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[110]
And now the Pharisees joined themselves to her, to assist her in
the government. These are a certain sect of the Jews that appear more religious
than others, and seem to interpret the laws more accurately. low Alexandra
hearkened to them to an extraordinary degree, as being herself a woman
of great piety towards God. But these Pharisees artfully insinuated themselves
into her favor by little and little, and became themselves the real administrators
of the public affairs: they banished and reduced whom they pleased; they
bound and loosed [men] at their pleasure; 1
and, to say all at once, they had the enjoyment of the royal authority,
whilst the expenses and the difficulties of it belonged to Alexandra. She
was a sagacious woman in the management of great affairs, and intent always
upon gathering soldiers together; so that she increased the army the one
half, and procured a great body of foreign troops, till her own nation
became not only very powerful at home, but terrible also to foreign potentates,
while she governed other people, and the Pharisees governed her.
1 Matthew 16:19; 18:18. Here we have the oldest and most authentic Jewish exposition of binding and loosing, for punishing or absolving men, not for declaring actions lawful or unlawful, as some more modern Jews and Christians vainly pretend.
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