GAMALIEL I. Pap.aXo)X, i.e., the gift or benefit of God), son of Simon, grandson of Hillel of the royal family of David, and the cele brated teacher of the Apostle Paul (Acts xxii. 3) He was called Gamaliel the cider (pm :A47i), to distinguish from his grandson Gamaliel II., and became president of the Sanhedrin (NT% A.D 30, which shews that he must at least have been born in the first year of the Christian era, since he could hardly have succeeded to so emi nent and responsible a position under thirty years of age. It is greatly to be regretted that it is now utterly impossible to form an adequate estimate of the character, religious sentiments, and intellectual endowments of the Rabbi who educated the great Apostle of the Gentiles, and so much contributed to the development of his character. For since the separation of Shammai from Hillel I., and his formation of a distinct school [EDucATIoN-1, the theological disquisitions and opinions of the dif ferent heads of these colleges have mostly come down to us in the collective name of the school of Shammai and the school of HiIlel ; so that it is not stated whether the conclusions reported as having been arrived at in the school of Hillel belong to the presidency of Simon I., Gamaliel I., Simon II., or to the days of Hillel himself. Hence it is very hazardous to say which of the maxims of the school of HiIlel belong to Gama liel. From the fragments, however, which have his name attached to them, we see that Gamaliel was endowed with great intellectual powers, a fondness for study and for definitely settling every point of difficulty, refined taste, and good judg ment, that he was humane, anxious to ameliorate the condition of the helpless, a strict Pharisee, yet liberal-minded, and averse to persecute those who differed from him, and that Ile had a very high opinion of his office. His mental powers, tastes, and liberal-mindedness, may be seen from the fact that he extended his studies to Greek literature, and infused into the minds of his dis ciples a taste for the Greek poets (Acts xvii. 28 ; Cor. xv. 33 ; Tit. i. 12). His liberal sentiments may also be seen from the law which he passed with regard to the observance of the Sabbath. Though it had been determined since the days of Judas Maccabmus that it was allowable to carry on defensive war on the Sabbath, yet it was still a rnatter of doubt whether the soldiers who, at the termination of the war, were more than a Sabbath day's journey (i.e., z000 paces), from their homes,
might return home and early their weapons on the Sabbath. Gamaliel decreed that all persons called to assist either at hostile invasions, or inundations, or fires, or at the falling down of houses, or even at childbirth, might walk 2000 paces in any direc tion (Erub. 45, a). Far in advance of his times were his humane laws that the poor heathen should have the same right as the poor Jews to gather the gleanings after the harvest, and that the Jews on meeting heathen should greet them —` Peace be with you,' even on their festival days, when they are mostly engaged in worshipping their idols. It was owing to these laws, which redound to the honour of Gamaliel, that it afterwards became customary to make equal provisions for the poor heathen and Jews, to attend to the sick heathen, .to bestow the last honours upon their dead, and to comfort their mourners, in towns which were inhabited by both Jews and Gentiles (Gittin, 59 b, 61, ff. ; Jerusalem Gittin, c. v.) This contrasts very strikingly with the conduct of Christians to wards the Jews, and towards each other, even in the present day, and accounts for the humane, prudent, and liberal advice which he gave to the Sanhechin respecting the treatment of the follow ers of Christ (Acts v. 34, ff.) Gamaliel also exerted himself for the relief of wives and widows from the abuses to which they were exposed on the part of unprincipled husbands and children. Thus, up to his time a husband who had sent a bill of divorce to his wife could recall it at the first court of justice, and thereby subject the woman and the family to great inconvenience. Gamaliel declared this recall as nugatory (Gittin, 32). Owing to the several names by which indi viduals were called in those days, some IIebrew and some Greek, a designed or undesigned omis sion of one on the part of a witness, or the husband when signing the bill of divorce, not unfrequently exposed the woman to the mercy of unprincipled men, inasmuch as tbe divorce in such a case might be invalid. Gamaliel ordered that the clause, and every other name which describes the per son,' should be added to the signature (Gittin, 34)• He also passed a law which protected widows against unscrupulous children who might wish to rob her of the portion due to her from the Ketlueba (=T1Z).