empire, which, from the days of Pul, had existed about 150 years.*

(To be continued.)

Biblical Criticism.

I. On the Old Testament.

(Continued from page 31.)

GENESIS, Chap. 1.

Verse 3. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

Tue verb (yehee,) being in the future tense, we conceive it would be better rendered thus, taking i8 (Aur,) light, for the nominative,-And God said, light shall be: and light was. For although the future is often used for the imperative, yet it being certainly more dignified to say a thing shall be, than to command it, we would retain the strict meaning of the word in this and every subsequent verse where the phrase occurs.

But even in the common version," It argues at once uncontrolable authority and omnific power; and in human language it is scarcely possible to conceive that God can speak more like himself. This passage, in the Greek Septuagint, fell in the way of Dionysius Longinus, one of the most judicious Greek critics that ever lived, and who is highly celebrated over the civilized world, for a treatise entitled П vous, concerning the SUBLIME, both in prose and poetry; of this passage, though a heathen, he speaks in the following terms : ταύτη και ο Ιουδαίων θεσμοθέτης (ουκ ό τυχων ανηρ) επείδη την τα θείου δυναμιν κατα την αξίαν εγνωρισε καξέφηνεν, ευθύς εν τη εισβολη γράψας των νομών, ΕΙΠΕΝ Ο ΘΕΟΣ, φησι, τι; ΓΕΝΕΣΘΩ ΦΩΣ. και εγένετο ΓΕΝΕΣΘΩ ΓΗ και εγένετο. "So likewise the Jewish Law-giver (who was no ordinary man) having conceived a just idea of the divine power, he expressed it in a dignified manner; for at the beginning of his laws he thus speaks: GOD SAID-What? LET THERE BE LIGHT! and there

* See Sir Isaac Newton's Chronology, pp. 365-293. Rollin's Anc. Hist. vol. 1. pp. 313-322. Edin. Ency. vol. 2. pp. 574, 575. Usher's Annals, pp. 61, 62. Horne's Introduction, vol. 3. pp. 517, 518.

was light. LET THERE BE EARTH! and there was earth." (Longin. Sect. 8. Edit. 1663.)

66

Many have asked, 'How could light be produced on the first day, and the sun, the fountain of it, not created till the fourth day.' With the various, and often unphilosophical answers, which have been given to this question I will not meddle; but shall observe that the original wora 8 (aur,) signifies not only light but fire,* (see Isai. xxxi. 9. Ezek. v. 2.) It is used for the SUN, Job. xxxi. 26. and for the electric fluid or lightning, (Job xxxvii. 3.) And it is worthy of remark, that it is used in Isai. xliv. 16. for the heat derived from N (esh) the fire. He burneth part thereof in the fire WX 10 (bemo esh) yea he warmeth himself, and saith aha!—I have seen the fire, '' (raeethee aur,) which a modern philosopher, who understood the language, would not scruple to translate, I have received caloric, or an additional portion of the matter of heat. I therefore conclude, that as God has diffused the matter of caloric or latent heat through every part of nature, without which there could be neither vegetation nor animal life, that it is caloric or latent light (which is probably the same with latent heat) which is principally intended by the original word."+

στερέωμα

Verse 6. And God said, Let there be a firmament.

A firmament, y? (rakeea.) "Our translators by following the firmamentum of the Vulgate, which is a translation of the Tip of the Septuagint, have deprived this passage of all sense and meaning. The Heb. word yp¬ (rakeea) from yp¶ (raka,) to spread out as the curtains of a tent or pavilion, simply signifies an expanse or space, and consequently, that circumambient space or expansion, separating the clouds, which are in the higher regions of it, from the seas, &c. which are below it. This we call the atmosphere, the orb of atoms, or inconceivably small particles; but the word appears to have been used by Moses in a more extensive sense, and to include the whole of the

* The Masorites have pointed the word differently for each of these senses; when signifying light it is (Our,) when fire or heat (Oor.)

+ Dr. A. Clarke, in loco.

planetary vortex, or the space which is occupied by the whole of the solar system."*

"Plato in his Timaeus, makes mention of the ethereous heaven under the notion of raσs which (from raw or Taww, to extend or

And the great every way ex

expand) is of the same import† as the Heb. y. Boerhaave expressly observes, common air is panded by the least increase of fire, in its whole bulk, and in all its parts. This the philosophers were long ago acquainted with."

Verse 14. And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven. Lights (Meoroth.) Here it will be perceived that the original word translated lights is essentially different from that translated light in the third verse. It denotes an instrument or mean of light; (see Exod. xxv. 6. xxvii. 20. xxxv. 8.) and here, denotes luminaries, or orbs, which either form or reflect the light, and so in either case are instruments of light to us. So the Septuagint and Vulgate excellently Ownpes and Luminaria.

