Sivut kuvina
PDF
ePub

upon the whole it may be safely inferred, that the very great number of particulars of time, place, persons, &c. mentioned in the Scriptures, is a proof of their genuineness and truth; even independently of the consideration of the agreement of these particulars with history, natural and civil, and the agreement of the several books with themselves, and with one another.

Were I to rest the proof of the genuineness and authenticity of the Scriptures solely upon what has been already advanced in this letter, I might safely challenge the most learned men to adduce evidence of any thing like equal weight in proof of the genuineness of Cæsar's Commentaries, Pliny's Letters, Livy's Roman History, Tacitus's Annals, or any other pieces preserved to us from antiquity, and received without hesitation by all except madmen. But I am unwilling to quit a subject so copious and important without going still farther than this, and bringing forward other evidence in favour of particular portions of the Bible, from which their antiquity and genuineness will be placed in the most incontrovertible light. Here though, that our inquiry may be circumscribed within moderate limits, I must make selections; and shall for the most part speak of those books the authority of which has been most disputed by unbelievers.

Let us, then, for a first example, inquire into particular proofs of the authenticity of the PENTATEUCH. And here the evidences are numerous, various, and striking: I shall select the most prominent. First, ancient heathen writers testify to Moses and his writings in some way or other. Thus Manetho, Che

:

remon, Apollonius, Lysimachus, and many others, testify that Moses was the leader of the Jews, and the writer of their Law. Eupolemus, Artapanus, Strabo, Trogus Pompeius, Chalcidius, and Juvenal, speak of Moses as the author of a volume which was preserved with great care among the Jews, by which the worship of images and eating of swine's flesh were forbidden, circumcision and the observation of the Sabbath strictly enjoined. (m) Longinus cites Moses as the Lawgiver of the Jews, and a person of no inconsiderable character and adds, that he has given a noble specimen of the true sublime in his account of the creation of the world, when light was called into existence. (n) Diodorus Siculus, in his Catalogue of those lawgivers who affected to have received the plan of their laws from some deity, mentions Moses as ascribing his to that God whom he calls Jaoh, or Jah. And farther he speaks of Moses as a man illustrious for his courage and prudence, who instituted the Jewish religion and laws, divided the Jews into twelve tribes, established the priesthood among them with a judicial power, &c.(0) Numenius, a Pythagorean, held the Jewish Scriptures, and especially the books of Moses, in such great esteem, that his books of the chief good, &c. are full of passages quoted from Moses and some of the prophets with great reverence. "Plato was only "Moses speaking Greek," and affirms that Moses, by

He says,

(m) It will be sufficient to refer to Juv. Sat. xiv. ver. 96-106.
(n) Long. de Sublim. § 9, p. 50. Pearce's 8vo. ed. 1732.

(o) Diod. Sic. ap. Phot. Bib.

F 5

his prayers, brought dreadful calamities upon Egypt.(p) Justin Martyr enumerates many poets, historians, lawgivers, and philosophers of Greece, who mention Moses as the leader and prince of the Jewish nation. (q) Berosus and Abydenus mention the deluge. Artapanus, Eupolemus, and Abydenus, speak of the tower of Babel; and the latter of the failure of that enterprize. Diodorus Siculus, Strabo, Tacitus, Pliny, and Solinus, agree in giving an account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, in the main agreeable to that of Moses. (r) Berosus, Alexander Polyhister, and others, make express and honourable mention of Abraham, and some of his family; and even speak of his interview with Melchisedec.

Secondly. The genuineness and authenticity of the books of Moses may be inferred from their being mentioned in other books of Scripture. Thus, in the book of Joshua, in both the books of Kings, in the second book of Chronicles, in the books of Ezra, of Daniel, of Malachi, the writing of the Law is unequivocally ascribed to Moses. The divine mission of Moses is attested in the first book of Chronicles, in the Psalms, the prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah. Several of the miraculous facts recorded in these books suggest to the

(p) Euseb. Præp. Ev. ix. 8. xi. 10. Orig. contra Cels. lib. iv.

(9) Just. Johort. ad Gent. p. 9-11. It may be added, that Porphyry, one of the most acute and learned enemies of Christianity, admitted the genuineness of the Pentateuch; and contended for the truth of Sanchoniathan's account of the Jews, from its coincidence with the Mosaic history. Celsus also admitted it.

(r) Tacit. Hist. 1. v. c. vii. Plin. Nat. Hist. Solinius. c. xxxvi.

Prophets their finest images. (8) Each of the five books of Moses is referred to, or separately quoted, by Christ himself in the Gospels. And, after his resurrection, his Apostles add their testimony, not only to the fact that the law was written by Moses, but that it was written under the superintendance of inspiration. (t)

Thirdly. The fact is affirmed in the books themselves. Thus, in Exodus," Moses wrote all the "words of the Lord; and took the book of the "Covenant, and read it in the audience of the people." And again, in the book of Deuteronomy, part of which appears, as Bp. Watson observes, to be a kind of repetition or abridgment of the four preceding books." When Moses had made an end of writing "the words of this law in a book, until they were "finished, Moses commanded the Levites which "bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying "Take this book of the Law, and put it into the "side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your "God, that it may be there for a witness against "thee." (v) In conformity with this it was testified, full 800 years after, in the 2d book of Kings, and the 2d book of Chronicles: "Hilkiah said to Shaphan "the scribe, I have found the book of the Law in "the house of the Lord." "Hilkiah the priest

(s) Vide Eden, Ezek. xxviii. 13. The Deluge, Is. xxiv. 18.—Sodom and Gomorrah, Is. xxxiv. 9. The Exodus, Is. xi. 15, 16. xliii. 16—19. li. 9, 10. Descent on Sinai, Micah, i. 3, 4. Acts, iii. 22. vii. 35-37. xiii. 39. xxvi. 22. xxviii. 23. Rom. x. 5. 1 Cor. x. 2. 2 Cor. iii. 7-15. Heb. iii, 2. vii. 14. x. 28. Rev. xv. 3, &c.

(t) See note (s).

(v) Ex. xxiv. 4, 7. Deut. xxxi. 24-26.

"found a book of the Law of the Lord given by "Moses." (w)

Fourthly. Moses in these books gives a detailed account of various miracles openly wrought by himself, and of several miraculous interpositions of God in testimony of his divine mission: practices and ceremonies among the Jews were founded upon those miraculous events. The books of Moses also contain prophecies, as that which declares "that the seed of "the woman shall bruise the serpent's head," the prophecies of the dying patriarch Jacob, and that of a prophet "like unto Moses." Now the existence of the customs and ceremonies proves the actual occurrence of the miraculous facts, and these establish the fidelity of the writings, and the divine authority under which Moses acted. So likewise the accomplishment of the prophecies proves that they were dictated by God. Had not the miracles taken place, it would be absurd to imagine the books could ever have been received, or the practices we advert to introduced. But the arguments suggested under this head will be enlarged upon in subsequent letters. I now proceed to remark with regard to the books of Moses:

Lastly. That their reception among the Jews proves that they were written by Moses, and that what he affirms respecting the divine dictation of PAUL says,

greater part of them is true.

"Even

"unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon

(w) 2 Kings, xxii. 8. 2 Chr. xxxiv. 14.

« EdellinenJatka »