mostly borrowed it from divine revelation, while they meanly and ungratefully disowned it; but that it was very wrong in them to drink only of the polluted streams, instead of coming directly to the fountain-head, and madness to prefer the faint reflections of a cloud before the open sunshine. This is a famous topic among the ancient Apologists, and has been frequently made use of since, as I have already hinted. And this is what I incline to entertain you a while with at present. I the rather choose it, because this topic has been disputed in part by some, and obscured by others, and seems to want a little clearing and settling: neither indeed is it to be admitted entire and in the gross, without proper qualifyings and distinctions. I shall first fairly and fully represent it, as it stood among the ancient Apologists, and shall next endeavour to pass a clear and right judgment upon it, and to take off unreasonable exceptions to it.

I shall begin with the Jewish Apologists, who led the way, and who gave the first hints, which the Christians coming after laid hold of and improved.

Aristobulus, an Alexandrian Jew, as is said, and a Peripatetic philosopher, preceptor also to Ptolemy Philometor, about 160 years before Christ, affirms directly, that both Pythagoras and Plato had copied many things from Moses's Law, transferring the same into their own philosophyb. And to make it appear the more probable, he suggests that the Hebrew Scriptures, or rather some extracts of them, had been translated into Greek before the time of Alexander the Great, and even before the rise of the Persian monarchy: a fact, which learned men have been much divided upon formerly, and do not now commonly admit. But unless he had good proof of it, it was need

b Aristobulus apud Clem. Alex. Strom. i. p. 110, 111. ed. Oxon. Euseb. Præp. Evang. lib. ix. cap. 6. lib. xiii. cap. 12.

c Vid. Huet. Dem. Evang. Prop. iv. p. 132, 133. Nourrii Apparat. ad Bibl. Max. vol. i. p. 389. Fabric. Bibl. Græc. lib. iii. cap. 12. p. 316. Prolegom. ad Grab. Septuag. tom. ii. c. 1. prop. 1. Hodii Text. Bibl. p. 570, &c. Jenkin's Reasonableness, &c. vol. i. p. 93. There is little reason to doubt,

less for him to insist upon it, since his main argument did not require it; for Pythagoras and Plato might have borrowed many things at second or at third hand from the Jewish Church, without having a sight of the Jewish Scriptures; and Aristobulus might have learned from the testimony of Megasthenes, a Pagan writer, who lived about 150 years before him, that the Greek philosophers had borrowed many of their notions from the Jews. The same Aristobulus elsewhere intimates, that not only Pythagoras and Plato, but Socrates also, and Orpheus, and Hesiod, and Homer, and Linus had drank at the same fountains, enriching their theology from the holy Scriptures; nay, and that Aristotle's philosophy had taken several things from the Law of Moses and from the Prophetsf, or depended upon them.

I am aware, that a learned writers of our own has hinted his suspicion that the writings going under the name of Aristobulus were a forgery of the second century: and another very considerable authorh seems in a great measure to favour the suspicion. But other as learned writers i think, that the suspicion is not sufficiently grounded, or is far from probable: and some have professedly

but that at least part of the Bible was translated into Greek before the time of Alexander the Great. Ibid.

d Απαντα μέν τοι τὰ περὶ φύσεως εἰρημένα παρὰ τοῖς ἀρχαίοις λέγεται παρὰ τοῖς ἔξω τῆς Ἑλλάδος φιλοσοφοῦσι. τὰ μὲν παρ ̓ Ἰνδοῖς ὑπὸ τῶν Βραχμάνων, τὰ δὲ ἐν τῇ Συρίᾳ ὑπὸ τῶν καλουμένων Ἰουδαίων. Clem. Αlex. Strom. lib. i. p. 360. Conf. Euseb. Præp. Evang. lib. ix. cap. 6. p. 410.

N. B. The same words are quoted by Cyril of Alexandria, as Aristobulus's own words, (Cyrill. contr. Jul. lib. iv. p. 134.) probably because Aristobulus had quoted them from Megasthenes; for Clemens and Eusebius both quote them as Megasthenes's, and the very manner of expression shows that they are not Aristobulus's own. See Hody de Bibl. Text. p. 54.

e

Apud Euseb. Præp. Evangel. lib. xiii. cap. 12.

f Aristobulus apud Clem. Alex. Strom. v. p. 705.

