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that he plainly intimates the contrary, when, Joh. iii. 39. he directs his Followers to Jearch the Scriptures; which he would not have done in fuch general Words, if they had been falfified, without taking Notice of fuch Falfifications, if there had been any. Alfo Mat. xxiii. 2, 3. he fays, The Scribes and Pharifees fit in Mofes Seat, whatsoever therefore they bid you obferve, that obferve and do. Can any one believe that our bleffed Lord would direct any Perfons to read corrupted or falfified Scriptures, or give his Followers a Charge to hear those who had corrupted them?

There is juft Reafon alfo to believe, that the Jews have not wilfully or maliciously altered or corrupted their Scriptures fince the Days of Chrift and his Apoftles; because we ftill find thofe Texts of the Old Teftament, which are cited in the New, in our prefent Hebrew Bibles. If the Jews had been difpofed to alter their Scriptures, would they not have changed thofe Texts, that they might have had a Pretence to have accufed Chrift and his Apoftles with Mifquotations and Mifreprefentations of their Scriptures? Again, if the Jews had wilfully corrupted the Scriptures, through Hatred to the Chriftians, as fome fuppose them to have done, they would, no Doubt, have done it in those Prophecies which particularly relate to Chrift, and in fuch Places as relate to the Mysteries of the Chriftian Religion. Yet learned Men have obferved, in fome Places where the Hebrew Books differ from the Greek and Latin, the Hebrew is more oppofite to the Jews, than either the Greek or Latin: As in Pfal. ii. 12. where the Greek and Latin read, Lay hold of Difcipline, left the Lord be angry. The Hebrew has it, Kifs the Son, left he be angry. Which Reading more plainly refers to Chrift, than the other. Who can believe the Jews would wilfully make Alterations in thofe Places, where there is no Controverfy between them and us, yet change nothing in thofe Paffages which make fo plainly for us against themselves? Befides, as the Jews are difperfed into fo many diftant Countries, it is morally impoffible they fhould all meet together, and agree to corrupt their Books, or that any fhould do it, without fome general Agreement with the reft, who might, and no Doubt would, complain of fuch Alterations. And as fuch Complaints of one Party of Jews against the other have not been made, we may for thefe Reasons believe the Jews have made no wilful Alterations in the Holy Scriptures fince the Coming of Christ.

But although the Jews have not wilfully corrupted the Hebrew Text, that is the Letters, yet they have affixed fuch Vowel Points and Paufes to the Letters, as give a Senfe to many Words, very different from the Senfe thofe Words were judged to bear by the LXX, and other ancient Tranflators. About A. D. 500, or later, the Jews of Tiberias, where that People had then their chief School of Learning, taking all the Hebrew Letters as Confonants, invented feveral Points, which they put under every Letter to ferve inftead of Vowels, in order to direct how every Word fhould be pronounced. Some have maintained, that thefe Vowel Points are at leaft as old as the Time of Ezra, if not of Mofes. But the Generality of the Learned, I think, are of Opinion that they are no older than A. D. 500, if fo old. The Matter has ben controverted pretty much, and the late Dean Prideaux (in his Connection

Connection of the Hiftory of the Old and New Teftament, Part I. Book v. p. 346. Edit. 8°) has given us all the Arguments pro and con upon this Queftion: And declares himself to be of Ŏpinion that the Vowel Points were used, if not in the Time of Ezra, yet very foon after, and long before the Deftruction of the fecond Temple. Yet he confeffes that they are not mentioned by any Author, either Jew or Christian, until fome Hundreds of Years after the Deftruction of Jerufalem. That neither Origen, who gave us the Hebrew Scriptures in one Column written in Hebrew Characters, and in another Column in Greek Characters; nor St. Jerom, who tranflated the whole Bible from the Hebrew, take any Notice of these Points. Alfo, that to this Day all the Bibles ufed in the Jewish Synagogues are written without any Points either of Pause or Lection. Likewife, that he himself, or any other Mafter of the Hebrew Language, would at this Time choose to read in an Hebrew Book that was unpointed. The Reafon which he gives for this Opinion of his, is, that although when a Man is acquainted with a Language, he may read it without Vowels, yet until he has learned the Language, it is impoffible for him to read it fo written. And as the Hebrew was become a dead Language from very near the Return of the Jews from the Babylonish Captivity, that is from Ezra's Days, and to be learned from Books only, it was impoffible to be learned without the Vowel Points: Confequently thofe Points must have been in Ufe from Ezra's Time, or foon after.

