fix years hath this temple been built;" which fenfe the original text easily admits *.

5. Time of his Death.

"HEROD died, having enjoyed the kingdom 34 years after he had killed Antigonus; but from the time that he was declared king by the Romans, 37, about the 25th of our November, or the 7th of the month Cifleu, which is therefore accounted a joyful and festival day, because then Herod died, who hated all wife men; as Edward Lively, a moft learned man, noted in his

,Megilloth Tanith מגללות תענית Chronology, in

or Volume of the Feast t."

LE Clerc affigns the fame dates, with the only difference of fubftituting the Varronian year of Rome 750, for the last two chronological numbers in the Annals. The number of the Julian period, though exact, requires two corrections. It is erroneous first, as put in connection with A. M. 4001, instead of 4005,

Those

All Aorifts denote time either paft or future. which exprefs time not future, may, according to the truth of grammatical propriety, fignify time either paft, or paffing. For example, τα δε Ιησᾶ γεννηθέντος ἐν Βηθλεεμ; " Jefus having been born in Bethlehem." Here is a notation of time fully past. Why fhould not Τεσσαρακοντα καὶ ἐξ ἔτεσιν ᾠκοδομηθη ὁ ναὸς ἔτος, "This temple hath been built 46 years." The meaning is, It is a new and firm ftru&ture, and may last ages. Matt. ii. 1. John, ii. 20.

+ Ufher's Annals, A. M. 4001. Jul. Per. 4710. as by him marked.

I See Hift. Ecclefiaft. page 215.

and fecondly as brought too low by eight months, November inflead of March.

the

MACNIGHT, and his author Lardner, hefitate as to year of Herod's death, concluding that he neither died before A. U. C. 750, nor furvived 751; but conclude, that the feafon was the SPRING. It is here added, that it was the fpring before November A. P. J. 4710, of the world 4005, and of the Varronian era 750. In Jofephus the proofs are numerous and determinate; a fhort time before a national faft, and before a paffover, &c.

HEROD being feized with his laft illness, and a rumour fpread that his diftemper was incurable, nay, that he was actually dead, on the very day when the Jews obferved annually a national faft, certain young men were inftigated by two rabbis to take down the golden image of an eagle, which, to the great displeasure of the nation, Herod had fet up over the portal of the temple. They, under the very probable hope of impunity, were cafily perfuaded, and accordingly removed, that monument of idolatry, at noon day, in the prefence of a great concourfe of the worshippers. The captain of the temple, with an armed force, apprehended 40 of the mutineers, and carried them to Jericho, where Herod then was, in a flate of extreme weakness. The moft obnoxious were burnt alive, and an eclipse of the moon fignalized the night of the execution. In the mean time a refcript arrived from Auguftus, to whom had been referred the cafe of Antipater, a fon of Herod, then convicted of a confpiracy againft his father's life. The

emperor

emperor having referred the matter to Herod's difcretion, without recommending any other measure than acting as became a father, and a king, by inflicting either banishment or death. Antipater was immediately executed in prifon. Herod died after five days;-a very short space, but fully fufficient for all the intermediate transactions. The funeral folemnities over, and feven days, as ufual, spent in mourning, Archelaus repaired to Jerufalem, and went into the temple at the time of the paffover; when and where he ratified his conformity to the national religion by facrifice, &c. befpake the allegiance of his subjects, received the acclamations of all, heard the grievances of fome; and forthwith set out on a voyage for Rome, in order to have his father's will, appointing himself to the fucceffion, confirmed by authority of Augustus *.

THE paffover fell that year on the 12th of our Julian April; the night of the eclipse was the full moon, precifely 30 days before that festival. The middle of the eclipse at Jerufalem was 3 hours after midnight, on the 13th March †.

THE faft is a character of the time, of which no veftige has occurred to the writer of these sheets, in the works of thofe learned men who have laboured to afcertain the date now required. In D. Levi's Rites and

This is a very brief epitome of the chronological notations from Jofephus. Ant. xvii. 6-9. War, i. 33, and

II. I.

See the calculation conftructed, in Whiston's Aftronomical Lectures.

1

L4

Ceremonies

Ceremonies of the Jews, p. 125, is the following remark: "Oeder 13th, the day before the feast of Purim, is kept a faft, called the Faft of Efther, in commemoration of her having fafted three days and nights before fhe went to fupplicate the king for the deliverance of the Jews, who were marked out for deftruction by Haman; although Efther fafted in the first month, Nifan but that being the time of the paffover, we keep the faft on the day before the feaft*. Befides this faft differs from all other fafts in the year; for this reafon, because on the fabbath day is forbidden all manner of mourning or fafting: therefore, whenever a fast day happens to fall on a sabbath, (except it be the great day of expiation, which fuperfedes the fabbath), it is deferred till the next day, except this fast, which is anticipated two days; the reafon of which is this: the day after being Purim, which is the feast, and the day before being Friday, they could not finish the fast, on account of the fabbath beginning before dark, and they being obliged to faft till night: therefore when it happens on the fabbath, it is kept on the Thursday before."

It is worthy of remark, that this very year, A. U. C. 750 the 13th Adar fell on Saturday, the national fabbath; and the fast, agreeably with these regulations, was actually kept on the foregoing Thursday, the 8th of our March. Thus is afcertained the folemnity which characterizes the time of taking down the golden eagle. It would have been extremely fatisfactory, if

Purim in Adar.

Mr.

Mr. Levi had applied this paffage in Jofephus to an anniversary, in that age fo very ancient, and at this day celebrated periodically.

THESE characters of time, numerous, direct, and all in unifon, divest of probability the arrangement of Lively, Ufher, Le Clerc, &c. built on the flender authority of the Rabbitical Book on Fafts and Festivals.

6. Were all the Years of this Reign, as differently dated, full?

THIS enquiry is the more neceffary, as, by taking eight months from the term of Heròd's life, the duration of his reign is proportionably shortened. But the refult depends on the solution of a difficult problem ;— the feafon of the year when he was first created king at Rome. From fundry circumstances of time incidentally mentioned by Jofephus, it is presumed, that the Parthians placed Antigonus on the throne of his father, Ariftobulus, early in the fpring A. U. C. 714; and that the Roman fenate decreed that honour for Herod about the time of the enfuing fummer folftice.

HEROD prefaging what foon came to pass, the prepollent force of Antigonus, in concert with the Parthians, fled to Rome, imploring affiftance and protection. In his voyage from Pamphylia, he was in danger of fhipwreck from tempeftuous weather, but escaped to Rhodes, thence to Brundifium, and hence to Rome, where being invefted with royalty, he, after a fhort abode of seven days, went back to Brundifium, whence refuming his voyage, he arrived at Ptolemais, a fea port

in

J