*

case, therefore, it would be unaccountable and unparalleled in an inspired author to adopt terms unintelligible to the people whose language he writes, and leave them unexplained; but this manner is not at all to be wondered at in a translator, especially when we consider how apt the early translators among the Jews were to carry their scruples this way to excess. I had occasion to observe before, that one of the greatest difficulties in translating is to find words in one language, that perfectly correspond to those of another which relate to manners and sentiments. In most other matters, there is comparatively but little difficulty. The word moreh, here used by the Evangelist, differs only in number from morim, the compellation with which Moses and Aaron addressed the people of Israel, when they said Num. 20: 10, with manifest and indecent passion, as rendered in the English Bible," Hear now, YE REBELS," and were, for their punishment, not permitted to enter the land of Canaan. The word, however, as it is oftener used to imply rebellion against God than against any earthly sovereign, and as it includes disbelief of his word as well as disobedience to his command, I think better rendered in this place miscreant, which is also, like the original term, expressive of the greatest abhorrence and detestation. In this way translated, the gradation of crimes, as well as of punishments, is preserved, and the impropriety avoided, of delivering a moral precept, of consequence to men of all denominations, in words intelligible only to the learned.

Dr. Owen remarks that the Syriac interpreter did not take the word in this sense; for, though he retains raca untranslated, be renders moreh by a word that signifies fool. But this difficulty vanishes on reflecting that the language of Palestine, as has been shown, was not then Syriac, though it contained a considerable mixture of Syrian words. Now, as that interpreter translated from the Greek, he must have been sensible that oaxa was not Greek but Syriac, and that its meaning suited the scope of the passage. It therefore needed no translation in a Syriac book. On the contrary, he must have perceived that uwod is a Greek word, a term of reproach, and consequently, in some measure, suiting the scope of the passage. But, if faith is due to our best lexicons, (the Heptaglotton of Castellus in particular), it is not, in this acceptation, Syriac, though it is both Hebrew and Chaldean. That the Syriac interpreter should, in translating a Greek book, consider uwo, as Greek, which he knew not to be Syriac, and should translate it accordingly, is not more surprising than that the Latin, or any other interpreter, should do so. But this is no reason why those who know that the connexion which the dialect of Judea had with the ancient Hebrew and Chaldaic was, at least, not inferior to that

Diss. II. Part i. sect. 4.

which it had with Syriac, should not recur to those tongues, as well as to the latter, for light in doubtful cases. So much for Matthew's language.

26. As the sacred writers, especially the evangelists, have many qualities in common, so there is something in every one of them, which, if attended to, will be found to distinguish him from the rest. That which principally distinguishes Matthew, is the distinctness and particularity with which he has related many of our Lord's discourses and moral instructions. Of these, his sermon on the mount, his charge to the apostles, his illustrations of the nature of his kingdom, and his prophecy on mount Olivet, are examples. He has also wonderfully united simplicity and energy in relating the replies of his Master to the cavils of his adversaries. He has, at the same time, his peculiarities in point of diction. Of these I know none more remarkable then the phrase ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν the kingdom or reign of heaven, which is used by him about thirty times, and by no other sacred writer. The other evangelists, in parallel passages, always say ǹ Batıkɛia rov Oɛov, the kingdom or reign of God, an expression which occurs only five times in Matthew. Being early called to the apostleship, he was an eye, and ear-witness of most of the things which he relates. And though I do not think it was the scope of any of these historians to adjust their naratives by the precise order of time wherein the event happened, there are some circumstances which incline me to think, that Matthew has approached at least as near that order as any of them. They do not call their works histories; and as to the import of the title svayyelior commonly given, it is, in this application, well explained by Justin Martyr, a writer of the second century, who makes it equivalent to απομνημονεύματα, memorable things or memoirs, according to the explanation of this word given by Johnson, which he defines, An account of transactions familiarly written.

27. It has been shown, that we have reason to consider Matthew's Greek Gospel, which we at present possess, as a version from the original, written in the language spoken in Palestine in our Lord's time, and during the subsistence of the Jewish commonwealth. But as to the translator, nothing but conjecture has ever been advanced by the learned. The obscurity in which the question about the translator lies, can no wise affect the credibility of the fact, that it is a translation. Who ever doubted that the Syriac New Testament, and the old Italic, are translations? Yet the translators are equally unknown with the Greek interpreter of Matthew's Hebrew Gospel. This is oftenest the case with ancient versions; and we have reason to believe that the present is very ancient, it having been made before those freedoms were taken with the original, which have justly brought dishonor on the Nazarene.

28. That Matthew's Gospel was first published, is another opin

ion, as was hinted already, which rests on the concurrent voice of antiquity- the same foundation with that on which our belief is built that Matthew was the author, and that the language in which he wrote his Gospel was that kind of Hebrew which was spoken at that time in Judea. Notice was taken of Matthew's Gospel, and of Mark's very early in the church, and before we find any direct mention of Luke's and of John's. The first who expressly mentions all the four evangelists is Ireneus, who mentions them as having written in the same order wherein they appear to have been arranged in the Bible in his time, and wherein they have continued ever since. Some transcribers have, indeed, affected to arrange them differently, putting the two apostles before the other two, who were only evangelists. But they seem to have done this from an opinion of the comparative rank of the writers, without controverting the order in which the Gospels were written. In the Cambridge manuscript which is followed by some other manuscripts less considerable, the order is Matthew, John, Luke, Mark. But Matthew's title to the first place does not appear, in any view of the matter, ever to have been questioned among the ancients. Some, of late, have thought themselves warranted to assign the priority in point of time to the Evangelist Luke. Their reasons for this opinion I shall consider in the Preface to that Gospel.

