But, besides this, he must have
known the general character of a man, of whom Tacitus complained, that
"his government was distinguished by[49] servility and every species of
cruelty and lust."--
[Footnote 49: "Per omnem Saevitiam et Libidinem jus regium servili
ingenio exercuit."]
If therefore the epithet of noble was an established title for those
Romans, who held the government of Judea, the giving of it to one, and
the omission of it to the other, would probably shew the discrimination
of St. Paul as a Christian, that he had no objection to give it, where
it could be applied with truth, but that he refused it, when it was not
applicable to the living character.
But that the expression of excellent or of noble was any title at all,
there is no evidence to shew. And first, let us examine the word, which
was used upon this occasion. The [50]original Greek word has no meaning
as a title in any Lexicon that I have seen. It relates both to personal
and civil power, and in a secondary sense, to the strength and
disposition of the mind. It occurs but in four places in the New
Testament. In two of these it is translated excellent and in the others
noble. But Gilbert Wakefield, one of our best scholars has expunged the
word noble, and substituted excellent throughout.
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