vi. The ten Batianim or Men of Leisure (nStn). —No place was denominated a town, and hence no synagocrue could legally be built in it which had not ten in'dependent men who could be perrna nently in the synagogue to constitute the legal congregation whenever required (11fishna i. 3 ; Maimonides, Iaa' Ha-Chezaka Hilchoth Te phi/a, xi. 1). These men of leisure were either independent of business because they had private means, or were stipendiaries of the congregation, if the place had not ten men who could entirely de vote themselves to this purpose (Rashi on Megilla, 5 a). They bad to be men of piety and integrity (Baba Bathra, 28 a ; Yerusalem 4). hi the middle ages these ten Batlanim consisted of those who discharged the public duties of the synagogue, and were identical with the rulers of the synagogue described above. Thus Benjamin of Tudela tells us that the ten presidents of the ten colleges at Bagdad were called the Batlanim, the leisure men, because their occupation' consisted in the discharge of public business. During every day of the week they dispensed justice to all the Jewish inhabitants of the country, except on Mon day, which was set aside for assemblies under the presidency of R. Samuel, master of the college de nominated Geon Yacob,' who on that day dis pensed justice to every applicant, and who was assisted therein by the said ten Batianini, presi. dents of the colleges' (The itinerary, vol. i. p. lot, ed. Ascher, London 184o). This seems to favour the opinion of Herzfeld that the ten Bat lanim are the same as the ten judges or rulers of the synagogue mentioned in Aboth.iii. 1o, accord ing to the reading of Bartenora ; Iforajoth, 3 b, etc. (comp. Geschichte des Pollees Israel, i. 392).
4. 7'ime of IVorship. —As the Bible prescribes no special time for worship, but simply records that the Psalmist prayed three times a-day (Ps. lv. 18), and that Daniel followed the same example (Dan.
vii. ri), the men of the Great Synagogue decreed that the worship of the synagogue should corre spond to that of the temple. To this end they or dained that every Israelite is to offer either public or private worship to his Creator at stated hours three times a-day—i. In the morning (roinv) at the third hour=9 A.M., being the time when the daily morning sacrifice was offered ; In the afternoon or evening (riri=) at the ninth hour and a half= 3.30 P.M., when the daily evening sacrifice was offered ; and iii. In the evening (2.,-11C), or from the time that the pieces and the fat of the sacri fices, whose blood was sprinkled before sunset, began to be burned, till this process of burning was finished. As this process of burning, however, sometimes lasted nearly all night, the third prayer could be offered at any time between dark and dawn (111ishna Berachoth, iv. ; Gemara ibid. 26 b ; Pesachim, 58 a ; Yerusezlenz Berachoth, iv. ; Joseph. Antiq. xiv. 4. 3). lt is this fixed time of worship which accounts for the disciples assembling together at the third hour of the day e. 9 A.m.) for morning prayer mnrim on the day of Pentecost (Acts ii. 1-15), and for Peter and John's going tip to the temple at the ninth hour (i.e. 3 p.m.) for (zmn) evening prayer (Acts iii. 1), as well as for Cornelius' prayer at the sante hour (Acts x. 3o). The statement in Acts x. 9, that Peter went up upon the house-top to pray about the sixth hour (,-.12.3o P.m.), has led some of our bes-t expositors to believe that the hour men tioned in Acts iii. II and x. 30 is the time when the
third prayer was offered. The two passages, how ever, and the two different hours refer to one and the same prayer, as may be seen from the follow ing canon : We have already stated that the time for the evening prayer (nron) was fixed according to that of the daily evening saciifice, and since this daily evening sacrifice was offered at the ninth hour and a half [=-3.30 P.Nf.], the time of prayer was also fixed for the ninth hour and a half (=-3.3o P.m.], and this was called the Lesser Ilfincha (mu roup). But as the daily evening sacrifice was offered on the fourteenth of Nisan (MOD Z1V) at the sixth hour and a half [ =12.30 P.m.], when this day happened to be on a Friday (11M?„7 3-131) [P Ass ov ER], it was enacted that he who offers his even ing prayer after the sixth hour and a half [=12.3o p.m.] discharges his duty properly. Hence, as soon as this hour comes, the time of obligation has corne, and it is called the Great lifincha (rirun ; Maimonides, Iad Ha-Chezaka Hilchoth Tephila,iii. 2; Berachoth, 26 b). This mistake is all the more to be regretted, since the accuracy in suth minute matters on the part of the sacred writers shows how great is the trustworthiness of their records, and how closely and strictly the apostles conformed to the Jewish practices. Tbe prayers three times a-day were not absolutely re quired to be offered in public worship in the syna gogue every day. The times of public worship were —i. Monday and Thursday, which were the two market days in the week when the villagers brought their produce into the neighbouring town, and their matters of dispute before the local Sanhedrim, which held their courts in the synagogue (rusalem v. ; Baba Kama, 32 a [SANHErianth and on which the pious Jews fasted (Mark ii. 18 ; Luke v. 33 ; xviii. 12; Acts x. 3o [FAsTs]) ; The weekly Sabbath ; and Feast and Fasts. But though not +obligatory, yet it was deemed spe cially acceptable. if the prayers were offered even privately in the synagogue, since it was inferred from Mal. iii. 16 that the Shechinah is present where two or three are gathered together.
5. The Legal Congregation and the Synasogical Worship.—Though it was the duty of every Israelite to pray privately three times a-day, yet, as we have already seen, it was only on stated occasions that the people assembled for public worship in the legally-constituted congregation, and recited those portions of the liturgy which could not be uttered in private devotion. Ten men at least who had passed the thirteenth year of their age (rnvo were required to constitute a legitimate congregation vn) for the performance of public worship. This number, which evidently owes its origin to the completeness of the ten digits, is deduced from the expression ;Tv in Num. xiv. 27, where it is said how long shall I bear with this (rrn)) congrega tion ?' referring to the spies. As Joshua and Caleb are to be deducted from the twelve, hence the appellation congregation remains for the ten, and this number is therefore regarded as forming the quorum (Alishna Sanhedrin', i. 6 ; Maimon ides, fad lia-Chezaka Hilchoth Tephila, xi. 1) The Shema (311=1) must not be solemnly recited, nor must one go before the ark to conduct public worship, nor must the priests raise their hands to pronounce the benediction, nor must the lessons from the law or the prophets be read unless there are ten persons present ' (11fishna iv. 3).