8 Hody de Bibl. Text. Original. lib. i. cap. 9. p. 49. et lib. iv. p. 570. Prideaux, Connect. p. ii. lib. i. p. 38, &c. Conf. Carpzov. Crit. Sacr.

p. 490.

i Fabric. Bibl. Græc. lib. iii. cap. 11. p. 281. Wolfii Biblioth. Hebr. vol. i. p. 215.

undertaken to clear up the objected difficulties, and to assert the genuineness of the writings ascribed to Aristobulus k. I make not myself a party or a moderator in that dispute neither is it necessary that I should, since little depends upon it as to our present argument. If Aristobulus's pieces are genuine, then he is the first man of the ancient Apologists (whom we have any remains of) that so managed the dispute in favour of revelation against the Pagans: if not, Josephus then leads the way, whom I come next to mention.

Josephus, in his two books against Apion, is very full and particular upon the same argument. He observes, that the famous Pythagoras, the father of the Pagan philosophy and theology, was well acquainted with the Jewish institutes, and was a great admirer and follower of them1: which he confirms by the testimony of the Pagan biographer Hermippus, who, in his life of Pythagoras, had observed that that philosopher had taken several of his notions from the Jews, adopting them for his ownm.

Josephus himself adds, that it is said with truth, that that philosophern transferred many of the Jewish rules into his own philosophy; thereby confirming what Aristobulus had said before. A little after, he observes from Clearchus, a disciple of Aristotle, how that philosopher

k Whiston's Appendix to the Literal Accomplishment, p. 134, &c. 141, &c. 1 Πυθαγόρας τοίνυν ὁ Σάμιος ἀρχαῖος ὤν, σοφίᾳ δὲ καὶ τῇ περὶ τὸ θεῖον εὐσεβείᾳ πάντων ὑπειλημμένος διενεγκεῖν τῶν φιλοσοφησάντων, οὐ μόνον ἐγνωκὼς τὰ παρ' ἡμῖν δηλός ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ζηλωτὴς αὐτῶν ἐκ πλείστου γεγενημένος. Joseph. contr. Ap. lib. i. cap. xxii. p. 453.

m Ταῦτα δ ̓ ἔπραττε καὶ ἔλεγε, τὰς Ἰουδαίων καὶ Θρακῶν δόξας μιμούμενος, καὶ μerapigwv sis lautóv. Hermipp. ap. Joseph. ibid. p. 453. This Hermippus lived about 250 years before Christ. See Hod. Bibl. Text. p. 11.

n

Λέγεται γὰρ ὡς ἀληθῶς ὁ ἀνὴρ ἐκεῖνος πολλὰ τῶν παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις νομίμων εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ μετενεγκεῖν φιλοσοφίαν. Ibid. p. 453.

He seems here to allude to what had been said by Aristobulus, Пdayógas πολλὰ τῶν παρ' ἡμῖν μετενέγκας εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δογματοποιΐαν. Aristobul. ap. Clem. Alex. Strom. i. p. 111. This I note as a probable argument to prove that Aristobulus's pieces were then extant; only Josephus would not name him, because the testimony of one of his own side would have weighed little with the adversary.

in his travels had struck up an acquaintance with a Jew of extraordinary worth, and had learned much from him. Which again confirms what Aristobulus reports of Aristotle's philosophy, that it derived several things from the Law and Prophets P.

From Josephus the Jew, I may now proceed to Christian Fathers and Apologists. Justin Martyr, in his first Apology, expresses himself thus. "Moses is older than "6 any of the Greek writers: and as to what the philoso"phers and poets have said, either of the immortality of "the soul, or of punishments after death, or of contem"plation of heavenly things, or the like doctrines, they "took their hints from the Prophets, whom they con"sulted and built upon; and by this means some seeds "of truth seem to have been scattered amongst all: 66 though at the same time it is evident, from their noto"rious disagreeing amongst themselves, that they under"stood not those things to any degree of exactness9."

The same Justin, in his Parænesis, dwells upon the argument more at large; observing that Orpheus, and Homer, and Solon, and Pythagoras, and Plato had all been in Egypt, and had there learned to improve their theology by the help of Moses's writings. He first asserts it in the general, and then goes on to speak more distinctly to every particulars: and when he comes in the close, to assign his reason for insisting so much upon this topic, he tells his readers, that it was to convince the Greeks, that there was no learning true religion from them, who had

• Joseph. contr. Apion. lib. i. cap. 22. p. 454, 455, Clem. Alex. Strom. i. p. 358. Euseb. Præp. Evang. lib. ix. cap. 5, 6..

