the corn; to refuse to assist a neighbour's, or even an enemy's beast, that sunk under its burden; and many others, which tended to inspire the people with sentiments of humanity and kindness to their fellow-creatures, and to the brute creation. LAWS RELATIVE TO ADULTERY, &c. The divine command, Thou shalt not commit adultery," undoubtedly prohibits all unlawful commerce between the sexes, whether married or unmarried. Fornication, though a capital crime in some cases, was prohibited by several laws. Deut. xxiii, 17, 18; Lev. xxi, 7. The difference was, that if any woman marrying as a virgin, was afterwards proved to be otherwise, she was to be stoned; (Deut. xxii, 20, 21.) but if a man debauched a virgin, he was to pay her fifty shekels of silver, and to marry her, without having it in his power to put her away, during her life. Deut. xxii, 28, 29. Adultery was a capital crime in both parties. It may be added here, that incest, rape, sodomy, and beastiality, were all capital crimes. LAWS RELATIVE TO THEFT. The stealing of a man was the only capital theft under the law of Moses: every man-stealer, and every receiver of the stolen person, was to lose his life. Exod. xxi, 16. All other thefts were punished by restitution, and the addition of a fine, according to the nature of the theft. But if a thief was found breaking into a house in the night season, he might be impunely killed; but not, if the sun had risen, for then he might be known and taken, and the restitution made, &c. * So in no case of theft, was the life of the offender taken away: the utmost that the law of Moses said on this point was, that, if when a "thief be found breaking into a house, he should be smitten so as to die, no blood should be shed for him." If he had stolen and sold the property, then he was to restore four or five-fold ; but if the animal stolen was found alive in his possession, he was to restore double. Exod. xxii, 1--4. may Many other laws relative to injustice, oppression, trespass, usury, &c. were given to the Hebrew nation; to mention each in particular would trespass too much upon the studied brevity of this work. But it be worthy of observation here, that all the different laws, regulations, and institutions of the Hebrew code of jurisprudence are remarkable for their justice, prudence, and humanity. The criminal code of the Hebrews tends in a very express manner to shew the value of human life, to punish delinquents in proportion to the heinousness of their crimes; and that quality which should be the object of all good and wholesome laws, the prevention of crimes. Most cri possesses By the law of England, it is a burglary, to break and enter a house by night; and anciently the day was accounted to begin only from sun rising, and to end immediately upon sun set; but it is now generally agreed, that if there be day-light enough begun or left, either by the light of the sun or twilight, whereby the counte nance of a person may be reasonably discerned, it is no burglary: but that this does not extend to moon-light; for then, many midnight burglaries would go unpunished. And besides, the malignity of the offence does not só properly arise, as Mr. Justice Blackstone observes, from its being done in the dark, as at the dead of night; when all the creation, except beasts of prey, are at rest; when sleep has disarmed the owner, and rendered his castle defenceless, East's Pleas of the Crown, vol. ii, p. 509, minal codes of jurisprudence seem more intent on the punishment of crimes, than on preventing the commission of them. The law of God always teaches and warns that his creatures may not fall into condemnation. Mercy, benevolence, and humanity, love to God and man, are the characteristics of the law of Moses. XIII. Of the Hebrew Money, Weights, and Measures. IT was customary in ancient times to weigh the money, and not to tell it, as we now do.: Abraham, when he purchased the cave of Machpelah of the children of Heth weighed the silver; and it appears, from the Heb. word pw, ishekel, he weighed, that this weight itself, afterwards passed as a current coin; for the word pw, shekel, was not only used to express a coin, or piece of silver, but also to weigh. Gen. xxiii, 16. Hebrew Money reduced to the English Standard. A Hebrew Drachm, Two Drachms made a Beka, or Half-shekel, which was the tribute money paid by every Jew to the Temple, Two Bekas made a Shekel, Sixty Shekels made a Mina, Fifty Minas made a Talent, ... A Talent of Gold, sixteen to one, The shekel of the sanctuary was the standard by which the value of coin was ascertained, and was kept for that purpose in the sanctuary. It weighed twenty Gerahs; and a Gerah, according to Maimonides, weighed sixteen barley-corns. When the ancients spoke of a piece of silver in general, they meant the shekel. There are Hebrew shekels still extant in the cabinets of the curious. They have on one side a vessel, which is supposed to be the golden pot which contained the manna, or the censer of Aaron, with the following inscription in the Samaritan, or ancient Hebrew characters,- "The Shekel of Israel;" and on the reverse, a blown flower, supposed to be Aaron's rod that budded, with these words around it-"Jerusalem the Holy." Roman Money mentioned in the New Testament. A Mite, Λεπτον, ΟΙ, Ασσαριον, ....... .... about the third of a Farthing. about three-fourths of a Farthing. 72d. A Penny, or Denarius, Anvapcov, A Pound, or Mina, ...... .... £3 2s. 6d. The Grecian or Attic Drachma was about the value of a Roman Denarius. The Didrachma, or two drachmas, was about half a shekel. The Statera was a silver coin, value about four drachmas, or denarii. Hebrew Weights reduced to English Troy Weight to the Lond. Polyglott, p. 38; Leusden's Philolog. Heb. Mixt. * See engravings of the Heb. shekels in Bp. Walton's Prolegon. Disser. xxxviii, p. 207; and Univers. Hist. vol. i, p. 721, fol. ed. Homer, (the largest measure of capacity,) about 75 gal. .... Cor, was the same with the Homer, Ezek. xlv, 14. 5 pints. Measures of Capacity mentioned in the New Testament. Satum, (σarov, Matt. xiii, 33.) is supposed to be about the Hebrew Seah, the third part of an ephah, or about 2 gal. 4 pints. Modius (uodios, Matt. v, 15.) is supposed to be the same with the Satum, containing a little more than a peck. Cor, or Corus, (Kopos, Luke xvi, 7.) is the same with the Homer which contained 75 gal 5 pints. Sextarius, (Feσns, Mark vii, 4.) was about 14 pint. Metretes, (MTρetal, John ii, 6) are supposed by Bp. Cumberland to be about 7 pints and an eighth each. Arbuthnot and others make each of them to contain 10 gal. 2 pints. Baths, (Baros, Luke xvi, 6.) was the Heb. Bath of 71⁄2 gal. Choenix, (xoves, Rev. vi, 6.) was a dry measure, and held as much as a man could consume in a day. It was a measure used in distributing to the Roman soldiers their daily allowance of food. Godwin supposes that this measure derived its name from chamer, an ass; it being the ordinary load of that animal. |