A. Seleucus, another of Alexander's generals, who ruled in the greater and the lesser Asia, built many cities; sixteen of which he called Antioch, from Antiochus his father; nine were called Seleucia, from his own name; six Laodicea from the name Laodice, his mother; others Apamea and Stratonice, from his wives; in all which he planted Jews, and gave them equal privileges with the Greeks or Macedonians, especially at Antioch and Syria, where they settled in great numbers.

4 Q. What considerable person rose among the Jews at Jerusalem about this time?

A. Simon the Just, who is spoken of so honourably in the fiftieth chapter of Ecclesiasticus: he was a high-priest of the Jews about this time, who merited the surname of the Just, by his great holiness toward God, and justice toward men, and he was the last of the men of the great synagogue.

5 Q. What was this great synagogue, and who the men that composed it?

A. A hundred and twenty elders, who, in a continued succession, after the return of the Jews from Babylon, laboured in restoring the Jewish church and state; and made it their chief care to publish the Scriptures to the people with great accuracy.

6 Q. What part of the work is attributed to Simon? A. It is supposed by some learned men that he added the two books of Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, and the prophecy of Malachi, to the canon of Scripture; which books were scarce supposed to be inserted by Ezra, because several of them are thought to be written by Ezra himself; and the books of Nehemiah and Malachi were most likely written after Ezra's time.

7 Q. Did the Jews, after this time, when the Old Testament was completed, religiously confine themselves to the direction of Scripture?

A. After this time their traditions began to prevail, that is, the sayings of the ancients delivered down by tradition.

Note, Though traditions prevailed about this time, yet the Mishnah, which is their secondary law, or a collection of traditions, and which they pretend to be dictated from God to Moses, was not compiled and put together till above a hundred years after the time of Christ, by Rabbi, Judah Hakkadesh; and this Mishnah, together with their comments on these things, is called the Talmud.

Note, There are two Talmuds; that of Jerusalem, which was complete about three hundred years after Christ; and that of Babylon about five hundred years: but each of them has the same Mishnah, though with different comments, which comments are called the Ge

mara.

8 Q. Who were the chief teachers of this secondary law or traditions?

4. Antigonus of Socho was the first of them, who, being an eminent scribe in the law of God, was president of the Sanhedrim, or senate of the elders at Jerusalem, great master of the Jewish school, and a teacher of righteousness to the people, and of these traditions. Afterward all the teachers or doctors of the Jewish law were in the New Testament sometimes called scribes, sometimes lawyers, or those who sat in Moses' seat.

9 Q. What special honour was paid to these men? A. Besides other respect showed them by the people who called them Rabbi, and highly esteemed them, it was out of these doctors that the great Sanhedrim, or council of seventy-two, was chosen to govern the whole nation; and the lesser council of twenty-three which was in every city of Judea.

Note, These were called rulers, or elders, or counsellors; such were Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, and Gamaliel.

Note here also, That in the Jewish Talmudical books, or their fabulous writings, on which we cannot much depend, we are told, that about this time, one Sadoc mistook the doctrine of Antigonus of Socho, his master,'

who taught, "that we ought not to serve God in a servile manner, merely with respect to the reward;" and inferred from hence, that there were no rewards after this life, and begun the sect of the Sadducees; though it may be justly doubted, whether this, and other dangerous doctrines of this sect, arose so early among the Jews.

10 Q. Since the Jews were dispersed into so many countries, did they not acquaint the Gentiles with their religion?

A. Yes; for Ptolemy Soter set up a college of learned men at Alexandria in Egypt, and began a library there; which Ptolemy Philadelphus, his youngest son and successor, improved to one hundred thousand volumes; this prince is reported to have commanded the Hebrew law to be translated into Greek, to add to this library, that the Gentiles might read it; and accordingly it was done. Note, This college of learned men was encouraged, and the library increased, by several Ptolemies successively, till it arose to seven hundred thousand, books. Both these things made Alexandria a famous place of residence and resort for learned men for several ages. It happened that the larger half of this library was burnt by Julius Cæsar in his Alexandrian war: the other part was, by continual recruits, enlarged to a vaster number than the whole library before, but it was finally burnt and destroyed by the Saracens, in the year of our Lord, 642. 11 Q. In what manner is this translation reported to have been made?

