any communion, he saysa, Let him be to you as an Heathen; i.e. esteem him as vile as you do those of other nations, for so the word 'Eduxòs must fignify; and he makes it more than once an argument to restrain his disciples from a finful practice, because the "E9, the nations, i. e. the Heathens did fo. But to fay nothing more of a thing fo well known, it is easy to see what notions the Jews had of all people befides themfelves, as impure and unfit for conversation, from the history of St. Peter's Vifion, Acts x. For nothing less than a miracle would convince him of the lawfulness of his having any conversation with those, whom they called the "Exnras or "Em, i. e. of any other country befides his own. He held it, as he says, an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or to come unto one born in another country; the reafon of which was, because they judged them unclean, and were afraid of being polluted by them.

Now this premised concerning the use and meaning of these words in the New Testament, I come to confider, how our Syriack tranflator has rendered them.

1.) The word "Exanr, by which the Jews denoted all the world befides themselves, the Syriack interpreter very often translates by i. e. a profane, impious, finful person. See John vii. 35. Acts xviii. 4, 17. Mar. vii. 26. In other places he translates it ; i. e. a Syrian, Aramæus.

So

Acts xvi. 1, 3. xix. 10, 17. xx. 21. Rom. i. 16. ii. 9, 10. I Cor. i. 22, &c. x. 32. xii. 13. Gal. ii. 3, 14. iii. 28. Col.

iii. II. In other places

Acts xxi. 28. Rom. iii. 9.

i. e. Gentiles. John xii. 20.

2.) The word 'Edunòs, i. e. a man of another nation, he tranflates i. e. profane or impious. Matth. vi. 7. xviii. 17. 'Edvin, (which we translate after the manner of Gentiles) Gal. ii. 14. he tranflates ; i. e. after the manner of the Syrians; and fo "Evn, i. e. Gentiles, he renders commonly but very often i. e. profane. So Matt. x. 5. 1 Cor. v. I. x. 20. xii. 2. 1 Pet. iv. 3.

a Matt. xviii. 17.

b Matt. vi. 7, and 32.

Act. x. 28.

Now

Now from these translations I argue,

1. That the tranflator was one of the Jewish nation; elfe it would have been impoffible for him fo exactly to have formed his Verfion to the Jewish notions. Who else would have taken every opportunity to have represented all the nations of the earth in such a manner? Nay, indeed, who befides could have thought of it, and so naturally formed himself into the Jewish way of speaking? Is it likely any one but a Jew would call all the world profane? or can it be thought, that a man, not accustomed to give thefe characters, could have fo readily on all occafions have done it? But to put the matter out of doubt, I will fingle out one of his words, viz. 0;} Armojo, which he most commonly uses for "Ex, as may be feen above. The word is the very fame with the old Hebrew, which fignified a Syrian, or native of Syria. Now to understand the reason of this appellation, viz. why Gentile and Syrian, or profane, were among the Jews fynonymous terms; we muft obferve, that though they were a part of Syria, as the word is generally used by geographers, yet they did not look upon themfelves as fuch, but always had a very contemptible opinion of the Syrians, as being idolaaters. So we find in Onkelos's Chaldee Verfion by and ', i. e. uncircumcifed and Syrian, are used promifcuously to denote any foreigner or profane perfon, Lev. xxv. 47. because they were their nearest neighbours and idolaters; and the first idolaters mentioned in Scripture were Syrians, viz. Thare, Nachor, and Laban; perhaps also because when the Ifraelites were taught to humble themselves before God, in their form of confeffion, were thefe words, Our father was a Syrian ready to perish. Thus it came to país, that the word Syrian among the Jews denoted a profane person, or an idolater, as the word "Eaan, did, when they wrote in Greck; and accordingly in the New Teftament f the Syrian woman is called 'Exis. Now the Syriack interpreter ufing the word Syrian for a Gentile or profane perfon, evidences that him

• Bochart. Phaleg. 1. 2. c. 5. e Deut. xxvi. 5.

f Mark vii. 26. Vid. omnino Jcan.

Camero Myiothec. ad Matth. xviii.

17.

felf

felf was certainly a Jew; for to no other nation could those words, Greek and Syrian, be fynonymously and promifcuously ufed for Idolaters or Heathens.

