° פרהסיא

peculiar to St. Paul, it would not prove, that the Epiftle to the Hebrews was written originally in Greek: for he might have used this word in a Hebrew Epiftle, fince it had been adopted by the Jews, and written On the contrary, this very example, like the preceding, affords an argument, and that too a very strong one, in favour of the opinion, that the Greek Epistle to the Hebrews was not written by St. Paul. For in the paffage quoted from Ephef. iii. 12. is ufed the word goraywyn, a word peculiar to St. Paul, which not only does not occur in the parallel paffage, which Carpzov has quoted from the Epiftle to the Hebrews, but not in a fingle inftance in the whole Epiftle. Nor do the other words peculiar to St. Paul, of which I have taken notice in the first volume of this Introduction', occur in the Epiftle to the Hebrews, except xaταgye, which we find in one inftance, namely, ch. ii. 14. This example, which Carpzov overlooked, affords a ftronger proof, than all the examples, which he has collected: but the ufe of a fingle favorite word of St. Paul, and that too only in one' inftance, is hardly fufficient to warrant the conclufion, that St. Paul wrote the Greek Epiftle to the Hebrews, fince a Greek tranflator may have derived it from his intercourfe with St. Paul, in the fame manner as St. Luke has done. Laftly, that long parentheses occur in the Epistle to the Hebrews, as well as in the Epiftles of St. Paul, is no proof, that the Greek is St. Paul's original, for parentheses are commonly retained in a tranflation.

We are reduced therefore to the following dilemma. If the Epistle to the Hebrews was written originally in Greek, it was not written by St. Paul, in which cafe we have no ground for pronouncing it canonical. On the other hand, if St. Paul was the author, the Greek can be only a tranflation, and the originalt must have

* See Buxtorf Lex. Talm. p. 1804. Ch. iv. Sect. 8.

D

been

been Hebrew. It will be objected perhaps, that this is mere hypothetical reafoning. I grant it: but the hypothefis, which is laid down in the firft pofition, I think hardly admits a doubt. Nor has it been called in queftion, except by thofe, who afcribe the Epistle to St. Paul: but whoever afcribes the Epistle to St. Paul, will not be able to confute the second pofition.

But, in addition to thefe arguments, the frequent ftudy of this Epiftle has fuggefted to me another of a different kind, which applies with equal force, whether St. Paul was the author, or not, and whether the Epiftle was fent to the Hebrews of Palestine, or to the Hebrews of any other country. In this argument, which fhall be the fubject of the following fection, nothing more is taken for granted, than that the author of the Epiftle to the Hebrews was a fenfible and intelligent writer, which I think he was in a very great degree.

SECT. XI.

A new Argument to prove, that the Epistle to the Hebrews was written in Hebrew, derived from the quotations, which are made in it from the Old Testament.

TH

HE quotations from the Old Teftament in the Epistle to the Hebrews are taken, as they are in general and with a very few exceptions in other books of the New Teftament, from the Septuagint. Now this might have happened not only in an Epiftle written originally in Greek, but likewife in a Greek translation of an Epiftle written originally in Hebrew, in the fame manner as a German tranflator of a theological work written in a foreign language would give the quotations from the Bible in the words ufed in Luther's verfion.

And

And that the quotations from the Septuagint in the Epistle to the Hebrews were really made by a translator, and not by the author, appears from the circumstance, that these quotations from the Bible in the words of the Septuagint are fometimes foreign to the purpose, for which they were introduced, whereas the fame paffages, as worded in the Hebrew, are exactly in point. If in fuch places the author himself had quoted the Old Teftament in Greek, he would not have used the words of the Septuagint, but would have given his own Greek tranflation of the Hebrew, as other writers of the New Teftament have fometimes done, efpecially St. Paul.

