Billeder på siden
PDF
ePub

:

Septuagint and I can fee no reason, why they are not reftor'd to their place, but that, either the criticks think them fpurious, or that they serve no chriftian purpose, or that they think them both fpurious, and impertinent to any christian purpose.

2. As to the fecond paffage (i) of JUSTIN, wherein a quotation is made from ZACHARY, a great part, if not the whole, of which is, according to Mr. (k) W. now dropped both in the Hebrew and Septuagint; I anfwer, that this paffage is not cited any where in the New Teftament; that it might be taken out of fome apocryphal book attributed to ZACHARY; that JUSTIN does not fay it is left out of ZACHARY; and that the citation, if taken from ZACHARY, feems to be accounted for by a learned perfon (1) in a note thereon, viz. that the citation confifts of various paffages out of the prophet ZaCHARY, as they occurr'd to the memory of JUSTIN, and the fenfe and not the exprefs words fet down by him; which way of citation feems the common (m) method of the fathers, and makes it very abfurd to pretend from thence, that the bible is corrupted,

[ocr errors]

(i) Justin Apol. 1. §. 67.
(k) Whifton's Effay, p. 144.

(1) Reeves's Juftin's Apology, P. 92.
See Thirlby in locum, & alibi in notis.
(m) See Reeves, Ib. p. 38.

rupted, and that it ought to be corrected by their citations.

6. Sixthly, Mr. W. (n) charges the Jews with introducing into their copies a grofs and groundless alteration into the 22d Pfalm, which, he fays, is one of the most eminent prophefies concerning the Sufferings and pallion of the MESSIAS, that is in all the Old Teftament. Inftead of (0) they pierc'd my hands and my feet, the Jews read, as a Lion my hands and my feet. But in this matter (P) there feems to be only a various reading of the Hebrew, and no manner of defign to make any alteration of the text. For the Jews, tho' they have generally put the reading, AS A LYON into the text (which reading of the MASORETES (q) GROTIUS thinks defenfible) yet they bave left the reading, THEY PIERCED, in the text of a few copies, and in the margin of many other copies; and they have continu'd the reading THEY PIERCED in all copies of the Septuagint, which yet Mr.

W.

(n) Whiston's Essay, p. 78.

(0) Pfalm 22. 16.

(p) See Clavis Scrip. Hottingeri, p. 191—198. Simon Hift. Crit. du V. Teft. P. 229.

Id. Bib. Crit. tom. 3. p. 481-488.

Whifton, Ib. p. 79.

(g) Grotius in locum.

W. (r) pretends they have throughout corrupted to serve their purposes.

So that there is not the leaft colour of proof, that the Jews have corrupted any paffages of the Old Testament, which can be apply'd to matters of chriftianity; much lefs any paffages cited from thence by the apoftles; but on the contrary, it seems plain by the few inftances of JUSTIN MARTYR to fupport his charge of corruption against the Jews, that the chriftians had fo careful an eye upon the Old Testament in refpect to all paffages, which could be ftrain'd fo as to feem to allude to chriftianity (for of fuch only do the paffages produc'd by JUSTIN (s) confift, notwithstanding he fays, that they exprefly declare, that JESUS, who was crucify'd, was God and man, and was to be crucify'd and dye); that it was impoffible for the Jews to make any alteration either in the Hebrew or Septuagint, without being found out and detected by the chriftians. Christians (t) themselves were abfolute fecurity against fuch corruptions of the Jews. Some others indeed of the fathers as well as JusTIN MARTYR did charge the Jews with maliciously

(r) Whifton, Ib. p. 78.

(s) Justin apud Whitton's Effay, p. 140. (1) Auguft. De Civit. Dei. 1. 15. c.14

licioufly corrupting the fcripture to the prejudice of christianity: but ORIGEN, JEROM, AUSTIN, and other fathers, vindicated (u) them from that charge; as have done divers learned (w) moderns, who contend, that thofe fathers who charg'd the Jews with maliciously falfifying the Old Teftament were mistaken in that matter, by laying too great a stress on the Septuagint, which was a very faulty copy and tranflation, and by imagining, that the Jews produc'd corrupted Scripture, when in their controverfies with chriftians, they produc'd either the original Hebrew, or the (x) accurate and pure verfion of AQUILA, in oppofition to the Septuagint.

The Jews were fo little difpos'd to corrupt the Old Teftament in refpect of the paffages cited from thence, or capable of

being

(u) Simon Hift. Crit. du V. Teft. p. 6.

Pezron Defence de l'Antiquite des Tems, p. 133.
Capell. Critica Sacra, p. 2, &c.

(w) Grabe De Vitiis Sept. Interp. p. 34.
Clerici Hift. Ecclef. p. 525-527.
Martianey Defence du Texte Hebreu.

Simon Ib.

P. 102

Capellus Ib. p. 2, 3.

Rivet. N. Fuller. Glaffius.

Dupin, Hottenger, &c.

104.

(x) ORIGEN in Cantica. Ib. Epift. ad AFRICANUM, P. 224,

HIERON. Epift. ad Marcellam, Tom. 2. Col. 707. Ib. Epiftola ad Damafum.

being made ufe of, in behalf of christianity; that AQUILA himfelf, tho' a Jew and a great enemy to christianity, cannot be justly charg'd with tranflating unfaithfully any one paffage conceiv'd to have relation to christianity, as is prov'd by MONTFAUCON, (y) who fhews the weak arguing of all those fathers, who charg'd AQUILA with fuch unfaithfulness, in refpect to all the paffages on which they grounded their charge; that (z) JEROM, who had ORIGEN'S Hexapla before him, when he made his latin tranflation, generally preferr'd the fenfe of AQUILA and SYMMACHUS, as being better interpreters than the Seventy, tho both Jews, and tranflators after the rife of christianity; and that (a) AQUILA, THEODOTION, and SYMMACHUS, tranflate the famous paffage of HOSEA which St. MATTHEW applies to CHRIST's coming out of Egypt, exactly as St. MATTHEW does, not imitating the translation of the Septuagint, which gives no literal ground for St. MATTHEW's application of it in the manner he does. And indeed I cannot imagine, why the Jews of any understanding or common fenfe, fhould have endeavour'd the alteration of any fuch paffages

(y) Montfaucon, Prælim. ad Origenis Hexapla. c. 5. (z) Ib. c. 6. & 8.

(a) Whifton's Elsay, p. 90.

« ForrigeFortsæt »