mon and known Hebraifm, in libro convoluto, i. e. in the book that is rolled up, as the book of the Law then was. This interpretation is plain, and I need not be at the pains to cite the criticks and commentators, to support it; I think they almost all agree, that this word was made ufe of to fignify a book, because their books were rolled up, and so we have traced this cuftom as far as David's time. I must not omit obferving here, that the Seventy seem to have understood this place otherwife, when they tranflate it, i panid Bixie, and that the old Latin tranflator after them renders it, in Capite libri; which has made fome Popish commentators believe, that we are to understand, the fum of the book. But it does not much concern us, how the Seventy have rendered it, nor indeed should I have mentioned it, if St. Paul had not seemed to justify their tranflation, by making ufe of their words, iv xeçaἐν κεφα aid Bibxie, &c. Heb. x. 7. I faid, feemed to justify; for though St. Paul, and other writers of the New Teftament, did undoubtedly make use of the Septuagint, or fome Greek tranflation, in citing out of the Old Testament; yet their using it, does not always justify it, as though it were a just translation of the original. It is certain the writers of the New Teftament made ufe of the Greek verfion fometimes, where the tranflators plainly mistook the words they tranflated; and the reason why they thus followed them in their mistakes, was, because they wrote to, and for those, who made use of these Bibles; and it might probably have been of very bad confequence, had they gone about to correct or alter them'. But perhaps after all, no na may be justly tranflated by the Seventy, κεφαλές βιβλία, and κεφαλὶς may fignify the very fame thing as volume. So our learned countryman, Mr. Fuller, has by an ingenious criticism endeavoured to prove. I would only observe further here, that Aquila and Symmachus translate this word in its just sense, a roll, and fo Theodoret under

מנלת

a Vid. Janfen. Genebrard. &c. ad loc. Sixt. Senenf. Biblioth. Sanct. 1. 2. ad voc. Volumen. Caftell. Buxtorf. et Schindler ad ba See Ifai. xxxiv. 4.

b

See concerning this matter Rivet. Ifagcg. in S. Script. c. 10. and Flacc. Illyric. Par. 2. Tract. 1. de Evangelift.

• Mifcell. Sacr. 1. 2. c. 10.

ftood

stood it, and the Seventy themselves have very frequently tranflated this word zagriob. I fhall take it then for granted, that the word ha proves, that the Jews before our Saviour's time were wont to roll up their books. I add,

4. That the Jews ufually wrote thus about the time, when St. Matthew wrote his Gospel. That it was thus in our Saviour's time, feems to be very evident from those words, Luke iv. 17. And when he had opened the book, &c. and ver. 20. And he closed the book, &c. The two Greek words, αναπτύξας and πτύξας, tranfated opened and clofed, do evidently intimate to us, what sort of a book it was in which our Saviour read. They fignify to unfold, and to fold up again, or (if I may use the word) to unroll and to roll up again, as every body knows who has met with these words in the Greek authors; and fo here ávaπtúžas rò Bibxío, meaneth his taking the parchment off the roll, and drawing it out in length to read it, and πτύξας τὸ βιβλίον means his rolling it up again round the ftaff. "The word avartioow," fays a learned critick ", " re"fers to the manner of writing among the Jews, which was "not in parchment or paper fewed together, as we now use; "but in one continued page or long roll, and that folded up, "to fave it from duft or other harm." In this fenfe also the word is used by the LXX. 2 Kings xix. 14. Hezekiah received the letter, or little books, rà Bixia (as the LXX tranflate the word on), nai áveπtúžev avtà, and spread them, or laid them open. Hence it was weli observed by Grotius, that these two words answer to the Latin ones evolvere and convolvere, i, e. to fold and unfold; and I would obferve, that the Greek

word rigow was so very commonly used for this fort of folding and rolling up their books; that, as the Jews called their books bar, from their being thus rolled up, and the Romans called theirs volumina for the fame reafon; fo, upon the very fame account, the Greeks formed the words μ and πτυκτίον, πυκτὶς and πυκτίον, to denote a book, or a writing on parchment, that was thus folded or rolled up: hence 9 TuTis is often used by the Greek Fathers for the facred Scripture . From all which I think it is very fair to conclude, that the book which our Saviour read in the fynagogue at Nazareth, was of that fort which has been described, viz. a volume of parchment.

