arrival at the sepulchre, avaraλavтos Toν ýλɩov," after sunrise." Mark xvi. 2. N. B. The verbs expressing their departure are aorists, nλ@ov, ελlovoaι, &c. signifying the act of " going;" the verbs expressive of arrival are the present tense, ExɛTαι, intimating the act of "coming." Only one or the other of these acts is expressed by the evangelists, and our public translation has unfortunately confounded them together: Matt. xxviii. 1; Mark xvi. 1; Luke xxiv. 1; and put "coming" for "going.”

WEEKS.

This primæval measure of time, instituted as a memorial of the work of creation in six days, and of the ensuing sabbath, or day of "rest," Gen. ii. 2, 3, was used by the CREATOR himself, in his denunciation of the deluge, Gen. vii. 8. It was twice employed by Noah in the ark, Gen. viii. 10-12; and Jacob's marriage-feast lasted a week, Gen. xxix. 7.

It was therefore universally observed by Noah's descendants during the prevalence of the Patriarchal religion; but when mankind degenerated, and sunk into idolatry, the primitive institution was neglected, and at length lost. And the days of the week were dedicated by the Egyptians, Chaldeans,"Syrians, &c. to the heavenly host, the sun, moon, and planets.

Hence the Israelites, during their residence in Egypt, became infected with the idolatry of the country, and omitted, either voluntarily, or by compulsion, the observance of the Sabbath, until it was revived in the desert, sanctioned by the miracle of the manna, which was intermitted on the Sabbath-day, and solemnly re-enacted on mount Sinai, and made one of the laws of the Decalogue, and its violation punished with death. Exod. xvi. 23-30; xx. 8; Numb. xv. 35. In order that it might be "a sign between God and his people," Ezek. xx. 20; and a mark of separation from the idolatrous Gentiles, who universally violated it, as we learn from the following exceptions in a curious passage of Julian the apostate:-Ποιον εθνος εστι, προς των θεων, εξω του, ου προσκυνήσεις θεοις έτεροις,” και του, μνηστ θητι των σαββατων,” ὁ μη τας αλλας οιεται χρηναι φυλαττειν EVTOλaç;" "What nation is there, by the gods, who do not think, εντολας

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that except the first commandment, Thou shalt not worship other gods, and the fourth, Remember the Sabbath, they ought to observe the other commandments of the decalogue ?"

The Egyptians, we are told by Dio Cassius, led the way in consecrating the days of the week to the seven planets, and they were followed by the Greeks, Romans, Hindus, Goths, Germans, and Saxons. And the following Pythian oracle, prescribing the worship of these false gods on their respective days, is preserved by Eusebius :

Κληίζειν Ερμην, ηδ' Ηελιον κατα ταυτα,
Ημερη Ηελιου, Μηνην δ' ότε της δε παρείη
Ήμερη, ηδε Κρονον, ηδ' εξειης Αφροδίτην.
"Invoke Mercury; and the Sun in like manner,

On Sunday; and the Moon, when her day comes;
And Saturn also; and Venus, in succession."

Hence the Gentiles dropped the observance of a seventh day of rest. The Greeks observed the Decads, or tenth days; the Romans, Nundina, the ninth days, &c.

Some astronomers and chronologers have imagined that the week was a natural measure of time, furnished by the four principal phases or quarters of the moon, which last each about a week; but it was unquestionably derived from the divine institution at the creation, handed down by primitive tradition. This is evident from the word Sabbat, or Sabbata, denoting a week among the Syrians, Arabians, Christian Persians, and Ethiopians; as in the following ancient Syriac calendar, expressed in the Chaldee alphabet *:

* This calendar is taken from Michaelis's Introduction to the New Testament, translated by Marsh, Vol. I. p. 136.