A. Aristeas, the most ancient writer on this subject, and Josephus the historian, who followed him, acquaint us that, after this Ptolemy had gained the favour of the Jews, by paying a ransom of a hundred thousand of their countrymen, who were enslaved in Egypt, he procured six elders out of every tribe of Israel (which were in all seventy-two) to come to his court; and, after a trial of their wisdom, by some particular question being put to each of them, he appointed

them to translate the law of Moses, by conferring together about the sense of it, in the isle of Pharos; which being afterwards read to him, and approved by him, he gave them a liberal reward. Upon this account this translation is called the Septuagint, that is, the translation of the seventy, or seventy-two elders.

12 Q. But did not this story, in following times, grow much more fabulous?

A. Philo the Jew, who lived about our Saviour's time, reports, that each of these seventy-two elders were put into a distinct cell, and were required to translate the whole Bible apart; and that they performed it so exactly alike, word for word, that it was approved as miraculous and divine: and even several fathers of the Christian church, being too credulous and fond of miracles, have received this story, and conveyed it down in their writings.

13 Q. How does it appear to be a fable?

A. The great imperfection of this translation discovers that it was no divine work, nor performed by miracle; besides the several contradictions, and the uncertainties that are mingled up and down with this story, do utterly overthrow the credit of it.

14 Q. Upon the whole view of things, what is the best account of this translation?

A. In the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus, there was such a version made of the five books of Moses, by the Jews of Alexandria, into the Greek language, probably for their own use, and for the use of their countrymen; for the Jews in their dispersions had used themselves to the Greek tongue, the conquests of Alexander, and his Grecian army having spread their language through the world; and when Ptolemy Philadelphus had erected such a noble library, he was desirous to have this book deposited there. Whether his request or command gave any occasion to this translation, it is difficult to determine.

15 Q. Were not the other sacred writings translated into Greek also, as well as the five books of Moses? A. When the reading of the prophets as well as the

law came into use in the synagogues; many years afterwards, in the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, this occasioned a Greek translation of the prophets to be made; and so the whole Old Testament was complete, which we now call the Septuagint.

16 Q. Did the Jews generally come to use this Greek translation of the Bible?

A. In and after the time of Ezra, the Scriptures were read to the Jews in Hebrew, and interpreted into the Chaldee language, which they had learnt in Babylon, and was become most familiar to them. But at Alexandria, after the making of this Greek version, it was interpreted to them in Greek, which was afterwards done also in all other Grecian cities, whither the Jews were dispersed. And from hence those Jews were called Hellenists, or Grecizing Jews, because they used the Greek language in their synagogues; and by that name they were distinguished from the Hebrew Jews, who used only the Hebrew and Chaldee languages in their synagogues. And this distinction we find made between them, Acts vi. 1. For the word which we here translate Grecians, is in the original 'Eλλnviorov, that is, Hellenists. So Dr. Prideaux.

17 Q. But did not the Evangelists and the Apostles, who were writers of the New Testament, pay great honour to this Greek translation ?

A. Yes; they cited many Scriptures of the Old Testament, according to this translation, because it was the best Greek translation they had; and it was by this time well known amongst the Jews in Judea, as well as those who were scattered round the nations. 18 Q. Did the Jews in Judea continue in peace under the government of the kings of Egypt?

A. The successors of the four generals of Alexander the Great, who divided the world amongst them, and particularly the kings of Egypt and Syria, being frequently engaged in wars for enlarging their kingdoms, the Jews were reduced to very great difficulties,