The very remarkable account which Hegesippus has given of the death of James the Just (c. 63
A.D.),
THE BROTHER OF THE
L
ORD
,
PRESERVED BY
E
USEBIUS
(
H. E.
2.23),
SUPPLIES
,
WITH ALL ITS STRANGE AND EXAGGERATED DETAILS
,
A COMMENTARY BOTH ON THE
J
EWISH FEELING TOWARDS
C
HRISTIANS AND ON THE
C
HRISTIAN FEELING TOWARDS
J
EWS IN
J
ERUSALEM ABOUT THIS TIME
.
W E CAN SEE THEN GENERALLY WHAT WAS THE CHARACTER OF THE BODY TO WHOM THE LETTER WAS ADDRESSED . W HERE CAN WE LOOK FOR SUCH A BODY ?
S
OME HAVE FOUND IT IN THE
H
EBREW
C
HRISTIANS OF
A
SIA
M
INOR GENERALLY
,
OR IN SOME SPECIAL CONGREGATION OF
S
YRIA
, A
SIA
M
INOR
, G
REECE
, I
TALY OR
A
FRICA
,
AND MORE PARTICULARLY AT
A
NTIOCH OR
R
OME OR
A
LEXANDRIA
. L
ATELY THE OPINION THAT THE LETTER WAS ADDRESSED TO THE
R
OMAN
C
HURCH HAS FOUND CONSIDERABLE FAVOUR
. B
UT THE DOMINANT CONCEPTION OF THE
O
LD
T
ESTAMENT
I
NSTITUTIONS AS CENTERING IN SACRIFICIAL AND PRIESTLY ORDINANCES SEEMS TO BE FATAL TO ALL THESE THEORIES WHICH ARE NOT SUPPORTED BY ANY DIRECT EVIDENCE
,
FOR NO CONCLUSION CAN BE FAIRLY DRAWN AS TO THE ORIGINAL DESTINATION OF THE
E
PISTLE FROM THE FACT THAT
C
LEMENT OF
R
OME WAS ACQUAINTED WITH IT
. S
UCH A VIEW
,
UNLIKE THAT OF THE OBSERVANCE OF SPECIAL DAYS OR MEATS
,
MUST BE GENERALLY DEPENDENT IN A LARGE MEASURE UPON LOCAL CIRCUMSTANCES OF A NARROW RANGE
. I
T IS POSSIBLE INDEED THAT SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES WITH WHICH WE ARE UNACQUAINTED MAY HAVE INFLUENCED THE FEELINGS OF A SMALL SOCIETY
,
AND THERE WAS IN FACT A
S
YNAGOGUE OF
H
EBREWS
AT
R
OME
(
Schurer
G
ESCH
.
D
.
Jud
. V
OLKES
....2.517
SUNAGWGH
A
IJBREVWN
),
BUT WE NATURALLY LOOK
,
IF THERE IS
NOTHING TO DETERMINE OUR SEARCH OTHERWISE
,
TO SOME PLACE WHERE
J
UDAISM WOULD PRESENT ITSELF WITH PRACTICAL FORCE UNDER THIS ASPECT
.
I N THIS WAY OUR CHOICE IS LIMITED TO E GYPT , WITH THE T EMPLE AT L EONTOPOLIS , AND TO P ALESTINE , WITH THE T EMPLE AT J ERUSALEM . N OWHERE ELSE WOULD THE IMAGES OF SACRIFICE AND INTERCESSION BE CONSTANTLY BEFORE THE EYE OF A J EW .
T HERE IS VERY LITTLE EVIDENCE TO SHEW THAT THE T EMPLE AT L EONTOPOLIS EXERCISED THE SAME POWER OVER THE A LEXANDRIAN J EWS AS THAT AT J ERUSALEM EXERCISED OVER THE P ALESTINIAN J EWS AND THE J EWS GENERALLY . E VEN IN E GYPT THE T EMPLE AT J ERUSALEM WAS RECOGNISED AS THE TRUE CENTRE OF WORSHIP . N OR IS THERE THE LEAST GROUND FOR THINKING THAT ANY OF THE DIVERGENCES IN THE E PISTLE FROM THE DETAILS OF THE T EMPLE CEREMONIAL COINCIDE WITH PECULIARITIES IN THE SERVICE AT L EONTOPOLIS . O N THE CONTRARY , THE FURNITURE OF THE T EMPLE AT J ERUSALEM WAS MORE LIKE THAT OF THE T ABERNACLE , WHICH IS DESCRIBED IN THE E PISTLE , THAN WAS THAT OF THE E GYPTIAN T EMPLE . B UT ON THE OTHER HAND IT IS CERTAIN THAT THE KIND OF FEELING WHICH THE E PISTLE IS DESIGNED TO MEET MUST HAVE BEEN POWERFUL AT J ERUSALEM AND IN ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD . T HE CLOSE CONNEXION OF THE EARLY C HURCH WITH THE T EMPLE , THE SPLENDOUR AND VENERABLE MAJESTY OF THE RITUAL , COULD NOT FAIL TO MAKE THE THOUGHT OF SEVERANCE FROM J UDAISM MOST GRIEVOUS TO THOSE WHO HAD HITHERTO BEEN ABLE TO SHARE IN ITS NOBLEST SERVICES ACCORDING TO THE CUSTOM OF THEIR YOUTH .
N OR IS IT A SERIOUS OBJECTION TO THIS CONCLUSION THAT THE T EMPLE IS