Hiftory of 36 centuries, measured by aftronomical years, fingly, or in combination, generations, magiftracies, &c. Moderate and every way credible, though not universally adopted, is this quantity of intermediate time. That luminary of his age, having long poifed, in an equal balance, the merits of the Hebrew and Greek computation, from Adam to Abraham, found the former to preponderate, and judiciously decided in favour of evidence, ftampt with every fignature of probability and truth.

His preference, more from the ftrength of reafon, than respect to the authority of his name, reformed the sentiments of his country, and confirmed those on the continent, wherever affent to the Hebrew chronology had not previously obtained an establishment, as, indeed it had done, in the western church, from the days of Jerome; and about the era of the Reformation, it derived canonical authority from a decree of the council at Trent, before, or about, A. D. 1542.

IN Britain, however, during the currency of the xviiith century, the spurious chronology of the Septuagint, fo juftly exploded 150 years ago, has again risen into credit, and superseded the genuine notations of Mofes, the firft Chronologer and Historian.

THIS gradual change of national opinion, concerning the wilful corruption of the Hebrew oracles, and the fuperior integrity of the Alexandrian version, (chiefly with regard to those numbers which determine

the

years of the world prior to Abraham), disconcerted she author's measures, and unavoidably protracted the

defign of publishing his arrangements of the Sacred Hiftory, conftructed on the authority of the Hebrew numbers, the prime fource of computation.

IN a Differtation not yet published, but kept in referve for the RESEARCHES, the comparative merits of the Hebrew and Greek computations are, at large,

Slow was the transition from the reformed chronology by Usher, to the antiquated errors of the Alexandrian school: In 1722 Whiston published the first volume of his effay for reftoring the true text of the Old Testament. Other authors adopted his wild position, that the extended chronology of the Greek Pentateuch is preferable to the more concise scheme of the Hebrew text. Kennicott collated a great many MSS. not without the hope of finding a confiderable majority in favour of the world's fuperior antiquity. All his writings, those published AFTER the edition of his Hebrew Bible not excepted, exprefs his full conviction, that the Jews of the second century wilfully mutilated the chronological notations in the Hebrew GENESIS: but the refult of his laborious investigations did not justify the augmentation of any one number, much lefs of all. His learned contemporaries, however, gave him implicit credit for a decifion, absolutely incapable of evidence, sufficient to enforce belief;-the authenticity of the Septuagint Chronology. By refpectable authors has this doctrine been maintained, (1.) in a Sermon, printed 1792, where it is affirmed, "That the space from the hour of the Fall to the present day is full 7000 years ;"-and (2.) in a late English verfion of the Pentateuch, the exaggerated numbers in the xith chapter of GENESIS are taken from the 70 Interpreters (as they are called), under the folemn declaration, that the verfion is faithfully tranflated from corrected texts of the original. In the former cafe, extreme credulity, in the latter, the deceiveableness of Romish imposture, is exemplified.

confidered, and a more fuccinet view exhibited in the enfuing ANALYSIS. Be it, in a form fome what more diffufive, remarked, that

1. THE marvellous ftories, transmitted concerning the formation of this version, if true, amount to much ftronger evidence, than that alleged for the authenticity of the original; or, to invert the argument, is it pro. bable, that the teftimony of Mofes, alone, was fufficient to induce conviction; and that the teftimony of 70 Scribes, fhut up in feparate cells, who all tranflated the fame writings, fo as not to vary in one phrafe or particle, was requifite to establish the honesty, skill, and infpiration of the tranflators? If this query be answered in the affirmative, unavoidable is the inference,

that LGEDDES was under obligations to produce Alex?

evidences of his fkill and fidelity, 70 degrees ftronger than Mofes for his veracity as an inspired writer, which character this confummate critic has ventured to controvert, with needless repetitions of his belief.

2. KENNICOTT alleges, that fome copies of the Hebrew Pentateuch, having the larger numbers, were extant in the 4th century. On the report of Eufebius the credibility of this fact is faid to reft. Other evidence is produced to confirm the belief of copies exifting in the 7th, and even subsequent centuries*. With all deference to the veracity of thefe witnesses, be it remarked, that their evidence is good for nothing. It ought to have been proved, by evidence, direct or circumftantial, that copies having the larger numbers did

Kennicott's remarks on felect paffages, 1787. p. 17.

actually

actually exift before the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus, the date of the Greek verfion. Be it fuppofed, though it cannot be admitted, that the incredulous Jews of the fecond century had mutilated the genuine chronology of Mofes, much more probable it is, that certain Chriftians, more zealous than honest, did actually corrupt certain copies of the Hebrew Pentateuch, by foifting in the amplified numbers of the Greek verfion. This might have been done by fome profelytes from Judaism to Chriftianity, whose attachment to the enlarged chronology prompted them to procure it the fanction of Mofes' authority. In the register of Jacob's family, Gen. xlvi. are various interpolations. Jofeph's age was but 39 in the 130th of his father. The fon at the age of 30 was introduced to Pharaoh, and was then unmarried. After 9 years, on the arrival of Jacob, Manaffeh and Ephraim are in the Hebrew mentioned as the whole of Jofeph's family. But in the Greek verfion Manaffeh and Ephraim had, each, two fons and a grandson. These were undoubtedly taken by the tranflators from a more recent catalogue. In like manner, fix or seven fons of Benjamin were inserted in that lift, from the Hebrew books of numbers, or 1 Chronicles, many ages, perhaps, before the date of the Septuagint verfion. Mofes could not poffibly conftruct that regifler in its prefent form: fo many and obvious are its errors. Kennicott did not apprehend it to be in the leaft degree corrupted; and in none of his bulky volumes does one hint occur for an emendation.-Thefe, and the like interpolations, might

have been introduced, without an intention to falfify the original. More regard, however, was had to the number of names, than to physical poffibility.

3. WHETHER the Hebrew numbers were curtailed, or thofe of the Greek verfion enlarged, the fraud was executed, wilfully, methodically, with provident forefight, and every plaufible art of deception. Who were the agents whether the Jews, or the Chriftians, of the fecond century? Against the Jews the charge is thus produced, in form and fubftance, by very expert practitioners in the court of calumny.

"THE Jews had a mind to have left out a century in the ages of all the patriarchs, before they begat children, and to have added it to the after-term of their lives but they found, that, if they dropped the centuries in the ages of Jared, Methuselah, and Lamech, before they begat children, (as they had done of all the reft), and added them to the remainder of their lives; they muft, by this reckoning, have extended their three lives, beyond the Flood *.”

IT is replied, That no reafon, which could induce the Jews of the fecond century to falfify their records, occurs, or can be affigned. The contefted notations. from Adam to Abraham relate primarily to the genealogies of the intermediate families, and eventually to the accumulating years of the world. But in the first or second century, neither the Jews, nor the Christians, computed times by the Mofaical numbers. In private

* Jackson's Chronol. vol. i. p. 56. and Kennicott's Select Remarks, p. 17.

families,