SACRED CHRONOLOGY.—No. I. BY MRS. RILEY. "The whole time from the creation, and the years since, are discoverable by those who are willing to obey the truth." "We are ignorant, perhaps, of the accurate amount of all the years, because current months, and days, are not set down in the sacred writings."-Theophilus, Bishop of Antioch, the first Christian Chronologer. THE reverence and affection with which we regard the Bible, are extended to every portion of its contents, sometimes perchance inding things non-essential in themselves, but which appear to have become hallowed by a long continued association with the charter of our salvation. Feeling how perfect the Bible is, in its intrinsic excellencies, we are apt to deprecate any change even in its adjuncts, fearing lest alteration should not prove improvement, or innovation once admitted should injure the fine gold, while it professed only to remove the rust. But the Book which has " God for its author, and salvation for its end," has been borne along the stream of time in an ark formed by earthly hands; and though He, who knew its value, has preserved the gem uninjured, shall we wonder if human weakness or corruption has sometimes sullied or defaced the casket? The Word of God must have truth without any mixture of error for its contents; and whether we examine the Bible in its highest and holiest object, or look into it for the records of history or chronology, we shall find its several parts, when well understood, and carefully and critically compared together, a sufficient clue to the discovery of that truth. "But chronology, as the eye of history, ought itself to be correct and accurate, otherwise it will fail to discharge properly its important functions; it will propagate error, and render confusion worse confounded; it will form strong holds and fastnesses of scepticism and infidelity :-for some of the most specious weapons and most mischievous shafts, which have been levelled against the veracity and credibility of Sacred History, have been supplied from this quarter to Voltaire, Bailly, and their associates, and Paine treats with pointed ridicule, those misrepresenters of time,' the Bible chronologists."-Hales.* Though the Bible contains, within itself, the elements of a new chronology, as the oldest records of time now extant are unquestionably the Mosaical, still times and seasons are not critically marked in Scripture by reference to any one fixed era, or standard of computation, but by vogue and indefinite measures of time, as generations, reigns, priesthoods, &c. Again the Scriptures abound in chasms, and abrupt transitions of the history and chronology, to be filled up or supplied, as well as may be, by incidental references to parallel passages, or by extraneous supplements from Jewish, Ecclesiastical, and Heathen historians. We now apply the term "Bible Chronology," to that system of computation which was framed by Archbishop Usher upon previous chronologies, but corrected in some points by an examination of oriental MSS., which he Many subsequent passages, though not expressly marked, are extracted verbatim from Hale's work, as I preferred to state facts in his own language, rather than run the risk of distorting them by clothing them in new words. had procured at great expense from all parts of the world. Though the Archbishop's private opinion was, that "the Hebrew copies of the Old Testament were no less liable to the errors of transcribers than those of the New Testament, and all other books," he yet scrupled to incur the charge of innovation; and not venturing to recede too far from the prevailing systems of chronology, in fixing the age of the world, he added only twenty years to the computation of Petavius, and removed the era of the creation from 3984, to 4004, B.C. The system of Usher has prevailed principally in the British empire, and among the divines of the Reformed Church on the continent of Europe; that of Petavius among the divines of the Church of Rome. The dates of Usher, chiefly, have been annexed to our present translation of the Bible, and established by public authority; but if the subsequent investigations of men of consummate learning and unweared industry, aided by more collations of Hebrew and other manuscripts, should tend to show that the system of chronology, adopted by Usher, was defective, and many of his dates erroneous, instead of impugning the truth of the Bible, by rectifying the marginal dates attached to it, we are adding to the honour of the Sacred Scriptures by proving them to be a "sufficient and certain guide amidst the mazes of primeval chronology, the purest and most fruitful source of ancient history, a teacher that will solve every difficulty, and lead up truth to the fountain head." Such was the object which Dr. Hales pursued in his new "Analysis of Chronology and Geography, History and Prophecy :" a title, which though ample, very inadequately describes its multifarious contents. "Not only is it the most elaborate system of chronology extant in our language, but there is scarcely a difficult text in the sacred writings which is not illustrated-it ought to have a place in the library of every biblical student."