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He fays, (e)" that the Seventy did that "Work unwillingly, and for Fear; for the

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Scripture was the Treasure of the Jews, "which made them more glorious than any "Nation under Heaven. Therefore, to com"municate this their Riches to the Heathen, "whom they abominated and detefted, was

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as much against their Heart, as what was "moft. So that had not the Fear (f) of "the Power of PTOLEMY brought them to "the Work of the Tranflation, more than "their own good Will, there had been no "fuch Thing done. PTOLEMY LAGUS, the "Father of PTOLEMY PHILADELPHUS, for "whom they tranflated, had carry'd away an "hundred thousand Jews captive into Egypt,

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as faith ARISTEAS; fo the Fear and Dread "of that House lay upon them, that they "durft deny it nothing, which otherwise they "would moft vehemently have done fuch a Thing as This, to have communicated their

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Scriptures to the Heathen in a Vulgar Tongue.

"Secondly, the Tranflation being then "undertaken for Fear, and with fo ill a Will, " and that they kept a mournful Fast every "Year, forrowing for the Work of that Tran"flation; it cannot be expected, that the "Tranflation will be done with any more Fidelity, than barely what will keep the "Tranflators out of Danger.

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(e) Lightfoot's Works. Vol. 1. p. 488, &c. Ufferii De Editione Sept. Inter. p. 214, 215.

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"Thirdly, therefore they ftrive as much as ἐσ they can, to conceal the Truth and Treasure "of the Scripture from the Heathen, and as "much as they dare to delude them. Their

chief Means for This is to ufe an unprick'd "Bible, in which the Words written without "Vowels, might be bended divers Ways, and "into divers Senfes, and different from the Meaning of the Original, and yet, if the "Tranflation were queftion'd, they might

prick or vowel the Word, fo as to agree "to their Tranflation. How they have dealt "in this Kind, there is none, that ever laid "the Hebrew Bible and the Septuagint together, but hath observed.

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"Fourthly, their Differences from the "Original, which were innumerable, were " partly of Ignorance, they themselves, not "being able to read the Text always true "in à Copy unvowell'd. But this Ignorance was alfo voluntary in them, they not caring to mistake, fo they might do it to their own Security.

"Their general Care was, that fince of "Neceffity they muft tranflate the Bible, as "little of it might be imparted and reveal'd by the Translation as was poffible.

"Their particular and fpecial Heed was "alfo, that thofe Places of the Text, which "tranflated literally, or according to their true Meaning, might prove dangerous any

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ic Ways to the Nation of the Jews, or bring "them into Diftafte with the potent King, "for whom they were tranflated, should be "fo temper'd and qualify'd, that no Hazard "might arife, nor any fuch Matter might "be seen."

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In fine, there is fo great Difagreement be tween the present Copies of the Septuagint and the Hebrew, (tho' the former (g) bas been corrected to the latter) and That to all Appearance between the antient ones; that many learned Men, and particularly our great (b) USHER, have been mistakenly induced to believe, that there were two Greek Verfions of the Hebrew before CHRIST; and that the firft, which was an accurate Verfion of the Books of MOSES only, and was the Work of the Seventy under the Reign of PTOLEMY PHILADELPHUS, and was conformable to the Hebrew, is now loft; but that the second, falfely call'd the Septuagint, and now received as the true Septuagint, was a fubfequent and unfaithful Tranflation made in the fourth Year of PTOLEMY PHYSCON.

So that nothing can feem more remote from all Appearance of Truth, than to fuppofe, that fo ill a Verfion as the prefent Septua gint Verfion feems to all learned Men to be, hould ever have agreed with the original Hebrew.

(g) Whifton's Eay. p. 48, 49. Sept. Interp.

(b) Uferii De Edit

VII. That

VII.

That the Samaritan Pentateuch is not an uncorrupt Copy of the Books of Moses, and originally derived from the firft Separation of the ten Tribes themselves in the Days of JE

ROBOAM.

MR

R. WHISTON (i) deems the Samaritan Pentateuch (which is one of the Means, whereby he propofes to restore the true Text of the Books of the Old Teftament) an uncorrupted Copy of the Books of Moses, and to be originally derived from the firft Separation of the ten Tribes themselves in the Days of JERO

BOAM.

1. Whereas, if the ten Tribes, that under the Conduct of JEROBOAM fet up a Worship at (k) Dan and Bethel, had a Pentateuch among them (which may justly be suspected and cannot be proved); yet That proves nothing in Relation to the prefent Samaritans and those, from whom they are derived. For the ten Tribes were all carried (1) captive by SHALMANESSER into Affyria, where they were (m) difpersed and loft; and thofe, who were fent to Samaria in their Stead, and had foon the Name of Samaritans, appear (n) not for a long while to have had the Pentateuch

(i) Whiston's Effay. p. 2. 16. 48. 49. 164. 175. 183. 242. (k) 1 Kings 12. 28. (1) 2 Kings 17.6-8. (m) Simon Hift. Crit. du V. T. p. 66.. (2) lb. p. 65. M

among

among them. For they were all (o) Heathens, and continued fo for many Ages, as the Bible informs us; which represents them as Idolaters first, and as being like what they where in the Beginning at the Time, when the fecond Book of Kings was published; and the Jerufalem Jews conftantly gave them the Name of Cutheans, as coming from Cuthah in Affyria; thereby fignifying them to be Idolaters and Heathens, as well as originally Heathens. Had the Samaritans, fays (p) PRIDEAUX, received the Law of Moses from the first (That is, from the Time of the Ifraelitish Prieft being fent (g) by ESERHADDON among them, as is fuppofed by many) and made That the Rule of Worship, which they paid the God of Ifrael, they could not have continued in that grofs Idolatry, which on all Hands it is agreed they did, till the Building of the Temple on Mount Gerizim in the Time of ALEXANDER the Great.

9. There is a corrupted Paffage of great Importance in the Samaritan Pentateuch; which enjoins an Altar to be built, and Sacrifices to be offered, (not at (r) Mount Ebal, as all Hebrew and Greek Copies have it, but) at Mount Gerizim; where (5) SANBALLAT, above a thousand Years after the Times of Moses, did, at the Inftigation and with the Affiftance of MANASSEH, Son of JOIADA,

(0) 2 Kings 24. 29-41.

p. 416.417.

(4) 2 Kings 17. 28.
(3) Jofeph. Antiq, l. 11. c. 8.

See Prideaux's Connection, Vol. 1 (1) Prideaux, lb.

(r) Deut. 27. 4.

the

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