Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 8.djvu/617

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JUDGE


545


JVDOfi


annexed it to the empire which he was then build- ing. His successors long disputed over it. In 320 it was Egyptian; in 198 it was Syrian. The Jewish rising under the Machabees, which began in 167, issued in the independence of Judea, which lasted from 130 to 63 B. c. At the latter date, Pompey made it tributary to the Romans. Under Herod, who became its king in 37 B. c, the Saviour was born at Bethlehem. Arche- laus, the son and successor of Herod, liaving been deposed in the year 6 of our era, the government of Judea was confided to Roman procurators, one of whom, Pontius Pilate, condemned Clirist to the cross, and two others, Felix and Porcius Festus, are involved in the history of St. Paul. Administered from a. D. 41 to 44 by Agrippa I, it returned to the procurators until A. D. 66; and in a. d. 70 Judea disappeared as an indi- vidual district.

The evangelization of Judea began during the earthly life of Christ, Who journeyed through the land more than once and had friends there. It was one of the first provinces to benefit by the preaeliing of the Apostles. Judeans had heard the discourse of St. Peter, when he went forth from the upper chamber, and "there came together to Jerusalem a multitude out of the neighbouring cities, bringing sick persons, and such as were troubled with unclean spirits; who were all healed " (Acts, v, 16). Philip, one of the most zealous of the first seven deacons, baptizes the eunuch of Ethiopia on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza, in the spring which rises at the foot of Bethsur. Thence this preacher betakes himself to Azotus ('Esdoud), and from Azotus he goes up to Caesarea, preaching the Gospel in the towns tlirough which lie passes. Lydda and Joppa, where St. Peter was soon to find disciples, lay along St. Philip's itinerary (.4cts, viii, 26 sqi|.). The Talmuii is perhaps furnishing information on the preaching of the Gospel in Judea when it speaks of James of Kafar Sama, who healed the sick in the name of Jesus. Kafar Sama was probably in the neighbour- hood of Hebron (perhaps Semouah). St. Paul again and again speaks of the Churches of Judea as being sorely tried by poverty, dissension, and persecution — Churches to which he was at first unknown, but which afterwards listened to his voice (I Thess., ii, 14; Gal., i, 22; .A.cts, xi, 29). Christianity was planted in Judea so early that at the Council of Nictea (32.5) we meet with bishops of Caesarea, Ascalon, Nicopolis, Jamnia, Eleutheropolis, Maximianopolis (Hebron?), Jericho Lydda, .A.zotus, Gaza (Gelzer, "Patruni Nicenorum nomina ", Leipzig, 1S9S). In later lists of bishops we find names to add to these: Joppa, Anthedon, Dio- cletiariopiilis, Raphia, etc. (Hierocles, " Synecdemus ", Berlin, 1S66). From the fourth century to the Arab invasion the monastic life rose to a great height; it is enough to mention the foundations of St. Euthymius, St. Theodosius, and St. Sabas (cf. G6nier, "Vie de s. Euthyme le Grand ", Paris, 1909).

Considered in the extension given to it by Josephus — i. e. as a great square of territory lying between Aq- rabeh, Deir Ballut, and the Nahr el Audjeh, on the north; the Mediterranean, on the west; Bersabee and Tell 'Arad, on the south; the Dead Sea and the Jordan, on the east — Judea presents a sufficiently varied phys- iognomy. On the west the ancient Philistia, the plains of Shephelah, of the Darom, and of Saron pro- duce sesame, wheat, and sorghum in abundance, while the orange, citron, palm, and vine grow there freely. In this level region are several important places: Jaffa (23,000 inhabitants), Gaza (16,000 inhabitants), Lydda, and Ramleh. Between the plain and the main group of mountains there is a stretch of well-cultivated hilly country without any important towns. The mountain region of Judea rises to a height of 3280 feet, and is not very fertile, except near the springs. The summits are quite bare; where any earth is to be found on the rocks the fig, the olive, the vine, and barley grow. Of this region the chief centres are Jerusalem VIII.— 35.


