they worshipped him, together with their other Gods. As therevolted Tribes had no more of the Scriptures than the five Books of Mofes, fo the Priest could bring no other with him but thofe Books written in the old Phoenician Letters, which, upon the Return of the Jews, Ezra changed for the Chaldee, which we now call the Hebrew Letters. Thus the Samaritans continued to mix the Worship of the true God and of their falfe Gods together, until the Days of Nehemia; and he requiring those who had married ftrange Wives to put them away; and as we learn from Nehem. xiii. 28. finding one of the High Prieft's Sons had married a Daughter of Sanballat, the Governor of Samaria, and would not part with her, banished him the Land. This Man, (as Jofephus tells us in his Antiquities, L. ii. c. 7.) whofe name was Manaffeh, fled to Samaria, where his Wife's Father Sanbaliat was Governor, who built a Temple for him, like that at Jerufalem, upon Mount Gerizim, and made him the High-Prieft of it. Manaffeh brought with him fome other Apoftate Priefts, with many other Jews, who difliked the Regulations made by Nehemia at Jerufalem. And now the Samaritans having gotten an High-Prieft, and other Priefts of the Defcendants from Aaron, they were pretty foon brought off from the Worship of their falfe Gods, and became as great Enemies to Idolatry as the beft of the Jews. However, Manaffeh gave them no other Scriptures than the Pentateuch, left, if they had the other Scriptures, they fhould find then that Jerufalem was the only Place where they fhould offer their Sacrifices. And though he brought with him the Book of the Law, yet he caufed it to be written in the old Character, which had been long used by the Samaritans, and not in the new Chaldee Character of Ezra. John Hyrcanus, a Prince of the Race of the Maccabees, having conquered Samaria, intirely demolifhed this Temple, about 200 Years after it had been built by Sanballat. Nevertheless, the Samaritans ftill kept up their Altar, and offered there their Sacrifices upon it. And forgetting that they derived their Original from the Cutheans, they accounted themfelves true Ifraelites, who had preferved the Obiervation of the Law in its Purity, and had High-Priefts defcended in a direct Line from Phineas, the Son of Eleazar, the Son of Aaron. And indeed their Pricfts are thus defcended, and fo many apoftate Jews have mixed with them, as may give many of them a Claim to a Defcent from Jacob. And John iv. the Woman of Samaria, called Jacob Father; and from her Words to our Saviour, it is evident they expected the Meffiah as well as the Jews: However, the Jews would have no Dealing with them, as we learn from the fame Chapter. Jofephus tells us that when the Jews were in Profperity, the Samaritans would pretend to be the fame People with them: But when the Jews were in Adversity, then the Samaritans would say they were not Jews, and fhew their Defcent from another Nation.

There is ftill a Remainder of thefe Samaritans, who continue to have their High-Prieft and other Priefts of the Race of Aaron, (as they fay, and perhaps fay true) who offer their Sacrifices on Mount Gerizim to this very Time. This Sect is now reduced to a very fmall Number, the chief of which refide at Sichem, afterwards called Flavia Neapolis, and now Noploufa, the Town to which Mount Gerizim belongs. They

have

have Synagogues in other Parts of Paleftin, and alfo in Egypt. The Pentateuch used by them is no Tranflation, but only a different Copy of the fame Hebrew Original, written alfo in different Characters. It was well known to many of the Fathers, who have quoted it: But as feveral of thofe Fathers are believed no to have understood Hebrew, it is thence believed there was a Greek Translation of it. Thele Quotations are all elder than the Year 600. From that Time, for a 1000 Years, we find no Mention of this Samaritan Pentateuch, until about the Beginning of the laft Century, when Scaliger having got Notice that it was still preferved by thofe of that Sect, and complaining that no body had taken care to get a Copy from thence, Archbishop Uber, by the Means of Mr. Thomas Davis, then at Aleppo, and (as I fuppcie) Chaplain to the Factory there, procured two or three Copies of it out of the Eaft. Not long after, Sancius Harley, a Prieft of the Oratory at Paris, and afterwards Bishop of St. Malo's in Britany, brought another Copy into Europe, which he repofited in the Library belonging to that Order in Paris: From which Copy, Morinus, another Priest of that Order, published it in the Paris Polyglot.

The Samaritans, befide the Pentateuch in the original Hebrew, have alfo a Tranflation of it into the Language which was vulgarly spoken among them: Which is alfo publifhed together with the Original in the Paris Polyglot; and it is fo exactly literal, that Morinus thought one Latin Tranflation might ferve for both. And Bishop Walton has followed the fame Method in his Polyglot; only when there are any Variations, they are marked at the Bottom of the Page. This Samaritan Pentateuch has fome Additions, Variations, and Tranfpofitions, whereby it differs from the prefent Jewish Copies. But that there fhould be fome Differences is not fo much to be wondered at, as that there are not more, after that, those who adhered to the one, and those who adhered to the other, had not only broke off all Manner of Com. munication, but had conftantly been at the bitterest Variance poffible with each other for above 2000 Years: For fo long had paffed from the Apoftacy of Manaffeh to the Time when thefe Copies were firft brought into Europe. In fo many Ages, many Differences might happen by the Errors of Tranfcribers; and the most that are between these two Copies are of this Sort.

