Biblical Criticism. SHORT NOTES ON ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL.1 Seneca de "The cus CHAP. IX. Ver. 23. 'Idav rovç avλŋràç. See Ovid Fast. vi. 660. Trist. v. 1. 48. Pollux. iv. 75. Sext. Empiric. a. Music. xviii. Dio. Cass. Ivi. p. 403. Lucian. de Luctu 10. Petron. 129. Dio. Chrysostom. xxxii. p. 379. xlix. p. 539. Eustath. in Il. ú. 722. Claudio. Plut. de Musica. p. 1136. Joseph. b. iii. 9. 5. tom of having musical instruments in funerals came to the Jews from the manners of the Gentiles. In the Old Testament there is no mention of any such custom. They used, indeed, to mourn for the dead, and commended them; thereby to excite the living to the imitation of their virtues. The use of instruments on these occasions was adopted, not by the ancient, but more modern Jews. They might receive it into their ceremonies from other nations where it prevailed. It is frequently mentioned among the Romans under the style of sicinnium; and in Apuleius, monumentarii choraula; and among the Greeks, under that of evμẞavλot. The custom in the time of our Lord was, for the musicians to begin the dirge, and for those who were present to follow, beating their breasts according to what was played by the instruments."-Hammond in loco. "On such occasions the Greeks made a great noise with brazen vessels, and the Romans made a general cry called conclamatio, hoping either to stop the soul which was now taking its flight, or to awaken the person if only in a state of torpor. This they did for eight days together, calling the person incessantly by his name; at the expiration of which term, the phrase conclamatum est, all is over,'' there is no hope,' was used. See Terence, Eun. 1. 347. In all probability, this was the Oopußouμevov, the making a violent outcry, mentioned here by the evangelist."-Burder's Oriental Customs, vol. ii. No. 946. See also Adams' Roman Antiquities, p. 435. 9th edit. Potter's Archæolog. Græca. vol. ii. book 4. chap. 1. and seq. On the musical instruments of the Hebrews, see an excellent paper in the Scripture Magazine for January, 1825, by the late learned editor of Calmet's Dictionary, a work which we venture to recommend, together with the "Fragments," as an almost indispensable requisite to the library of every biblical student. 1 Continued from page 425. Ver. 30. Eveẞpunoaro. The proper meaning of this word is, to command with anger and harshness. See Aristoph. Equit. 851. et Schol. Etym. M. Xenoph. Pædo. IV. Hesych. et Suidas in voce. Here, however, we imagine it means nothing more than to charge strictly. où CHAP. X. ver. 23. οὐ μὴ τελέσητε-ἀνθρώπου. Scarcely shall the journey through the cities of Israel be finished by you, when I myself will be present. Tεleiv ràc móλeç is a concise method of speaking, and should be thus supplied: τελεῖν ὁδὸν διὰ τὰς πόλεις. Elsner observes, that Cicero in the same sense has said, obire orbem (Lib. de Fin. c. 19); and Thucydides, in like manner, rɛλɛv de itinere absoluto dixisse Euc αν videtur accipi pro πριν η. The coming of Christ to destroy Jerusalem and the Jewish Commonwealth, appears to be meant; or the manifestation of the Messiah, by the effusion of the Holy Spirit on the apostles and other believers, by which it evidently appeared that Christ was constituted king with full power, by his father. Rosenmüller. [To be continued.] TRANSLATIONS FROM THE GNOMON OF BENGELIUS.1 MATTHEW, CHAP. IV. Ver. 1. 'Anyon, was led up. Towards Jerusalem, by a holy impulse.? Ver. 2. TETσgovтa, forty. A period of time already rendered remarkable, in the lives of Moses and Elias. But the condition of Moses, when he fasted, was exalted and splendid; that of Christ, humiliating and destitute. Elias had food brought him by the angels, beforehand; angels came and ministered to Christ, not till afterwards. Forty days, before our Lord's public appearance: forty days, before his ascension. 'Erriage, he hungred. Hunger now, at the beginning of his public ministry: thirst, upon the cross. 1 Continued from page 378. 2 Bengel's meaning is, that the way in which Jesus was "led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil," was by his being led up from Jordan to Jerusalem, the way lying through the wilderness. The expression, he was "led up," confirms this view, as persons going towards Jerusalem were said to "go up."-Tr. Ver. 3. 'O sigalav, the tempter. He is not called Satan till ver. 10, when the devil had betrayed his diabolism, or, in other words, his pride, (ver. 9) which is his distinguishing mark. El, if. So again ver. 6. Satan both doubts the point himself, and tries to bring it into doubt. It is the two-fold work of Satan, to question truth, and to make falsehood credited. He here brings that into debate, which from heaven (ch. iii. 17,) had been expressly asserted. (Serm.) 'EITE, command. Here the tempter suffers it to escape, that Jesus, if he be the Son of God, is almighty. Ado, stones. No, tempter: thou shalt have other proof that this is the Son of God. Presently he will begin the work of thy destruction. Luke iv. 34, 41. Ver. 4. TayganTal, it is written. Jesus appeals not to the voice from heavenhe answers not the tempter's arguments; but against all his inferences keeps to Scripture alone, as a sufficient reply. Thus he shews how weighty is the authority of Scripture, seeing there is no appeal from it for Satan himself. Oix, not by bread alone. In the desert the people had experienced the force of this saying in the desert it was first pronounced: in the desert Christ employs it as a sword against the tempter. For forty days he had now felt its truth. Why turn stones into bread, when he had already lived so long without bread? 'AvIgwños, man. He enters into no controversy respecting the title of "Son of God." Hence, Jerome-" It pleased the Lord to vanquish the devil by humility, not by puissance." Havтi pnμati X. T. λ., by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth. So Ps. lxxxix. 