years of their kings. 5. The beginning of the Babylonish captivity (d). 6. The rebuilding of the temple after their return from captivity. In procefs of time they had other epochas, as the times of Alexander the Great, and of the monarchies that sprung up out of the ruins of his empire. Ever fince the compiling of the thalmud, the Jews have reckoned their years from the creation of the world. The year was by them divided into a holy or ecclefiaftical, and a civil year. The firft began in the month of Nifan (e) or Abib, which anfwers to part of our March or April, because this was the time of the year when the children of Ifrael came out of Egypt. From this alfo they reckoned their feafts. The second began in the month Tifri, about the middle of our September, because there was an ancient tradition among them that the world was created about that time. All contracts were dated and the Jubilees counted according to this year. It would be little to our purpose to give an account of the (*) folar and lunar years of the Jews, or of their way of intercalating (†). This is a very obscure and intricate point, about which neither the Jews themselves, nor the moft learned Christian writers are agreed. Of their months. The Jewish year confifted of twelve months, unless it happened to be intercalary, for then it had thirteen. The ancient Hebrews were wont to regulate their months by the course of the fun, and each of them had 30 days. But after their deliverance out of Egypt, they made ufe of lunar months, which were fometimes of thirty, and at other times of twenty-nine days. The time of the newmoon was formerly difcovered by its phafis or firft appearance, as it it ftill at this day by the Caraïtes; but the Rabbinists or traditionary Jews have recourfe to an astronomical calculation to find it out. The names and order of the Jewish months, according to the ecclesiastical computation, are as follows. The 1ft. called (Nifan or Abib.) | The 2d. (Jyar or Ziph.) The 4th. (Tamus.) The 5th. (Ab or Av.) The 6th. (Alul.) The 7th. (Tifri.) The 8th. (Marchefvan or Bul.) The 9th. (Cifleu.) The 11th. (Schebbat.) The 12th. (Adar.) (d) Ezek. xxxiii. 21. xl. 1. (e) Exod. xii. 1, 2. The (*) The folar year confifted of 365 days, 5 hours, and fome minutes. The Junar year was of 354 days, 8 hours, and fome odd minutes, according to the Jewish computation. (†) To intercalate was the adding of a month to the year, between February and March; which was done, when the corn could not be ripe at the paffover, nor the fruits at the pentecoft. Of weeks. The origin of weeks is of the fame ftanding as the world itfelf (f). The Jews had two forts of them, fome confifting of feven days, and others of feven years. Thefe are called in fcripture weeks of years. At first the Hebrews had no particular name for the days of the week. They were wont to fay, the first, the fecond day of the week, &c. as is evident from feveral places of the New Teftament (g). We learn from the Revelations of St. John (h), that the first day of the week was as early as that time called the Lord's-day, because it was on that day, our blessed Lord rofe again from the dead. Of days. There are two forts of days; the natural, which is the space of four and twenty hours, from one fun-fet to another; the other called artificial or civil, confifts of twelve hours (i), from the rifing to the fetting of the fun. The civil day, that is the fun's stay above the Horizon, was by the Jews divided into four parts (k), each of which confifted of three hours, that were longer or thorter according to the different feafons of the year. The first was from fix o'clock in the morning till nine. And therefore they called the third hour (1), what we call nine o'clock, because three hours were paft from fun-rising to that time. The fecond part of the day lafted from nine of the clock till noon. The third from noon till three. This they called the ninth hour of the day (m), because it actually was the ninth from the morning. The fourth was from three o'clock till fix in the evening. They gave the name of hour to each of thefe four parts, as well as to the hours properly fo called. Some authors are of opinion, that the four parts of the day were otherwife divided by the Jews. Whether they were, or not, it is of little moment. But it will be very proper here to reconcile St. Mark, who affirms (n), that it was the third hour, when they crucified JESUS CHRIST, with St. John (), who fays that it was about the fixth hour. This may be done feveral ways. Befides the method which we have followed in our notes on thofe two evangelifts, it may be faid that by crucifying, St. Mark did not mean the nailing of CHRIST to the crofs, for according to St. Luke (p), it was not till the fixth hour, that is, noon, but only all the preparations towards it, after fentence had paffed upon him. We must here obferve, that in feveral Greek manuscripts of the gospel according to St. John, the third is read instead of the fixth hour, as we have obferved in our note on that place. The Jews divided alfo their nights into four parts, which they called watches (*). The 1ft was named the evening; the 2d the middle-watch, or midnight; the 3d the cock-crowing, from midnight till three in the morning; the 4th the morning, or, break of day. As the evangelifts, in the account which they have given of St. Peter denying our Saviour, (f) Gen. ii. 2, 3. viii. 10. xxix. 27, 28. Levit. xxiii. 