pretty nearly at the time of Herod's death; Jofephus (1) places it in the 34th year after his becoming mafter of Jerufalem, by the defeat of Antigonus, and the 37th from his being declared king by the Roman fenate. If we reckon these 37 years from the 714th of the foundation of Rome, when he was declared king; or 34 from his taking Jerufalem, according to the fame hiftorian, we fhall find that he died the 750th or 751ft from the building of Rome. There is another particular which helps us to difcover in what year the death of Herod fell out; that is, an eclipfe of the moon, which, according to Jofephus (m), happened during Herod's laft illnefs, and which is by aftronomers placed in 750. But this point is attended with one difficulty, namely, that it is not known how long this eclipfe was before the death of Herod, whose illness might last till the next year, as it seems we may infer from Jofephus it did. The queftion then would be to know how long the birth of Jesus CHRIST happened before the death of Herod, but this would be very hard to determine. St. Luke tells us (n) that John began to baptize the fifteenth year of the emperor Tiberius, and he adds that when JESUS CHRIST came to be baptized by him, he was then about (*) thirty years old. If the beginning of the reign of Tiberius be reckoned from the death of Auguftus his predeceffor (t), who died in the 767th year from the foundation of Rome, the fifteenth year of Tiberius must have fallen upon the 781ft of the Roman Era (†). Now if JESUS CHRIST was then about thirty years old, it follows that he was born about the 750th year of the fame Epocha, and confequently a little before the death of Herod. There occurs in St. John's gofpel another mark whereby we may pretty nearly guefs at the year in which the birth of JESUS CHRIST happened. Our bleffed Saviour might be about one and thirty years old, when the Jews told him that the temple had been 46 years in building. We learn from Jofephus (a) that Herod undertook this work the 18th year of his reign (†), which anfwers to the 736th from the building of Rome, that is about 16 or 17 years before his death. Now, if we reckon from 736 to 780 or 781, when, in all probability, this Conference paffed between JESUS CHRIST and the Jews, we fhall find about (1) Jofeph. Antiq. 1. xiv. c. 26, 27. xvii. to. & de Bello Jud. 1. i. c. 21. (*) About fignifies either more or less. (†) Some reckon the beginning of Tiberius's reign from his being made partner with Auguftus in the empire; but the other way of reckoning is the most common, as well as the moft probable. (4) Era or Epocha is a fixed point, or a certain and remarkable date, made fe of in chronology to begin to compute years from. Thus the Jews were ufed to reckon from the flood, from their coming out of Egypt, from the building of the temple, &c. The Greeks reckoned by Olympiads; the Romans from the foundation of Rome; and the Chriftians from the birth of Jefus Chrift. (0) Jof. Antiq. 1. xv. c. 14. (1) That is, if we reckon from the defeat of Antigonus, when he became matter of Jerufalem, about 45 years. If therefore JESUS CHRIST was then 31 years old, follows that he was born 16 or 17 years after Herod had begun to build the temple, that is, about the death of that prince. As for the day and month on which the birth of Chrift happened, nothing can be faid of them that may be depended upon. From what we find related in St.. Luke, that there were then thepherds in the fields watching over their flocks, one would be apt to think that it was not in winter-time. Some authors (p) imagine, that the feftival of CHRIST'S nativity, who was the restorer of mankind when polluted and defiled with vice and idolatry, was by Chriftians brought in inftead of the feast of the dedication which the Jews celebrated on the 25th of December. The Evangelifts have recorded but one particular action of JESUS CHRIST's, during the 30 years he spent in Galilee with Jofeph and Mary; which is, that when he was in the twelfth year of his age, he went up with them at the feaft of the passover, and ftaid behind in the temple to hear the doctors, and afk them queftions (9). This, in all probability, came to pass about a year after the banishment of Archelaus, whose cruelty obliged them to retire to Nazareth. Those many miracles therefore which are afcribed to JESUS CHRIST in the forged and apocryphal gofpel concerning the childhood of JESUS, ought to be looked upon as falfe and fictitious. During this interval of time, there happened feveral things in the Roman empire, which have fome relation to the New Teftament. Archelaus was banished to Vienne in Dauphine, in the tenth year of his reign. Whereupon Judea being made a province, Augustus ordered that taxing to be made there, of which we read in St. Luke (r). To this taxing did Judas Gaulonita (s), or the Galilæan, oppose himself, as to a tyrannical impofition which the Jews ought not to fuffer. He drew into his party great numbers of rebels, which filled Judea with murders and robberies. Though he was overthrown, he left behind him a very confiderable party, which by their outrages and cruelties occafioned the ruin of Jerufalem, and confequently made way for the establishment of