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proposed exposition of Dan. ix., had committed anachronisms. For example, he had post-dated the Jewish sabbatical year, by one year; the date of the crucifixion by two years; and, for the rest, had persisted in his dismemberment of the period of the seventy weeks." It would be superfluous to detail the particulars of the controversy; only it is worth observing, that at p. 195, Bengel expresses himself as abiding by the opinion which he had all along given respecting the commencement and termination of the period of the Beast, (the number 666.)

CHAPTER XII.

HIS EXEGESIS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.

It has been already stated, that Bengel wrote two expository works upon the New Testament.* The first of them was intended to assist students of all nations in acquiring more accurate knowledge of the christian Scriptures; and the second, which contained his German version of the New Testament, was intended to impart to general readers the benefit of his criticisms and exegesis. Both were the fruit of many years' diligent research. For as early as the year 1706, he had begun collecting "Annotationes, Additiones, et Animadversiones," upon Hedinger's Greek Testament. Having, since the year 1713, gone every two years through the Greek Testament with his pupils in the Theological Seminary, he at length, in 1722, determined upon preparing and publishing a brief exegetical commentary upon it. He brought the work to the end of the Apocalypse, within two years after this; but kept it by him eighteen years more, before he gave it to the public. He did the same by his German translation. It was not till December, 1741, a few weeks after he had finished his preface to the Gnomon, that he could bring himself to undertake this translation at all; and it cost him so much more consideration before he could send it to the press, that he wrote the preface to it only a few days before his death. It may be asked why he thus delayed, especially when friends were all along so anxiously expecting the works, and his opponents, as Wetstein and others, were amusing themselves upon his dilatoriness. We answer, that, with respect to the Gnomon, Bengel wished previously to send out his Apparatus Criticus; for he considered sound criticism to be most wanted, because very few persons in Germany had as yet given requisite attention to this laborious sort of learning. And with respect to his

1st. Gnomon Novi Testamenti, in quo, ex nativâ verborum vi. simplicitas, profunditas, concinnitas, salubritas, sensuum cœlestium indicatur. 4to. Tub., 1742.

2d. The New Testament, for Growth in the Grace and Knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ; translated from the revised original Greek, with practical observations. 8vo.; Stuttgart, 1753.

German version of the New Testament, he too well knew what strong prejudices prevailed among the German protestant divines of his day, against the publication of any new vernacular translation of the Scriptures; consequently, that such a thing could not be done without causing much commotion and alarm. Hence he long doubted whether it was worth while for him to occasion such a stir among his brethren; especially as the Lutheran version possessed general correctness, and the desired alterations affected no material points of doctrine. This induced him to keep back his own translation, in the hope that others who should be better qualified than himself might make the attempt, (1742.) But being disappointed in this, he at length thought it his duty to publish it; which he expressed by remarking, that he had become more than ever convinced that many a rendering in Luther's version is incorrect. That Luther not having had the advantage of a sufficiently revised text, had overlooked in some passages the true arrangement of the words, &c. That improvements in this respect ought to be undertaken; which it was to be regretted that the Canstein Bible Institution had not done; and that, as occasion for such improvements existed, others might as well be added to them, (1743.)

The title-page of his GNOMON expresses at full its nature and design, namely, to set forth the majestic simplicity of the word of God; to point at its unsearchable depths; its impressive conciseness; its wonderful adaptation to all practical uses. All this he attempted by elucidating, from other parts of Scripture, the exact meaning of words and passages; and by keeping his eye constantly upon every finer shade of sacred expression. He thus essentially distinguished himself from most preceding expositors; and though herein he adopted a method of exposition which was very laborious, he thus brought the reader's attention still nearer to its important object. This valuable peculiarity in his exegesis, he very appropriately touches upon in a letter to Dr. Chr. M. Pfaff, in 1724. "With the revised original text I mean to furnish exegetical remarks, in which I have no inclination to appear as a teacher of mere dogmatical divinity, much less to start any thing controversial, or to inculcate just the prescribed duties of Christianity with strictness and accuracy. Neither do I wish to show myself versed in scripture antiquities, analysis, or grammatical nicety; still my exposition will be found to unite in some measure all these departments. For I intend to show the meaning of each passage, either immediately from the words

