the nation. From the time, too, when Alexander the Great conquered Asia, the manners and opinions of the Greeks had found a passage not only to the Persians, Syrians, and Arabians, but likewise to the Jews, who were before unacquainted with literature and philosophy. The journeys also commonly made by individuals of their nation into neighbouring countries, especially Egypt and Phoenicia, in quest of gain, caused various errors and fancies of the pagan nations to spread among the Hebrews. Lastly, Herod the Great and his sons, as likewise the Roman procurators and soldiers, undoubtedly planted in the country many foreign institutions and pollutions. Other causes will readily occur to those who are not unskilled in Jewish history from the times of the Maccabees. § 16. But, notwithstanding their numerous faults, the people universally professed great fondness for the law of Moses, and carefully guarded it from the least curtailment: hence were erected over all the country sacred buildings, known by the Greek name of Synagogues, in which the people met for prayer, and for hearing public expounders of the law. Nor were the greater towns without schools, in which lettered men taught youth both divine and human knowledge. 8 These institutions, no one can doubt, must have done much to keep the law inviolate, and to check in some degree the growth of ripening vices. § 17. The Samaritans, who worshipped on mount Gerizim, were oppressed by the same evils as the Jews, though otherwise divided from them by a virulent hostility, nor were they less the authors of their own calamities. It appears from the history of those times, that Samaritan society was not behind Jewish in suffering from the machinations of factious men, although it had not, perhaps, an equal number of religious sects. That this people's religion was worse than the Jewish, Christ himself signifies. Yet they seem to have had more correct views of the offices of the Messiah than the greater part of the Jews. Upon the whole, although every thing related by the Jews of their opinions cannot be taken as the truth, yet it 9 is undeniable, that the Samaritans adulterated the pure doctrines of the Old Testament, with a profane alloy of pagan errors.2 § 18. The narrow limits of Palestine could not contain a nation so very numerous as the Jews. Hence, when our Saviour was born, there was hardly any considerable province, in which were not found many of that people who lived by traffic and other arts. These Jews, in countries out of Palestine, were protected against popular violence and injuries, by the laws, and by the injunctions of the magistrates. Yet they were, in most places, exceedingly odious to the mass of people, on account of their striking singularity in religion and manners. Upon the whole, it came undoubtedly from a special providence of the great Supreme, that a people which had the guardianship of true religion, the worship, namely, of one God, should be spread over nearly all the earth, as if to shame superstition every where by their example, and in a manner to prepare the way for Christian truth. CHAPTER III. THE LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST. § 1. The birth of Christ.-§ 2. His childhood and youth.-§ 3. His precursor, John B.—§ 4. His subsequent life.-§ 5. He appoints twelve apostles, and seventy disciples.-§ 6. Reason of this number.-§ 7. Fame of Christ out of Judea.-§ 8. Success of his ministry.—§ 9. His death.-§ 10. His resurrection and ascension to heaven. § 1. So many and so virulent diseases of the human race, demanded a divine physician. From heaven, therefore, when Herod the Great's reign was near its close, did God's own Son descend in Palestine, and assuming human nature, became a The principal writers concerning the Samaritans, are enumcrated by J. G. Carpzov, Critica Sacra Vet. Test. pt. ii. cap. vi. p. 595. [The most valuable are Chr. Cellarius, Hist. gentis Samarit. in his Diss. Acad. p. 109, &c. Joh. Morin, Antiq. Eccles. orient. Ja. Basnage, Histoire des Juifs, tom. ii. lib. ii. c. 1—13. H. Reland, de Samaritanis, in his Diss. Miscell. pt. ii. (H. Prideaux, Connections,) and Baumgarten, Geschichte der Religionspart. p. 274, &c. Schl.] 3 See Ja. Gronovius, Decreta Romana et Asiatica pro Judæis, ad cultum divinum per Asia Minoris urbes secure obeundum, Lugd. Bat. 1712, 8vo. [For a candid and faithful account of the state of the Jews, both in Palestine and out of it, the English reader is referred to Lardner's Credibility of the spectacle to mortals of a teacher that could not err, and who besides, although their king, should answer for them in the divine judgment-hall. In what year salvation thus shone upon the world, the most persevering efforts of very learned men have as yet been unable to ascertain. Nor will this surprise us, if we consider that the earliest Christians knew not the day of their Saviour's birth, and judged differently on the subject.' But of what consequence is it, that we know not the year or day when Gospel History, pt. i. vol. i. ch. ii.