8. (7) Matth. xx. 3. (i) John xi. 9. (m) Ibid. ver. 5. (p) Luke xxiii. 44. (k) Nehem. ix. 3. viour (q), often mentioned the cock crowing, and with fome feeming contradiction, it will be proper to give a full explanation of this point, which could not conveniently be done within the compafs of a few short notes. The difficulty lies in this, that JESUS CHRIST is faid in St. Mark (), to have told Peter that before the cock crowed twice, he would deny him thrice. And indeed, the fame evangelift relates, that the cock crowed after Peter's first denial; and again after he had denied his mafter the third time. Whereas, according to the rest of the evangelifts (s), the cock did not crow till Peter had denied CHRIST three times. To folve this difficulty, we have observed in our note on that place, that as the cock crows at feveral times, the meaning of St. Matthew, St. Luke and St. John is, that before the cock had done crowing St. Peter denied his divine mafter three times. But to be a little more particular upon this point; it is to be obferved further, 1. That the cock commonly crows tuice every night, viz. at midnight, and between that and break of day. This fecond crowing is properly called the cock-crowing. It may therefore be fuppofed that St. Peter having denied JESUS CHRIST the first time, about midnight, the cock crowed; and that after he had denied him the third time, the cock crowed again. This explains St. Mark's meaning. As for what is faid by the other evangelifts, that the cock crowed after Peter had denied him three times, It must be understood of the fecond crowing, which is properly the cockcrowing. Or elfe, 2. that word of St. Mark which hath been tranflated twice, may be rendered the second time (t), by which means the whole difficulty will vanish; and after all, it is of no great confequence. We have but one obfervation more to make concerning the years, and months, &c. of the Hebrews. And that is, that in their language any part of a year, a month, a week, a day, or an hour, is often taken for a whole year, month, week, day, and hour. Which ferves to explain what was faid by JESUS CHRIST, that he would rife again the third day, as we have obferved on Matth. xii. 40. Festivals are folemn days fet apart for the honour and Of festivals. fervice of God, either in remembrance of fome fpecial mercies which have been received from his bountiful hand, or in memory of fome punishments which he hath inflicted on mankind, or elfe to turn away those which hang over their heads. Thofe of the first kind were attended with rejoicings, feaftings, hymns, concerts of mufick, euchariftical facrifices, and a joyful and innocent exemption from labour (*). Upon which account they were termed fabbaths. Thofe of the second and third fort, were days of fafting and atonement. We learn from profane history, that the institution of festivals is of a very ancient (7) Matth. xxvi. 69-75. Mark xiv. 63. 71, 72. Luke xxii. 56-60. John xvin. 27. () Mark xiv. 30. 68, 69. 70, 71. () Matth. xxvi. 74. Luke xxii. 60. John xiii. 38. (1) Mark xiv. 30. dis. (*) This diftinguishes the feafts that were infiituted by God, from thofe of the heathens, which were accompanied with very criminal occupa tions. ancient date (u). But the facred writers make no mention of the festi vals of the Hebrews, before their coming out of Egypt. It was undoubtedly there the Ifraelites learned to have a liking and inclination for feftivals, as is evident from their rejoicings when they worshipped the golden calf (w). And it was with a defign to turn them from the idolatrous practices that reigned in the heathen feftivals, that God, out of a condefcenfion fuitable to his wifdom and goodnefs, appointed fome in his own honour, with fuch ceremonies and circumstances, as diftinguifhed them from the feftivals of idolatrous nations (x). The Jews had several forts of Feafts, whereof fome were more folemn than others. They were either of divine or human inftitution. To begin with the first: the moft folemn of those that had been established by God, were the passover, the pentecoft, and the feast of tabernacles. Thefe three feftivals were to be celebrated every year at Jerufalem, and all the Ifraelites were obliged to go thither, unless they had very good reafons for abfenting themselves. Some lafted but one day, others continued a whole week. The latter had fome days lefs folemn than the reft; as those, for inftance, that were between the firft and the last, when the feaft lafted feven days. And therefore it is faid in St. John (y) that about the middle of the feast of tabernacles JESUS went up into the temple and taught, because he could not do it fooner for the crowd. The holiest days were called the great, or the good days. Accordingly St. John calls the last day of the feast of tabernacles, the great day (z), that is, the most folemn as we have rendered it. during these festivals, that part of the facrifices which was to be eat, and the fhew-bread, was divided among the four and twenty courfes of priests. Criminals were alfo kept till these folemn occafions, that their punishment might be a terror to others. The Jews however were not willing to put JESUS CHRIST to death during the feaft, because they were afraid this would cause some disturbance among the people, who took him for the Messiah, or at least for a great prophet. Which courfe foever they took, they muft needs have acted against their confciences; for if he was not an impoftor, as undoubtedly they did not look upon him as one, they ought not to have put him to death, either before, or after the feast. And if he was an impoftor, they should have put him to death during the feaft, according to the law. Providence ordered it fo, that he fhould fuffer death at the time he did, becaufe, fince as he was the true pafchal lamb, or our passover, to use St. Paul's expreffion (a), it was neceffary that he should die at that very juncture of time. As there came up to Jerufalem valt numbers of people at these feftivals, the Roman governors were wont to give the Jews a garrifon of Roman foldiers, to prevent any feditions, or difturbances among the people (b). () Herodot. 1. iii. c. 58. Eufeb. præpar. Evang. 1. i. c. 9, 70. (w) Exod. xxxii. 5, 6. It (*) Chryfoftom. T. vi, de Chr. Paft. p. 267. Theod. in Deut. Erot. 1. & Qu. in Exod. 54. (y) John vii. 14. (a) i Cor. v. 7. (z) Ibid. ver. 37. (b) Matth. xxvii. 65. Of the paffover. It is well known that the paffover was fo named from the angel's paffing over the houfes of the Ifraelites, and fparing their first-born, when thofe of the Egyptians were put to death (*). The name of paffover was alfo given to the lamb, that was killed on the first day of this feaft (c). Hence thefe expreffions, to eat the paffover (d), to facrifice the paffover (e): and hence alfo it is that St. Paul calls JESUS CHRIST our PASSOVER (ƒ), that is, our paschal lamb. The pallover was otherwife named the feast of unleavened bread (g), because it was unlawful to eat any other fort of bread, during the feven days the feaft lafted (b). This name however more particularly belongs to the fecond day of the feast, i. e. the fifteenth of the month (i). We have an account of all the ceremonies belonging to the passover in feveral places of the pe tateuch. They may be reduced to thefe three heads. 1. The killing and eating of the pafchal lamb: 2. The eating the unleavened bread: And, 3. Offering up to God the Omer, or handful of barley. The chief things to be obferved with relation to the pafchal lamb or kid, are as follow. 1. It is to be noted, that on all the feafts (k), and particularly at the paffover, there were great numbers of victims flain from among the cattle, as bulls, and the like (*). The pafchal feast begun by ferving up of the flesh of thefe facrifices, after which the lamb was eaten. The first was what the guests were to fup upon, for the lamb was fymbolical, and it was fufficient for any one to eat of it about the bignefs of an olive, if they were fatisfied before, or in cafe the lamb was not enough for every one. 2. This lamb was a reprefentation of that which the Ifraelites had eaten in Egypt, and was called the body of the pallover, to diftinguish that part of the pafchal lamb which was eaten from what was offered upon the altar: that is, the blood which was fprinkled, and the entrails that were burnt. JESUS CHRIST manifeftly alluded to this expreffion, when he faid of the bread, this is my body; as if he had faid, this is not the body of the paf hat lamb, which we have juft now eaten, but the body of the true lamb, whereof the other was only a figure. 3. The lamb was killed the fourteenth day of the month Nifan (m), in the evening, or, as the fcripture expreffes it, between the two evenings (t). Such as could not celebrate the paffover on the day appointed, upon the account of fome legal uncleannefs, or any other indifpofition, were obliged to do it the fourteenth day of the next month. We (*) Exod. xii. 12, 13. The Hebrew verb, from whence the word passover is derived, doth not only fignify to pass from one place to another, but also to pass over, to pare, to pass without doing any barm; and therefore the feventy have rendered it by a word that fignifies to protect. (c) Ezra vi. 20. Matth. xxvi. 17. (e) 1 Cor. v. 7. (f) Ibid. (d) Mark xiv. 12. 14. (b) Exod. xii. 18. Numb. xxviii. 17. Deut. xvi. 8. (*) Thefe the Jews termed chagiga, i. e. rejoicing. (m) Exod. xii. 6. Numb. ix. 5. Deut. xvi. 6. Josh. v. 10. (†) That is, from 12 or 1 o'clock, till fun-fetting. |