Bible Lexicons

Apart from Mark 15:43, Luke 23:50, where both writers had Gentile readers in view, neither βουλευτής nor βουλή seems to have been used by Jews as a technical term in connexion with their Sanhedrin, although Hicks (CR i. p. 43) refers to Josephus B. J. ii. 17. 1 οἵ τε ἄρχοντες καὶ οἱ βουλευταί , and Antt. xx. 1. 2 (in an edict of Claudius) Ἱεροσολυμιτῶν ἄρχουσι βουλῇ δήμῳ Ἰουδαίων παντὶ ἔθνει . As illustrating the use of βουλευτής in Egypt it may be noted that in P Lond 348.4 (c. A.D. 205) (= II. p. 215) a certain Heron is described as βουλευτής of Arsinoe, and an ex-κοσμητής (κεκοσμητευκώς ). A century later a letter is addressed by one Eudaimon γνμ (νασιαρχήσας ) βουλ (ευτὴς ) of Oxyrhynchus to two colleagues, ἀμφοτέροις συνδίκοις βουλευταῖς τῆς [λαμπρο ]τ ̣ (άτης ) Ὀξυρυνχ [ιτ ]ῶν πόλεως , Chrest. II. 196.2 ff (A.D. 307—Mitteis, not here alone, misprints ";v. Chr.";). An inscr. of A.D. 214–5, OGIS 209.4, found at a place beyond Philae, gives the title to a ἱερεὺς γόμου (see s.v.). The editor observes that it must refer to some Greek community, and suggests Ptolemais : he quotes CIG 5000ii. 3, where the brother of the subject of this inscr. is called βουλευτής , ἄρξας Πτολεμαιέων —see the note for other passages. In P Fay 37.2 (iii/A.D.) an order is issued for the arrest of Emes, who has been ";accused by Aurelius Nilus councillor"; (ἐνκαλούμενον ὑπὸ Αὐρηλίου Νείλου βουλευτοῦ ) : cf. P Fay 85.3 (A.D. 247) with the editors’ note. [The crux of P Grenf II. 63i. 9 (? middle ii/A.D.) βουλ (ευτὴς ) σιτολόγων is now solved by the correct reading, βοηθ (ὸς ) σιτολόγων : see Wilcken Archiv iii. p. 124.] In OGIS 56 (Canopus Decree of Ptolemy III, B.C. 239) we read of the βουλευταὶ ἱερεῖς ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ , whom Dittenberger (n. 51) describes as ";collegium quod de rebus cuiusque delubri administrandis consultabat."; See also Hohlwein L’Égypte Romaine, p. 133 f., and the index to OGIS.