—vi. Tr.] Most of the opinions of the learned, concerning the year of Christ's birth, are collected by J. A. Fabricius, Bibliographia Antiquar. cap. vii. § ix. p. 187. To [Respecting the year of Christ's birth, the inquisitive reader is remitted to the elaborate Chronologists, Scaliger, Petavius, Ussher, &c., and to the more voluminous eccles. Historians, Natalis Alexander, Pagi, &c. But, not to leave the common reader wholly uninformed on the subject, a few general observations will here be made. The birth of Christ was first made an era, from which to reckon dates, by Dionysius Exiguus, about A. D. 532. He supposed Christ to have been born on the 25th December, in the year of Rome, 753, Lentulus and Piso consuls. And this computation has been followed, in practice, to this day; notwithstanding the learned are well agreed, that it must be incorrect. ascertain the true time of Christ's birth, there are two principal data, afforded by the Evangelists. I. It is clear, from Matt. ii. 1, &c. that Christ was born before the death of Herod the Great, who died about Easter, in the year of Rome 749 or 750. (Lardner, Credibility, &c. pt. i. vol. ii. Appendix.) Now if Christ was born in the December next before Herod's death, it must have been in the year of Rome 748 or 749; and of course, four, if not five years anterior to the Dionysian or vulgar era. II. It is probable, from Lu. iii. 1, 2, 23, that Jesus was about thirty years of age, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Cæsar. Now the reign of Tiberius may be considered as commencing at the time he became sole emperor, in August of the year of Rome 767; or, (as there is some reason to suppose, that Augustus made him partner in the government two years before he died,) we may begin his reign in the year of Rome 765. The 15th year of Tiberius will, there fore, be either the year of Rome, 781, or 779. From which deduct 30, and we have the year of Rome 751 or 749, for the year of Christ's birth; the former two, and the latter four years earlier than the Dionysian computation.-Comparing these results with those obtained from the death of Herod, it is generally supposed the true era of Christ's birth was the year of Rome 749, or four years before the vulgar era. But the conclusion is not certain, because there is uncertainty in the data. (1) It is not certain, that we ought to reckon Tiberius' reign as beginning two years before the death of Augustus. (2) Luke says “about thirty years of age.” This is indefinite, and may be understood of 29, 30, or 31 years. (3) It is not certain in which of the two years mentioned Herod died ; nor how long before that event, the Saviour was born. Respecting the month and day of Christ's birth, we are left almost wholly to conjecture. The disagreement of the early fathers is evidence, that the day was not celebrated as a festival in the apostolic times. Tr. The particulars of this disagreement may be seen in Binhgam's Antiquities of the Christian Church, vol. ii. p. 302. Lond. 1726. It is, undoubtedly, not possible to prove that the festival was observed under the Apostles, although many learned men have been of that opinion; but of its very high antiquity there is no question; and one reason of the uncertainty respecting it may have come from the varying usages of the East and the West. The former celebrated all in one day, viz. the sixth of January, Christ's incarnation, the star that shone over the place of his nativity, the appearance of the Holy Ghost at his baptism, and the manifestation of his divinity by the change of water into wine, at Cana of Galilee. The Latin Church celebrated the nativity on the 25th of December, and the Epiphany as a distinct festival. Ed.] this light first shone, since we fully know that it has appeared, and that nothing need prevent us from enjoying its brilliancy and warmth? § 2. An account of the birth, lineage, family, and parents of Christ, is left us by the four inspired writers who give the history of his life. But they say very little respecting his childhood and youth. While yet of tender age, he passed into Egypt with his parents, to escape Herod's cruelty. When twelve years of age, he disputed publicly in the temple, with the most learned Jewish doctors, upon religious subjects. Afterwards, till he was thirty years of age, he lived with his parents, as a good and obedient son. Divine wisdom has not seen fit to give us more particulars; nor is it certain,—though think it so, many that Christ worked at the trade of his foster-father Joseph, who was a carpenter. Nevertheless there were anciently vain and false-hearted persons, who ventured to fill up this obscure part of our Saviour's life with extravagant and ridiculous fables.