* The plan he adopted was " to make Scripture its own interpreter." His "first attempt" was to examine carefully the principles upon which the reigning systems of chronology were built, in order to seek a solid foundation for a general system. This led him into a minute investigation of the evidences for and against the longer and shorter computations of the patriarchal generations from Adam to Abraham, found in the Masoretic and Hebrew texts, in the Greek version, and in Josephus. The result was a conviction of the untenableness of the Masoretic, or shorter, computation, which he discovered to have been first fabricated by the Jews, about the time of the publication of the "Seder Olam Rabbi," their curtailed system of chronology, in 130 A.D. The motive which led the Jews to mutilate the patriarchal genealogies, is thus exposed by Ephrem Syrus, who died about 378. "The Jews have subtracted 600 years from the generations of Adam, Seth, &c., in order that their own books might not convict them concerning the coming of Christ, he having been predicted to appear for the deliverance of mankind after 5,500 years." We know that it was the Apostles' great aim to prove I think it is Lord Lindsay who gives this testimony to Dr. Hales' work. †This remarkable prediction, or tradition of the appearance of Christ in the course of the sixth millennary age of the world, was found also in the from the Scriptures, that Jesus was the Christ; and we know, also, that at the time of our Saviour's birth, general expectation was turned to the appearance of some great deliverer. After the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, A.D., 70, the Jews were so oppressed by natural calamities, that they could think of nothing else for some time, but about the end of the first century of the vulgar era, they were roused to oppose the wonderful progress of Christianity. What principally excited their rage and vexation was, that their own Scriptures were turned into artillery against them, and in order to bring into disrepute the Septuagint vulgate version, which was usually referred to by the Christians, they set up three other Greek versions in opposition to it. The first was that of Aquila, published about 128 A.D. The next the "Seder Olam Rabbi," written by Rabbi Jose, under the auspices of Akiba, 130 A.D. Aquila is charged by Epiphanius, with "wresting Scripture contrary to the interpretation of the Septuagint version, to a different sense, in order to invalidate the testimonies concerning Christ:" and Justin Martyr, in his controversy with Trypho the Jew, about 148 A.D. produces several instances of their altering or erasing prophecies relative the divinity, sufferings, and death of Christ, out of the copies of the Septuagint version used in their synagogues; while Irenæus declares, "If the Jews had known that we should have made use of those testimonies that are to be drawn from the Scriptures, they would never have hesitated themselves to burn their own Scriptures." The "second attempt" of Dr. Hales, was to retrieve the genuine chronology of Josephus, many of whose leading dates had been corrupted by his early editors, in order to make them correspond with this Jewish system, which, though it did not make considerable progress during two or three centuries, was, by degrees, adopted even by Christian writers. By discovering a few genuine dates among the chronology of Josephus, Hales was enabled to trace out the correctness of his whole system; and by comparing it with that of Theophilus, Bishop of Antioch, (who died A.D. 181,) the first Christian chronologer who attempted to compute the age of the world from Scripture, he has endeavoured to furnish "a solid foundation for a durable system of ancient chronology, sacred and profane, built upon the rectified era of the creation, B.C. 5,411, and deduced from the writings of two great luminaries of the Jewish and Christian Churches, Josephus and Theophilus." Such were the "attempts" of Dr. Hales, while the "rules of chronologizing" which he adopted, were: 1st. To adhere to the scriptural standard. 2nd. To begin with the analytical method, and end with the synthetical. 3rd. Not to adopt any date that shall be repugnant to any established date. other 4th. Never to frame an hypothesis, nor to assign a conjectural date, except in cases of down-right necessity. Sibylline Oracles, and in the Hesiod, in the writings of Darius Hystapes, (derived probably from the Magi,) and amongst the Egyptians. 