PHYLACTERY. This Word is taken from the Greek, and properly signifies a Preservative, such as the Pagans us’d to carry about them, to preserve them from certain Evils, Diseases, or Dangers. They wore, for Example, Stones or Pieces of Metal engraved under certain Aspects of the Planets. All the Eastern part of the World is still to this Day fill’d with this kind of Superstition, and the Men do not only wear Phylacteries for themselves, but for their Animals also. But this Sort of Preservative does not belong to our Subject. What concerns us, are those Phylacteries mention’d by Jesus Christ in the Gospel.1 He says the Scribes and Pharisees make broad their Phylacteries, and enlarge the Borders of their Garments. These Phylacteries were certain little Boxes, or certain Rolls of Parchment, wherein were written certain Words of the Law. These they wore upon their Foreheads, and upon the Wrists of their Left-Arm. See upon what they founded this Custom. God said to ‘em Exod. xiii. 9.in Exodus; And it shall be for a Sign unto thee upon thy Hand, and for a Memorial between thine Eyes. And a little farther; And Exod. xiii. 16.it shall be for a Token upon thine Hand, and for Frontlets between thine Eyes.
The Jews writ upon their Phylacteries these four Passages of the Law: 1st, Sanctify unto me all the First-born: whatsoever openeth the Womb among the Children of Israel, both of Man and Beast, it is mine. And what follows, as far as the 10th Verse of the 13th Chapter of Exodus. 2. From the 11th Verse of the same Chapter, And it shall be when the Lord shall bring thee into the Land of the Canaanites, &c. as far as Verse 16. 3. From the 4th Verse of the 6th Chapter of Deuteronomy, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord, and what follows to Verse the 9th of the same Chapter. 4. Lastly, from the 13th Verse of the 11th Chapter of the same Book, And it shall come to pass, if you shall hearken diligently to my Commandments, &c. to the End of Verse 21 of the same Chapter.
Ceremonies of the Jews, p. 1. ch. 11. n. 4.Here is what Leo of Modena informs us particularly about these Rolls. Those that were to be fasten’d to the Arms were two Rolls of Parchment writ in square Letters, with an Ink made on purpose, and with much Care. They were roll’d up to a Point, and were inclosed in a Sort of Case of black Calves-skin. Then they were put upon a square Bit of the same Leather, but something stiffer, from whence hung a Thong of the same, of about a Finger’s Breadth and a Cubit and a half long. These Rolls were placed at the Bending of the Left-Arm, and after the Thong had made a little Knot in Form of the Letter Jod, it was wound about the Arm in a spiral Line, which ended at the Top of the middle Finger. It was call’d Teffila sheljad, or the Teffila of the Hand.
That of the Forehead was compos’d of four Pieces of Parchment, upon each of which was written one of the Sentences before-mention’d. These four Pieces were join’d together in a Square, and they writ upon them the Letter Schin, or .שThen they put over them a little Square of stiff Calves Leather, from whence proceeded two Thongs like the former. This Square was put on the Middle of the Forehead, and the Thongs going round the Head made a Knot behind like the Letter Daleth, and then came round again to the Breast. They call’d this Teffila Shelrosh, the Teffila of the Head. The modern Jews content themselves with putting on these Phylacteries only at Morning-prayers. Some of the most Devout put them on at the Time of Noonprayers also, but they are under no Obligation to do this.
Some Antients think,2 that the Use of the Tephelims (for thus the Jews call what the Gospel names Phylacteries) is as antient as Moses; and several Interpreters3 will have it, that at the Time of our Saviour this Custom was general, and that even he himself wore them; and that he reproves in the Pharisees only the Affectation of having larger Phylacteries than other Men. But I cannot prevail with my self to think, that this Custom ever generally obtain’d. St. Jerome says,4 that in his Time, the Indian, Persian, and Babylonish Jews very commonly wore these Rolls upon their Foreheads, and that those that wore them were esteem’d as the most religious and devout. This therefore was not universal, even among the Jews beyond the Euphrates, and much less among those on this Side that River. The same St. Jerome thinks, that the Pharisees wrote the Decalogue upon these Phylacteries. St. Chrysostome a writing upon the same Passage, condemns the Abuse of them among Christians, who carried Phylacteries about their Necks, in which were written certain Names of Angels in Hebrew, or some parts of the Gospel. St. Jerome takes Notice of the same Abuse, and Pope Gelasius has condemned this Sort of superstitious Phylacteries. Buxtorf may be consulted concerning these Tephilims, Synag. Jud. c. 4.
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