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wife than it is in the Original, fince they made Ufe of that Scripture, which was in Ufe among the Jews. And CAPELLUS (g) fays, The Apoftles follow'd the Septuagint, left they should fcandalize the more weak Hellenifts and Gentile "Chriftians (to whom the Hebrew Tongue was unknown, and who therefore did, and could only ufe the Septuagint ); who, if the Apostles had cited genuine Scripture, would have thought they had forged Scripture to ferve a Purpose; and their Credit would have been call'd in Question.

Mr. W. therefore has no Reason to charge the Jews with corrupting the Hebrew Text because it differs from the Septuagint Text cited by the Apostles.

us;

3. Thirdly, JESUS and the Apoftles might cite or ufe a Copy of the Septuagint very different from those Copies derived down to for the (b) antient Copies of the Septuagint (in all which there were Additions, which were not in the Hebrew Text) differ'd much from one another; and Mr. W. fuppofes LUKE to cite a (i) falfe Copy; or they might ufe and cite other Tranflations of the Old Teftament, which differ'd from the original Hebrew, befides the Septuagint; for Dr. PRIDEAUX; on Occafion of its being said in (k) LUKE, that our Saviour read in the Synagogue at Nazareth a Paffage out of ISAIAH, which

(g) Capelli Critica Sacra. p. 54. (b) Simon Hift. Crit. du V. T. p. 235. Montfaucon Differt. Prelim. ad Origenis (i) See Whifton's Effay, p. 115, 116. p.

Hexapla, c. 4.
119. (k) Luke 4.

Paffage

Paffage of ISAIAH, as reported by LUKE, does not agree exactly either with the Hebrew or Septuagint; tells (1) us, that it seems most likely that he read it out of fome Chaldee Targum, That is, a Chaldee Paraphrafe or Tranflation, which was read in the Synagogue. And therefore no Argument can be urged, for the Corruption of the Hebrew or Septuagint by the Jews, from the Citations of the Apostles out of the Old Teftament not being exactly found in either of thofe Copies.

4. Fourthly, divers of the Paffages, which Mr. W. mentions as corrupted, and divers of thofe, which he mentions as wholly omitted in the Old Teftament, were most certainly not taken from the Old Teftament by the Authors of the New, notwithstanding he says the Apostles took them from thence. For it is well-known, that the Jews had several Books deem'd facred among them, which were forged, under the Names of their Prophets, and are now either loft or not rank'd among the Books of the Old Teftament; which forged Books the primitive Chriftians received as facred in fome Degree from the Jews, and used them, and read them in their religious Affemblies. Of This Mr. W. was inform'd by the late learned Bishop LLOYD, who thus wrote to him. (m) VIGILIUS was one of thofe orthodox Bishops, that were under the

(1) Prideaux's Connection. Vol. 2. p. 547. See Capelli Critica Sacra. p. 58, 59. (m) Lloyd's Letter to W.

apud W's Hiftorical Pref. p. 34.

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beavy Perfecution of thefe Arian Kings of the Vandals about A. D. 500, and then did write Books aguinft the reigning Herefy; which, for Concealment fake, he put out in the Name of ATHANASIUS. Thus did fome of the Jews, in the Times of Perfecution, write Books against heathen Idolatry. One, that is call'd the Wifdom of SOLOMON; another call'd the Book of BARUCH; whereof also a Part is call'd the Epiftle of JEREMIAH. I cannot commend them, that to conceal themselves ufed fuch Arts; but nevertheless, their Books were highly approved; infomuch, that they were read by the Hellenist Jews in their Synagogues, and fo coming into the Chriftians Hands, they were alfo read in Chriftian Churches, in and next after the Apostles Times. We have also an (n Account, that there were feventy two of this Kind tranflated into Greek by the Seventy, when they tranflated and finifh'd the twenty two Books of the Old Teftament. Some of thefe Books were intitled, ENOCH; the Patriarchs; the Prayer of JOSEPH; the Teftament of MOSES; the Aumption of MOSES, ABRAHAM, ELDAD and MODAD; the Pfalms of SOLOMON; the Revelation of ELIAS; the Vision of ISAIAH; the Revelation of SOPHONIAH; the Revelation of ZACHARY; and the Revelation of ESDRAS; and divers others bore the Names of HABBACCUC, EZECHIEL, DANIEL, and other Prophets.

(n) See Authors cited in Grabe's Spicileg. §. 1. p. 134, 135.

Now

Now ORIGEN, TERTULLIAN, EPIPHANIUS, AUSTIN, and GEORGIUS SYNCELLUS, who faw and read many of these forged Books of the Jews, do (o) affure us, that the Apostles took feveral of these Quotations, in Queftion, from them. And ORIGEN, in particular, makes the following Apology for the Apoftles citing thefe forged Books. He fays, (p) The Apostles and Evangelifts, who were fill'd with the Holy Ghost, might know what was fit to be cited out of thofe Books, and what to be rejected; but that others cannot without Danger do fo, who have not fo great an Abundance of the Spirit.

We may learn from Mr. DODWEL a threefold Source of fome of the Quotations, whereof I am now treating.

1. First, they might be taken from certain (pp) myftical Paraphrafes of the Jews on the Old Teftament; which mystical Paraphrafes were frequently interpolated into the Text of the Old Teftament. 2. Or, fecondly, they might be the Sayings, or Revelations of Chriftian (q) Prophets, who in the Christian Affemblies gave Interpretations of Things delivered in the Old Teftament; which being approved by thofe, who had the difcerning of Spirits, were preServed, and known to be from God. 3. Or, thirdly, they might be cited (r) from Writings,

(0) Grabe. Ib. p. 129-140. (1) Origines Prol. duar. Homil. in Cant. Cant. Opera. Vol. 1. p. 501. Baf. 1577. & apud Grabe. Ib. (PP) Apud Dodwel's Life. p. 508. (q) For an Account of which Prophets, fee the Hiftory of Mon(r) Dodwel's Life. p. 510.

tainiim. p. 87.

K

2

which

which were plainly taken for thofe of the old Prophets, tho' in Truth they were not fuch, yet cited as theirs, because the Perfons, who cited them, knew that the Perfons, to whom they wrote, accounted them as fuch. By which Mr. DODWEL does not mean fuch forged Writings of Jews as are above-mention'd by me, but Books composed by Christians under Jewish Names; and particularly under the Name of EZRA or ESDRAS. Which Practice of citing fuch Authors continued, as he fays, in Use in the Church, till MELITO had fettled the Canon of the Old Teftament. This MELITO, who lived late in the fecond Century, and was esteem'd a Prophet himself, did, it seems, in order to fatisfy the Curiofity of his Brother ONESIMUS, (s) go into the Eaft to be certainly inform'd of the Books of the Old Teftament; and did collect fuch Paffages out of the Law and the Prophets as related to our Saviour and the feveral Parts of the Chriftian Faith.

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 first 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

(s) Euf. Hift. Ecc. 1. 4. c. 6. Septuag. Inter. p. 34.

(t) Grabe De Vitiis

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