Grammarian. Those who call learned men mere Grammarians, are themselves very ignorant; and you will always find it fo. Difputes about Religion proceed from no other caufe, but the ignorance of Grammar. If any body is difpleased with the word Grammarian in this paffage, let him put the word Critic in the room of it; and every thing will be right. Mr. Alberti approves thofe words afcribed to Scaliger, and from thence takes occafion to fhow in few words the usefulnefs and neceffity of the Critical Art. He says that in reading the Greek Authors, he has obferved not only what concerns History and Antiquity, but also thofe things that might be of ufe to illuftrate the Books of the New Teftament. He has fet in a new light the obfervations of other Writers: he has freely examined thofe which did not appear to him well grounded, cleared thofe that were doubtful or obfcure, and proposed sometimes new explications. He has frequently confulted the Lexicon of Hefychius, and mended it: he has alfo made a good ufe of the antient Glosses; not to mention Phrynichus, Thomas Magifter, Moeris, and other Greek Grammarians. Laftly, he has shown that feveral expreffions of the facred Writers of the New Teftament are wrongly looked upon as Hebraifms.

Some fay that this fort of study is vain, unbecoming a Divine, and only proper for stupid men, destitute of judgment. Our Author oppofes against that unreasonable cenfure the example of the greatest Men in the Commonwealth of Learning, and defires that thofe Cenfors would be pleased, out of their great judgment, to explain the propriety of one fingle Particle, upon which however the true fenfe of the con

text

text does frequently depend. Would to God, continues Mr. Alberti, that those who study the facred Writings, would apply themselves to polite Learning more than they do! They would not vent fo many idle conceits, nor make a prodigious noife about trifles. He adds, that no Scholaftic diftinction can filence an Adversary fo well, as the true fenfe of Scripture.

One may easily be fufpected of Socinianifm by the Dutch Divines, fince Mr. Alberti has thought fit to say that no body ought to infer from his explication of the defcent of the Holy Spirit like a dove, Matt. iii. 16. that he favours the doЄtrine of the Socinians. And because he believes that these words, Matt. xi. 18. be bath a devil, fignify he is mad; he defires alfo that it fhould not be inferred from thence, that he is of Becker's opinion, who maintained that all the Demoniacs mentioned in the Gospel, were only mad men.

This is the fubftance of the Author's Preface. I proceed to give an account of fome of his Obfervations upon the New Teftament.

Matt. ii. 1.

Now when Jefus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the king, there came wife men from the Eaft to Jerufalem.

The Author obferves that Mr. Herman von der Hardt, Profeffor in the University of Helmftad, has advanced a very fingular opinion about those wife men in his Syria Græca, a Book that is very uncommon in Holland. It will not be improper to fet down here the very words of that Profeffor, with a translation. He affirms that thofe Magi or wife men were not Heathens, but

literati

litterati Judæi, veguμates, ex fede exfulum Judæorum in terris illis orientalibus, five circa Perfiam & Babyloniam, five in Syria, quorfum per Salmanafarem & Nebuchadnezarem ducti erant, in quibus terris plerique manferant, quando fub Cyro aliqui in patriam reverfi. That is, Thofe Magi or wife men were learned Jews, Scribes, who came from the country ef the exiled Jews in those Eastern parts, either about Perfia and Babylonia, or in Syria, whither they had been carried by Salmanaffar and Nebuchadnezar, in which countries most of them remained, when fome returned into Judæa under the reign of Cyrus. Mr. Von der Hardt fays further, that thofe Jews came to Jerufalem in the quality of public Ambaffadors of thofe Exiles, to pay their refpects to the Meffias their King, and to congratulate their Brethren of Judea about his birth. Mr. Alberti leaves it to the Learned to judge of that opinion. He fays, he has been informed that it has been confuted by Mr. Herman ab Elfwich.

I think, I have already faid fomewhere, that the four Differtations concerning the Hiftory of Balaam, Samfon's Foxes, his Slaughter of the Philistines with the Jaw-bone of an Afs, and Elijab's Ravens, to be found in the old Memoirs of Literature, are afcribed to the fame Mr. Vo der Hardt.

Matt. ii. 3.

When Herod the King beard these things, be was troubled, (Ten) and all Jerufalem with him.

Mr. Von der Hardt in the fame Book (Syria Græca) underftands by the commotion of Jerufalem, commune inter Judæos gaudium, & benevo

lentia erga bos legatos fuorum fratrum in exfilio, ipfofque fratres; congratulationes, convivia, &c. That is, he believes that the commotion of Jerufalem upon that occafion confifted in an univerfal joy among the Jews, and a kind reception of the Ambaffadors of their exiled Brethren, in congratulations, feafts, &c. Mr. Alberti rejects that opinion, as being contrary to the fignification of the word ge or rev. Befides, fays he, Mr. Von der Hardt acknowledges that Herod was in a very great fear. I wish I could fee the Book of that Author.

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Matt. vi. II.

Give us this day τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιέσιον.

It is well known that the word min is not to be found in any profane Author, nor in any part of the holy Scripture, befides this place, and the parallel paffage in St. Luke's Gospel: which is the reason why that word has fo much exercifed the Critics. Mr. Alberti fays that

a is formed of cm and a; and then he obferves that a fignifies not only fubftance or effence, but alfo rem familiarem, facultates. He adds that mov may be rendered peculiarem, fince a fignifies alfo peculium, which he proves by feveral paffages out of Greek Authors. He fhows likewife that the word peculiaris, derived from peculium, denotes quod ad peculium pertinet, that is, what a flave with his mafter's leave, or a fon with his father's permiffion, poffeffes as his own. Wherefore Mr. Alberti tranflates τὸν ἄρτον τὸν ἔπιέσιον, panem peculiarem, qui eft bì rỹ với nμav, adque peculium noftrum pertinet. Jubentur (fays he) difcipuli Chrifti Deum hic tanquam Patrem fuim compellare : confiderantur ergo ipfi ceu filii Dei, qui Patrem

fuum

fuum cœleftem rogant peculium, victum & amictum ceteraque bujus vitæ commoda neceffaria-Petunt, ut tanquam benignus Paterfamilias boc peculium filiis concedat, & fpiritualibus bonis, tanquam vero fuo patrimonio, adjiciat. This explication will not appear more fatisfactory than thofe, that have been published before.

Matt. xxiv. 18.

Neither let him, which is in the fields, return back to take his cloaths.

Upon these words, the Author, obferves that Husbandmen manured the ground without their upper cloaths, for which he refers to Grævius's Notes upon Hefiod, Oper. verf. 392. and upon Cuperus's Obfervations, L. 1. c. 7.LA

Marc xii. 4..

And again be fent to them another fervant; and at bim they caft ftones, and wounded him in the head, (κακεῖνον λιθοβολήσαντες ἐκεφαλαί woar) and fent him away fhamefully bandled...

Mr. Alberti renders thofe Greek words thus: Et eum lapidarunt, fuftibufque, vel clavis, aut grandibus baculis, percufferunt: or, more briefly: Et eum faxis fuftibufque ceciderunt. He derives the word κεφαλαιόω from κεφάλαιον, which, among other fignifications, denotes the fummity of any thing, the extremity whereof is thick, and like a head, from pann, caput. Kepanov (continues the Author) may therefore fignify a Club; and the Verb panabe derived from it, may be rendered, clapis aliquem, aut craffis baculis, feu faftibus capitatis cædere. It is well known that a Verb, derived from a noun which fignifies

1

an