After Sanballat had built the Temple on Mount Gerizim, the Samaritans and apoftate Jews would not allow Jerufalem to be the Place which God had chofen ; but contended that Mount Gerizim was that Place: And argued as the Woman of Samaria did to our Saviour, John iv. 20. That their Fathers worshipped in that Mountain. For they plead, that there Abraham (Gen. xii. 6, 7. and xiii. 4.) and there Jacob (Gen. xxxiii. 20.) built Altars to God, and by offering Sacrifice upon them, confecrated that Place above all others to his Worship. That therefore it was appointed by God himself (Deut. xxvii. 12.) to be the Hill of Bleffing on the Coming of the Children of Ifrael out of Egypt ; and that accordingly Joshua caufed the Bleffings of God to be declared thereon. Also, that having paffed the River Jordan, he built an Altar on it of twelve Stones, taken out of the River Jordan in his Paffage over it, according as God had commanded, and offered Sacrifices on

it.

it. (Deut. xxvii, 1-7.) And this they held to be the very Altar on which they ftill facrifice. But to make out this laft Part of their Argument, they have corrupted the Text: For whereas the Command of God is, that they fhould build the Altar on Mount Ebal, they have inftead thereof put Mount Gerizim. The Jews loudly charge them with this Corruption; and they retort it, and accufe the Jews of having altered the Text; and bring this Argument for it, That Mount Gerizim having been the Mountain appointed by God to declare his Bleffings, and Mount Ebal to denounce his Curfes, the Mount of Bleffings was very proper, and the Mount of Curfes very improper, for an Altar of God to be built upon. But notwithstanding this Allegation, all other Copies and old Tranflations make against them, and prove the Corruption on their fide. And it very much aggravates their guilt herein, that they have not only corrupted the Scriptures in this Place, but have alfo interpolated them with this Corruption in another; that is, in the 20th Chapter of Exodus, where, after the tenth Commandment, they have fubjoined, by way of additional Precept thereto, Words taken out of the 11th and 27th Chapters of Deuteronomy, to command the erecting an Altar on Mount Gerizim, inftead of Mount Ebal, and offering Sacrifices to God in that Place. They having thus made a wilful Alteration in one Place, and a corrupt Addition in another, this (fays Dean Prideaux) gives the less Authority to their Copy, when it differs from that of the Jews. But I conceive, though the Samaritans might alter a Text, and make an Interpolation to ferve a Caufe, it does not from thence follow, that they should wilfully and needlefly make Alterations, where they had no Cause to ferve.

The Chaldee Paraphrafes are Tranflations of the Scriptures of the Old Teftament, made directly from the Hebrew Text into the Language of the Chaldeans. Thefe Paraphrafes are called Targums, which, in the Chaldee Language, fignifies an Interpretation or Verfion out of one Language into another. Thefe Targums were made for the Ufe and Inftruction of the vulgar Jews, after their Return from the Babylonih Captivity For although the better Sort ftill retained the Hebrew Lan guage, and taught it their Children, and the Holy Scriptures that were delivered after that Time (excepting only fome Parts of Ezra and Daniel, and one Verfe in Jeremiah) were all written therein, yet the common People fo long converfing with the Babylonians, learnt their Language, and forgot their own. Therefore, when Ezra read the Law unto the People, (Neh. viii. 4—8.) he had Men ftanding by him well fkilled in both Languages, who interpreted to the People in Chaltee, what he read to them in Hebrew. And this Courfe of Reading and interpreting was afterwards continued. And that the whole Law might be read in a Year, they divided it into fifty-four Sections; becaufe every third Year at leaft they intercalated a Month, and then had fifty-four Sabbaths; and in other Years, when they had fewer Sabbaths, they as often joined two Sections together, fo that the whole Law might be read within the Year. Until the Time of the Perfecution by Antiochus Epiphanes, they read only the Law; but being there prohibited to read the Law, they then divided the Prophets into fifty

four

four Sections; and inftead of a Section of the Law, read one out of the Prophets every Sabbath-Day. And when the Reading of the Law was reftored by the Maccabees, then they read a Section of the Law as a firft Leffon, and a Section out of the Prophets for a fecond Leffon: And fo it was practifed in the Times of the Apoftles. For (A. xiii. 15.) when St. Paul entered into the Synagogue at Antioch, in Pifidia, it is faid that he flood up to preach, after the Reading the Law and the Prophets.

Thefe Sections were divided into Verses, which the Jews call Pesukim. They are marked out in the Hebrew Bibles by two great Points at the End of them, which the Jews call Soph Pafuk, i. e. the End of the Verfe. This was invented for the Sake of the Chaldee Interpreters, that when the Reader had read one Verfe in the Hebrew, the Interpreter might render it in Chaldee. Which proves, that this Divifion of the Old Teftament into Verfes must be as ancient as the Way of interpreting them into Chaldee in the Synagogues. This Way of reading the Law and the Prophets, firft in the Hebrew, and then interpreting them in the Chaldee, or when the Greek or fome other was the vulgar Language, into that Language, was continued, as I have before obferved, to the Time of the Emperor Juftinian, that is, to about Anno Dom. 550; and foon after that Time the Jews would allow their Scriptures to be read in their Synagogues in Hebrew only, or together with the Chaldee, though that was alfo become a dead Language.