The matter I am upon, may receive some confirmation from St. Paul's charge to Timothy; The cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comeft, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments. I will not now enquire whether the word fanóny, which we have tranflated a cloak, fignifies a parchment roll or not. According to Phavorinus it does"; and I can see no reason why our tranflators should render it a cloak, but because Beza (whom they continually followed, and often even in his mistakes) had done fo before

Whether this fignifies a parchment roll or no, there çan be little reason to doubt but μμgávas does. Dr. Edwards has fomewhere told us, that he fuppofes the parchments here mean the skins, which the Apostle made use of in his trade of tent-making; but there is not the least foundation for this fancy. It would seem indeed at first, that the parchments and books, which St. Paul defires him to bring, were distinct things; but there is no need at all of fuppofing fo. The Apostle feems here to make use of a form of speech, very common in the Scriptures and all language; viz. repeating the fame thing in different words; Bring the little cheft (or

and μsugavas, which we

Satchel, for fo I take the word asλómv), which I left at Troas and the books; but especially the parchments, i. e. the books. The old Syriack interpreter translates the word paróm, which we tranflate a cloak, an i. e. a cheft of books or writings, tranflate parchments, he renders Ni. e. a bundle of parchment rolls. The Syriack word here is the very fame with the Hebrew one, of which we have spoke already; fo that, whether St. Paul here meant parchment rolls or not, it is certain the Syriack interpreter, who lived about that time (as will be hereafter proved), thought he did; which is fufficient to my prefent purpose.

Another place of the New Teftament, from whence we may conclude that to have been the method of writing in use among the Jews, which has been described, viz. on parchment rolls, is that, Rev. vi. 14. The heaven departed as a scroll, when it is rolled together, &c. The original word, which we have translated a scroll, is fibníor, a book; and so here is a manifeft allufion to the custom of rolling up their books or parchments, on which they wrote at that time".

I shall not feek for any farther proofs of this matter, only would obferve, that there is a paffage in Polycarp's Epistle to the Philippians, which if it do not prove the point in hand, yet may itself be explained from what has been faid. In the close of his Epistle, he tells the Philippians, that the Epiftles of Ignatius ὑποτεταγμέναι εἰσὶ, were annexed or fubjoined (fubjectæ funt according to the old Latin Verfion) to his own Epiftle. This seems capable of no other meaning, than that at the end, or bottom of the roll, on which his Epiftle was wrote, were faftened together the fkins, on which Ignatius's were wrote.

And thus I have largely confidered, what the method of writing was among the Jews before our Saviour's time, and about that time when St. Matthew wrote; and now, I think, I may justly draw my conclufion, that St. Matthew did not write his Gospel on small scraps or scrolls of paper. Why fhould he write in a method fo very different from all his cotemporaries? If every one else wrote on large skins of parch

There is the very fame allufion or comparison, Ifai. xxxiv. 4.

ment, is it credible that he would write upon fmall fcraps of paper, or of any other material whatsoever? As for the Egyptian paper, it is a very great question, whether it was ever in use among the Jews at all. I have not yet feen any reason to believe that it was; there is not, that I know of, the least intimation of any fuch thing, either in the Old or New Testament, or Jofephus. But let us take it for granted, that the Jews, as well as other nations, did make ufe of this fort of paper; it will not follow, that St. Matthew had any need to write his Gospel on fmall pieces or scraps of it. I am very apt to think, that the size of this paper was as large, as that which we now ordinarily make use of. We read feveral times in antient writers, of fhips, or boats made of this papyrus; They make boats of papyrus, and fails of its bark, says Pliny ; and in another place, he mentions naves papyraceas", ships made of papyrus: Plutarch alfo talks of amúgiva oncon, boats of papyrus c. I cannot omit mentioning here the opinion of several learned men, that the ark or boat, into which Mofes was put on the river in Egypt, was made of this papyrus. So Grotius, fifcellam fcirpeam, i. e. ex papyro; and, to confirm his interpretatation, he cites this verfe of Lucan, lib. 4. v. 136. d

a

Conferitur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro.

This opinion feems to be confirmed from those words of the prophet, Ifai. xviii. 1, 2. Wo to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia; that fendeth ambassadors by the fea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters. Here we not only read of veffels made of bulrushes, in or near Egypt; but what is very obfervable, the fame word is put here, to denote that of which these veffels were made, Noa Sɔɔ`, which is used to denote that of which Mofes's ark was made, 3. So then, if the Egyptian papyrus was thus large, though the Jews did ufe it, yet it is not at all

.Exod. ii ,תבת גמא

a Ex papyro navigia texunt, et e libro vela. Hift. Natur. 1, 13.

C. 11.

b L. 6. c. 22.

In Lib. de If. et Ofir. apud

Doughteium in Analect. Sacr. Excurf. 156. where other like inftances are produced.

d Annot. ad Exod. ii. 3.