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There were particular Queftors or Treafurers of the Tkeoric Money. By a Law of Eubulus, it was made a capital Crime to pervert the Tbeoric Money to any other Ufe, even to employ it in the Occafions ot War.
THERORET1CKS, or Theoretici, a peculiar Appel- lation given to an ancient Secf of Pnyficians. See Phy-
• S1CIAN.
The 'theoretic Thyfcians were fuch as apply'd themfelves to a careful Study and Consideration ot what relates to Health and Difeafes ; the Principles of the human Body, its Structure and Parts, with their Actions and Ules ; what- ever befalls it either naturally, or preternaturally 3 the Dif- ferences of Difeafes, their Nature, Caules, Signs, Indica- tions, £?c. the Textures, Properties, l$c. of Plants, and other Medicines, gfc. In a Word, the Theoretic Pnyficians were fuch as went on the Foot of Reafon ; in Oppofition to the Empirical 'Phyficians, who went wholly on Experi- ence. See Medicine.
The Word is form'd from the Greek, Sttjiti, I fee.
THEOR1CAL Afirommiy, is that Part of Aftronomy which conliders the true Structure and Difpofition of the Heavens, and heavenly Bodies ; and accounts for their various Phenomena therefrom. See Astronomy.
It is thus call'd in Oppofition to that Part which conliders their apparent Structure, or their Difpofition as view'd by the Eye, which is call'd Spherical Agronomy. See Sphe- rical.
The feveral Parts of Theorical Aftronomy, fee under System, Sun, Star, Planet, Earth, Moon, Satel- lite, Comet, &c.
THEORY, a Doarine which terminates in the fole Spe- culation or Consideration of its Subject, without any View to the Practice, or Application thereof.
To be learn 'd in an Arr, fie, the Theory fufEces ; To be a Matter of it, both the Theory and Practice are requir'd.
Machines, many times, promiie well in the Theory, yet fail in the Practice. See Machine.
Theories of the Tlanets, i$c. are Hypothefes, accord- ing to which the Aftronomers explain the Reafbns of the Phenomena or Appearances thereof. See Hypothesis.
THERAPEUTES, ,or Therapeutk, a Greek Term, fignifying a Servant wholly employ'd in the Service of God.
The Greeks gave the Appellation Theraf elites to fuch as apply'd themfelves to a contemplative Life, whether it were from the great Concern they had for their Souls, or from the particular Mode and Manner of their Religion; the Word Si&mviM, whence Therapeutes, Signifying the Care aPhy- fician takes of his Patient, and the Service any one renders another.
Thilo, in his firft Book of the contemplative Lite, relates, that there were a People fpread throughout molt of the known World, but particularly throughout Xgyft, and about Alexandria, who renoune'd their Friends, their Ef- fects, Igc. and who, after difcharging themfelves of all Temporal Concerns, retir'd into folitary Places, where they had each their feparate Place, call'd a Semnee, or Monaftery. See Monastery.
He adds, that they there relign'd themfelves wholly to the Exercifes of Prayer and Contemplation, were continually as in the Pretence of God, pray'd Mornings and Evenings, eat nothing till after Sun-fet, and many of them not above once in three, or even fix Days j nor then any thing but a Piece of Bread feafon'd with Salt, or, at bed,, with Hyffop.
They carry'd nothing with them into their Semnee but the Books of Mofes, the Prophets, the Pfalms, and other like Writings, wherein they fought for Myttical and Allegorical Meanings, from a Perfuation that the Scriptures were only Shadows or Figures, rhe hidden Meanings whereof were to be unfolded.
They had alfo feme Books left them by the Founders of their Sect : They met together every feventh Day in a large Semnee, to confer together, and partake of the Mytteries.
There are two Points relating to theft Therapeutes, ex- ceedingly controverted among the Criticks, viz. i". Whe- ther they were Jews or Chriflians ; and 2 . If they were the latter, whether they were Monks or Laymen.
As to the firft, ScaJiger lie Emend. Temp, maintains, they were Effene-Jews ; but Valefius on Eufebius rejects this Opi- nion of Scaliger, 1°. Becaufe 'S]Mo never calls them EJfenes. 2°. Becaufe there were no Effenes but in the Holy Land ; whereas the Therapeutic wete fpread thro' Greece, and all the barbarous Nations, f. Becaufe Jofephus, who gives a very amp'e Account of the Effenes, does not fay one Word of rhe Therapeut£, or the Therapeutic Life. See Essene.
And yet Valefms takes them to be Jews ; and Thotius is of his Opinion : The chief Reafons Valefms gives are what tPhilo fays, That they read nothing but the Law and the Prophets. 2°- That they had Tome Broks of their Founders ; And how can this quadrate with the Chriflians, who were then in their firft Rife? 3°.Thatthey only pray'd
twice a Dajs whereas the Chriflians then pray'd much oftner. 4 . That the Chriflians had no Hymns or Plalms till after the Time of Antoninus. Laftly, That the Chrifli- ans could not be fpread over the World.