The derivation of the Syriac numerals from the Hebrew is obvious: T, is from the Hebrew, TX, one, by elision of the first letter;, from the Hebrew, D, two; by substitution of kindred letters, or letters of the same organ; from wh, three, by the same; NYN, from y, four, by affixing the emphatic article N; which corresponds to the prefix, the, in Hebrew: XUD, from D, five, by the

The high antiquity of this calendar is evinced by the use of the cardinal numbers, one, two, three, &c. instead of the ordinals, first, second, third, &c. following the Hebrew idiom; as in the account of the creation, where we read in the original, “One day," which the Septuagint retains, calling it, nμɛpa ua. It is remarkable that all the evangelists follow the Syriac calendar, both in the word oaßßara, used for " a week," and also in retaining the cardinal number ua oaßßarwv, "one of the week," to μια express the day of the resurrection. Matt. xxviii. 1; Mark xvi. 2; Luke xxiv. 1; John xx. 1. Afterwards Mark adopts the usual phrase, Towτn σaßßarov, "the first of the week," Mark xvi. 9; where he uses the singular oaßßarov for a week; and so does Luke, as NnoTeuw die Tov oaßßarov, "I fast twice in the week." Νηστευω δις του σαββατου, Luke xviii. 12.

The Syriac name for Friday, or the sixth day of the week, is also adopted by Mark, who renders it poσaßßarov, “sabbatheve," xv. 42; corresponding to wаρаσкεvη, “preparation-day;" Matt. xxvii. 62; Mark xv. 42; Luke xxiii. 54; John xix. 31. And Josephus also conforms to this usage, except that he uses oaßßara, in the singular sense, for the sabbath-day, in his account of a decree of Augustus, exempting the Jews of Asia and Cyrene from secular services, εν σαββασι, η τη προ ταύτης παρασκευή, απο της ώρας εννάτης. "On the sabbath-day, or on the preparation-day before it, from the ninth hour." Antiq. 16, 7, 2. The first three evangelists also use the plural σaßßara, to denote the sabbath-day; Matt. xii. 5-11; Mark i. 21; and ii. 23; Luke iv. 16, &c. Whereas John, to avoid ambiguity, appropriates the singular oaßßarov to the sabbath-day, and the plural σaßßara to the week; John v. 9-16; vii. 22, &c. xx. 1. And here we may incidentally remark, that there is not a more prolific source of confusion and embarrassment in Ancient Chronology, than the substitution of the cardinal numbers, one, two, three, for the ordinals, first, second, third, &c. which frequently occurs in the sacred and profane historians. Thus Noah was six hundred years old when the deluge began, Gen. vii. 6; and

same;, from y, evening, by elision of the last letter; and xw, from , the sabbath, or rest.

The divinities in the Saxon mythology, from which our names of the days of the week are derived, were the Sun; the Moon; Tuisco, a warlike divinity; Odin, or Woden, who was the same as the Hermes, or Thoth, of the Grecians and Egyptians, and the Budha of the Hindus; Thor, the Thunderer, or Jove; Freya, his wife; and Sater, Saturn.

presently after, in his six hundredth year: confounding complete and current years. And the dispute whether A.D. 1800, or A.D. 1801, was the first of the nineteenth century, should be decided in favour of the latter; the former being in reality the last of the eighteenth century; which is usually, but improperly called, the year one thousand eight hundred, complete; whereas it is really the one thousandth, eight hundredth; as in Latin, Anno Domini, Millesimo, Octingentesimo.

There is also another and a prevailing error, arising from mistranslation of the current phrases, μεθ ̓ ἡμερας οκτώ, μετα τρεις μɛpas, &c. usually rendered, " after eight days," "after three days," &c. but which ought to be rendered "eight days after," "three days after," as in other places, μɛra Tivas nμepas, μet' ov Todas nueρas, which are correctly rendered "some days after," πολλας ἡμερας, "not many days after," in our English Bible, Acts xv. 36; Luke xv. 13, the extreme days being included. Such phrases seem to be elliptical, and the ellipsis is supplied, Luke ix. 28, speaking of our Lord's transfiguration, μετα τους λογους τουτους, ώσει nμερаι OKтw. After these sayings, about " eight days," or rather about the eighth day, counted inclusively; for in the parallel passages, Matt. xvii. 1; Mark ix. 2; there are only "six days," counted exclusively, or omitting the extremes.

