Jehovah. (1 Pet. 2:4-6) Similarly, Paul showed that members of the Christian congregation had been built up “upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, while Christ Jesus himself is the foundation cornerstone,” in union with whom the whole building harmoniously joined together “is growing into a holy temple for Jehovah,” a place for Him to inhabit by spirit.—Eph. 2:19-22.

Psalm 118:22 discloses that the stone rejected by the builders would “become the head of the corner.” Jesus quoted and applied this prophecy to himself as “the chief cornerstone.” (Matt. 21:42; Mark 12:10, 11; Luke 20:17) Just as the topmost stone of a building is conspicuous, so Jesus Christ is the crowning stone of the spiritual temple. Peter also applied Psalm 118:22 to Christ, showing that he was the “stone” rejected by men but chosen by God to become “the head of the corner.”—Acts 4:8-12; see also 1 Peter 2:4-7.

COS

The capital city at the NE end of an island bearing the same name and off the SW coast of Asia Minor. Its advantageous position gave Cos high commercial and naval importance at an early date.

Though the apostle Paul apparently sailed past this city when traveling from Ephesus to Caesarea at the conclusion of his second missionary journey in the spring of 52 C.E. (Acts 18:21, 22), it was not until the close of his third tour, about four years later, that the island received mention by name in Acts (21:1). After Paul ‘tore himself away’ from the Ephesian overseers to whom he had spoken at Miletus (Acts 20:17, 36-38), the ship that he and Luke boarded “ran with a straight course,” that is, it sailed before the wind, without tacking, and under fair winds, until it “came to Cos,” a journey of some thirty-five geographical miles (56.3 kilometers) down the coast. It has been estimated by some commentators that, with the Aegean’s usual prevailing NW winds, such a distance could be covered in about six hours, allowing, as Luke indicates, for Paul’s ship to arrive at Cos on the same day as that of departure from Miletus. It seems likely that this ship spent the night anchored off the E coast of Cos and arrived at Rhodes “the next day,” after departing in the morning on the relatively short journey of fifty geographical miles (80.5 kilometers).

The island of Cos is reputed to have long been a Jewish center in the Aegean. It was a free Roman state in the province of Asia and, according to Tacitus, was granted immunity from taxation by Claudius in 53 C.E.

COSAM

(Coʹsam) [diviner].

A seventh-century B.C.E. descendant of David’s son Nathan; son of Elmadam and father of Addi; and ancestor of Jesus’ mother Mary.—Luke 3:28.

COSMETICS

Substances or treatments applied to the face or other parts of the human body to alter one’s appearance, to beautify or to promote attractiveness. Such preparations can be applied to the skin, the nails or the hair. The English word “cosmetic” is derived from the Greek word ko·sme·ti·kosʹ, which means “skilled in decorating.” In the distant past physicians were suppliers of cosmetics (as among he Greeks and Romans), but eventually the making of these preparations became a separate trade. To some extent, in ancient times, cosmetics were used by both women and men, though particularly by women.

There were ointment makers and mixers among the Israelites (Ex. 30:25; 1 Sam. 8:13; Neh. 3:8), and ointments (often scented) were widely used, perhaps more so than other cosmetics. When applied to the skin or the hair in a hot, dry climate, ointments would help to cope with dryness. Perfumed oils were in use, a sinful woman once anointing Jesus Christ’s feet with such oil. (Luke 7:37, 38) Also, shortly before Jesus’ death, Mary, the sister of Lazarus, “came with an alabaster case of perfumed oil, genuine nard, very expensive,” and anointed him.—Mark 14:3; John 12:3; Matt. 26:6, 7; see OINTMENT AND PERFUMES.

Prominent women in ancient Egypt enjoyed the services of hairdressers who took care of their coiffures and their wigs. Hair pins were in use there. Egyptian women sometimes tinted their hair, fingernails, toenails, and even their hands and feet, with the orange dye or stain acquired by crushing the leaves of the henna plant.

When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel, in addition to attending to her coiffure or doing her head up beautifully, “proceeded to paint her eyes with black paint.” (2 Ki. 9:30) At least some women in Israel, like those in other Middle Eastern lands of antiquity, used eye paint. (Ezek. 23:40) Eye paint was often black, which color would contrast with the white of the eye and tend to make the eyes look larger. (Jer. 4:30) Scriptural references to eye painting do not associate the practice with faithful women of Israel in general, though one of Job’s daughters was named Keren-happuch, which means “horn of antimony” or “horn of eye paint.” (Job 42:14) Horns were sometimes used to hold eye paint. The compound antimony trisulfide, found in the ore stibnite, was widely employed as a cosmetic eye shadow, it being black when powdered. According to Sennacherib’s annals, antimony (probably stibnite, perhaps to be used as eye paint) was part of the tribute paid him by Judean King Hezekiah. Various other substances were also employed by the Egyptians and Babylonians for painting the eyes.

