The rules which particularly refer to the interpretation of doctrinal or moral passages, may be inferred from what has here been said. See,

Seiler Bibl. Hermen. p. 354.

Imm. Berger Versuch einer moralischen Einleitung in das N. Test., fur Religionslehrer und denkende Christen. Lemgov. 1797.

CHAPTER VI.

THE AIDS FOR UNDERSTANDING AND EXPLAINING THE BOOKS OF THE N. T. AND THE PROPER APPLICATION OF THEM.

The interpreter, besides his own judgment, and good sense, should avail himself of various external aids, in investigating the Sacred Writings, and use each according to its character and value. These external aids are,

I. Analogy of languages.

This is either the analogy of one language, grammatical analogy; or it is that which exists between different dialects, or between cognate languages; or between all those which from natural or historical causes have been made to correspond.

a. This comparison is to be conducted according to fixed rules.

b. The analogy should be real, and not imaginary, and should be sought, not from Lexicons, but from the writings and genius of the languages.

c. Expressions apparently analagous, often in different places and at different times, have not in their meaning any analogy, and therefore we must take the circumstances, of time and place into consideration.

d. Those languages which are separated by a great interval of time, or which differ much in their character, ought not generally to be compared.

e. All minutiæ, especially in etymology, should be avoided.

f. Analogy alone, should not be depended upon, to the neglect of other sources of information, or in opposition to them.

J. D. a Lennep Or. de linguarum analogia, præm. libro in anal, linguæ græcæ, Lond. (1777.) 8. Ev. Scheidii præf. ad Lennepii Etymol. L. gr. L. C. Valckenarii Obss. quibus via munitur ad origines græcas investigandas-et J. D. a Lennep prælectt de analogia linguæ gr. ed. Ev. Schedius, Trai. ad Rh. 1790. 8.

J. A. Ernesti de vestigiis linguæ hebr. in lingua græca, in Opuscc. phil. crit. p. 171. ss. F. Th. Rink diss. de linguarum orientalium cum græca mira convenientia, Regiom. 1788. 4.

Geo. Gfr. Zemisch d. de analogia linguarum interpretationis præsidio, L. 1758. 4.

Cf. Mori Acroases hermm. I. p. 168. ss.

II. The use of the Greek and Latin Writers, who, as to their style, or as to the age in which they lived, are nearly allied to the Sacred Penmen.

1. The profane writers are not promiscuously to be used.

2. We must observe in what sense, each of the Greek writers use the gow which occurs in the. N. T., in what places, in what manner, and in what kind of writings.

3. We are not to seek illustration from profane authors, of those passages and expressions, which may more properly be explained, from Jewish sources.

4. Nor are we to expect from them an explanation of those expressions, which are peculiar to the christian sys

tem.

5. They are not to be consulted, with a view of proving, the entire purity of the style of the Sacred Writers; nor, that the rules, which, it may be found they observed, should be applied in all cases, to determine the sense of the Sacred Penmen.

6. It is not sufficient, when a single word in a phrase,

used in the N. T., is found in profane writers, to prove that the latter may be properly cited, as an illustration of the former.

7. Some Greek authors may be more advantageously compared, with certain N. T. writers, than with others, as Thucydides with St. Paul; and particular modes of expression may be more happily illustrated from some authors, than from others.

8. Some of the Greek writers may, to a certain extent be applied to the illustration, not only of the language, but also of the ideas and subjects of the Sacred Writers. This, however, must be done with the greatest caution.

F. C. G. Palet compared passages of Epictetus and the N. T. together, in a work published in 1799.

This whole subject has been treated at great length, and in various ways.

D. Mart. Friesii D. exeg. polemica de usu et abusu græcorum inprimis scriptt. in interpretandis illustrandisque, N. T. vocabb. et dicendi modis. Kil. 1733. 4.

Henr. Dav. Wedekind d. de habitu antiquorum Græciæ et Latii Scriptt. ad religionem, Gott. 1756. et in Berg. Mers. Duisb. T. II. P. I. p. 601. ss. S. Gf. Geyseri Pr. Poetæ græci antiquiores literarum sacrarum interpretis magistri, Vit. 1768. 4.

J. Laur. Blessig, Præsidia interpretationis, N. T. ex auctoribus græcis, Argent. 1778. 4.

Car. Vict. Hauff Ueber den Gebrauch der griech. Profanskribenten zur Erläuterung des N. T., Lips. 1796. 8.

The following writers have published works on the N. T., containing remarks from the Greek classics.

1. Those who wished to prove the style of the N. T. to be purely Greek.

And. Balckwall's Sacred Classics defended and illustrated.

El. Palairet Observatt. philol. criticæ in SS. N. T. libros, L. B. 1752. Ejusdem Specimen Exercitatt. phil. crit. in sacros N. T. LL. Lond. 1755. 8. (Coll. C. L. Baueri Prr. II. in Palaireti Observatt. ad. N. T. Hirschberg. 1775. 76. 4.

2. Those who have illustrated the language, and the ideas of Scripture.

Jo. Dougtcei Analecta Sacra. s. Excursus philologici breves super diversa V. et N. T. loca. Subiiciuntur Nort. Knatchbull Animadverss. in libb. N. T. Amst. 1693. 8.

Pricaei Commentarii in varios N. T. Libros, Lond. 1660. f. et Crit. angl. T. V.

Lamb. Bos Diatriba s. Exercitationes philoll. in Scriptt. N. F. Editio secunda. Franeq. 1713. 8. Eiusd. observationes miscellaneæ ad loca quædam cum N. T. tum ceterorum script. gr. ib. 1707. 8. ed. 2. 1731. Hombergk Parerga Sacra. Amst. 1719. 4.