Verse 20. And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

As the latter clause of this verse is at variance with chap. ii. verse 19. the marginal reading is to be preferred, and may be considered as the correct rendering. The Masorités have placed an Athnach or colon at "life" which confirms this reading. Thus every appearance of contradiction will vanish, as passage will refer merely to the creation of the fowl, without specifying from what they were created. “And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life; and let fowl fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven."

the

Dr. A. Clarke, in loco.

+ Huschinson Moses's Principia, pt. 2. p. 265-6. and Pike's Philosophia Sacra, p. 62. Gale's Court of the Gentiles, pt. 2. book 3. ch. 9. § 2. p .347.

Chemistry of Dallonve, vol. i. p. 94. For the above we are indebted to Parkhurst. Vide Heb. Lex, sub yp.

II. On the New Testament.

MATTHEW, Chap. ii.

Verse 1. Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem. Wise men, Mayo.. Though the Greek word signifies magicians or astrologers, as in Acts, xiii. 6. 8. yet it had not originally a bad sense, but generally signified men of wisdom and learning, skilled in the knowledge of things natural and divine. For as it is remarked by Prideaux, (Connect. vol. i. p. 221.) as the Magi had great skill in mathematics, astronomy and natural philosophy, so their credit in the world was so great, on these accounts, that, a learned man and a Magian became equivalent terms; and this proceeded so far, that the vulgar, looking on their knowledge to be more than natural, entertained of them an opinion as if they had been actuated and inspired by supernatural powers, in the same manner as, too frequently among us, ignorant people are apt to give great scholars, and such as are learned beyond their comprehensions (as were Friar Bacon, Dr. Faustus, and Cornelius Agrippa) the name of conjurors: and from hence those who really practised wicked or diabolical acts, or would be thought to do so, taking the name of Magians, drew on it that bad signification which now the word Magician bears among us. Whereas the true and ancient Magians, adds the doctor, were the great mathematicians, philosophers, and divines, of the ages in which they lived, and had no other knowledge but what by their own study, and the instructions of the ancients of their sect, they had improved themselves in. This is confirmed by Dio Chrysostom, as cited by the authors of the Universal History, where it is observed of him, that he is the most polite writer among the Greeks and corrects the errors of his countrymen with respect to the Magi in these words: "The Persians called those Magi who were employed in the service of the Gods; but the Greeks, being ignorant of the meaning of that word, apply it to such as are skilled in Magic, a science unknown to the Persians."+ So Porphyry, " among

*Cited by Parkhurst under Mayos.

Η Μαίος ουν ο θεραπεύλης των θεων, η ό την φυσιν θειος, Dio. Orat. 36. F. 449.

the Persians those who were wise concerning the Divinity and served him they called Magi."* And so Apuleius, "the art of Magic-that is, the service of the Gods."†

"As to the dignity and number of these men, the tradition of the church of Rome saith, that for number they were three, and all of royal dignity: Hence in their office for Epiphany, they apply that of the psalmist to them. The kings of Arabia and Saba shall bring gifts. But had they been of such great quality, we cannot reasonably suppose the Evangelist would have omitted a circumstance of so great moment, both for their honour and their Lord's, (and whieh would have shewn the accomplishment of the prediction;) we also should in all likelihood have had some mention of their royal train and equipage, and all Jerusalem would have been moved as much to see them come, as they were at hearing their question: Herod would likely have received them with more respect, and not have let them go alone to Bethlehem; much less would he have laid upon them his commands to return and give him an account of the child. This, therefore, is an instance of the uncertainty and vanity of that church."+

From the east απο ανατολών.

Some have supposed that the country whence the Magi came was Chaldea, and others Arabia; but the most probable opinion is that they came from Persia. Their name pays is evidently the Persian Mog or Mag, with the Greek termination os, and we have seen that it was in Persia that the Magi had their principal seat. But this will appear, perhaps, more evident by what follows.

Verse 2. Where is he that is born King of the Jews; for we have seen his star in the east.

We have seen his star, auтOU тov aσтɛpa. The inquiry here is, how these men knew it was his star or that it denoted the birth of a king? For the solution of this it ought to be remembered,

Παρα μεν τοις Πέρσαις οι περί των θεων-και τούτων θεραπονίες Μάγοι μεν προσαδόρευον. Porphyr. de Abst. c. 1. § 16.

+ Μαγεία-εστι και τουτο θεων θεραπεία. Plato apud Αpul. Apol. p. 290. Dr. Whitby in loco, where he cites the above passages.