But all this fine Reasoning is overthrown, not only by the Silence of the Ancients, both Jews and Chriftians, but also by the pofitive Teftimony of St. Jerom, who lived 800 Years after Ezra's Time, and after the Hebrew was become a dead Language, yet was taught that Language by a Jew, without the Affiftance of any Points. For this Father, in his Epiftle to Evagrius concerning Melchifedeck, says, Non refert utrum Salem an Salim nominetur, cum vocalibus in medio literis perraro utantur Hebræi: Et, pro voluntate lectorum atque varietate Regionum, eadem verba diverfis finis atque accentibus proferantur. And left you fhould think that by his faying perraro utantur, he may mean that Vowel Points were then fometimes ufed, though but feldom, confequently that this is a Proof of their being used in his Time, and long before, I muft inform you, that he cannot mean Vowel Points in this Place, but real literal Vowels, fuch as all Languages in these western Parts of the World make ufe of: And fuch the Hebrews always had, though most of their Words be written without any of them. These Vowels are,,, y, that is, a fhort, o, ou, or u, i and a long; to which fome add and, that is, e fhort and long. But the Maforites, who invented the Points, make all thefe Letters to be Confonants; but give them no other Sound than what belongs to the Points placed under them, or, if any, it is no more than an Afpirate. Thefe Letters indeed perraro utantur in medio: But that cannot be faid of Points, which are now affixed to all initial and middle Letters. Befides St. Jerom fays, vocalibus literis, but the Points are not litera, neither are called fo by thofe who have pleaded the most for them. This pofitive Teftimony of St. Jerom, that the Hebrews feldom placed a Vowel in the Middle of a Word, and that it was indifferent what

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Vowel

Vowel you made Ufe of in the Pronunciation, is a plain Teftimony that no Vowel Points were used in his Time, that is, until the Beginning of the fifth Century after Chrift. Thofe therefore who place the Invention of the Points to about the Year 500, place it early enough.

The Inventors of thefe Points are called Maforites, and their Work Mafora, or the Mafore, which is derived from the Hebrew Word D Mafar, tradidit, because, after the Hebrew became a dead Language, thele Maforites, from Age to Age, delivered down the Manner how the Hebrew Words were to be written, read and pronounced. And that these might be preferved to all future Ages, they invented a great Number of Points for Vowels, Paufes, and Accents, which the Reader. fhould obferve. I fhall not trouble myfelf nor you concerning the nice Curiofity and needlefs Labour of thefe Maforites, not only to number the Verfes contained in every Book of the Law and the Prophets, and in all of them together, but likewife the Words, and even the Letters. The Points' are all I fhall take Notice of; because the Learned, until of late, have thought them to be of great Ufe, and that the Hebrew Language cannot be learned without the Knowledge, at leaft of the Vowel Points. Even thofe who have thought the Vowel Points, as well as thofe of Paufe or Accent, deferve no Regard to afcertain or fix the Senfe of a Word, yet think a Beginner muft learn them, the Language not being otherwife to be learned. But Mafclef, a Pricft and Canon of Amiens in France, has, not many Years fince, publifhed a Hebrew Grammar, whereby he tells us, that Language may be learned without any Knowledge of the Vowel Points; and that he himself, being puzzled with the many Rules given with Relation to the Points, threw them all afide, and found it much easier and better to learn the Language without them.