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themselves, or from the context, or from the analogy and harmony of each several book, or even of the whole volume of the New Testament, as circumstances shall require. It will be also seen that in needful cases I have referred to the Septuagint, the Greek Fathers, and profane authors. The modest title of Gnomon,'* will, I think, best suit the work; for my annotations are so far from being intended to preclude the reader from increased research, that I wish rather to put him upon investigation of the text itself, by merely showing him the way how to set about it. My design is also to refute and to discard from the reader's attention those expositors who put upon isolated passages of Scripture, their own affected, forced, (or mystical) constructions, in order to grasp at impressiveness. Instead of any such thing, I mean to insist upon the full and comprehensive force and importance of Scripture in its whole connexion. I shall first, to the best of my ability, give my own thoughts upon each passage, and then avail myself of the critical and expository remarks of others."

In his preface to the work itself, he speaks much to the same purpose; points out the close connexion between his exegesis and his criticisms; and gives his long-promised examination of Gerard von Mastricht's critical principles. He then assigns his reasons for adopting a mode of exposition which aims at noticing every particular of the divine word. That it is no more than a part of that reverence which we owe to a divine revelation; not to mention that the New Testament has peculiarities of expression, which, while perfectly familiar to its writers, are much more allied to biblical Hebrew, than to classical Greek; all which of course requires to be accurately studied in its own manner. Besides, there is a general uniformity belonging to all the sacred books, over and above the special peculiarities of each. It is also intimated by the sacred writers themselves, that an important expressiveness belongs sometimes to the smallest words and particles. He next states how he has treated each portion of the New Testament. That he has arranged his harmony of the Gospels by the leading fact, that only three passovers occurred during Christ's public ministry. That the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles

• Index, or Pointer.

+ This shows that Schröckh was mistaken, when in his "Biography of Eminent Literary Men," (2d edit. 1790,) he considered Bengel's mode of exposition to be the same as that of Cocceius.

illustrate each other. That he has prefixed to each portion a summary account of its contents, which would be very serviceable to the diligent reader. That he has considered the objections recently made by Dr. Joachim Lang, against his German annotations upon the Apocalypse, and has answered them with the respect he felt due to this venerable person; with whose friendship he had been honoured ever since the year 1713.—He then adverts to some passages, respecting which he desires his own work may be compared with those of preceding expositors; as Matt. xxiv.; Acts xiii.; Rom. xii. ; Heb. xii.; 1 Pet. iii. ; Rev. x., &c.; and after stating that he considered it desirable to intersperse a few practical remarks among his annotations, he concludes by expressing a wish, that the work may be useful in checking that peculiar misapplication of sacred passages, which was now fearfully prevalent (among cold nominal Christians, as well as heated religionists;) and in serving to awaken many from a neglect, not to say contempt, of Scripture consultation.

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In a letter to a friend, he expresses a hope that the "Gnomon" may, by the Divine blessing, be a means of reviving a more general taste for the study of Holy Scripture. "Its notes," he adds, "are brief, and have many references inserted, which will give frequent occasion to the diligent reader to pause; but whoever will make himself familiar with the preface, the index, and the synoptical tables, and will then study a portion of the annotations, as occasion shall require, will soon be able to comprehend me.”

He had great pleasure in seeing these wishes and hopes fulfilled. "I have much comfort and encouragement," he said, "in finding that persons who had begun to seek the truth by other helps, have expressed a kind of holy delight in making use of the Gnomon. This gives me the more satisfaction, because they could never have felt that delight, unless they had occasionally worked through a large quantity of literary matter comprised in my work."*

* A living writer speaks of the work as follows:

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'Bengel's Gnomon is a rare performance of the kind, concise, original, vigorous, eloquent, and sprightly; it is an erudite exposition, delivered in a spirit of fervent christian love. It evinces the deepest reverence for the sacred text, and a most profound acquaintance with its contents. With remarkable simplicity and humility it follows the drift of the inspired meaning, and induces the soul to open itself, even to the softest of those breathings of the Holy Ghost, which pervade the written word. Its full but artless description in the title-page, bespeaks the true tenor and spirit of the work. A plenitude of sound knowledge, hallowed and animated by deep piety, here sheds itself over the very words of Scripture, and serves to elicit from every part

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