(80,000 to 100,000 inhabitants), Bethlehem (7000 in- habitants), Hebron (9000 inhabitants). The eastern part of Judea, abutting on the Dead Sea and the Jor- dan, is dotted with little hills, and peopled by nomadic tribes. The south, where Negeb offers a light soil, is not unsuited for cultivation. Water is scarce in Judea. In the mountains the rainfall is collected in cisterns; in the plains deep wells have been dug. There are a few springs, but their output is not very con.siderable; the principal ones are those of 'Arroub, Umm ed Daraj (Jerusalem), Liftah, Ain Karim, Kolonieh, Abu Ghosh, Bireh, and a whole group in the vicinity of Hebron. In the wddys of the Jordan basin there is water throughout the year, which is not the case with those on the Mediterranean slope. The wddys Farah, Kelt, Audjeh, Fusail, Far'a, not to mention the im- portant springs of Eliseus, Doiik, Nuwaimeh, Feshkha, and Engaddi, contribute their waters to the Ghor and the Dead Sea throughout the entire year.

The Roman roads with which Judea was formerly scored are now impracticable. The only roads fit for wheeled vehicles are those from Jerusalem to Jericho, to Hebron by way of Bethlehem, to St. John in Mon- tana, to Nablus, to Jaffa, and to the Mount of Olives — all of recent construction. There is also a narrow- gauge railroad from Jerusalem to Jaffa, the latter be- ing the chief port of Judea, Gaza being the second.

Judea is above all an agricultural country. There are, however, a few special industries: at Jerusalem, carving in olive wood; at Bethlehem, carving in mother-of-pearl; at Gaza, goat's hair tissue, slippers, and soap; at Hebron, leather and water-bottles, jars and glass trinkets. The Mutessariflik of Jerusalem, which nearly corresponds to the ancient Judea, has an area of 8484 square miles, and comprises 328 cities, towns, villages, and hamlets, with an aggregate popu- lation of 350,000, of whom 100,000 are non-Mussul- man. There are 27,000 Catholics, having for their parishes Jerusalem, Betiilehem,Bet-Sahur,Bet-Djalah, Ramallah, Taybeh, Bir-Zeit, Ramleh, Jaffa, and Gaza. Although not a vilayet, this province is directly de- pendent on the minister of the interior at Constanti- nople It has five sub-prefectures: Jaffa, Gaza, He- bron, Bersabee, and (since 1906) Nazareth, which last is geographically within the vilayet of Beirut.

Survey of Western Palestine, Memoirs, III (London, 1883)' GuTHE in Realencyktopiidie fur prot. Theol. und Kirche. IX (Leipzig, 1901); Meters, History of the City of Gaza (New York, 1901); Robinson, Biblical Researches in Palestine, I (Boston, 1856); De S.vui.cy, Voyage autour de la Mer Morte et dans lea lerres bibliques (Paris, 1853); GuERiN, Judee (3 vols.. Paris, 1868-69): Cdinet, Syrie, Liban, Palestine (Paris. 1S96); HoL- SCHER, Die administrative Einteilung des heutigen Syriens in Mitt, des DetUsch. Paldst. Vereins (1907), p. 53.

F. M. Abel.

Judge, Ecclesiastical (Judex ecclesiasticus), an ecclesiastical person who possesses ecclesiastical jurisdiction either in general or in the strict sense (see Jurisdiction). The official body appointed by the qualified ecclesiastical authority for the administration of justice is called a court (judicium ecclesiasticum, tribu- nal, auditorium) . Every such court consists at the least of two sworn officials, the judge who gives the decision, and the clerk of the court (scriba, secretarius, scrifiiariua, imtarius, cancellariv^) , whose duty is to keep a record of the proceedings and the decision (c. xi, X, De probat., II, xix). As a rule, however, an ecclesiastical court forms a collegiate tribunal, the members of which either join with the presiding officer in giving the decision as judges (judices) or merely advise with him as councillors (auditores, assessores, ciinsuUores, consiliarii) (cc. xvi, xxi, x.xii, xxiii, X, De off. et pot. jud. deleg., I, xxix). Connected with the courts are advocates, procurators, syndics, defenders, promoters, conservators, apparitors, messengers, etc. The procurators and advocates conduct the case as the representatives or defenders of the parties to the suit (X, De postul., I, xsxvii; X, De procurat., I, xxxviii).