THE

GOSPEL BY ST. MATTHEW.

I.

SECTION 1.-THE NATIVITY.

THE lineage of Jesus Christ son of David, son of Abra- Lu. 3: 23. 2 ham. Abraham begat Isaac. Isaac begat Jacob. Jacob begat Gen. 21; 2. 3 Judah and his brothers. Judah had Pharez and Zarah by Ta- 35; 34: 27: 4 mar. Pharez begat Hezron. Hezron begat Ram. Ram be- Ruth 4:18. 5 gat Aminadab. Aminadab begat Nahshon. Nahshon begat Salmon. Salmon had Boaz by Rahab. Boaz had Obed by

17: 12.

6 Ruth. Obed begat Jesse. Jesse begat David the king. David 1 Sam. 16: 1. 7 the king had Solomon, by her who had been the wife of Uriah. 2 Sa. 12: 24. Solomon begat Rehoboam. Rehoboam begat Abia. Abia be- 1 Chr. 3. 10. 8 gat Asa. Asa begat Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat begat Joram. 9 Joram begat Uzziah. Uzziah begat Jotham. Jotham begat 10 Ahaz. Ahaz begat Hezekiah. Hezekiah begat Manasseh. 11 Manasseh begat Amon. Amon begat Josiah. Josiah had Jeconiah and his brothers, about the time of the migration into 12 Babylon. After the migration into Babylon, Jeconiah begat 13 Salathiel. Salathiel begat Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel begat Abi14 ud. Abiud begat Eliakim. Eliakim begat Azor. Azor begat 15 Zadoc. Zadoc begat Achim. Achim begat Eliud. Eliud

begat Eleazar. Eleazar begat Matthan. Matthan begat Ja16 cob. Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was 17 born Jesus, who is called Messiah. So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen; from David till the migration into Babylon fourteen; and from the migration into Babylon to the Messiah* fourteen.

18

NOW the birth of Jesus Christ happened thus: Mary his Lu. 1: 26. mother had been espoused to Joseph; but before they came to19 gether, she proved to be with child by the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband being a worthy man, and unwilling to expose her, 20 intended to divorce her privately. But while he was thinking upon this, a messenger of the Lord appearing to him in a dream said: Joseph, son of David, scruple not to take home Mary thy

Acts, 4. 12.

Isa. 7. 14.

Lu. 2: 4.

Mic. 5: 2.
Joel 7:42.

Ps. 72. 9.

21 wife; for her pregnancy is from the Holy Spirit. And she shall bear a son, whom thou shalt call Jesus; for he will save his 22 people from their sins. In all this, what the Lord had spoken 23 by the prophet was verified: Behold the Virgin shall conceive and bear a son, who shall be called Immanuel;' which signifies 24 God with us. When Joseph awoke, he did as the messenger 25 of the Lord had commanded him, and took home his wife; but knew her not until she had brought forth her first born son, whom he named Jesus.*

II.

AFTER the birth of Jesus at Bethlehem of Judea, in the reign of king Herod, certain eastern Magians† came to Jerusa2 lem and inquired: Where is the new-born king of the Jews; for we have seen his star in the east country, and are come to 3 do him homage? King Herod hearing this was alarmed, and 4 all Jerusalem with him. And having assembled all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he demanded of them 5 where the Messiah should be born? They answered; At Beth6 lehem of Judea; for thus it is written by the prophet, 'And thou, Bethlehem in the canton of Judah, art not the least illustrious among the cities of Judah; for out of thee shall come a ruler who will govern my people Israel.'

7 Then Herod having secretly called the Magians, procured from them exact information concerning the star's appearing. 8 And sending them to Bethlehem, he said: Go make an exact inquiry about the child; and when ye have found him, bring 9 me word, that I may also go and pay him homage. Having heard the king, they departed: and lo! the star which had appeared to them in the east country moved before them, till it 10 came and stood over the place where the child was. When 11 they again saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly. And being come into the house, they found the child with Mary his mother; and prostrating themselves did him homage. Then opening their caskets, they offered as presents, gold, frankincense, 12 and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went home another way.

13 WHEN they were gone, a messenger of the Lord appearing to Joseph in a dream, said; Arise, take the child, with his mother, and flee into Egypt, and remain there till I acquaint thee; 14 for Herod will seek the child to destroy him. Accordingly he arose, took the child with his mother, and withdrew by night Num. 23. 22. 15 into Egypt, where he continued until the death of Herod; so that what the Lord had spoken by the prophet was verified: 'Out of Egypt I recalled my son.'

Hos. 11. 1.

16

Then Herod, finding that he had been deceived by the Ma

That is, Saviour.

A sect of Philosophers in Asia.