The Divifion of the Bible into Chapters (except the Pfalms, which were always divided as at prefent, for the fmall Difference between the Hebrew and Greek Divifion need not here be mentioned) is of a much later Date. For though the Hebrew Bibles were divided into Sections and Verfes, the Greek, Latin, and other Tranflations, had no fuch Divifions. The Sections alfo of the Hebrew Bibles were very large, and the Verfes had no Numbers placed to them. About the Year 1240, Hugo de Santo Caro, a Dominican Monk, and the first of that Order who was made a Cardinal, and commonly called Cardinal Hugo, projected the making an Index or Concordance to the Latin Vulgate. In order to which he found it neceffary to divide every Book of the Bible into fuch Partitions as we call Chapters: otherwife, when his Concordance referred to a Text, the whole Book referred to must have And for the yet more readily finding the been fearched to find it. Text required, he placed thefe Letters, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, in the Margin, at an equal Distance from each other, according as the Chapters were longer or fhorter: In the longer Chapters all thefe Letters were used, in the fhorter fewer. The Subdivifion into Verses came afterwards froin the Jews: For about the Year 1430, Rabbi Nathan, an eminent Few, having often Difputes with the Chriftians, thereby came to the Knowledge of the great Ufe they made of the Latin Con cordance of Cardinal Hugo, and the Benefit they had thereby in finding any Place they had occafion to confult: Wherefore he immediately went about making fuch a Concordance to the Hebrew Bible for the Ufe of the fetus. Here he followed the fame Divifion into Chapters which Hugo had made; which had the like Effect, as to the Hebrew, that Hugo's had as to the Latin; that is, it caufed the fame Divifion

to

to be made in all the Hebrew Bibles, which were afterwards written or printed for common Ufe. For this Concordance being found of excellent Ufe among thofe for whom it was made, they were forced to comply with this Divifion for the Sake of having the Benefit of it. But he did not subdivide the Chapters by the Letters A, B, C, &c. as Hugo had done; but by affixing Numeral Letters in the Margin to every fifth Verfe. Vatablus, a Frenchman and an eminent Hebrician, about an 100 Years after Rabbi Nathan, taking his Pattern from him, published a Latin Bible with Chapters and Verfes, numbered with Figures: Which Example was foon followed in all other Editions, in all Languages, fince publifhed in thefe Weftern Parts of Christendom. Robert Stephens, a very learned Man in the Greek Tongue, and an eminent Printer at Paris, and Contemporary to Vatablus, taking the Hint from him, made a like Divifion of the Chapters of the New Teftament into Verfes, for the Sake of a Concordance, he was then compofing for the Greek Teftament, afterwards printed by Henry Stephens, his Son; who gives this Account of it in his Preface to that Concordance. This Dean Prideaux tells us is the original Division of the Old and New ́ ́ Teftament into Chapters and Verfes, which we now follow. But to return from this Digreffion.

As Synagogues multiplied among the Jews beyond the Number of thofe Interpreters, it became neceflary that Verfions fhould be made to fupply that Defect. This Work having been attempted by divers Perfons, it came to pafs, that there were anciently many Targums, and of different Sorts, as there were anciently many different Verlions of the fame Holy Scriptures into the Grek Language, of which we have fufficient Proof in the Octapla of Origen. No doubt, anciently there were many more Targums than we now know of. Those that are yet remaining were compofed by different Perfons, and on different Parts of Scripture, and are thefe eight following. 1. That of Onkelos on the five Books of Mofes. 2. That of Jonathan Ben Uziel on the Prophets; that is, on Fun, Judges, the two Books of Samuel, the two Books of Kings, Ifaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the twelve minor Prophets. 3. That on the Law, afcribed to Jonathan Ben Uziel. 4. The Jerufalem Targum on the Law. 5. The Targum on the leffer Books, called the Megilloth, i. e. Ruth, Efther, Ecclefiaftes, Song of Solomon, and the Lamentations of Jeremiah. 6. The fecond Targum of Efther. 7. The Tar gum of Jofeph the one Eyed on Job, Pfalms, and Proverbs. 8. The Targum on the two Books of Chronicles. On Ezra, Nehemia, and Daniel, there is no Targum at all.

The eldeft, and therefore most valuable of thefe Targums, are those of Onkelos on the Law, and Jonathan on the Prophets. Thefe two are juftly believed to have been written a little before, or at leaft foon after, our Saviour's Birth. If there were any of an elder Date (as Dean Prideaux fuppofes there were, by reafon of the Neceffity the vulgar Jews had for them) they are all now intirely loft. The Targum of Onkelos is a ftrict Verfion, rendering the Hebrew Word for Word: Jonathan takes the Liberty of a Paraphraft, by Enlargements and Additions to the Text. Though the Prophecies in the Old Teftament, concerning VOL. III.

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the