cipal Hebraists and Divines of the last age, and precluded any enquiries or discussions of this nature, is now lowered to its proper level of rational respect. The great Usher seems to have entertained juster sentiments on the subject than most of his contemporaries, though he scrupled to innovate in Chronology, or recede much from the received systems in his time; when too many, like Kennedy, were obstinately and blindly attached to the Hebrew verity. But the inspection of various editions since, and the copious collations of the Hebrew text with a great number of MSS. collected from all parts of the world, by the laudable industry and extensive researches of Kennicott and De Rossi, and other learned men, have proved that the Sacred Classics are no more exempt from various readings than the profane. Nor indeed could it be otherwise, without a continued miracle, if we consider the vast number of transcripts that have been made by copiers, more or less skilful, and more or less careful, in all parts of the world; and surely their variations are equally the province of philological criticism, to approve some, and to reject others, according to the number and weight of the authorities for or against.

1. Hence the Hebrew copies were equally obnoxious to adulteration as the Greek.

2. But the Hebrew copies afforded greater facilities and opportunities of adulteration than the Greek: for, in the course of the Jewish war, until the final destruction of Jerusalem, and expulsion of the Jews from Judea, in the reign of Adrian, vast numbers of the Hebrew copies must have been lost or destroyed, besides those that were taken away by the conquerors among other spoils; and the few that were left were confined, in great measure, to the Jews themselves, as the Hebrew language was not in general use, like the Greek. Whereas, of the Greek copies, even if all that were possessed by the Hellenistic Jews, not only in Palestine, but throughout the world, had been destroyed, which was far from being the case, yet the copies of the Septuagint, in the possession of the Christians every where, rendered any material adulteration of the Greek text, at least in so important a case as that of the genealogies, well nigh impossible. 3. The temptation to adulteration was also greater in the Hebrew than in the Greek.

After the first destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, A.D. 70, the Jews were so oppressed by their national calamities, that

they could think of nothing else for some time; but about the end of the first century of the Vulgar Era, they were roused to oppose the wonderful progress of Christianity. What principally excited their rage and vexation was, that "their own scriptures" were turned into artillery against them, to prove that "JESUS was indeed the CHRIST," from the days of the Apostles. Acts xviii. 28.

In order to bring the Septuagint vulgate version, which was usually referred to by the Christians, into disrepute, they instituted a solemn fast on the 8th day of Tebeth (December), to curse the memory of its having been made. Some of the Rabbins compare it to "that unlucky day for Israel, when the golden calf was made." See Hodius de Version. Græc. p. 121. And they set up three other Greek versions in opposition thereto, framed from their curtailed Hebrew text.

The first was that of Aquila, published about A.D. 128, two years before the Seder Olam Rabba. He was originally a Pagan priest, who became a Christian, and afterwards, on his expulsion from the Church for irregular conduct, turned a renegado to Judaism, and became a pupil to that famous Rabbi Akiba, "whose name," says David Ganz, "is gone forth from one end of the world unto the other, and we have the whole oral law from his hand," p. 99: who for 40 years was president of the Sanhedrim, and had no less than 40,000 disciples, which qualified him to become one of the most subtile and formidable, as he was one of the most malignant adversaries of Christianity.

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And now was written or sealed" by Rabbi Jose, under the auspices and instigation of Akiba, the Seder Olam Rabba, or Jewish curtailed system of Chronology, A.D. 130, about five years before the total demolition of Jerusalem, and desolation of Judæa by Adrian; in the course of which war, Akiba, and the false Christ and rebel Barchocab, whom he abetted, were slain, and their adherents destroyed. See David Ganz's Chronology, entitled Zemach David, "the branch of David," translated by Vorstius, pp. 1, and 106, where this curious and valuable account of the time of the publication, and of the authors of the Seder Olam Rabba, is given.

Aquila is charged by Epiphanius with wresting Scripture, contrary to the interpretation of the Septuagint version, to a different sense, in order to invalidate the testimonies concerning CHRIST. De Mensur. et Pond. Cap. 15. And an unpublished

Greek tract in the Bodleian library, inspected by Kennicott, relates, that " Aquila being filled with much rage, and imagining mischiefs in his heart, was transported by an unjust envy, and anathematizing Christianity, he became a Jew; and having assiduously learned the power of the Hebrew elements, and being superficially instructed in the Hebrew tongue, he interpreted Scripture, wishing to conceal the testimonies concerning CHRIST. Whenever, therefore, you find in the Hebrew, (for even there also he obliterated) or in the Greek, the testimonies concerning CHRIST disguised, know that it was the insidious contrivance of Aquila." See the original passage in the masterly Dissertatio generalis subjoined to the second volume of Kennicott's Hebrew Collations of the Bible, §. 69.

Justin Martyr, also, in his controversy with Trypho, the Jew, about A.D. 148, produces several instances of their altering or erasing the prophecies relative to the divinity, passion, and death of CHRIST, out of the copies of the Septuagint vulgate version used in their synagogues. "Your Rabbis, says he to Trypho, "have absolutely expunged many passages out of the Septuagint version, as I would have you to know."-" Still I will argue with you even from those received passages which ye admit, which if your Rabbis had understood, be assured they would have expunged them."

