BATH-KOL, the daughter of a voice. So the Jews call one of their oracles, which is frequently mentioned in their books, especially the Talmud; being a fantastical way of divination invented by the Jews themselves, though called by them a revelation from God's will, which he made to his chosen people, after all verbal prophecies had ceased in Israel. It was in fact a method of divination similar to the sortes Virgiliane of the Heathens. For as, with them, the first words they happened to dip into, in the works of that poet, were a kind of oracle whereby they predicted future events; so with the Jews, when they appealed to Bath-kol, the first words they heard from any man's mouth were looked upon as a voice from heaven, directing them in the matter they inquired about. The Christians were not quite free from this superstition, making the same use of the book of the Scriptures as the Pagans did of the works of Virgil. It was practised by Heraclius, emperor of the east, in the beginning of the seventh century: for, being at war with Chosroes king of Persia, and in doubt, after a successful campaign, where to take up his winter quarters, he consulted the book of the scriptures in this way of divination, and was determined thereby. In France, it was the practice for several ages to use this kind of divination at the consecration of a bishop, in order to discover his life, manners, and future behaviour. This usage came into England with the Norman conquest; for we are told, that at the consecration of William, the second Norman bishop of the diocese of Norwich, the words which first occurred on dipping into the Bible were, Not this man, but Barrobas; soon after which, William died, and Herbert de Lozinga, chief simony broker to King William Rufus, succeeded him; at whose consecration the words at which the Bible opened were the same which
Bath-Kol which Jesus spoke to Judas the traitor; Friend, wherefore art thou come? This circumstance so affected Herbert, that it brought him to a thorough repentance of his crime; in expiation of which he built the cathedral church of Norwich, the first stone of which he laid in the year 1096.