the Chriftian religion. It was rather a faction than a sect, though Jofephus gives it that name. It is fuppofed, with a great deal of probability, that thofe Galilæans, whofe blood Pilate mixed with their facrifices (t), were fome of them. To commit this massacre, Pilate took an advantage of the feaft of the paffover, when the Galilæans were come up to Jerufalem, to offer facrifices, because he could not have done it in Galilæa, it being not under his jurifdiction. This might happen about the third year of JESUS CHRIST's entering on his minifterial office. The emperor Auguftus died four years after the banishment of Arche laus, in the feventy-feventh year of his age, after having reigned fiftyfeven. He was fucceeded by Tiberius, in whofe time JESUS CHRIST (p) Olderm. de Feft. Encan. p. 15, 16. (r) Luke ii. 2. (9) Luke ü (s) Acts v. 37. Jof. Ant. & de Bello Judaic. l. ii. c. 7. (*) Luke xiii. 1. was was crucified. Some ancient fathers (u) have notwithstanding imagined that this emperor favoured the Chriftians, and that upon the account which he received from Pilate of the miracles and refurrection of JESUS CHRIST, and of his being reckoned as a God, he had proposed to the fenate to have him ranked among their deities. He adds moreover, that the fenate rejected this motion, either out of envy, because this relation had not been at first communicated to them, or else because they thought that a matter of that confequence had not been fully enough enquired into. Notwithstanding this, Tiberius, as they pretend, remained in the fame mind, and went fo far as to order that Chriftians fhould not be perfecuted. But feveral learned writers (x) have plainly fhewed, that this tradition having no better foundation than fome certain feigned acts of Pilate, which are manifeftly forged, it is not to be relied on. Most of the ancient fathers of the church were, like the generality of honeft and well-meaning men, very credulous; and received, without much examination, whatever they thought could be of any service to religion, or piety. But fuch pious frauds have certainly done more harm than good to the Chriftian religion; befides that they are inconfiftent with truth and fincerity. For, to instance in the point now before us, thofe counterfeit acts of Pilate, which speak fo favourably of Chrift, gave the heathens an occafion of forging others. full of blafphemous reflections upon our bleffed Saviour. Eufebius, who hath fully difplayed the falfhood of the latter (y), relates, that by the emperor Maximinus's order, these used to be publickly affixed in the provinces of the Roman empire, and were taught children in fchools. In the twelfth or thirteenth year of Tiberius, Pontius Pilate was appointed governor (z) of Judea in the room of Valerius Gracchus. As it' was under him JESUS CHRIST was crucified, it will be proper to give fome account of his character. The Jews underwent feveral hardships during his adminiftration. He began with a very bold undertaking, that is, with bringing one night into Jerufalem fome enfigns of Cæfar's, with his image upon them, which he defigned to fet up there (a). The Jews, moved with an extreme indignation at the fight of fuch an at. tempt upon their laws and liberties, went and fell down at his feet, befeeching him that he would remove thofe images out of the city. Whereupon this cruel and diffembling tyrant called them together, as if it had been only to receive a favourable anfwer. But he had pofted foldiers in a private place, who, upon a fignal given, were ordered to put all these poor wretches to the fword. But finding that they were obftinately refolved rather to die, than fuffer fuch a prophanation of their laws, he defifted from this undertaking; feveral Jews however pe rifhed on this occafion, fome being flain, and others dangerouЛly wounded. This is not the only piece of cruelty which he exercised against (u) Juftin Martyr. Apol. i. & Eufeb. H. E. 1. ii. c. 2. Orof. vii. 4. (a) See Jofeph. de Bello Jud. I. ii. c. 8. (z) Procurator. against that unhappy nation. We have already feen how he maffacred the Galileans. He made befides a terrible flaughter of the Jews, when they went about to hinder him from rifling their corban or holy treafury (b). He did not behave himself with more equity and moderation towards the Samaritans, fo that they carried their complaints against him to the emperor, whereupon he was forced to go to Rome to get himself acquitted (*). Philo (c) gives him a very odious character. He charges him with bribery, he accufes him of having committed all kinds of violence and extortion, of being the author of several maffacres, of having caufed innocent perfons to be put to death; in a word, of having exercised a moft horrid barbarity. Eufebius relates (d) that he laid violent hands upon himself, after having led a lingering and unhappy life, till the fortieth year of JESUS CHRIST. The unwillingness a man of his cruel and inexorable temper fhewed in condemning Jesus CHRIST, is a very clear proof of our Saviour's inno cency. The pallovers celebrated by JESUS CHRIST after his baptifm, are fo many epochas, that may help us to trace out the hiftory of his life. The learned are not agreed about them, fome admitting