This testimony of Justin Martyr, who was himself a Samaritan, and understood the Hebrew Scriptures also, is of the greatest weight; and the following of Irenæus, who died A.D. 202, decides the point:

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If the Jews (says he) had known that we should have made use of those testimonies that are to be drawn from the Scriptures, they would never have hesitated themselves to burn their own Scriptures."

Hence we may safely conclude, that the adulteration was rather of the Hebrew genealogies than of the Greek; and that it was introduced, probably by Aquila, just before the time of the fabrication of the Seder Olam Rabba, A.D. 130, founded thereon.

Aquila published two editions of his version; about A.D. 185, a second translation was published by Theodotion, whom Jerom calls "a Jew and a blasphemer." This was principally designed to supersede the use of the vulgate version of the Septuagint among the Jews; which it soon did, as it more nearly resembled the style of that formerly venerable, but now obnoxious version, than Aquila's. Theodotion's translation of the book

of Daniel was introduced into the Christian Churches also, as being deemed more accurate than the Septuagint, and thus the Septuagint version of that book was unfortunately long lost. Still, however, the rest of the version was providentially retained and preserved; for with all its numerous errors and corruptions at present, it is still one of our most useful and valuable helps to the understanding of the prophecies especially, because it was written before the birth of CHRIST, when there was no temptation to adulteration. A third translation was afterwards made by Symmachus, A.D. 200. He was a Samaritan and an Ebionite Christian, and gave a freer translation than the rest, according to Eusebius.

Although the corruption of the Hebrew genealogies began as early as Aquila's version, A.D. 128, and was sanctioned by the Seder Olam Rabba, A.D. 130, yet it does not appear to have made any considerable progress for two centuries after. Theophilus, bishop of Antioch, who died A.D. 181, was the first Christian chronologer who attempted to compute the age of the world from Scripture. In his third book to Autolycus, he reckoned 2362 years from the creation to the deluge, and 1036 years from the birth of Arphaxad, two years after the deluge, to the birth of Isaac, which would give 938 years from the deluge to the birth of Abraham. These dates are incorrect: the first being too high, the last too low. But that he did not take them from the Septuagint is evident, because they both differ from it; and he expressly omits the second Cainan, found only in the Septuagint; consequently, he took them from some Hebrew copy, which followed the longer computation, and he allowed from Adam to Seth 330 years, a century more than the Septuagint.

Indeed, the shorter computation did not prevail in the Hebrew Bibles until a good while after his death; for Eusebius, who died A.D. 340, " found in the Hebrew copies which he consulted, different accounts of the times, some following the longer, others the shorter computations."

III. The motive which led the Jews to mutilate the Patriarchal genealogies, is most clearly exposed by Ephrem Syrus, who died A.D. 378.

"The Jews," says he, "have subtracted 600 years from the generations of Adam, Seth, &c. in order that their own books might not convict them concerning the coming of CHRIST: he having been predicted to appear for the deliverance of mankind after 5500 years."

2. This remarkable prediction or tradition, of the appearance of CHRIST in the course of the sixth millenary age of the world, and which was actually fulfilled, is still more fully explained by the excellent Armenian annalist Abulfaragi, p. 72.

"It having been foretold in the Law and the Prophets concerning the MESSIAH, that he should be sent in the last times,' and the earlier Rabbins finding no better device to reject [JESUS, as] THE CHRIST, than to alter the generations of the patriarchs, by which the age of the world might be known, they subtracted a century from Adam's age until the birth of Seth, and added the same to his residue of life; and this they did in the lives of the rest of Adam's descendants, down to Abraham. By this device, their computation shewed that [JESUS] CHRIST was manifested near the middle of the fifth millenary of the age of the world, which, according to them, was to last for 7000 years; and they said, We are still in the middle of the time, and the time appointed for the MESSIAH's advent is not yet come."

Here Abulfaragi reckons according to the eastern Jews, who dated the creation, B.C. 4220, consequently JESUS was born near the middle of their fifth age of the world. The western Jews, who date it B.C. 3760, following the Seder Olam Rabba nearly, depress his birth to the middle of the fourth age.

3. The origin of this notion of the six millenary ages of the world, is well explained by the learned Gregory, of Oxford.

"In the first verse of the first chapter of Genesis, the Hebrew letter N, Aleph, which in the Jewish arithmetic stands for 1000, is six times found. From hence, the ancient Cabbalists concluded that the world would last 6000 years. Because also God was six days about the Creation, and a thousand years with him are but as one day; (Ps. xc. 4; 2 Pet. iii. 8.) therefore after six days, that is, 6000 years' duration of the world, there shall be a seventh day, or millenary sabbath of rest.”

This early tradition of the Jews was found also in the Sibylline Oracles, and in Hesiod, as we have seen; in the writings of Darius Hystaspes, the old king of the Medes, derived probably from the Magi; and in Hermes Trismegistus, among the Egyptians and was adopted by the early Christian Fathers, Clemens, Timotheus, and Theophilus, bishop of Antioch, who observed, that " upon the sixth day GOD made man, and man fell by sin; so upon the sixth day of the Chiliad, (or sixth mil