An example of this kind is Heb. xi. 21. where a quotation is made from Gen. xlvii. 31. as a proof of Jacob's faith, that is, a confidence in things hoped for, in things not feen, as the author of the Epiftle to the Hebrews has explained the term, ch. xi. 1. and as appears from the tenor of the whole chapter. To this fenfe the paffage quoted from Genefis is, as worded in the Hebrew, perfectly well adapted. Jacob, forefeeing that his death was not far diftant, and thoroughly confiding in the divine promife, had demanded from Jofeph an oath, that he would bury him, not in Egypt, but in Palestine with his fathers Abraham and Ifaac on which, according to the Hebrew words of the quoted paffage, Jofeph fwore, and Jacob bowed worshipping on his bed.' That is, Jacob, who was then too infirm to raife himfelf from his bed, turned on his face, in a pofture of adoration, returned thanks to God, and embraced in faith the promise, that Palestine, the place of his interment, would once become the refidence of his pofterity. Or, as it may be likewife explained, he returned thanks to God, that he fhould lie with his fathers, with whom he hoped to be again united. I prefer however the former explanation. Let us now attend to this paffage as worded in the Septuagint, and we fhall fee, that it conveys no meaning, which is at all suitable to the defign, for which

the

the author of the Epiftle to the Hebrews could have quoted it. The words of the Septuagint are, και προσεκύνησεν επί το άκρον της ραβδε αυτέ, of which words the moft rational tranflation is, And he (Jacob) proftrated himself in adoration before his (Jofeph's) ftaff: that is, he worshipped God, who had fulfilled his dreams, made Jofeph to be governor over Egypt, and placed in his hand the ftaff of regency. But then, this is not faith, in the fenfe of confidence in things unfeen, or in events to come, for Jofeph was already arrived at the fummit of power, and stood at that very time in Jacob's prefence. Other interpretations of this paffage, which I have examined in my Differtation on the Epiftle to the Hebrews, fect. 14. are ftill lefs to the purpofe, for which the quotation is made in Heb. xi. 21. If it be objected, that the paffage in queftion is not quoted alone, but in company with the words, By faith Jacob, when he was dying, bleffed both the fons of Jofeph,' I anfwer, that this paffage has, in the book of Genefis, no connexion with the other it relates to a different, and later event, which Mofes has recorded, Gen. xlviii. 1. as totally diftinct from the preceding.

Again, the paffage quoted in Heb. i. 7. from Pfalm civ. 4. can, as worded in the Greek, have no other meaning, than, He maketh his angels winds, and his minifters flames of fire:' for ayyeλes and λurgeyes have an article, but not wμara and phoya. But this meaning is by no means iuitable to the purpose, for which the quotation is made. On the contrary, the paffage, as worded in the Hebrew, He maketh the winds his meffengers, and flames of fire his minifters,' is quite to the purpose, as I have fhewn in the Notes to this Epiftle, p. 100, 103. Winds and flashes of lightning are fometimes called the angels (metfengers) of God: and in this fenfe the law, which was given on mount Sinai, may be faid to have been given by the ministration of angels.

Another

על דברתי מלכיצדק

Another inftance is a paffage from Palm cx. 4° which is feveral times quoted and explained in the Epiftle to the Hebrews. This paffage in the Hebrew text is p27 by, that is, over the fanctuary of Melchifedek "." Now this fenfe is much more fuitable to the purpose, for which the paffage is quoted in the Epistle to the Hebrews, than the obfcure and indeterminate Greek, κατα την ταξιν Μελχισεδέκ. The fanctuary of Melchifedek, who had no temple built by human hands, was heaven itself: and if we keep this fenfe in view, when we read Heb. ix. 11. 23, 24. we fhall perceive, that the author of the Epiftle more probably wrote fanctuary of Melchifedek,' than order of Melchifedek.'

Further, there are feveral paffages in this Epistle, which, as worded in the Greek, appear to be inaccurate; but, as foon as they are reprefented in Hebrew, we perceive, that the inaccuracy is only in the translation. I have already mentioned examples in my Notes to ch. iii. 3, 4. vi. 19. ix. 4. With refpect to the laft inftance in particular, the paffage, as worded in the Greek, implies, that the golden pot of manna, and Aaron's rod were kept in the ark of the covenant, which directly contradicts what is related in the books of Mofes, and of the Kings. Now a mistake of this kind could hardly have been committed by the author of fo excellent an Epiftle, as that to the Hebrews: but it might have been made by a tranflator, who was lefs acquainted with Jewish cuftoms, and it took its rife perhaps in the following manner. In the place where was probably used

is used in the Greek, 12 in the Hebrew original, which may be construed either with holy of holies' (in Hebrew DIPT WTP) ver. 3. or with ark of the covenant' (in Hebrew ms) ver. 4. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews intended to refer to the former: for the golden pot of incenfe, and the rod of Aaron, were really kept in the

See my Supplem. ad Lex. Hebr. p. 390, 391.

holy