collect fuck paffages out of the law and the prophets as related to our Saviour and the feveral parts of the chriftian faith. 1 5. Fifthly, I proceed to confider Mr. W's. charge against the Jews founded on the two paffages of JUSTIN MARTYR: 1. As to the firft paffage, I obferve, that JUSTIN objects to the Jews five places; a place in ISAIAH, Behold a virgin fhall be with child; a place taken away from ESDRAS; two places taken away from JEREMIAH; and the words from the tree, taken away from the 96th Pfalm: Of all which (except the place in ISAIAH) Dr. GRABE (t) fays, Ne miretur Lector, quod mutilationes facri textus, quas JuSTINUS M. TRIPHONI Judao exprobravit, haud exempli loco attulerim: fiquidem pericopas objectas non a Judais ablatas, fed potius a Primavis Chriftianis explicationis gratiâ ad marginem adfcriptas, indeq; in ipfum textum poftea illatas cenfeo, cujus mea opinionis rationes dabo, ubi, deo volente Dialogum Fuftini edidero. The first place, Behold a virgin shall be with child, was only rejected by the Jews as a false translation of the hebrew; which, according to them, fhould have been render'd, (t) Grabe de vitiis Septuag._ Inter. p. 34. See alfo FABRICII Codex, Apoc. Vet. Teft. p. 1108, der'd, Behold a young woman shall be with child, and as AQUILA and THEODOTION render'd it: and it can by no means be faid, that the Jews fo much as attempted to take away the place either out of the Hebrew or Septuagint. The Jews had a right in the time of JusTIN, and have now, to argue with the chriftians concerning the import or use of the hebrew word Almab (render'd virgin by the Septuagint) without being in the leaft liable to the charge of corrupting the bible. And it feems to be a very proper topick for them to infift on to chriftians, who lay ftrefs on the place; tho', in reality, the words, A virgin fhall be with child, feem of themselves to fignify no miraculous conception of a virgin, and especially not in their place in ISAIAH, as appears by the (w) context, which fhows the term tranflated virgin to have reference to a young woman in the days of AHAZ. As to the place of ESDRAS, it is not cited any where by the apoftles in the New Teftament; and by confequence it is no an instance of the Jews corrupting paffages of the Old Teftament cited in the New. Befides, it is in no hebrew (x) copies of ESDRAS, L 4 (w) Whifton's Effay, Sc. p. 229, c. (x) Clerici Hift. Ecclef. p. 526. ESDRAS, nor is it cited by any ancients, except by JUSTIN and LACTANTIUS. Satis patet, fays (y) THIRLEY, ab aliquo cbriftiano, verba confitta effe, non a Fudais deleta. Dr. GRABE, who discharges the Jews from taking away this place, would, indeed, alfo clear the chriftians from forging it, by fuppofing it (x) a primavis chriftianis explicationis gratia ad marginem adfcriptum; indeq; in ipfum textum poftea illatum. But to that Mr. THIRLBY (a) anfwers, Quorfum vero quafo tam accurata imitatio ftyli facre fcriptura, & Septuaginta interpretum, fi nibil fuberat doli? Aut quomodo bac explicationis gratia ad marginem adfcribi potuerunt, cum nibil in toto ESDRAS fit, quod aut ab his explicari, aut ullis machinis buc trahi poffit, imo cum neq; in ESDRA canonico, neq; in apocryphis, ulla extet ejus ad populum de pafcha oratio, unde bac Fudai refecare potuerint? And the learned CROIUS (b) fcruples not to fay, Arbitramur banc effe piam fraudem JUSTINI, & LacTANTII, qui fequitur JusTINUM ducem, qui locum bunc, ut pleraq; omnia Sybillarum Oracula, & plerafq; omnes MERCURII fententias, (y) Thirlbii Juftin Martyr, p. 292. (b) Croii Obfer. in Nov. Teft. p. 203. fententias, ad doctrina chriftiana probationem finxerint, & in lucem ediderint. The two places of JEREMIAH, and the words from the tree are no where cited in the New Testament; and confequently they are not inftances of the Jews corrupting paffages of the Old Testament cited by the apostles in the New. Befides, the first place of JEREMIAH was (c) quoted both by ORIGEN and LACTANTIUS, long after JusTIN'S time, and is ftill extant after a fort (which is enough for a quotation made by the fathers) both in the Hebrew and Septuagint. Nay, the words were by JUSTIN's own (d) confeffion, found written, in his time, fome copies that were in the Jewish Synagogues. Mr. LE CLERC (e) fays in vindication of the Jews with relation to those words, Quis credat deleta in verfione Græcâ, ftudio certè & datâ operâ, dum Hebraicè leguntur? Suntne verba adeò clara & propria Chrifto, nulli ut alii convenire ullo modo poffint? Atqui de JEREMIAH fat perfpicue dicuntur. As to the second place faid to be taken from JEREMIAH, nothing feems more evident (c) Whifton's Effay, &c. p. 145. (e) Clerici Hift. Ecclef. p. 526. See alfe Thirlby in Justin Martyr, p. 293. dent than that it is a chriftian forgery. (f) Ille quidem nufqam, neque in Hebraicis, neq; in Gracis codicibus, comparet ; nec mirum, cum fit confictus a male feriato Chriftiano, qui defcenfum Chrifti ad Inferos in JEREMIAH reperiri voluit. The place is cited feveral times by (g) IRENEUS, who fometimes afcribes it to ISAIAH, fometimes to JEREMIAH, and ofther to a prophet; fo that he seems not to have taken it from a standing text, nor to have known to whom it belong'd. The words from the tree, of which there is no footstep either in the vulgate verfion, or in ORIGEN or JEROM, or in any Hebrew or Greek Copy, are deem'd by feveral learned men to be (b) either a fraudulent or cafual addition made by fome christian; by which JUSTIN (to fpeak the best) was impos'd upon. But however that be, they are now reftor'd by JuSTIN, and may be argu'd from with the fame force, as if they were extant in all copies, both of the Hebrew and Sep (f) Clerici Hift. Ecclef. p. 526. (g) Irenæus, I. 3. c. 23. T. 4. c. 39, 56, 66. 1. 5. c. 31. (b) Grotius in Pfalm 96. Clerici Hift. Ecclef. p. 526. Thirlby in Juftin Martyr, p. 292. Simon Bib. Crit. Tom. 3. p. 486-488, Le Moyne not. ad Var. Sacra. p. 439. |