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xxxiii. 21; xl. 1.* At the retaking of Babylon by Seleucus, A. A. C. 312, they adopted the era of the Seleucidæ, called by them the era of contracts; because after they fell under the government of the Syro-Macedonian kings, they were forced to use it in all their contracts about civil affairs. When they were driven from the East, A. D. 1040), they adopted the era of the creation, which, according to their computation, is in the present year of the Christian era (1826), 5586. In writing, they generally contract this, by omitting the thousands, writing only 586. If to the Jewish year then, as usually expressed by them, we add 1240, we get the year of the Christian era, as 586+1240, gives 1826.

The Jews, after their dispersion, having no opportunities of regulating their feasts by the appearance of the moon, were obliged to have recourse to astronomical calculations and cycles. They at first employed a cycle of 84 years; but this being found defective, they had recourse to a cycle of nineteen years, which had been invented by Meton, the illustrious Athenian philosopher, who flourished A. A. C. 432. The authority of this cycle was established by the Rabbi Hillel Hannasi about A. D. 360, and they say it is to be observed till the coming of the Messiah.†

The editor of Calmet has shewn that in some parts of the East, particularly in Japan, the year ending on a certain day, any portion of the preceding year is taken for a whole year; so that, supposing a child to be born in the last week of December, it would be reckoned one year old on the first of January. If this mode of computation obtained among the Hebrews, which is far from being improbable, it will account for those anachronisms of single years, or parts of years taken as whole ones, which occur in the Sacred Writings. It removes the difficulties which concern the half years of several princes of Judah and Israel, in which the latter half of the deceased king's last year has hitherto been supposed to be added to the former half of his successor's first year. I This conjecture is greatly strengthened by observing, that the Hebrews really adopted this principle when reckoning by days. Thus, "three days and three nights," the time during which our Saviour is said to have remained in the tomb, included only a part of the two extreme days.§

*Jennings' Jewish Antiq. b. iii. c. 1.

See Prideaux, vol. i. Pref. and sub. A. A. C. 162. 432.

Calmet's Bib. Ency. art. "

year."

We may further observe, in support of this opinion, that Aben Ezra, speaking of the law for circumcising an infant on the eighth day, says, if the infant was born but one hour before the first day was ended, it was counted for one whole day. -Ad Lev. xii. 3.

If the reader be desirous of seeing the complete Jewish Calender, containing their festivals, fasts, &c. he will find it in my work before referred to-Calendarium Palestina, in which is also inserted the principal events in the Scripture history, in their chronological order.

SECTION II.

JEWISH WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.

III. DRY

I. MEASURES OF LENGTH. II. LIQUID MEASURES. MEASURES. IV. WEIGHTS. V. MONEY. The various forms of metal, as media of exchange.

The importance of knowing the value of the several weights, measures, and coins, which are mentioned in Scripture, is too obvious to need a single remark. But as the money of the Greeks and Romans, who successively governed the East, was also current among the Hebrews, it is plain that our knowledge must extend to these. The following are the most common of the measures of length, of liquids, &c. which were used by the Jewish people.

I. MEASURES OF LENGTH.

A finger (Jer. lii. 21.), was the breadth of the thumb, or of six barley corns laid beside each other. According to bishop Cumberland it was equal to 912th parts of an inch.

A hand-breadth (Ex. xxv. 25, &c.), was equal to 18 barley

corns.

A span (Ex. xxviii. 16, &c.), according to Parkhurst, was about 10 inches.

A cubit, according to bishop Cumberland, was nearly 21 inches.

A fathom (Acts xxvii. 28), was 4 cubits. rather more than 3 inches.

Seven feet, and

A mile (Matt. v. 41.) milliarium, was equal to 1000 paces among the Romans; but the Eastern mile was equal to nearly 1 of our miles.

A furlong, or stadium, was equal to 375 Roman feet.

A reed was equal to 6 cubits and a hand-breadth; or nearly 10 feet, 11 inches.

A day's journey (Lev. ii. 44.) was, according to bishop Cum

berland, 33 English miles, 1 furlong, and 544 yards. A day's march to the festivals was 30 miles for individuals, and 10 miles for companies.*

A Sabbath-day's journey was 2000 cubits, or nearly three quarters of an English mile.

II. LIQUID MEASURES. To us it may seem strange that barley corns were the standard of dry measures of length, among the Jews: but so it was. The standard of liquid measures, however, will appear more strange, being eggshells. The following were the principal measures of capacity.

The log, or sextamus (Lev. vii. 4.), was equal to 6 eggshells full.

The hin was equal to 12 logs. According to bishop Cumberland, it was equal to 1 gallon, 2 pints, 2.5 solid inches. The firkin (John ii. 6.) was, according to Lightfoot, the same as the bath or ephah.

The bath was equal to 6 hins, or 432 egg-shells full.

The cor, which was their largest measure of capacity, was equal to 4320 egg-shells full-75 gallons, 5 pints, 7'6 solid inches.

III. DRY MEASURES were the following:

The cab, or measure (Rev. vi. 6.) was the least measure, but there is some difficulty in ascertaining its exact size. Bishop Cumberland believes it to have been the 0.15 of a pint. But Lamy makes it the allowance to a slave for a day, which was considerably more.

