Page images
PDF
EPUB

his own people to such calamities, and seeming to fight against them himself, and he was afraid of consequences which Pagans and Christians would draw from it against the Jewish religion. Cicero, because it served his purpose, had inferred from the calamities which in his days befell the Jews, that they were a nation not acceptable to the Deity. • Stantibus Hierosolymis, pacatisque Judæis, tamen istorum religio sacrorum a splendore hujus imperii, gravitate nominis nostri, majorum institutis, abhorrebat: nunc vero hoc magis, quod illa gens, quid de imperio nostro sentiret, ostendit armis: quam cara diis immortalibus esset, docuit, quod est victa, quod elocata, quod servata.' Pro Flacco, 28. Some would read 'serva.' Dr. Thirlby conjectured servit :' and I find it so cited by Hammond in his notes on Revel. xiii. 5.

In his Antiquities he takes too great liberties with sacred history, and accommodates it too much to the taste of the Gentiles, which yet probably he did to recommend his oppressed and unhappy nation to the favour of the Greeks and Romans. There are few of his suppressions, or alterations, or embellishments, for which a prudential reason might not be assigned. In his History he shows an instance of his art, in complimenting Titus without saying an untruth: he relates that Titus engaged with the Jews, who had made a sally and fought desperately, and that Titus himself slew twelve of their bravest men, who headed the rest. He says not how he slew them; but Suetonius tells us that Titus, at the siege of Jerusalem, shot twelve of the foremost of the enemies with so many arrows. circumstances give great reason to suppose that both relate the same story.

Kai

The

Καὶ δώδεκα μὲν αὐτὸς τῶν προμάχων ἀναιρά: • et ipse quidem sternit duodecim adversi agininis propugnatores,' B. J. v. vi. 6.

'Novissima Hierosolymorum oppugnatione, duodecim propugnatores totidem sagittarum confecit ictibus.' Sueton. Tit. 5.

The history of the Jewish war by Josephus seems to be a commentary upon the prophecies of Christ. Josephus, amongst other particulars, gives a distinct account of the VOL. I.

Р

[ocr errors]

'fearful sights and great signs from heaven,' which preceded the destruction of Jerusalem, and Tacitus has con firmed the narration of Josephus. If Christ had not expressly foretold this, many, who give little heed to portents, and who know that historians have been too credulous in that point, would have suspected that Josephus exagge rated, and that Tacitus was misinformed; but as the testimonies of Josephus and Tacitus confirm the predictions of Christ, so the predictions of Christ confirm the wonders recorded by these historians.

Let us proceed to show that the predictions of Christ were extant before the destruction of Jerusalem, before A. D. 70, for this is the important point.

The books and epistles of the New Testament were written disciples of Christ, or their companions.

We cannot suppose that any persons, of whatsoever abilities, could have forged them after the decease of the apostles: for,

These writings contain various and numerous incidents of time, place, persons, names, and things; occasional discourses, differences of style, epistles in answer to epistles, and passages cited from those which they answer, directions and observations suited to the state of several churches, seeming contradictions, and real difficulties which might have easily been avoided, things mentioned which worldly considerations would have suppressed, and things omitted which invention and imagination might have supplied; a character of Christ, arising from his words and actions, of a most singular kind, left to its intrinsic merit, and aided by no art; and in the writings of St. Paul, sentiments warm, pathetic, and coming from the heart; particularities in each gospel suitable to the character, knowledge, situation, and circumstances of each evangelist, &c. &c.

e

The forgers of these things, if they were such, must have equalled Father Harduin's atheistical monks of the thirteenth century, who, according to his fantastical ac

d Disc. vi. on the Christ. Rel.

Harduin's craziness consisted in rejecting what all the world received; the opposite folly to which is the receiving what all the world

rejects.

count, in an age of ignorance and barbarity, surpassed in abilities all the antients and moderns, forged the Latin and Greek authors whom we call classical, and were not only great poets, orators, grammarians, linguists, and knaves, but great mathematicians, chronologers, astronomers, geographers, and critics, and capable of inserting, in their proper places, names and accounts of men, rivers, cities, and regions, eclipses of the sun and moon, Athenian archons, Attic months, Roman consuls, and olympiads; all which happy inventions have been since confirmed by astronomical calculations and tables, voyages, inscriptions, fasti capitolini, fragments, manuscripts, and a diligent comparing of authors with each other.