34, "The thing that is gone out of my lips," i. e. a divine promise.1 Ver. 5. Tort, then. Matthew and Luke give the temptations in different order. Luke maintains a gradation in the places: the desert, the mountain, the temple.o ПagaλaμƐaves, taketh. Wonderful power granted to the tempter, but only till it is said to him, "Get thee hence," ver. 10. "No wonder," says Gregory, "that Christ suffered himself to be taken up by the devil, when by the members of the devil he suffered himself to be lifted up upon the cross." Respecting the changes of place in the course of this temptation, compare Numb. xxiii. 13, 27. All the situations in which Christ was tempted, the wilderness, the mountain, the temple, were situations in which, afterwards, he exercised his ministry. (Serm.) Els Thy avian modiy, into the holy city. Here it might most plausibly be urged, that angels (ver. 6) would take the charge of him. 1 As our Lord appears in this verse to make a particular reference to the divine promises, it is very observable that Satan immediately has recourse (ver. 6) to a divine promise in order to tempt him.-Tr. 2 According to Matthew's arrangement, the Lord is tempted, 1. to doubt; 2. to presume; 3. to apostatize: according to Luke's, the temptation is addressed, 1. to the "lust of the flesh;" 2. to the "lust of the eyes;" 3. to the "pride of life."-Tr. Ver. 6. Trypantai, it is written. No doubt Satan had often been made to feel the truth of the promise which he here quotes, by angels opposed to him in the guardianship of the saints. Ver. 9. Eav, if. What the angel suffered not in John, that the tempter demands of Jesus, the Lord. No doubt he appeared in some form which seemed worthy of worship. "Get thee behind me, Satan," said Ver. 10. 'Trays, Get thee hence, Satan. the Lord to Peter, remanding him to his proper place, as a disciple. But to the devil he said, "Get thee hence, Satan."-Go, not behind me, but altogether from me. Zarava, Satan. Thou hast tried to ascertain what I am; I therefore tell thee what thou art. The tempter has not his proper name, Satan,1 applied to him, till he has endeavoured to appear most friendly in his proposals. He had plainly discovered too, that he was Satan, by his pride. Ver. 11. 'Aqyɛλ01, angels. Who probably had been witnesses of the conflict. 1 Cor. iv. 9. 1 Tim. iii. 16. Anxovovy, ministered. No doubt they brought food. 1 Kings xix. 5—7. Ver. 16. 'O acs à xanμvros, the people which sat in darkness saw great light. How many apostles from this very land. Ps. Ixviii. 27. Acts i. 11. ii. 7. Sitting aptly denotes a state of utter destitution, inaction, and darkness.o Ver. 21. Karagrilovras, mending. Not after work, but for work. To be then called was a greater trial. Both brothers, in each case, (ver. 18 and 21,) left their employment without delay. How observable their obedience. (Serm.) Ver. 23. Tns Caoideias, of the kingdom. Of God. He, in sacred Scripture, is always kept in view. Ev rw law, among the people. The maladies, then, were publicly known. John ix. 8. Acts iii. 10. Not so with some modern miracles. Ver. 24. 'Annλ0ey, went-Far. Пgoçnveyxav, brought-Even the Syrians. [To be continued.] 1 Satan, own, the adversary.-Tr. 2 On the contrary, when the true light shines upon us, the effect is motion and activity." To guide our feet into the way of peace." "I will arise and go to my Father."-Tr. Biblical Envestigations. INQUIRY INTO THE ORIGIN AND OBLIGATION OF THE SABBATH. To the Editor of the Scripture Magazine. SIR-I send the following remarks as supplemental to what appeared in your last, on the Sabbatic institution; if you think them worthy a place in your magazine, their insertion will oblige, Yours, &c. T. O. M. However trifling the importance that attaches to the division of time into weeks, to the great reverence paid to the number seven, and to the setting apart one day out of seven to religious ceremonies by the heathen world may be, in the estimation of some persons, I cannot resist the conviction, that these practices are the most, and I might say, the only incontestible proofs of the observance of the Sabbath from the beginning of time. Nor am I single in the opinion. Archbishop Usher remarks, "That the heathen had their knowledge of God and of the Sabbath from the first fathers who lived before the dispersion." (Disc. on the Sabbath, p. 73); and Newton, in his Dissertations, states, that, "It cannot be doubted that our first parents' religiously observed so solemn an ordinance (the Sabbath) though no express mention is made of it after in the history of Moses, and from hence, in the most early ages, was derived the practice of reckoning their time by weeks. Computing and calling the days after the number and names of the planets was an invention of a later date, when some progress had been made in the study of astronomy, and when idolatry had prevailed, and the sun and stars were worshipped." Nor need I confine myself to these alone; among the learned, I might quote a hundred more on the same side; among whom, Sir Isaac Newton, Sir William Jones, and Michaelis, are names too illustrious to be overlooked. These names, however, illustrious as they justly are, I disregard in comparison of matter of fact, and shall therefore lay before the reader the few scattered fragments that I have collected on this subject. Linus, cotemporary with Orpheus, who is said to have lived in the thirteenth century before Christ, mentions a seventh day observed among the devout. Hesiod, before Homer, styles the seventh day, "The illustrious light of the sun;" and Homer himself says, "Then came the seventh day which is sacred and holy." Callimachus, who lived in the second century before the Christian era, notices the Ethnics, a very ancient sect of philosophers, who observed the seventh day on its return as sacred and holy; and Aulus Gellius confirms him, by stating that these people gave public instruction on |