1883 Haydock Douay Rheims Bible
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| Deuteronomy 17:9 | *And thou shalt come to the priests of the Levitical race, and to the judge, that shall be at that time: and thou shalt ask of them, and they shall shew thee the truth of the judgment. 2 Paralipomenon 19:8. | Judge. Moses does not specify whether the contending parties, or the judges themselves thought proper to have the matter debated before a higher court. The Rabbins observe, that appeals to the Sanhedrim were only the last resort, and that the sentence of that tribunal was to be complied with under pain of death, ver. 12. (Selden, Syned. 3:2. 2.) The judge here mentioned, according to them and the generality of commentators, after Josephus, Philo, etc., is no other than the high priest, as the Scripture plainly indicates, Deuteronomy 21:5., and Ezechiel 44:24. He abode near the tabernacle, and God enabled him to explain the law, when he was arrayed with the ephod, and the Urim and Thummim. Some moderns, who have an interest to lessen the authority of the ecclesiastical jurisdiction, with Calvin, Ainsworth, etc., pretend that an appeal was to be made to the priests, in disputes which concerned religion, and to the civil magistrate in other cases, 2 Paralipomenon 19:5. (Calmet) --- But an appeal to the high priest, in doubtful cases, could not be denied. The government of the Jews was a theocracy, and the pontiff acted as the vicegerent of God. (Haydock) |