There is not one page in the New Testament, which affords not internal characters of being composed by men who lived at the time when the things happened which are there related. This is as evident, as it is that the noble English historian, who wrote an account of the troubles in the time of Charles the first, was himself concerned in those transactions. The discourses of Christ, as I have observed elsewhere, are always occasional, and full of allusions to particular incidents. The historical parts of the New Testament, and the travels of Christ and of his apostles, correspond with the accounts and descriptions which may be collected from other authors. In the judgment which Pilate passed upon Christ, the rules of the Roman law were observed. What is accidentally mentioned concerning the behaviour of Felix and Gallio, and some others, agrees with the character which Roman writers have given of them. There are endless particularities of this kind which might be produced. A man of very ordinary abilities, who relates various things of which

f Mr. Huber remarque fort bien, qu'il paroit, par toutes les circonstances du jugement de Pilate, que toutes les regles du droit Romain y furent exactement observées; et que cela peut nous convaincre de la verité de cette histoire. Des gens du petit peuple parmi les Juifs, tels qu'étoient les evangélistes, ne pouvoient pas être si bien instruits de cela; et s'ils ne l'avoient apprise de témoins oculaires, ils n'auroient jamais pu la raconter, comme ils ont fait, sans dire quelque chose qui se trouveroit contraire à l'usage des gouverneurs, dans les provinces Romaines. Le Clerc, Bibl. anc. et mod. t. xiii. P. 100. See also Huber Dissert.

he has been an ear- and an eye-witness, is under no difficulty or pain but a forger, if he had the abilities of an angel, whose imagination must supply him with materials, can never write in such a manner; and, if he has tolerable sense, will avoid entering into such a minute detail, in which he must perpetually expose his ignorance and his dishonesty.

of

Christ began to preach when he was about thirty years age; and the Jews from his countenance judged him to be more advanced in life. He chose apostles, some of whom were married, one was employed in a public office, and most were probably as old as himself, if not older. If they had not been cut off by martyrdom, yet few of them, in the course of nature, would have survived the destruction of Jerusalem A. D. 70, which was about seventy-four years after the birth of Christ. Ecclesiastical history assures us, that St. Peter and St. Paul died before that time; and Christ had told Peter that he should be put to death in his old age.

[ocr errors]

History also informs us, that St. John lived long after the destruction of Jerusalem, and Christ had given an intimation that he should see that event; for he said once to his disciples, There be some standing here who shall not taste of death till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom' and afterwards, when Peter was desirous to know what should befall John, Christ replied, "If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?'

St. John had seen the three gospels, for he wrote his own as a supplement to them; which appears plainly in the Har mony of the Evangelists. He omitted these predictions of Christ, though he was present at that discourse; of which omission the most probable reason is, that the other three had mentioned them.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke relate, that when the Jews came to seize Christ, a disciple drew his sword, and wounded one of them. John alone names him, and says that it was Simon Peter. The cause of their silence is obvious: Peter was living when they wrote, and they suppressed his name for several reasons; but when John wrote Peter was dead. : The three first evangelists make no mention of the resur

John viii. 57.

rection of Lazarus, perhaps lest the Jews, who had consulted to put him to death, should assassinate him. When St. John wrote, it is probable that he was dead; and therefore he gave a particular account of that resurrection.

There is reason to think that St. John also might compose a part at least of his gospel a little before the destruction of Jerusalem, since he speaks of the porches of Bethesda as standing, v. 2, though this amounts not to a full and conclusive proof, and may be a small inaccuracy of style; or, it may be, those porches remained undemolished.

St. Luke ends his history of the apostles with St. Paul's dwelling at Rome for two years, A. D. 65. He mentions nothing further, and therefore probably wrote the Acts before the death of that apostle; and he refers us to his own gospel, as to a book which he had published before.

Ecclesiastical history informs us, that Mark's gospel had the approbation of Peter, and that Mark was instructed by him; which opinion seems somewhat favoured by the narration of Peter's fall and repentance. Matthew and Luke say that he wept bitterly;' Mark says only, he wept,' but represents his crime in stronger terms than Luke. Matthew relates at large the commendation and the commission which Christ gave to Peter: Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven.' xvi. 17. Mark omits it, viii. 29.

St. Peter, who died before A. D. 70, mentioned the approaching ruin of Jerusalem in the Acts of the Apostles,

η Εστι δὲ—κολυμβήθρα. Ην δ', which is in some few copies, is probably the emendation of a critic.

i Euseb. ii. 15.

kAnd I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and terrible day of the Lord come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved.' Acts ii. 9.

« PreviousContinue »