only of three, and others maintaining that there were four. That the latter is the moft probable, St. John's gofpel gives us no room to doubt. The firft paffover is mentioned in the fecond chapter (e), when Jraus CHRIST drove out of the temple the merchants and money-changers. From Jerufalem he went with fome of his difciples into other parts of Judea, where he ftayed till the imprisonment of John the Baptift. After which he travelled into Galilee through Samaria, where he preached the gospel. After fome fruitless attempts to eftablish it at Nazareth, he departed to Capernaum, where he refided more than in any other place. Here he chofe fome difciples, as Peter, Andrew, John, and James. He went afterwards through the cities and villages of Galilee, preaching the kingdom of God in the fynagogues on the fabbath-days. All this was done within the space of one year, or thereabouts. The fecond paffover is mentioned by St. John, in the fifth chapter of his gofpel (f), where he faith, that when the feaft of the Jews was at hand, JESUS went up to Jerufalem. It is true that the Evangelift not exprefsly faying which feaft it was, hath made fome writers imagine, that it was not the feaft of the paffover. But it feems much more natural, to understand it of a feast of the Jews by way of eminence, fuch as the paffover was, than of any other. Befides, that this is very conformable to the ftyle of St. John and the other Evangelitts (g), who call the paffover the feaft only. When this feftival was over, JESUS returned into Galilee, where he chofe from among his difciples, twelve, whom he named Apoftles, and whofe bufinefs it was to be always with him, or elle (b) Which he spent in building an aquæduct, for the bringing in of water at the distance of 300 furlongs. Jofeph. ibid. But instead of being acquitted, was banifhed to Vienne, a city of Gaal. (c) Philo Legat. ad Caium. (d) Eufeb. Hift. Eccl. ii. 7. (e) V. 13. See Mr. Le Clerc, of the years of Jefus Chrift. (f) V. I. elfe to execute his commands in different places. From that time, he began to deliver his inftructions in a more plain and extenfive manner, and to perform a greater number of miracles, for the confirmation of his doctrine, than he had done before. Having taught the multitudes at Capernaum, and near the fea, or lake of Tiberias, he came to Nazareth. At his departure out of this city, he fent his difciples to preach throughout Galilee, while he himself went to other parts. The Apoftles came to him again at Capernaum, or fome other place near the lake. The third-palover is that of which St. John fays (b), that it was at hand, when JESUS CHRIST fed five thousand men, betides women and children, with five loaves and two fishes. The Evangelift doth not exprefsly fay, whether JESUS CHRIST went up to Jerufalem, to celebrate this feaft, as he was wont to do; but it is very probable that he did. From thence he went into that part of Galilee, which borders upon Tyre and Sidon, where he was lefs known. Afterwards coming back towards the lake of Gennefareth, he ftayed for a confiderable time in the country of Decapolis. As he avoided all concourse of people, for fear of being charged with fedition, he often removed from one place to another, being fometimes on the lake, and, at other times, in the neighbouring cities and villages. For this fame reafon he injoined people not to make his miracles known, nor even to tell that he was the Chrift. From hence he departed into Paneas, near the fource of the river Jordan. And afterwards returned into Galilee, where he was transfigured upon a mountain in that province, to feveral places whereof he went at that time. He came up to Jerufalem to celebrate the feast of tabernacles. At his return, the difciples, whom he had fent about to feveral places, came to meet him in Galilee. From whence he departed, travelling towards Jerufalem, and preaching from place to place. He then returned into Galilee, and afterwards into Judea, where he made but a short stay. But in a little time came back there, to raise Lazarus from the dead. After this miracle, he went to Jericho, where he remained till the lat paffover, when he was crucified on a friday, after having Preached fome what above three years. He rose the funday morning, having remained only about fix and thirty hours in the fepulchre. After his refurrection, he continued forty days upon earth, appearing feveral times to his difciples, and others. It is manifeft from the gospel, that he appeared no lefs than twelve times. At the end of those forty days, he afcended into heaven, after having bleffed his Apoftles, who, ten days after, that is, on the day of Fentecoft, received the Holy Ghoft, according to their divine Mafter's promife. By thefe miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost, wherewith they were then endued, it was, that they were enabled to publish the gofpel throughout the whole world. Having in our prefaces to each of their books fet down the time in which they were written, and given as full an account as poffible of their preaching, travels, hardships, fufferings, and martyrdom, we fhall here conclude this article concerning the chronology of the New Teftament. VOL. III. (b) V. 4. Though |