* § 3. In the thirtieth year of his age, he entered on the offices for which he came into the world. To render his ministry more useful to the Jews, John, the son of a Jewish priest, a man grave and venerable in his whole manner of life, was commissioned by God, to proclaim the advent of the Messiah promised to the fathers. He called himself the Messiah's precursor, and, warmed with holy zeal, he admonished the Jews to put away their vices and purify their minds, that they might become worthy of his benefits, now that the Son of God was coming, nay, rather, that he had actually come. He likewise initiated into the Saviour's approaching kingdom, those who promised amendment of mind and life, by immersion in the river. And by this John, it pleased even Jesus himself to be lustrated, as others were, in the waters of the Jordan, that he should show no neglect, according to his own words, of any thing that Jewish authority and law required." 2 Matt. ii. 13. 3 Luke ii. 51, 52. See a collection of these fables by J. A. Fabricius, Codex Apocryphus N. Test. tom. i. [The works here referred to, are the Gospel of the nativity of Mary the Previous Gospel, ascribed to James the Just the Gospel of the infancy of Christ, ascribed to Thomas: the : : Gospel of the infancy, &c. translated from the Arabic; all of which are stuffed with marvellous tales of miracles and prodigies, fit only to amuse the ignorant and superstitious. Tr.] 5 Matt. iii. 2. John i. 22. [See, concerning John the Baptist, Chr. Cellarius, two Diss. de vita, carcere et supplicio Jo. Bapt. in his Diss. § 4. It is not necessary to enter here into a particular detail of the life and actions of Jesus Christ. All Christians know, that for more than three years, amidst great sorrows, molestations, snares, and perils, he instructed the Jewish people in the counsels and purposes of the Most High; nothing having been omitted by him which might allure either the rude and ignorant populace, or the wiser men; that he led a life so holy and spotless as to defy even every suspicion; finally, that by stupendous miracles, of a salutary and beneficial character, exactly suitable to his healing mission, he placed beyond all controversy the truth of that religion which was thus offered to mankind. § 5. As this religion was to be propagated throughout the world, it was necessary for him to select some persons for his constant companions and intimates; who should be able to state and testify to posterity, and to the remotest nations, with the greatest assurance and authority, the events of his life, his miracles, and his whole system of doctrine. Therefore, from the Jews about him, he chose twelve messengers, whom he distinguished from the rest by title of Apostles. They were plebeians, poor, and illiterate; for he would not employ the rich, the eloquent, and the learned; lest the success of their mission should be ascribed to human and natural causes. 7 These he once sent forth among the Jews, during his lifetime; but afterwards, he retained them constantly near him; that they might witness all that he said or did. But, that the people might not want religious instruction, he commissioned seventy other disciples, to travel at large through Judea.1 at hand, proving that the title of apostles was given to such legates of the high priests in the days of Christ. Yet there is intimation of this in Gal. i. 1, and Jerome so understood the passage. See his Comment., &c., Opp. tom. ix. p. 124. And that after the destruction of Jerusalem, the legates of the Jewish Patriarchs (who stood in the place of high priests) were called apostles, is fully proved. See Jerome, ubi supra, and Eusebius on Isa. ch. xviii. 2. See also Ja. Godefroi on Cod. Theodos. tom. vi. p. 251, ed. Ritter. Dion. Petavius, on Epiphan. ad Hares. xxx. P. Wesseling, de Archontibus Jud. p. 91. Walch (of Götting.) Hist. Patriarch Jud.; and Suicer, Thesaur. Eccles. tom. i. p. 477. Tr.] Luke x. 1. |