studies, and of his endeavouring to make farther improvements in learning.

The third ceremony in the creation of a rabbi was the imposition of hands on him by the delegates of the Sanhedrim, practised in imitation of Moses's§ ordaining Joshua by this rite, to succeed him in his office: Numb. xxvii. 18; Deut. xxxiv. 9. And then,

* Lightfoot's Harmony on Luke ii. 25.

Alting. de Schilo, lib. iv. xxi. tom. v. Oper. p. 99; Lightfoot, ubi supra ; and Hora Hebr. Luke ii. 25.

↑ See Witsii Miscell. tom. i. lib. i. cap. xxi. sect. xiii.—xvi. p. 289–292, edit. Traject. 1692.

§ Maimon. Tractat. Sanhedrin, cap. iv.; vid. Selden de Synedr. lib. i. cap. xiv. Opera, vol. i. tom. ii. p. 1088, 1089.

Fourthly, they proclaimed his title.*

According to Maimonides, the third ceremony was not looked upon to be essential; but was sometimes omitted. They did not always, saith he, lay their hands on the head of the elder to be ordained; but called him rabbi, and said, Behold thou art ordained, and hast power, &c.t

We find this title given to John the Baptist, John iii. 26; and frequently to our blessed Saviour; as by John's disciples, John i. 38, by Nicodemus, chap. iii. 2, and by the people that followed him; chap. vi. 25.

It has been made a question, whether our Lord had taken the degree and title of rabbi in the Jewish schools. Vitringa maintains the affirmative,‡ alleging that he was called so by Judas, Matt. xxvi. 25, who he supposes would not have complimented him with a title, to which he had no right. It may be replied, that this being before Judas discovered his treason, and while he associated with the disciples, he no doubt affected to speak as respectfully to Christ, as any of the rest.

Vitringa insists upon another argument, to prove that Christ must have taken the degree of rabbi; alleging, that otherwise he could not have preached publicly in the temple, and in the synagogues, as we know he did. But this is built on a mistake in fact. Any Israelite might preach publicly in the temple, or in the synagogue, by the permission of the ruler of it, as we observed in a former lecture.§

Mr. Selden takes the other side of the question,|| denying that Christ had ever taken this degree. And for this opinion several arguments may be alleged.

1st. It appears that he had had no education in the rabbinical schools, as those who were honoured with this degree must have had; John vii. 15.

2dly. He expresses his disapprobation of the title, and charges his disciples not to assume it, Matt. xxiii. 7,8: "Be

See, on the creation of a rabbi, Alting. in Oratione de Promot. Hebr. + Maimon. Sanhedr. cap. iv.; see Selden, ubi supra, and Lightfoot's Hor. Hebr. Acts xiii. 3.

↑ Vitring. de Synag. Vetere, vol. ü. lib. iii. part i. cap. vii. p. 706, 707. § See above, p. 273.

Selden, de Synedr. Hebræor. lib. ii. cap. vii. sect. viii. Opera, vol. i. tom. ii. p. 1373.

not ye called rabbi," &c. Which, as Mr. Selden shows, was a prohibition of their taking that degree; but was not intended absolutely to condemn the use of the title as a mark of civility to those public teachers who might not in form have taken the degree; a practice, at that time, common among the Jews, as giving the title of doctor to the minister of the parish, whether he hath taken the degree or not, is now among us.* The reason of our Lord's forbidding his disciples to be called, or to affect the title of rabbi, was, doubtless,

1st. To caution them against that pride and haughtiness which generally went along with it. For, though the rabbies pretended to slight the honour, and it was a maxim with them, "Love the work and not the title;"+ it is certain, nevertheless, they were excessively proud and vain of it, insomuch that they were highly offended, if any person spoke to them without giving it to them; a remarkable instance of which Wagenseil relates:"A certain rabbi sent a letter to another, and forgot to give him his title; but only called him in plain terms, friend. At which he was so highly incensed, that he immediately sent a messenger to that rabbi, charging him to call him Anan, Anan (which was his name), without giving him the title rabbi." This, it seems, was the keenest revenge he could take on him for so gross an affront. And Dr. Lightfoot tells us, from one of their rabbinical books, that the Sanhedrim excommunicated certain persons twenty-four times for not giving due honour to the rabbies.§

2dly. The design of our Saviour's forbidding his disciples to be called rabbi was probably also, that they might not take upon them to lord it over the faith and consciences of men, as the rabbies did, who pretended to little less than to be infallible guides of faith and conscience; insomuch that it was looked upon as a crime for any person not to hearken to the rabbies, or to disbelieve or doubt of the truth of what they

* Selden. de Synedr. lib. ii. cap. vii. seet. x. Opera, vol. i. tom. ii. p.

1378-1383.

+ See Maimonides as quoted by Lightfoot, Hor. Hebraic. Matt. xxiii. 7 ; and Pyrke Abhoth, lib. i. cap. x.; et Ob. de Bartenora in loc.

Wagenseil in Sota, annot. v. in cap. i. sect. x. except. Gemaræ, p.

§ Hora Hebraic. Matt. xxiii. 7.

taught. Hence Gamaliel advises the ignorant among the Jews" to get themselves rabbies, that they may no longer doubt of any thing;"* and Rabbi Eleazar says, “he that separates from the school of the rabbies, or teaches any thing which he has not heard from his master, provokes the Divine Majesty to depart from Israel."+

Maimonides tells us, that men of the degree of rabbi were also called Abba, or father; and that "he who will be holy, must perform the words of the fathers." Hence our Saviour forbids his disciples taking the title of father as well as rabbi; Matt. xxiii. 8, 9.

These are the teachers and guides to whom the apostle seems to refer, when he saith, Rom. ii. 17-20, “Behold thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, and knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law; and art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law."S

The reason of our Saviour's prohibiting his disciples to be called rabbi is expressed in these words, "Be not ye called rabbi, for one is your master, even Christ," кanуnτns, your guide and conductor, on whose word and instructions alone you are to depend in matters of religion and salvation. Accordingly the inspired apostles pretend to nothing more than, as the ambassadors of Christ, to deliver his instructions; and for their own part, they expressly disclaim all dominion over the faith and consciences of men; see 2 Cor. v. 20; chap i. 24.

The Jewish writers distinguish between the titles Rab, Rabbi, and Rabban. As for Rab and Rabbi, the only difference between them is, that Rab was the title of such as had had their education, and taken their degree, in some foreign Jewish school; suppose at Babylon, where there was a school

* Pirke Abhoth, cap. i. sect. xvi. which precept Maimonides and Bartenora (in loc.) restrain to ritual observances.

+ Talmud Babylon. tit. Berachoth, fol. xxii. ii.; see Lightfoot, Hora Hebr. Matt. xxiii. 7.

↑ Maimon. in Præfat. Tractat.; Pirke Abhoth, Mishn. tom. iv. p. 393. § See Whitby on Matt. xxiii. 8, 9.

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