Modest and tasteful use of cosmetics and articles of adornment is not Scripturally condemned. However, Paul and Peter admonished Christian women to adorn themselves “with modesty and soundness of mind, . . . in the way that befits women professing to reverence God,” and to let their adornment be “the secret person of the heart in the incorruptible apparel of the quiet and mild spirit, which is of great value in the eyes of God.” (1 Tim. 2:9, 10; 1 Pet. 3:3, 4) And, in the inspired appraisal of the good wife, it is fittingly stated: “Charm may be false, and prettiness may be vain; but the woman that fears Jehovah is the one that procures praise for herself.”—Prov. 31:30.

COTTON

[Heb., kar·pasʹ].

The original Hebrew word corresponds with the Persian word kirpas and the Greek karʹpa·sos, which may mean either fine cotton or fine linen; and many modern translations favor the rendering of “cotton” at Esther 1:5, 6. Cotton is there mentioned as among the materials used for decorating the palace courtyard during King Ahasuerus’ seven-day banquet at Shushan. The growing of cotton in Persia and in India extends far back into ancient times. While linen seems to have been more widely used in Egypt and Palestine, evidence for the use of cotton there also exists from the first millennium B.C.E. on.

The cotton plant of the Bible account is thought to have been the type classified as Gossypium herbaceum. The bush grows to a height of about five feet (1.5 meters), blossoms with yellow or sometimes pink flowers, and, following the drying up of the flowers, produces the cotton bolls or seed capsules. When ripe, the bolls split open, allowing the fluffy cotton to push out. After the cotton has been collected, the seeds must be picked out or combed out by passing the cotton through a gin. The cotton fibers are then ready for final processing and for weaving. Some authorities suggest that the “white fabrics” of the loom workers of Egypt mentioned at Isaiah 19:9 were probably of cotton.—See CLOTH.

COURIER

A man especially selected from the royal bodyguard to deliver royal decrees and other urgent correspondence from a king to distant areas of his realm. The speed of delivery by couriers was of prime importance. From early times such men were referred to as “runners.” They are called this at 2 Chronicles 30:6, 10; Jeremiah 51:31.

In the Persian Empire fast horses were used, along with relay stations, or posts, where fresh couriers and horses waited to carry important messages on their way. (Esther 3:13-15; 8:10, 14) They rushed messages to their destinations night and day and in all kinds of weather. In the Roman Empire there were stations placed every five or six miles for the couriers where forty horses were constantly kept. Roman couriers could travel a hundred miles (161 kilometers) a day, a considerable speed in those times. With this system of post horses royal messages could be dispatched to the ends of an empire in a relatively short period of time. The only messages they carried were official ones. Letters by private individuals were carried to their destination by private means.

COURT, JUDICIAL

Jehovah God as the Creator of the universe has the supreme sovereignty. As acknowledged by the ancient nation of Israel, so he is to the universe, namely, Judge, Statute-giver and King. (Isa. 33:22) The family head Abraham acknowledged him as “Judge of all the earth.” (Gen. 18:25) Jehovah portrays himself as Supreme Judge in a legal case against Israel (Mic. 6:2), also in a legal case in behalf of his people against the nations. (Isa. 34:8) He calls on his people as witnesses in a case involving a challenge of his Godship by the worshipers of false gods.—Isa. 43:9-12.

PATRIARCHAL SOCIETY

After the flood Noah emerged as the family head or patriarch and God made a covenant with him and his sons as representatives of the human race. (Gen. 9:12-16) Noah also received basic laws in addition to what God had stated previously. (Gen. 9:3-6) As patriarch Noah made decisions that affected not only his immediate household but also his married sons and their offspring.—Gen. 9:20-27.

The family head was judge of the family, which included the slaves and all those living under the household of the family head, just as Jehovah God is the great family Head and Judge. (Gen. 38:24) Disputes between families were settled between family heads when it was possible to settle them peaceably.

Among the worshipers of the true God, Jehovah was always acknowledged as the Supreme Judge. The family head as judge was reckoned as accountable to God, who himself sat in judgment in the cases of Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:8-24); of Cain (Gen. 4:9-15); of humankind at the time of the Flood (Gen. 6:1-3, 11-13, 17-21); of the builders of the Tower of Babel (Gen. 11:1-9); of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18:20-33); and of Abimelech.—Gen. 20:3–7.

