BOULE

BOULE (Gr. Βουλή), in ancient Greece, a state council; in Ereẓ Israel a city council which played an important role during and after the Second Temple period. One of the Hellenistic institutions established in cities founded by Herod and his sons, the Boule later spread to other urban areas inhabited mainly by Jews. There was a Boule also in Jerusalem; in Tiberias it consisted of 600 members; and the Boule in Ashkelon is mentioned in a source dating from the end of the third century C.E. (TJ, Pe'ah 1:1, 15c). In some cities the Boule was housed in a special building (Aram. כנישתא דבולי, Kenishta de-Boulei), in which the sages delivered public homilies (TJ, Shek. 7:3, 50c; TJ, Ta'an. 1:2, 64a). Various talmudic sources refer to the Boule in southern Judean cities dissolved apparently because of internal friction (TJ, Ned. 3:2, 38a; TJ, Shevu. 3:10, 34d; Git. 37a). The principal function of the Boule was to levy taxes for the   Roman administration, for the collection of which the property of members of the Boule was the surety. Since the taxes had frequently to be extorted from the people, wealthy men, appointed against their will, tried various ways to evade serving on the Boule, sometimes by flight, and hence the remark of R. Johanan (middle of the third century C.E.): "If you have been nominated for the Boule, let the Jordan be your neighbor" (TJ, MK 2:3, 81b). -BIBLIOGRAPHY: Alon, in: Tarbiz, 14 (1943), 145ff. (repr. in his Mearim, 2 (1958), 24ff.). (Abraham Schalit)