It is pretended by thofe who lay a great Strefs on the Points, that the fame Word, as moft of the Hebrew Words are, being written with Confonants only, has various Significations, according to the Vowels with which you read or pronounce it. For Confonants alone cannot be read or pronounced without the Affiftance of Vowels: And the Signification of Words in all Languages depends upon the Pronunciation of the Vowels, as well as of the Confonants; and that in the Hebrew,. though moft of the Words are written without any Vowels, as must be confeffed by thofe who will not allow all the Letters to be Confonants; therefore, where Words are written with Confonants only, and yet have different Significations according to their different Pronunciation, they must have different Vowels affixed to them, and for this Reafon the Maforites have done well to affix different Vowels to the fame Word, to afcertain the Senfe of it. Thus, for Inftance, the three Letters dbr have at least five different Significations. 1. He fpake. 2. Speaking. 3. A Word. 4. A Pestilence. 5. A Fold for Sheep or Cattle. No Doubt, but while the Hebrew was a living Language, the Word compofed of thefe three Letters was understood in its different Significations by the different Vowels they ufed when they spake it. And fuch Vowel Points the Maforites have now affixed to it, by which we may know when and where thofe three Letters fignify one Thing and when another. When it fignifies he spake, they affix the

Points

Points which denote a fhort and a long, and fay dabar. When it is a Participle, and fignifies Speaking, by their Points they read dober. When it is a Noun, and fignifies a Word, they put it under two a's fhort, and read dabar. When it fignifies a Peftilence, they put two e's under, and read deber. When it fignifies a Fold, they put the Points which denote a and e, and read it daber. And the like have they done with Regard to all other Words.

What has been done, in this Cafe, by the Maforites, would certainly be of great Ufe and Service to the Church for understanding the Hebrew Text, if they had lived while the Hebrew was a living Language, and thefe Vowel Points had been then ufed, and we could have been affured of their Knowledge of the true Pronunciation of all Words, according to their different Significations: But as the Hebrew was become a dead Language many hundred Years before their Time, the true ancient Pronunciation was as much unknown then as now. We have St. Jerom's Teftimony before cited, that different Vowels were used in the Pronunciation of the fame Word in different Countries. And this was at least a hundred Years before the Maforites began the Invention of their Points, either for Vowel, Paufe or Accent. I fay, began, because they were not all invented at once, but Improvements continued to be making for fome Centuries. It is alfo manifeft, from the LXX, that the ancient Jews read with different Vowels from those which the Maforites have affixed.

This is very well proved by Mafclef in his Arguments for his New Grammar, p. xxxviii, &c. which I will give you in his own Words. He fays therefore

"Rem ipfam accuratius & per partes evolvamus. In duobus fita "eft pronunciatio Mafforethica. 1°. In valore feu fono quem fingulis "Alphabethi literis tribuit. 2o. In Vocalibus, quas punctis exprimit. "Atqui quoad utramque partem à veteri norma non parum recedit "punctatio feu pronunciatio Mafforethica.

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Quod ad literas, hæc pauca è multis annotamus. Docent Veteres literam non ut p fed ut ph pronunciari. Nulla apud eos Mentio duplicis, nullibi aiunt literas o duplici modo efferri. Tria "Argumenta quibus evincitur Maforethicam pronunciationem à veteri 6. & genuina non parum deflexiffe.

"Quoad alteram Pronunciationis partem, fcilicet vocales quas fup"plent, æque aberrant Mafforethe. Difcrepant enim a Veteribus tam circa vocales fupplendas, quam circa loca in quibus fupplendæ funt. "Primò in eorum fyftemate nulla, ut aiunt, vocalis frequentior oc"currit quam Scheva. Atqui in Pronunciatione iftius Motionis longe

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Veteribus difcedunt Mafforethæ. Punctorum Mafforethicorum "Myfteriis haud initiatus eum hic Myftagogum adhibebo, quem nemo mihi favere voluiffe caufabitur. D. Guarinum dico novæ "Methodi acerrimum hoftem, qui Grammaticæ fuæ Tom. I. p. 37. <fic loquitur.

