5 1 4 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



tiling of the proceedings of the Roman suzerain in the time of 

 Augustus, with regard to the Jews, not of Judaea merely, but of 

 Asia at large and of Cyrenais, who appealed to Caesar against 

 what they termed Greek oppression.* The answer commends 

 the fidelity of the Jews ; it especially lauds Hyrcanus, the actual 

 high priest ; and then grants to the Jews without limit the full 

 enjoyment of their own peculiar laws after the manner of their 

 fathers as they were enjoying them under Hyrcanus, the high 

 priest. This charter of continuance for the Mosaic law where it 

 prevailed is issued during the lifetime of Herod the Great, and 

 before the reannexation of Gadara to the Syrian province. I can 

 hardly suppose, however, that any one would assign to that 

 merely administrative change the effect of altering the religious 

 law of the country, a matter in which the rule of Roman policy 

 was that of resolute non-interference. 



I conceive, then, that the conquest of Jannseus, together with 

 the measures of Gabinius, leave no reasonable ground for doubt- 

 ing that the law established in Gadara at that period was the 

 Mosaic law ; and also that the Rescript of Augustus confirms this 

 proposition. But confirmation is not required. If the religious 

 system of the Jews was established there in the time of Gabinius, 

 we must assume its continuance until we find it changed. Of 

 such a change there is not, I believe, any sign before the time of 

 our Lord. 



V. Strabo. Were it only on account of his general authority, 

 we must not omit to notice the particulars which Strabo has sup- 

 plied with respect to Gadaris. He has indeed fallen into undeni- 

 able confusion as to geographical arrangement, yet not so as to 

 hide the real effect of some important statements. 



In proceeding southward along the Syrian coast, Strabo f 

 places Gadaris next to Joppa ; then come Azotus, Ascalon, and 

 Gaza. From Gadara proceeded five persons with Grecian names, 

 of whom he gives a list. Now this Gadara has points of contact 

 with the Gadara of the north, first because he speaks of it as 

 Gadaris, a territory and not only a town ; secondly, because the 

 Greeks whom he names are known to have sprung from Gadara 

 of Persea. % Let us now try to clear up this matter. 



Proceeding from Gaza toward Pelusium, he introduces the Sir- 

 bonian Lake or morass ; # but in describing by characteristic de- 

 tails the nature of its waters, he gives them properties which, 

 copied from Diodorus, render it an accurate account of the Dead 

 Sea ; except that he assigns to it only two hundred stadia in 

 length, and makes it stretch along the sea-coast, which agrees with 



* Josephus, Antiq., xvi, 6, 1, 2. % Schurer, ii, 91. 



f Strabo, xvi, 2, p. 759. * Strabo, 763. 



