Galilae'an (Γαλιλαῖος), a native or inhabitant (Joh 4:45, "of Galilee," Mt 26:69; Ac 1:11; Ac 5:37) of GALILEE SEE GALILEE (q.v.); applied to the disciples of Christ as a term of contempt (Lu 22:59; Ac 2:7). They were easily recognized as such, for the Galileans spoke a dialect of the vernacular Syriac different from that of Judaea, and which was of course accounted rude and impure, as all provincial dialects are considered to be, in comparison with that of the metropolis. It was this which occasioned the detection of Peter as one of Christ's disciples (Mr 14:70). The Galilaean dialect (as we learn from Buxtorf, Lex. Talm. col. 434; Lightfoot, Cent. chorogr. in Matt. proem. c. 86, 87; and others) was of a broad and rustic tone, which affected the pronunciation not only of letters, but of words. It parttook much of the Samaritan and Syriac idiom; but, in the instance of Peter, it must have been the tone which betrayed him, the words being seemingly too few for that effect. (See A. Pfeiffer, Dissert. de lingua Galilaeor.; also in his de Talmude Judaeor.
page 137 sq.) The Galilaens are imentioned by Josephus (Ant. 17:10, 2; War, 2:10, 6; 3:3, 2) as a tumulent and rebellious people, ready on all occasions to rise against the Roman authority. This character of them explains what is said in Lu 13:1 with regard to "the Galileans whose blood Pilate had miasgled with their sacrifices." Josephus, indeed, does not mention any Galileans slain in the Temple by Pilate; but the character which he gives that people sufficiently corroborates the statement. The tumults to which be alludes were, as we know, chiefly raised at the great festivals, when sacrifices were slain in great abundance; and on all such occasions the Galilaeans were much more active than the men of Judaea, and Jerusalem, as is proved by the history of Archelaus (Joseph. Ant. 17:9, 10); which case, indeed, furnishes an answer to those who deny that the Gabibalans attended the feasts with the rest of the Jews. The seditious character of the Galilaeans also explains why Pilate, when sitting in judgment upon Jesus, caught at the word Galilee when used by the chief priests, and asked if he were a Galilaean (Lu 23:6). To be known to belong to that country was of itself sufficient to prejudice Pilate against him, and to give some countenance to the charges, unsupported by impartial evidence, which were preferred against him, and which Pilate himself had, just before, virtually declared to be false. See Otho, Lex. Rab. page 254 sq.
The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature was edited by John McClintock and James Strong. It contains nearly 50,000 articles pertaining to Biblical and other religious literature, people, creeds, etc. It is a fantastic research tool for broad Christian study.
John McClintock was born October 27, 1814 in Philadelphia to Irish immigrants, John and Martha McClintock. He began as a clerk in his father's store, and then became a bookkeeper in the Methodist Book Concern in New York. Here he converted to Methodism and considered joining the ministry. McClintock entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1832 and graduated with high honors three years later. Subsequently, he was awarded a doctorate of divinity degree from the same institution in 1848.WikipediaRead More