*

as the present, suits more the excessive scrupulosity of a translator, than the simplicity and plainness of an inspired writer, who means to instruct his readers in every duty, and to warn them against every danger. Did the sacred penman find it necessary to employ oriental terms, because those reproachful names had nothing equivalent to them in the Greek language, and consequently, because those who spoke Greek, not being susceptible of the guilt implied in using these words, were in no danger of incurring the punishment? This is too absurd to be believed by any body. There is no language, ancient or modern, in which abuse may not be uttered; and indignation, contempt, and abhorrence, signified in the highest degree. In such a 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, Numb. xx. 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, he 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 paka 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 μwpe is a Greek

* Diss. II. Part. i. sect. 4.

μωρε

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 uwpɛ 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 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 than the phrase Baσileia Twv ovpavwv, 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 Baoiλea TOV Otov, 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 narratives by the precise order of time wherein the events 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 Evayyedov commonly given, it is, in this application, well explained by Justin Martyr, a writer of the second century, who makes it equivalent to anoμvηuovevμaтa, 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 nowise 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 dishonour on the Nazarene and the Ebionite copies.

28. That Matthew's Gospel was the first published, is another opinion, 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 MATTHEW.

I.

SECTION 1.-THE NATIVITY.

25, 24. 29,

THE lineage of Jesus Christ son of David, son of Abra- Lu. 3, 232 ham. Abraham begat Isaac. Isaac begat Jacob. Jacob begat Gen. 21, 2 3 Judah and his brothers. Judah had Pharez and Zarah by 35; 38, 27 4 Tamar. Pharez begat Hezron. Hezron begat Ram. Ram Ruth 4, 18 5 begat Aminadab. Aminadab begat Nahshon. Nahshon begat

17, 12

Salmon. Salmon had Boaz by Rahab. Boaz had Obed by 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 begat 1Ch. 3, 108 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 14 Abiud. Abiud begat Eliakim. Eliakim begat Azor. Azor

begat Zadoc. Zadoc begat Achim. Achim begat Eliud. 15 Eliud begat Eleazar. Eleazar begat Matthan. Matthan 16 begat Jacob. Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, of 17 whom was 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 Messiaht fourteen.

18

NOW the birth of Jesus Christ happened thus: Mary his mother had been espoused to Joseph; but before they came 19 together, she proved to be with child by the Holy Spirit. Jo

Lu. 1, 26

seph her husband being a worthy man, and unwilling to expose 20 her, 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 wife; for her pregnancy is from the Holy Spirit. 21 And she shall bear a son, whom thou shalt call Jesus; for he Acts 4, 1?. 22 will save his people from their sins. In all this, what the 23 Lord had spoken by the Prophet was verified, "Behold the 11. 7, 14. Virgin shall conceive and bear a son, who shall be called Im24 manuel;" which signifies God with us. When Joseph awoke, he did as the messenger of the Lord had commanded him, and

* Or Christ.

VOL. I.

L L

+ Or Christ.

Lu. 2, 4

Mic. 5, 2. Jo. 7, 42.

Ps. 72, 9'

25 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, ir the reign of King Herod, certain eastern magianst came to 2 Jerusalem, and inquired, Where is the new-born king of the Jews; for we have seen his star in the east country, and 3 are come to do him homage? King Herod hearing this was 4 alarmed, and all Jerusalem with him. And having assembled all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he demanded 5 of them where the Messiah should be born? They answered At Bethlehem of Judea; for thus it is written by the Pro6 phet, "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, frankin12 cense, 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 14 thee for Herod will seek the child to destroy him. Accor

dingly he arose, took the child, with his mother, and withdrew by night into Egypt, where he continued until the death of Nu. 23, 22. 15 Herod: so that what the Lord had spoken by the Prophet was verified, "Out of Egypt I recalled my son.'

Hos. 11, 1.

16

99

Then Herod, finding that he had been deceived by the magians, was highly incensed, and despatched emissaries, who slew, by his order, all the male children in Bethlehem, and all its territory, from those entering the second year, down to the time whereof he had procured exact information from the 17 magians. Then was the word of Jeremiah the prophet veri18 fied, "A cry was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and weeping, and bitter complaint, Rachel bewailing her children, and refusing to be comforted, because they are not."

19

When Herod was dead, a messenger of the Lord appearing 20 in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, said, Arise, take the child, + A sect of Philosophers in Asia.

* That is, Saviour.