And yet Eufebius, lib. II. Hift. Eccl. c. 17. S.Jerom Sozomen, Nicephorus, Baronius, Tetavius, M. Godeau, Mont- faticon, &c. maintain them to have been Chriflians ; urg- ing, that nothing can be more conformable to the Practices of the Church, than the Account given of them by Thilo - that thofe Books of their Founders are the Gofpels, and other Writings ot the Apoftles ; and that there are Indica- tions even of Bifhops and other Miniflers among them.
M. Bohier, Preiident of the Parliament of Tiipn, refutes this Opinion ; fuppofing it inconfiftent in Thilo, a Jew, to write a Book exprefsly in Praife of the Chriflians.
Yet feveral Authors, as Caffian, F. Helyot,&.c. maintain, that the Therapeutes were not only Chriflians, but that they were alfo Religious : And, in eftefl, M. Bohier allows, that if they were Chriflians, they mull be confefs'd to have been Monks. As to his Argumenr, that Thilo would never have wrote a Panegyric on the Chriflians, 'tis anfwer'd, that they were People of his own Nation, Jews, as he himfelf ex- prefles ; and that he only look'd on them as a Sect of Jews, who, by their extraordinary Virtue, did Honour to his Nation.
But tho' rhe Chriftianity of the Therapeutes appears pro- bable enough ; yet their Monachifm is not made out at all.
THERAPEUTICE, Therapeuticxs, that Part of Medicine which is employ'd in feeking out Remedies againft Difeafes, and in preicribing and applying them to efrecf a Cure. See Medicine.
Therapeutics teaches the Ufe of Diet, Pharmacy, Chi- rurgery, and the Methodus Medendi. See Diet, Medi- cines, Prescription, &c.
The Word is form'd from the Greek, Uegmom, to attend, to cure, l$c.
Therapeutics is alfo apply'd, figuratively, to the Mind, and to Difcourfes made to correct the Etrors and Defects thereof.
Such is the Therapeutics of Theodoret ; being a Treatife againft the Errors or unwhollbme Opinions ot the Greeks, i. e. the Heathens.
THERAPHIM, a Hebrew Term, which has given great Torture to the Criticks.
We meet with it 13 or 14 times in Scripture ; where 'tis commonly interpreted Idols ; but the Rabbins are not con- tented to have it limply Signify Idols, it muff be Idols, or Images for the Knowledge of Futurity, i. e. Oracles.
R. "David de Tomis obferves further, that they were call'd Theraphim, from nsn, Raphah, to leave, becaufe they quitted every thing to confult them. He adds, that the Theraphim were in human Shape, and that when railed upright, they fpoke, at certain Hours, and under certain Conftellations, by the Influence of the celeffial Bodies.
This is a Rabbinical Fable, which he has learnt from Abenezra.
Others hold, that the Theraphim were brazen Inftruments which pointed out the Hours and Minutes of future Events, as directed by the Stars. T)e Tomis correQs Abenezra, faying, that the Theraphim being made undera certain Conftellation, the Devil made them fpeak under the fame.
R. Eliezer tells us the Reafon why the Rabbins will have the Theraphim to fpeak and render Oracles : 'Tis, fays he, becaufe it is written in the Prophet Zachaiy, x. 2. The Theraphim fpeak vain Things.
The fame Rabbi adds, that to make the Theraphim, they kill'd a firft-born Child, clove his Head, and feafon'd it with Salt and Oil 5 that they wrote on a Plate of Gold, the Name of fome impure Spirit, laid it under the Tonoue of the Dead ; placed the Jfead againft the Wall, lighted Lamps be- fore it, pray'd to it ; and it talk'd with them.
Be this as it will, Vorfiiv.s obferves, that betide the PafTare of Zachary juft quoted, it appears likewife from Ezekiel xxi. 21. that the Theraphim were confulted as Oracles.
DeTomis thews, that the Theraphim which Michal put in David's Bed, were not of this Kind, becaufe they were not in the Figure of Men ; but R. Eliezer is of another Sen- timent.
As to the manner of making the Theraphim, Vorjiitts takes it to be a vain Tradition of the Rabbins ; though R. Tani- chuma and Jonathan, in his Targum, Gen. xxxi. 21. relate it after R.. Etiezer. The chief Reafon of his Disbelief is, that Laban, who had not quite loft all Notion of the true God, as appears from Gen. xxxi. 53. could not be guilty of fo great a Cruelty ; but Vorfl'ms does not confider that the Cuttom might not be lefs real, for its not having been eftablifh'd lb early as Laban j and that the Hebrews fometimes burnt their Children to Moloch.
F. Kircher directs us to reek the Origin of the Theraphim in Egypt j adding, that the Word is Egyptian.