2. As this tranflator was a Jew, fo from the tranflation of thefe words it feems evident, that he lived either before, or not long after the conqueft of Jerufalem. For when the Jews were fcattered abroad in the world, they who were become Chriftians, such as this interpreter muft neceffarily be supposed to be, could not but learn, that these distinctions were now to cease, and as the Apostles taught them, it was neither Jew nor Gentile, circumcised nor uncircumcised, but the new creature only, that was acceptable to God. While their temple stood, and they continued together as a people, one may well suppose, that even a Chriftianized Jew would retain his former notions of all the rest of the world being profane; and indeed this was really fact, as to a great part of the convert Jews, and the best reason that can be affigned for the Syriack traħslation of the forementioned words. But afterwards they could not but fee, I mean thofe of them who embraced Chriftianity, that, as Christ had foretold, their former differences were to be laid afide, no perfons to be reckoned common and unclean, all fincere perfons, of whatever country, were equally acceptable to God, &c. and in confequence of this, their old denominations muft ceafe; and fo this Verfion be made either before, or foon after their difperfion.

Nor can it be objected, that the Syriack interpreter knew no other words, whereby to tranflate the abovementioned Greek ones; for, it is certain, that he not only knew others, but with a great deal of accuracy and justice has made use of them. Thus when the word "Eaan in the New Teftament is put to denote thofe, who were properly Grecians, or inhabitants of Greece, he makes use of the word so i. e. 'Iris, or 'Iwunis, a Greek, properly fo called. So when Paul, according to the forementioned diftinction of the Greeks, divides all mankind into "Envas and Bagláfes, he uses the word J, Rom. i. 14. and in another place, where he thought the fame diftinction was made, viz. Col. iii. 11. he

ufes

Acts xiv. 1. xvii. 4, 12, always ftyles

ufes the fame word. So when he means the proper natives of Greece, he calls them &c. and the Greek language he as Luke xxiii. 38. John xix. 20. Acts ix. 29. xxi. 37. This is a most convincing argument, that where he tranflates the word "Exam, profane, he spake according to the notions and language of the Jews; and therefore that he lived in the time above-mentioned.

CHAP. XVIII.

The Syriack Tranflation is of the greatest Antiquity, because there is a moft remarkable Agreement between it and our most antient Greek Manufcripts of the New Testament.

HAVE in the foregoing chapter produced two several inftances, or arguments, out of the Syriack Verfion, which evidence its antiquity. The only one I shall mention farther is,

III. Its agreement with the best and most antient copies of the New Teftament. This, though perhaps it will not prove it to be of that age I contend for, will at leaft prove it of very great antiquity. He who will read Beza's larger Annotations on the New Teftament, will frequently obferve, that the Syriack tranflation and his famous manuscript, undoubtedly the oldeft now in the world (which he gave to the University of Cambridge, do in many things agree, where they both differ from others. The fame may be faid of several other antient copies. I fhall omit inftances, which any one may eafily collect, and only establish farther its antiquity, by confidering the omiffion of fome things, which are found in all our printed copies; first premifing, that I do not here determine any thing concerning those paffages, the Syriack Verfion being liable to the fame corruptions as the Greek copies. This premised, I observe,

1. That

1. That our prefent Syriack Verfion has not the history of the adulterous woman, John viii. It is indeed inserted in our English Polyglots, out of a manufcript of Archbishop Ufher's, and afterwards by Schaaf from thence put into his late edition in Holland, but was wanting in the old Syriack copy. And so we find in many of the most antient Greek manuscripts, and not mentioned by many of the oldest Christian writers. Moft of Beza's manufcripts indeed had it; but of a great number which Maldonate confulted, but one had it. Erafmus fays, it was wanting in most of the Greek copies, but inferted at the end of some of them. In the Greek Catena of twenty three antient Fathers on John, not one had it*. Neither Origen, Clemens Alexandrinus, Chryfoftom, Nonnus (who wrote a Paraphrase on John), nor Theophylact, &c. make any mention of it'. Father Simon faw many old manuscripts in France, which had it not, only fome of them at the end". I need cite no more; it is plain, it was formerly wanting in many copies, which, with what has been faid above, seems to be a good argument of the antiquity of the Syriack Verfion.

2. The Verfion has not the famous controverted Text, 1 John v. 7. The late Dutch editor has unfairly inferted it in the text, though he knew it was in no manuscript, and that what he inferted was only Tremellius's tranflation out of Greek". As the former verses, so this also is wanting in almost all the antient manuscripts, and is not cited by any of the antient writers against the Arians in the fourth century, nor even in the Council of Nice; though fome suppose it was made use of by Cyprian before that time. But this is a well-known fubject. I only infer, that the want of this Text in the very oldest manuscripts, proves the great antiquity of the Syriack Verfion.