"Antiqui Interpretes Graci lectioner Scheva regulas longè diverfas ab iis quas tradunt hadierni Grammatici fequebantur. "non legebant initio Dictionis, ut Gen. i. I. "cipio: Græci Benoit. Levit. xiii. 19. N

1°. Enim illud fæpè Berefchit in prinSeeth, tumor; Greci,

" and, &c. e contra quando duo Scheva initio Dictionis concurrunt, prius fe cundum Grammatices hodierna canones vulgò mutatur in hhiriq qaton, id 66 eft ini: pofterius vero quiefcit, id eft, mutum eft, illi vero interdum "utrumque legebant.-Ex his aliifque plurimis exemplis quæ paffim oc"currunt in Origenis Hexaplis a noftro D. Bernardo de Montfaucon editis, "videtur conflare variam admodum et incertam fuiffe apud Veteres Scheva "legendi rationem. Huc ufque Guarinus.

"Secundò idem colligitur è nominum propriorum diversâ prolatione, "Legunt Recentiores Nebuchadnetfar, Rechabgam, Pinchas, Chifkia, Firmeia, Jechezchel, Achafchveros, Dariavefch, Kiflef, &c. LXX. Jo"fephus & alii Nabuchodonofor, Roboam, Phinees, Ezechias, Jeremias, "Ezechiel, Affuerus, Darius, Cafleu, &c. Eo argumento utitur Bo"chartus Epiftola ad Jacobum Capellum de linguæ tum Chaldaicæ tum "Syriacæ pronunciatione; Extat Tom. 3. Col. 853. Recentiores He"brai, inquit, a Veteribus in Hebraici fermonis pronunciatione multum dif"ferunt ut ex nominibus huic linguæ propriis, fi cum antiquis verfionibus con"ferantur, difcimus.

"Atqui fi a veteri pronunciatione ita difcordant in nominibus pro"priis, quorum pronunciatio facilius potuit confervari (omniumenim "ore femper trita fuerunt ifta nomina) quid exiftimandum contigiffe "in vocibus, quæ (utpote rarius in quotidiano fermone occurrentes) "promptius potuerunt ad aliam pronunciationem detorqueri? Dicent "Adverfarii emollita effe a LXX Interpretibus nomina propria, quo "Græcis auribus minus barbara apparerent.

"Efto. At quantumvis emollita dicantur, fieri non poteft ut a pro"nunciatione Mafforethica tam difcrepent, fi eodem modo & LXX & "Mafforethæ ea in Fontibus Hebraicis legerunt. Potuerunt quidem "inflecti pofteriores Syllabæ, ut iftis nominibus daretur Græca termi"natio; at quid caufæ fuit, cur non ubique fervaretur idem Syllaba"rum numerus, priorefque & intermedia Syllabæ tam turpiter defor❝ marentur ?

"Non in folis nominibus propriis, fed & in aliis diverfitas illa confpicitur. Habemus aliquot fragmenta Hexaplorum, in quibus Textum Hebraicum literis Græcis defcripferat Origines ad eam normam, qua tunc a Judæis pronunciabatur. Scimus fimiliter quomodo plurima loca ejufdem Textus legerit & pronunciarit Hieronymus. Si "conferantur ea loca cum Mafforethica pronunciatione, nec rarò nec parum a veteri videbitur Mafforethica difcrepare. Nullus eft Scripturæ Interpres Mafforethis vetuftior, quem non deprehendas haud rarò fecutum effe diverfam a Mafforethica pronunciationem; itą tamen ut quo quifque proprior fuit Mafforetharum tempori, co pro"pius illius lectio ad eorum punctationem accedat. LXX omnium ἐσ antiquiffimi longiffimè recedunt."

But if nothing more than the bare Pronunciation of Hebrew Words was concerned in the Cafe, the Matter would not be worth the leaft Difpute. We know not how the ancient Greeks and Romans pronounced the Latin and Greek Tongues. Every Nation now gives the fame Sound to the Latin and Greek Letters, which they give to those of their own Language, which occafions thofe Languages to be differently pronounced by different People. However, all write and inter

pret

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