Jac. Elsneri Observationes sacræ in N. T. libros, Trai. ad Rh. 1720. 28. 11. 8.

Jo. Alberti Observatt. sacræ in N. F. libros. Vratisl. 1755. 11. 8.

F. L. Albresch. Adnotationes ad loca quædam N. T. ad calcem Animadverss. ad. Aesch. Vol. I. (Mediob. 1743.) p. 553. ss.

A

Jo. Rernh. Koehler Observationes philoll. in loca selecta Sacri Codicis, L. B. 1765. 8.

J. D. Heilmann Specimen Obss. quarundam ad illustrandum N. T. ex profanis script. in Opusce. T. T. p. 3. ss.

Gilb. Wakefield Silva Critica s. in auctores sacros-profanosque Commentarius philol. Cantabr. et Lond. 1789–93. P. I. V. 8. (cujus Examen Hænleinius libellis supra laudd. instituit, quorum quintus prodiit, Erl. 1802. 4. add. Schuetz Vindicia locorum quorundam N. T. a Wakefieldo Anglo, qua critico, qua interprete tractorum. Jenæ, 1795.

3. Those who have used particular authors for the purof illustrating the N. T.

Adnotationes in N. T. ex Xenophonte collecte a Geo. Raphelio. Hamb. 1709. 8. ex Polybio et Arraino, ib. 1714. 8. Adnotatt. in Sacram Ser., historicæ in V., philoll. in N. T., collectæ ex Herodoto, Lüneb. 1781. 8.-Junetim deinde hi libelli sunt editi:

Geo. Raphelii Adnotatt. historice in Vet. et philologica in N. T. ex Xenophonte, Polybio, Arriano, et Herodoto collectæ. L. B. 1747. II, 8.

G. Gu. Kirchmaieri Parallelismus N. F. et Polybii-Vit. 1725. 4. Casp. Frid. Munthe Obss. Philoll. in sacros N. T. libros ex Diodoro Siculo collectæ, Hasn. 1755. 8.

Baueri Philologia Thucyd. Paullina supra laudata est.

Jo. Joach. Bellermanni Specimen animadverss. in N. Fœd. libros ex Homeri Iliad, Rhaps. cf. Ers. 1785. 4.

Jo. Henr. Muecke Pr. quid adiumenti sacrarum litt. interpreti præstet Homeri cum SS. Script. comparatio. L. 1789. 4.

J. L. Salchlini Observatt. ad varia V. et N. T. loca ex Pindaro desumtæ. Bern. 1745. 4. coll. Mus. Helv. II, p. 335. IV, p. 644.

Andr. Gochenii Specimen philoll. in N. T. adnotatt. potissimum ex Euripide depromtarum, Symbb. Litt. ad iner, scientt. omn. gen. collect. altera, Hal. 1754,) p. 310. ss.

M

Ευριπίδης τετραχηλισμένος Euripidis Hecuba selectis observatt. Ν. Τ. Atticam puritatem comprobantibus-adornata a J. C. Weidling. Geræ,

1758. 8.

Alb. Geo. Walch, Pr. quo illustrantur loca aliquot librorum. N. T. ex Eurip. Alcestide, Schleus. 1789. 4.

Job. Eckhardi Obss. phill. ex Aristoph. Pluto dictioni N. T. illustrandæ inservientes. Accedit ejusdem generis diss. ex Hom. II, Z. Quedl. 1733. 4.

Chr. Porschberger Theocritus Ser. Sacram illustrans s. sententiæ ac phrases e poetis Gr. inprimis bucolicis―ad illustranda sacri cod. oracula, Dresd. et L. 1754. 8.

4. Wolfius in his Curæ Philologica, Wetstein in his Animadversiones, and other critical commentators, have used and increased these collections of remarks from the classics; some interpreters, indeed, as Grotius and Hammond had long before enriched their commentaries with remarks of this nature; and Hezel collected and united the observations of distinguished writers, derived from the classics.

Novi Foederis Volumina Sacra, virorum clariss. opera et studio e scriptt. gr. illustrata. Edidit Guil. Fr. Hezel Pars. I., Hal. 1788.

III. The comparison of the ancient Greek versions of the O. T., as to words, phrases, modes of construction, ideas, subjects, and quotations from the Old in the New Testament.

Besides the authors quoted above, see,

J. H. Michaelis diss. de usu LXX. interpp. in N T., Hal. 1715. 4. C. F. Schmidii diss. II. versionem Alex. optimum interpretationis LL. SS. præsidium esse, L. 1763. s. 4.

Fr. Ben. Gautzsch Spec. exercitt. grammaticarum ad illustrandum N. T. e vers. Alex. Brem. 1778. Frf. et L. 1786.

J. F. Fischeri Proluss. V. in quibus varii loci librorum divv. utriusque Test.-illustrantur. L. 1779. 8. Prol. I. et II.

Pet. Keuchenii Annotationes in omnes N. Test. libros. Editio nova, et altera parte, numquam edita, auctior, cum præf. Jo. Alberti, L. B. 1755. 8.

J. Chr. Biel Novus Thesaurus philol. S. Lexicon in LXX. et alios libros V. T.-Haga Com. 1779. s. III, 8. Supplementa hujus B. Lexici edidit. J. Fr. Schleusnerus (Spicilegium Lexici in Intpp. gr. V. T. post Bielium congessit-J. F. Schl. L. 1784. Spec. secundum 1786. 8.)