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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


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