οκτω.

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Thus, circumcision is prescribed, Gen. xvii. 11, when the child is" eight days old ;" but in Levit. xxii. 3. " on the eighth day." And JESUS accordingly was circumcised, ότε επλήσθησαν ἡμεραι Οκτώ, "when eight days were accomplished," Luke ii. 21; whereas, John the Baptist, rn oydon nuɛpa, " on the eighth day." And the last, which was the constant usage, explains the meaning of the former.

And this critically reconciles our Lord's resurrection, μɛTA TĻEIS nuεpas, "three days after," according to Matt. xxvii. 63; Mark viii. 31; with his resurrection, τη тoiтη μεpa, "on the third day," according to Matt. xvi. 21; Luke ix. 22; and according to fact for our Lord was crucified on Good Friday, about the third hour; and he rose before sunrise, πрwɩ, early, on Sunday; so that the interval, though extending through three calendar days current, did not in reality, amount to two entire days, or forty-eight hours.

This phraseology is frequent among the most correct classic writers: Josephus uses the phrase μɛта Eтn duo, “two years after." Bell. Jud. 1, 13, 1, as equivalent to SEUTεpy ETεl,"in the second year," relating the same transaction, Ant. 14, 13, 3.

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Theophrastus says of the Egyptian thorn, όταν δε κοπη, μετα τρίτον ετος, ευθεως αναβεβλαστηκεν, “ when it is cut down, it sprouts again the third year after;" which Pliny, N. H. 13, 9, renders, " cæsa, anno tertio resurgit."

Demosthenes uses the phrase μ0' nμepas dvo, in the sense of "two days after." Mid.

Cicero also adopts it: speaking to Antony of the Ides of March, on which Cæsar was assassinated, he says: Neque te illo die, neque postero vidi-post diem tertium veni in Edem Telluris. "I neither saw you that day [the Ides of March, in the Senate] nor the next, [the 17th before the Calends of April] -The third day after [the 16th before the Calends of April] I came into the temple of Tellus." Philippic. 2, 35.

Some learned Commentators, Beza, Grotius, Campbell, Newcome, render such phrases, "within eight days," "within three days;" which certainly conveys the meaning, but not the literal translation, of the preposition μɛтa, “ after.”

In memory of the primeval week of Creation, revived among the Jews, after their departure from Egypt, their principal festivals, the Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles, lasted a week each. And it is remarkable, that from the earliest times, sacrifices were offered by sevens. Thus, in the patriarch Job's days, 66 seven bullocks and seven rams were offered up for a burnt offering" of atonement, by the Divine command. Job xlii. 8.— The Chaldean diviner, Balaam, built seven altars, and prepared seven bullocks and seven rams. Numb. xxiii. 1. And the Cumaan Sibyl, who came from Chaldea, or Babylonia, gives the same directions to Æneas, that Balaam did to Balak :

Nunc grege de intacto, septem mactare juvencos
Præstiterit, totidem lectas, de more, bidentes.

"It will be better now to sacrifice seven bullocks,

And seven sheep, culled from the spotless herd,
According to custom."
EN. vi. 38.

And when the Ark was brought home by David, the Levites offered seven bullocks and seven rams. 1 Chron. xv. 26. And hence we may account for the peculiar sanctity of the seventh day, among the older Heathen writers, even after the institution of the Sabbath fell into disuse, and was lost among them. Thus Hesiod styles it: 'Eẞdoun, ispov nμap, “ the seventh, a holy day." And Theophilus, Bishop of Antioch, speaking of the seventh day, says, v TaνTES ovoμalovoi. "Which all name," or distinguish : "but most," adds he, " are ignorant of the reason why."