Bible Lexicons

(1) With Hebrews 5:6 κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ cf. the use of τάξις for a priestly ";office"; in P Tebt II. 297.8 (c. A.D. 123) ὃς ἀ ̣π ̣η ̣νγ [ει ]λεν τὴν τάξιν ὡς ὀφείλουσαν πραθῆναι, ";who reported that the office ought to be sold"; (Edd.). Cf. Diod. Sic. iii. 6 οἱ περὶ τὰς τῶν θεῶν θεραπείας διατρίβοντες ἱερεῖς, μεγίστην καὶ κυριωτάτην τάξιν ἔχοντες. Similarly of the post of water-guard in ib. 393.10 (A.D. 150) τὴν ἐπιβάλλουσαν τῷ ὁμολογοῦντι Νείλῳ τάξιν τῆς [προ ]κ ̣ι ̣μένης ὑδροφυλακίας, ";the post of water-guard as aforesaid, which belongs to the contracting party Nilus"; (Edd.). In OGIS 69.5 the word is used of ";garrisons";—ἡγέμων τῶν ἔξω τάξεων. Related exx. are—P Oxy VIII. 1120.5 (early iii/A.D.) βιβλείδια ἐπιδέδωκα ταῖς τάξεσι κατὰ τοῦ ὑβρίσαντος αὐτὸν Εὐδαίμονος, ";I presented to the officials a petition against the perpetrator, Eudaemon"; (Ed.), ib. XIV. 1670.9 (iii/A.D.) αἰπὶ (l. ἐπεὶ) δὲ εἰς τὴν τάξειν τοῦ καθολικοῦ παρεδόθημεν, ";when we were handed over to the staff of the catholicus"; (Edd.), ib. IX. 1204.17 (A.D. 299) ὑπηρετούμενος τῇ σῇ τοῦ ἐμοῦ κυρίου τάξει, ";in obedience to your lordship’s department"; (Ed.), ib. X. 1261.3 (A.D. 325) τάξ [ε ]ως τοῦ διασημοτάτου καθολικοῦ, ";on the staff of the most eminent catholicus"; (Edd.), and ib. I. 120.23 (iv/A.D.) μάλιστα ἐπεὶ ξένης καὶ παρὰ τῇ τάξι ὄντα (l. ὤν), ";especially as he was a stranger to the place and was engaged at his post"; (Edd.).

(2) The word is also common = ";list,"; as e.g. P Fay 29.17 (A.D. 37) a notice of death, ὅπως ταγῆι το ̣υ ̣[του ] ο ̣̀ν ̣[ο ]μ ̣α ̣ ἐν τῆι τῶν [τετ ]ελευτηκότων τάξ [ει κατὰ ] τ ̣ο ̣̣ ε ̣͗[θ ]ος, ";that his name may be placed upon the list of deceased persons, according to custom"; (Edd.), similarly P Oxy II. 262.12 (A.D. 61), and PSI III. 164.17 (A.D. 287), the enrolment of an ephebus ἐν τῇ τῶν ὁμηλίκων τάξει.

(3) The meaning ";tax,"; ";assessment,"; is very common in our documents, but, as this particular sense is not found in the NT, a very few exx. will suffice—BGU IV. 1096.7 (i/ii A.D.) τὰ τῆς τάξεως βυβλία, ";the accounts of the tax,"; similarly P Lond 306.15 (A.D. 145) (= II. p. 119), P Fay 35.10 (A.D. 150–1) ἀναδώσομέν σοι τὰς ἀποχὰς τῶν καταχωριζομένων βιβλείων τῆς τάξεως, ";we will render to you the receipts among the documents for registration concerning the tax"; (Edd.), and Ostr 1165.5 (Rom.) ἐν τῇ αὐτ (ῇ) τάξει μεινάτωσαν.

(4) The derived meaning of ";character,"; ";quality,"; as in 2 Maccabees 9:18, may be supported by P Tor I. 1viii. 13 (B.C. 116) ἐμφανιστοῦ καὶ κατηγόρου τάξιν ἔχοντα παρακεῖσθαι, ";was present in the character of an informer and an accuser"; : cf. Polyb. iii. 20. 5 οὐ γὰρ ἱστορίας, ἀλλὰ κουρεακῆς καὶ πανδήμου λαλιᾶς, ἐμοί γε δοκοῦσι τάξιν ἔχειν καὶ δύναμιν.