make it even much older. For, according to the Talmud, it should be traced up to Moses,

who is variously supposed to have arranged the sons of Aaron into either or else

sixteen courses (four, or else eight, of Eleazar; and the other four, or else eight, of

Ithamar), to which, on the one supposition, Samuel and David each added other eight

'courses,' or, on the other, Samuel and David, in conjunction, the eight needed to make

up the twenty-four mentioned in 1 Chronicles 24. It need scarcely be told that, like many

similar statements, this also is simply an attempt to trace up every arrangement to the

fountain -head of Jewish history, in order to establish its absolute authority. 28

The institution of David and of Solomon continued till the Babylonish captivity.

Thence, however, only four out of the twenty-four 'courses' returned: those of Jedaiah,

Immer, Pashur, and Harim (Ezra 2:36-39), the course of 'Jedaiah' being placed first

because it was of the high-priest's family, 'of the house of Jeshua,' 'the son of Jozadak'

(Ezra 3:2; Hagg 1:1; 1 Chron 6:15). To restore the original number, each of these four

families was directed to draw five lots for those which had not returned, so as to form

once more twenty-four courses, which were to bear the ancient names. Thus, for

example, Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, did not really belong to the family of

Abijah (1 Chron 24:10), which had not returned from Babylon, but to the 'course of

Abia,' which had been formed out of some other family, and only bore the ancient name

(Luke 1:5). Like the priests, the Levites had at the time of King David been arranged into

twenty-four 'courses,' which were to act as 'priests' assistance' (1 Chron 23:4,28), as

'singers and musicians' (1 Chron 25:6), as 'gate-keepers and guards' (1 Chron 26:6 and

following), and as 'officers and judges.' Of these various classes, that of the 'priests'

assistants' was by far the most numerous, 29 and to them the charge of the Temple had

been committed in subordination to the priests.

It had been their duty to look after the sacred vestments and vessels; the store -houses

and their contents; and the preparation of the shewbread, of the meat-offerings, of the

spices, etc. They were also generally to assist the priests in their work, to see to the

cleaning of the sanctuary, and to take charge of the treasuries (1 Chron 23:28-32).

Of course these services, as also those of the singers and musicians, and of the porters

and guards, were retained in the Temple of Herod. But for the employment of Levites as

'officers and judges' there was no further room, not only because such judicial functions

as still remained to the Jews were in the hands of the Sanhedrim and its subordinate

authorities, but also because in general the ranks of the Levites were so thinned. In

point of fact, while no less than 4,289 priests had returned from Babylon, the number of

Levites was under 400 (Ezra 2:40-42; Neh 7:43-45), of whom only 74 were 'priests'

assistants.' To this the next immigration, under Ezra, added only 38, and that though the

Levites had been specially searched for (Ezra 8:15,18,19). According to tradition, Ezra

punished them by depriving them of their tithes. The gap in their number was filled up

by 220 Nethinim (Ezra 8:20), literally, 'given ones,' probably originally strangers and

captives, 30 as in all likelihood the Gibeonites had been the first 'Nethinim' (Josh

Though the Ne thinim, like the Levites and priests, were freed from all taxation (Ezra 7:24),

and perhaps also from military service (Jos. Anti. iii. 12; iv. 4, 3.), the Rabbinists held

them in the lowest repute--beneath a bastard, though above a proselyte--forbade their

intermarrying with Israelites, and declared them incapable of proper membership in the