the Jewish historian, and from the Books of Maccabees, which I have consulted upon this occasion; but I have borrowed much further light and assistance from Dr. Prideaux in this matter, whose laborious collection from heathen writers, and judicious determination in many dubious points, have rendered his work more complete and accurate, and mine more easy.

SECTION I.

Of Nehemiah's further reformation, synagogues, Targums, Samaritans, proselytes, &c.

Note, This chapter being so long, the questions of each section shall be numbered apart.

1 Q. What further reformation did Nehemiah make in Israel?

A. It is reported by the Jews, that he himself, together with Ezra the scribe, having found a great want of the knowledge of the law among the people, did, about this time, appoint the reading of the law in the several towns and cities; and on this occasion, it is supposed that synagogues began to be built throughout the land, or at least to be restored and renewed, if there had been any built before.

2 Q. Where were the synagogues to be built?

A. According to the account which the Jews have given us, they might be built in any town where ten persons of full age, and of such condition and easy circumstances of life, could be found to be always at leisure to attend the service.

3 Q. What was the service performed in the synagogues?

A. Prayer and praises to God, reading the holy Scriptures, and preaching and expounding them.

4 Q. In what manner were the Scriptures expounded?

A. The Jews and their posterity having lost much

of their own language in Babylon, did not so well understand the Scriptures in the Hebrew tongue; and therefore when Ezra read the law to the people, the sense was given to them in Chaldee, by many Levites, who stood by," and caused them to understand the reading," Nehem. viii. 4-8. And this manner of reading the Scripture, verse by verse, and translating it into the Chaldee, with some little paraphrase upon it, was the manner of expounding used in the ancient synagogues.

Note, 1. This was the original of the Jewish Targums, which word in Chaldee signifies an interpretation. For when synagogues were multiplied among the Jews, beyond the number of able interpreters, it became necessary that such translations of the Hebrew into Chaldee should be made, for the use of the teachers and the people; and that in private families also, as well as in synagogues.

There were anciently many of these Targums, or translations, or expositions, and that upon different parts of Scripture, and of different sorts; as there were also many different versions of the Scripture into Greek in the following ages for the same purposes. Several of these Targums are lost through length of time; but the chief of those which remain to this day are the Targum or Chaldee paraphrase of Onkelos, upon the law of Moses; and the Targum of Jonathan Ben Uzziel, upon the prophets; both which, some learned men suppose to be written before Christ; and are by the Jews valued as equal to the Hebrew text. As for the Jerusalem Targum, it is an exposition upon the law; and others are on different parts of Scripture; but they are all of less esteem, and of much later date. But neither the one nor the other of the Targums was much known to the primitive Christian writers; though these expositions greatly favour the Christian cause.

Note, 2. Among the Jews, the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings, &c. are sometimes called the former prophets: and the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the twelve minor prophets, are called the latter prophets; but they are

called the prophets; thus the law and the prophets make up the whole Bible.

Note, 3. That there are in Daniel two hundred verses of the Bible written originally in Chaldee, and sixty-seven in Ezra, and one verse in Jeremiah, namely, ver. 11. chap. x. And some suppose, for this reason, there is no Targum on Daniel, and Ezra; neither indeed is there on Nehemiah, though that book be called Hebrew.

5 Q. What were the times appointed for this service in the synagogues?

A. Two days in the week, besides the sabbath and their other festivals; the law being divided into so many sections, or lessons, as there are weeks in their year; they read half a lesson on Monday morning, and the other half on Thursday morning; and this same whole lesson they read on the sabbath, both morning and afternoon, Acts xv. 21. We are told that reading the law was a custom of ancient times on the sabbath; and when reading of the prophets was added to that of the law, the same order was observed in it.

6 Q. What were the hours for their daily prayer? A. At the time of morning and evening sacrifice and incense, Luke i. 9, 10. Acts iii. 1. "While Zacharias was offering incense, the people were praying in the court and Peter and John went up to pray in the temple at this time." To these hours they conformed their prayers in the temple, and in their synagogues, and usually too in their own houses.

Note, The Jews supposed that the offering up of the daily sacrifices, and the burning of incense at the same time, were designed to render God propitious to them, and make their prayers acceptable; and for this reason they conformed their times of prayer to these hours. So David prays, Psalm cxli. 2, "Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense," &c. And Rev. viii. 4, 5. "And the smoke of the incense which came with the prayer of the saints ascended up before God out of the angel's hands."

7 Q. Had they any other season of prayer besides these two?

A. The Jews inform us, that besides these, they had a prayer at the beginning of night, while the evening sacrifice was left burning on the altar. Thus, by their three prayers in a day, they imitated the ancients; David prayed morning, noon, and evening, Psalm lv. 17. Daniel prayed three times a-day, Dan. vi. 10.

8 Q. Who ministered in the service of the synagogue?

A. The priests and Levites were consecrated to the service of the temple; but for the service of the synagogue, persons of any tribe were appointed by some elders of that town, who were called "rulers of the synagogue." So our Saviour, being of the tribe of Judah, read and expounded in the synagogue, Luke iv. 16. So, after reading the law and the prophets, Paul and Silas were engaged in preaching, when the master of the synagogue asked them for " a word of exhortation" to the people, Acts xiii. 15.

9 Q. But were there not other places of prayer distinct from the synagogue?

A. The synagogues were sometimes called prayerhouses, yet there were prayer-houses called Proseuchai, which differed from synagogues in three respects. (1.) Synagogues were built for public worship, but these places of prayer for any one's private devotions occasionally. (2.) Synagogues were covered houses, but the places of prayer were courts or enclosures, with walls, and open to the sky. (3.) Synagogues were chiefly in towns or cities, the prayer-houses in open fields, or on mountains; such are mentioned where our Saviour "spent a whole night in the prayer house," as it should be translated, Luke vi. 12. and thither pious persons resorted and "prayer was wont to be made," Acts xvi. 13, 16.

10 Q. Is there any certainty that there were any synagogues before this time?

A. That there were some places of assembly for divine things in the land of Israel, before the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by Nebuchadnezzar, seems pretty plain from Psalm lxxiv. 7, 8. "They hav

burnt up all the synagogues of God in the land.” Though they might be but very few and not established by any authority, nor so constantly attended as afterwards. And yet, considering that the Jews fell so frequently into idolatry before, and had so few copies of the law, it is questioned by some learned men, whether there were any such synagogues at all in the land of Israel till after the Babylonish captivity.

11 Q. What eminent and remarkable service was done by these public places of worship?

A. It is supposed that frequent public readings of the law in the synagogues, after that time, were a special means to excite and preserve in the people of the Jews that universal and perpetual hatred of idolatry to which they were so shamefully prone before; and it did also diffuse and maintain the knowledge of true religion and virtue in the land.

12 Q. Were these synagogues built anywhere besides in Judea?

A. When the Jews were afterwards scattered abroad into various nations, they built places of worship for themselves, wherever the rulers of the country would permit them.

13 Q. Of what advantage were these synagogues to the heathens, or afterward to Christianity?

A. It was by means of these synagogues that the heathens, where the Jews were dispersed, came to know the true God, and some general principles of virtue and piety, and became proselytes of the gate: and by these public places and seasons of worship, there was afterwards an opportunity given to publish the Gospel of Christ by the Apostles, both among the Jews and Gentiles, Acts xvii. 1, 2. and xix. 8.

14 Q. What is meant by proselytes of the gate? A. Those Gentiles who renounced idolatry, and received the knowledge and the worship of the one true God, the God of Israel; and (as some affirm) they received also the rules of abstaining from blood, and things strangled, and things offered to idols,