Ganialiel had so exalted an opinion of his office that he would not delegate to any one the power of declaring the year intercalary. Thus, when Ile on one occasion went to Syria, the members of the Sanhedrin had to declare the year intercalary, sub ject to his approval ; and when Gamaliel returned, he said, I am satisfied therewith : and the year was intercalary' (Mishna, Edujoth, vii. 7 ; Sanhe drin, ii. 6). The decrees on such occasions Gama liel would write from the temple, a specimen of which is given Sanhed. Tosifta, c. ; Jerusalem Sanhedrin, 18 a :--` To our brethren the exiles in Babylon, Media, Greece, and all other exiles of Israel, greeting ! We make known unto you that the lambs of this year are still tender, the pigeons are not yet fledged, the spring is altogether late ; it hath, therefore, pleased me and my companions to lengthen the present year by thirty days.' No wonder that be was the first who was honoured by his brethren with the title of Rabban (p1), e., our master, which henceforth became the appella tion of all the presidents (a,n.n), and that the national homage was expressed in the hyperboli cal saying, With tbe death of Gamaliel the reverence for the law ceased, and purity and absti nence (Pharisaisnz) died away' (Mishna, Sota, ix.
Is). Gamaliel died about 5o A.D. That he was a secret believer in Jesus, and was openly baptised before his death by St. Peter and St. Paul is now re jected as fabulous by all writers who are acquainted with Jewish history (comp. Thilo, Codex 4pocryplues Novi Test., Lipsim, 1832, p. 5ot, and the elaborate footnote ; Neander, History of the Planting and Training of the Christian Church, ed. Bohn, voL p. 46, ff.) The well-known prayer against Christian heretics,' which we are told by Cony beare and Howson was composed or sanctioned by him,' i.e., Gamaliel, and the story about Onkelos, the author of the celebrated Targum, raising a funeral-pile of rich materials,' etc. (The L1/4 and Epistles of St. Paul, Lond. 1854, vol. i., p. 62, ff.), are now acknowledged to refer to Gama Eel II., thegrandson of the Apostle's teacher (comp. Graetz, in Frankel's llfonatschrift, vol. p. 320, ff. ; Gest-hie/de der yieden, Leipzig-, 1856, vol. iii. p. 289, ff. ; vol. iv. pp. 114, 152 ; Jost, Ceschichte des yudenthitnis, Leipzig, 1857, vol. L p. 28r, ff. ; and especially the masterly work of Frankel, en titled, Hodegetica in Mischnam, Lipsix, 1859, p. 57, ff., where all the fra,gments about Gamaliel have been studiously collected. See also the ar ticle GAMALIEL II.)-C. D. G.