5th. Carefully and critically to distinguish between different persons, in different ages and countries, called by the same name; and on the other hand, to unite or identify persons bearing different names, in different authors, or at different terms of their lives. Objects so important, grounded on so sure a basis, and pursued with so much caution and industry, must render Dr. Hales' researches of great interest to every inquirer after historic truth, whether his system of chronology be adopted or not. In arranging a series of papers upon this subject for the pages of The Churchman, I must disclaim the presumption of attempting to exalt the authority of Hales over that of Usher, or the faintest idea of elucidating a subject on which the learned and wise differ so widely, in opinions drawn from the same data. Having been anxious to obtain information as to the disputed period in which Job existed, I was led by Horne to consult Hales' chronology, and finding his dates and periods of time vary greatly from those I had been accustomed to consider correct, I arranged the two chronologies in comparative tables, to shew the difference of dates, and extracted the reasons and authorities for his variations from Usher's calculations. These tables, with a few explanatory remarks, are now offered to such readers of The Churchman as may not have access to Dr. Hales' volumes, or leisure to condense from their pages the valuable facts and cogent reasons on which he grounds his system. To all who delight in Scriptural studies, Hales' work offers an almost exhaustless fund from whence to draw instruction; it is only the learned who can fully appreciate its accuracy and correctness; but all must admire the research, the application, and the industry, requisite to compile such a store of information, and render it subservient to the highest and holiest objects. (To be continued.) ISAIAH LVI. 7. "Mine houso shall be called an house of prayer for all people." BY JAMES MONTGOMERY, ESQ. "Mine house shall be an house of prayer, For all that live to worship there:" There will I meet you," saith the Lord: Thus spake the Lord: "My Son! to thee We bow the knee-we "kiss the Son." His throne and kingdom thus advance, And, for all people, every where, Thine house be call'd an house of prayer. THE AMPHITHEATRE AT NISMES. BY MRS. E. SMITH. I SHALL never forget the sensation of admiration which I felt when I first beheld this magnificent monument of antiquity. I had just arrived as Nismes after the most fatiguing journey I ever knew, and by the worst roads I had ever travelled, owing to the terrible state of the weather, for it had rained incessantly all the way from Paris. Nismes having been represented to me as a spot where the sun was always bright, and the sky was always blue, I felt exceedingly disappointed at finding it as wet and nearly as splashy under foot when I got out of the diligence at Nismes, as when I had got into it at Paris, hoping to leave rain and mud behind me. It was, therefore, with a great feeling of fatigue, and a little inclination to be discontented, that I followed my guide from the Hotel de Louvre across the esplanade to the house where I was expected; when suddenly I beheld the Amphitheatre before me, in all the majesty of Roman grandeur. "Ah!" I exclaimed, "it was worth while to come, were it only for this!"-my fatigue and vexation were forgotten, as were also my guide and my luggage: there I stood, spellbound. Just then a mass of clouds rolled away from the west, and a gleam of sun fell upon the pile; it was beautiful, the effect of that setting ray upon the stupendous ruin where it then rested, serving to mellow the tint which accords so well with those remnants of antiquity. My guide shouted to me that it was les Arênes, as they call it at Nismes; the spell was broken and I walked on, but all my feelings were changed. I was too much delighted with the Amphitheatre not to feel disposed to be pleased with everything, and had it been summer time I should certainly have visited it before I slept; but as it was the dreary month of November, as soon as I had dined I condescended to go to bed, where a twelve hours sleep refreshed me for the fatigues of the morrow, and gave me strength to ascend the gradins or rows of stone seats which formerly ran all round the arena; making at the same time the reflection that the Romans must have been very stalwart men to judge of them by these gradins, which are some of them very high. I never saw this mighty ruin without thinking of the times when it had been filled with Romans; when the various games and exercises were performed in it which so much delighted those kings of the earth. There gladiators had died to make a "Roman holiday;' there man had been forced to combat with the lion and the tiger; and there, oh! there, Christians had been martyred; for whatsoever things were done, the Amphitheatre was the scene of action. And so it is still, and I have seen the arena made use of for amusements which, though more innocent than the gladiatorial games, and the persecutions of the Christians, were not in accordance with the majesty of the pile. Now they have no longer lions and tigers to fight with ; but the people are extremely fond of ferrades and of les courses aux taureaux. |