ELDERS IN ISRAEL: The patriarchal and
later officers, whose position was due to their statue
as heads of families. Till the establishment of the
kingdom the Israelites had a tribal
organization
the characteristic feature of which was that the
constituents (families) of the tribe as well as the
individuals were fully independent. There was no
organized government. The Sheik of a tribe or
encampment among the Arabs has no formal au
thority. He may lead in war, locate the camp In
times of peace, and the like; he may advise but can
enjoin nothing of importance without consulting
the prominent men of the aggregation. As a judge
he has moral influence, but no power to carry out
a sentence or to inflict punishment. The elders
had similar functions, as is indicated
Before the in the narrative of the desert-journey
Settlement in E. They appear not as though
in Canaan. instituted in Mosaic times, but as
existing ever since there was a "people
of Israel"
(Ex. iii. 16 sqq., iv. 29).
They are also presupposed among other nations
(Josh. ix. 11;
Num. xxii. 4, 7).
They had no special office, but
as the most prominent individuals
(Ex. xviii. 21)
were called to represent the
people on special oc
casions
(Ex. xvi. 12;
Num. xvi. 25;
Josh. vii. 6);
their decision had weight
(Ex. xvii. 5;
Deut. xxxi. 9);
and they were leaders in war
(Josh. viii. 10).
By virtue of this position they mediated between
Moses and the people; according to E, Moses
often
communicated Yahweh's behests first to the elders
(Ex. iv. 29;
Deut. xxxi. 9);
what was commanded to them was also commanded to the people, whose
representatives they were by station and birth.
Their connection with the family constitution is
evident from
Ex. xii. 21 sqq.;
while the gloss on
Deut. i. 15
designates the elders correctly as the
family heads of the tribes called also "heads of
the people"
(Num. xxv. 4).
The settlement in the West-Jordan country
caused many changes among the tribes, but not in
the organization. The tribe was organized early
for war; the family-heads remained the persons in
authority.
The elders of the tribe of Gilead made
Jephthah captain
(Judges xi. 1 sqq.);
by presents David sought to win over the elders of Judah, of
the Jerahmeelites, Kenites and others
From the
(
I Sam. xxx. 26 sqq.);
the elders of Settlement Israel led in the war against the Phi
to the Exile. listines and decided to have the ark of
the covenant brought to the
camp
(
I Sam. iv. 3).
In the name of the people the elders
asked a king of Samuel (I Sam. viii.). The word is
used always in the plural. When the people settled
in a locality the elders became the heads of the local
communities
(
Judges viii. 4 sqq.;
I Sam. xi. 3 sqq., xvi. 4).
Gradually the heads of the communities
took the character of magistrates, and their influence
lasted till the time of Solomon
(
I Kings viii. 1, 3).
In proportion as the royal power developed, that of
the elders declined. The case of Ahab
(
I Kings xx. 7
sqq.)
was an exception. In the administration the elders had no part since the royal officers
were the executives
(
I Kings iv. 1 sqq., xx. 15);
but they constituted a part of the nobility. That
they retained such influence was due to the fact that
the royal government was satisfied with receiving
the revenues and did not otherwise interfere with
the affairs of the communities.
During the exile, the genealogical register was
preserved; the settlement seems to have been by
families, and. the heads of the families took their
places at the head of the settlements and acted for
the families and the community
(Ezek. xxi. 1 sqq., viii. 1;
Jer. xxix. 1).
The return from the exile was by families (Ears ii.; Neh. vii.). At the head
of the families stood the chief of the fathers (Ears
i. 5, ii. 88;
Neh. vii. 70).
The new commonwealth was organized along those lines; the
After elders of the Jews formed the national
the Exile. government; they directed the build
ing of the temple; with them the
Persian governor treated (Ears v. 3 sqq., vi. 7 sqq. ).
In the time of Ezra
and Nehemiah the organization
consisted of twelve "princes," representatives of
the tribes, who dwelt at Jerusalem
(
Neh. xi. 1),
whereas the local government of the country-com
munities was in the hands of city-elders and judges
(Ears x. 14). The Jerusalem college of sardm
became afterward the aristocratic aerate of the
Oerouaia, first mentioned in the time of Antiochua
the Great (Josephus,
Ant. XII., iii.
3; cf.
I Macc. vii. 33).
From
I Macc. xii. 6, xiv. 20
it is clear that the " Geroueia of the nation " and " the elders of
Israel " were identical. The term
aynedrion was first used in Herod's time, it became the common
deaignati.n
(
Matt.
v. 22; xxvi. 59)
alongside of
preabyterion
(
Luke xxii. 66;
Acts xxii. 5)
and hoofs
(
Acts v. 21).
(I. Benzinger.)
Bibliography:
O.
$eeeemann. DM Adtesten im A. T.,
Leipsic. 1895: Benzinger. Archäologie.
PP. 298-329; Nowack. Archäologie, i. 300 sqq., 320 sqq.; J. F.
McCurdy, History, Prophecy and the Monuments, vol. ii.,
New York, 1898; Amram, in JBL,
1900; E. Day, Social Life
of the Hebrew, ib. 1901; A. Bilahler,
Dye Bynedrion in Jerusalem.
Vienna. 1902; $ehSrer, Geschichte, ii.
178 sqq., Erg transl. II, ii. passim;
DB, i. 878-877; EB, ii. 1908-07, iii. 2717-18;
JE, v. 92.
