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Septuagint, to be met with in PHILO and JOSEPHUS, with the hebrew text (I fay, those citations, that it may not be pretended, that the paffages which the Seventy have ill tranflated, have been corrupted); and he will find these interpreters to have had but a very moderate knowledge of the hebrew tongue, and to have proceeded by no certain rules in their translation.

But by the account given of the Septuagint tranflation in our learned divine and hebrician LIGHTFOOT, no tranflation was ever more unfaithful, or more remote from its original, than the Septuagint was from the hebrew.

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He fays, (e)" That the Seventy did that "work unwillingly, and for fear: for the fcripture was the treasure of the Jews, "which made them more glorious, than any nation under heaven. Therefore, to દ communicate this their riches to the hea"then, whom they abominated and de"tefted, was as much against their heart, CC as what was most. 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,

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(e) Lightfoot's Works, Vol. 1. p. 488, &c.

(f) See Uferii De Editione Sept. Inter. p. 214, 215.

"there had been no fuch thing done. Pro

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LEMY LAGUS, the father of PTOLEMY "PHILADELPHUS, for whom they tranflated, "had carry'd away an hundred thousand Jews captive into Egypt, as faith ARISTEAS, fo the fear and dread of that house lay upon them, that they durft deny it nothing, "which otherwife they would most vehe"mently have done fuch a thing as this, to have communicated their fçriptures to << the heathen in a vulgar tongue.

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"Secondly, the tranflation being then un"dertaken 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 without any more fidelity, than barely what will keep the "translators out of danger.

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"Thirdly, therefore they ftrive as much as they can, to conceal the truth and "treasure of the fcripture 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 fen

fes, and different from the meaning of the original, and yet if the tranflation were queftion'd, they might prick or vowel

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"the word, fo as to agree to their tranfla ❝tion, How they have dealt in this kind, "there is none that ever laid the hebrew bi"ble and the Septuagint together, but hath ❝ obferv'd.

"Fourthly, their differences from the ori ginal, which were innumerable, were part, "ly of ignorance, they themselves not being able to read the text always true in a copy « unvowell'd. But this ignorance was alfo ❝ voluntary in them, they not caring to mi"stake, fo they might do it to their own "fecurity.

"Their general care was, that fince of "neceflity they must tranflate the bible, as lit"tle of it might be imparted and reveal'd by "the tranflation as was poffible.

"Their particular and fpecial heed was "alfo, that those places of the text, which "tranflated literally, or according to their [C true meaning, might prove dangerous any

ways to the nation of the Jews, or bring "them into diftafte with the potent king, "for whom they were tranflated, fhould be "fo temper'd and qualify'd that no hazard "might arife, nor any fuch matter might be ❝feen."

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In fine, there is so great difagreement between the prefent copies of the Septuagint and the hebrew, (tho'the former (g) has been corrected to the latter) and that to all appearance between the ancient ones; that many learned men, and particularly our great (b) USHER, have been mistakenly induc'd to believe, that there were two greek versions of the hebrew before CHRIST; and that the first, 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 receiv'd as the true Septuagint, was a fubfequent and unfaithful translation 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, Thould ever have agreed with the original hebrew.

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(g) Whifton's Effay, p. 48, 49.
(b) Ufferii De Edit. Sept. Interp.

VII.

That the Samaritan Pentateuch is not an uncorrupt copy of the books of MOSES, and originally deriv'd from the first feparation of the ten tribes themselves in the days of JEROBOAM.

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 deriv'd from the first separation of the ten tribes themfelves in the days of JEROBOAM.

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 juftly be fufpected and cannot be prov'd): yet that proves nothing in relation to the present Samaritans and thofe from whom they are deriv'd. For the ten tribes were all carry'd (1) captive by SHALMANESSER into Affyria, where

they

(i) Whifton's Effay, p. 2, 16, 48, 49, 164, 175, 183,

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