Jacob acted as judge for those in his household when Laban brought accusations that his teraphim had been stolen by someone in Jacob’s camp. Jacob said: “Whoever it is with whom you may find your gods, let him not live.” (Gen. 31:32) However, Jacob did not know that Rachel had taken them, and Laban did not find them, so Rachel was not accused. When Joseph’s brothers had sold him into Egypt and presented Joseph’s blood-soaked garment to make it appear that he had been killed by a wild beast, Jacob sat in judgment, examined the evidence and made a judicial decision: “Joseph is surely torn to pieces!” (Gen. 37:33) Judah sat in judgment when he found that Tamar was pregnant, sentencing her to be put to death. But when he found that she had maneuvered him into performing that which he legally should have caused his son Shelah to perform, he pronounced Tamar more righteous than himself.—Gen. 38:24-26.

UNDER THE LAW

With the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, Moses as Jehovah’s representative became judge. At first he was trying to handle all the cases, which were so numerous that he was busy from morning to evening. On the counsel of Jethro he appointed capable men as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens. (Ex. 18:13-26) Moses thereby established an efficient judicial system to administer justice to the body of approximately three million people under his care. If we take the figure of 600,000 able-bodied men as a basis for the divisions and appointments, this would mean the appointing of 78,600 judges. (Ex. 12:37) These were to handle ordinary cases, but anything unusually complicated or difficult, or a matter of national importance, was to be brought to Moses or to the sanctuary before the priests.

These hard matters for judgment included the following: Where the husband was suspicious of the chastity of his wife (Num. 5:11-31); a case of bloodshed where there was a dispute (Deut. 17:8, 9); and certain cases where revolt was charged against a man but where the evidence was unclear or suspicious. (Deut. 19:15-20) The priests would officiate in a case of unsolved murder.—Deut. 21:1-9.

There were no regular provisions for appeal from the lower courts to the higher, but if the chiefs of tens could not decide a case they could refer it to the chiefs of fifties, and so on, or directly to the sanctuary or to Moses.—Ex. 18:26; Deut. 1:17; 17:8-11.

The men selected as judges were to be capable, trustworthy men, fearing Jehovah, hating unjust profit. (Ex. 18:21) They were generally family heads and heads of tribes, older men of the city in which they acted as judges. The Levites, who were set aside by Jehovah as special instructors in the Law, served prominently also as judges.—Deut. 1:15.

Many are the admonitions against the perversion of judgment, taking of bribes, or partiality. (Ex. 23:6-8; Deut. 1:16, 17; 16:19; Prov. 17:23; 24:23; 28:21; 29:4) A poor man was not to be favored merely because he was poor, nor was the rich man to be given advantage over the poor. (Lev. 19:15) The rights of the alien resident were to be regarded and they were not to be treated unjustly. The judges were not to oppress such ones, nor widows and orphans, who seemed to have no protector, for Jehovah was their fatherly Judge and Protector. (Lev. 19:33, 34; Ex. 22:21; 23:9; Deut. 10:18; 24:17, 18; 27:19; Ps. 68:5) Accordingly, the alien residents were required to respect the law of the land. (Lev. 18:26) But these statutes and counsels from Jehovah came to be disregarded by the princes and judges in Israel, being one of the causes for God’s adverse judgment of the nation.—Isa. 1:23; Ezek. 22:12; 1 Sam. 8:3; Ps. 26:10; Amos 5:12.

Since the judges were to be upright men, judging according to Jehovah’s law, they represented Jehovah. Therefore, standing before the judges was considered as standing before Jehovah. (Deut. 1:17; 19:17; Josh. 7:19; 2 Chron. 19:6) The term “assembly” or “congregation” in most cases means the general assembly of the people, but in speaking of taking cases for judgment before the assembly or congregation the Bible refers to the representative members thereof, the judges, as at Numbers 35:12, 24, 25 and Matthew 18:17.

The local court was situated at the gate of a city. (Deut. 16:18; 21:19; 22:15, 24; 25:7; Ruth 4:1) By “gate” is meant the open space inside the city near the gate. The gates were places where the law was read to the congregated people and where ordinances were proclaimed. At the gate it was easy to acquire: witnesses to a civil matter, such as property sales, and so forth, as most persons would go in and out of the gate during the day. Also, the publicity that would be afforded any trial at the gate would tend to influence the judges toward carefulness and justice in the trial proceedings and in their decisions. Evidently there was a place provided near the gate where the judges could comfortably preside. (Job 29:7) Samuel traveled in a circuit of Bethel, Gilgal