The omer, or tenth deal, because the tenth of an ephah, was nearly 3 pints.

The ephah was the same in dry measure as the bath was in liquid (Ezek. xlv. 11.); i. e. 432 egg-shells full-about 3 pecks, and 3-4 pints.

The seah, or measure (Matt. xiii. 33.), was equal to 6 cabs: therefore the 3 measures mean an ephah.

The letek (Hos. iii. 2.), was equal to 5 ephahs - 4 bushels, 0.8 pints.

The Humer, or ass's load, was of the same capacity as the cor in liquid measures; about 8 bushels, 1.6 pint.

IV. WEIGHTS.

The shekel, or weight, by way of eminence, was the standard to which all other weights were reduced. Bishop Cumberland makes it 7 diots, 15 grains; but Michaelis estimates it at 744 grains troy, only. This is called the shekel of the sanctuary, Ex. xxx. 13, &c. probably because, as the standard

*Lightfoot, Hor. Heb. Lu. ii. 44.

of weights, it was kept in the sanctuary (1 Chr. xxiii. 29), as our standards are kept in the exchequer.

The mina, or maneh, was equal to 60 shekels (Ezek. xlv. 12), uniformly, as bishop Cumberland thinks; but Parkhurst conceives, from comparing 1 Ki. x. 17 with 2 Chr. ix. 16, that it was equal to 100 shekels, when used as a weight; and 60 shekels when applied to money.

The talent was equal to 3000 shekels, or 125 lbs. troy, according to bishop Cumberland; but according to Michaelis, only 44 lbs. 4oz. troy.

V. MONEY.

The shekel of silver, or the silverling (Is. vii. 23), originally weighed 320 barley corns, but it was afterwards increased to 384 barley corns; its value being considered equal 4 Roman denarii, was 2s. 7d.; or, according to bishop Cumberland, 2s. 44d. It is said to have had Aaron's rod on the one side, and the pot of manna on the other.

The bekah was equal to half a shekel, Ex. xxxviii. 26. The Denarius was one-fourth of a shekel - 7 d. of our money.

The Gerah (Ex. xxx. 13), or, Meah, was the sixth part of the denarius, or diner, and the 24th part of the shekel.

The Assar, or Assarion (Matt. x. 29), was the 96th part of a shekel. Its value was rather more than a farthing.

The farthing (Matt. v. 26), was in value the 13th part a penny sterling.

of

The mite was the half of a farthing, or the 26th part of a penny sterling.

The Mina, or Maneh (Ezek. xlv. 12), was equal to 60 shekels, which taken at 2s. 7d. was 77. 15s.

The talent was 50 minas, and its value, therefore, 387/. 10s.

The gold coins were as follows:

A shekel of gold was about 14 times the value of silver, i. e. 11. 17s. 5 d.

A talent of gold consisted of 3000 shekels.

The drachma was equal to a Roman denarius, or 73d. of our

money.

The didrachma (Matt. xvii. 24), or tribute money, was equal to 15 d. It is said to have been stamped with a harp side, and a vine on the other.

on one

The stater, or piece of money which Peter found in the fish's mouth (Matt. xvii. 27), was two half shekels. A daric (drams, 1 Chr. xxix 7; coin struck by Darius the Mede. value was 17. 5s.

Ezr. viii. 27), was a gold

According to Parkhurst its

A gold penny is stated by Lightfoot to have been equal to 25 silver pence.

*

The original form of the precious metals, as media of exchange, appears to have been in the state of bullion. This was weighed in the balance, and was either increased or dininished till the parties were satisfied. It was in the favour of these metals, that they could be divided and subdivided, without injuring their value. They were, therefore, a convenient symbol of commodities. But whilst they continued in the form of bullion, they were liable to some inconveniences; for it was troublesome to weigh them at every transaction, and they might be adulterated. Hence the invention of bars of a certain size, and of a determinate purity, ascertained by some mark generally known. So early as the days of Abraham, we read of weighing pieces of silver, which were current money with the merchant, or of the legal purity, Gen. xxiii. 16. And when Jacob bought the parcel of ground from Hamor (Gen. xxxiii. 19), it would appear that the hundred pieces which he gave had a determinate mark upon them, for they are called a hundred keshithe, in the original. Now keshithe signifies lambs, yet these could not have been given; for we are told in Acts vii. 16, that the price was in money. Might not these 100 pieces, then, have been so called, because the figure of a lamb was impressed upon them, to ascertain their purity? But the most convenient improvement on the form and value of precious metals, as media of exchange, was that of coinage. It ascertained their fineness and value at first sight, whilst by their variety, they could easily be accommodated to every transaction. +

* See his Harmony, on John ii. 6; Hor. Heb. Matt. v. 26; and Prospect of the Temple, ch. x; Godwyn's Moses and Aaron, b. vi. ch. 9; Lamy, l. 1. c. 8, 9; Cumberland's Essay on the Jewish Weights and Measures; Prideaux's Connex. A. A. C. 538; Brown's Jewish Antiq. part ix. s. 9; Parkhurst, and Calmet's Dictionaries under the respective words.

+ Brown's Antiquities, ubi supra.

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