P See above, p. 6.

4 Πρεσβύτερος γὰρ Μωσῆς καὶ πάντων τῶν ἐν Ἕλλησι συγγραφέων καὶ πάντα ὅσα περὶ ἀθανασίας ψυχῆς, ἢ τιμωριῶν τῶν μετὰ θάνατον, ἢ θεωρίας οὐρανίων, ἢ τῶν ὁμοίων δογμάτων, καὶ φιλόσοφοι καὶ ποιηταὶ ἔφασαν, παρὰ τῶν προφητῶν τὰς ἀφορμὰς λαβόντες, καὶ νοῆσαι δεδύνηνται, καὶ ἐξηγήσαντο. ὅθεν παρὰ πᾶσι σπέρματα ἀληθείας δοκεῖ εἶναι. ἐλέγχονται δὲ μὴ ἀκριβῶς νοήσαντες, ὅταν ἐναντία αὐτοὶ ἑαυτοῖς Xywow. Just. Mart. Apol. i. cap. 57. p. 86. edit. Oxon. p. 67. Cant. r Just. ad Græc. cohort. cap. xv. p. 76. edit. Oxon.

Just. ibid. cap. xv. xvi.-xxxXV.

nothing considerable of their own to boast of; and as to what they had borrowed from Moses and the Prophets, they had so disguised and disfigured it, that they had almost spoiled itt. I speak his sense, though not his very words.

Next to Justin, follows his scholar Tatian, who expresses the same thought more distinctly, and is the best comment upon him. He observes ", that it were much more advisable for the Pagans to take Moses himself for their guide, than to follow the Greek philosophers so much younger, and who had drawn their best things from him, and not in the best manner, not like skilful men : for that many of their sophists, led by vain curiosity, had come to Moses and other Jewish sages for instruction, but had laboured to adulterate it when they had done; either to make a show of saying something of their own, or else to cover up what they did not well understand, under a mist of words, sophisticating the truth with devised fables. To proceed.

Theophilus Bishop of Antioch, about the year of our Lord 18o, takes notice that the Pagan poets and philosophers coming after the sacred Prophets had stolen the doctrine of eternal punishments from them, in order to give the more strength and weight to their own writings. In another place, he intimates, that they had derived the no

* Τοῦ χάριν μνημονεῦσαι τούτων νυνὶ προήχθην, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἕλληνες, ἵνα γνῶτε τὴν ἀληθῆ θεοσέβειαν οὐ δυνατὸν παρὰ τούτων μανθάνειν τῶν μηδὲ ἐν οἷς ὑπὸ τῶν ἔξωθεν ἐθαυμάσθησαν, ἴδιόν τι γράψαι δυνηθέντων, ἀλλὰ διά τινος ἐκείνης ἀλληγορίας ὑπὸ Μωσέως καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν προφητῶν ἐν τοῖς ἑαυτῶν συγγράμμασιν ἀπηγγελκότων. Just. Paran. cap. xxxv. p. 118.

* Καὶ χρὴ τῷ πρεσβεύοντι κατὰ τὴν ἡλικίαν πιστεύειν, ἤπερ τοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς πηγῆς ἁρυσαμένοις Ἕλλησιν, οὐ κατ ̓ ἐπίγνωσιν, τὰ ἐκείνου δόγματα. πολλοὶ γὰρ οἱ κατ ̓ αὐτοὺς σοφισταὶ κεχρημένοι περιεργίᾳ, τὰ ὅσα περὶ τῶν κατὰ Μωσέα, καὶ τῶν ὁμοίως αὐτῷ φιλοσοφούντων ἔγνωσαν, ἃ καὶ παραχαράττειν ἐπειράσθησαν. πρῶτον μὲν, ἵνα τὸ λέγειν ἴδιον νομίζωνται· δεύτερον δὲ, ὅπως τὰ ὅσα μὴ συνίεσαν, διὰ τινὸς ἐπιπλάστου ῥητολογίας παρακαλύπτοντες, ταῖς μυθολογίαις τὴν ἀλήθειαν παραβρεσβεύωσι. Ταtian. ad Græc. cap. lxi. 135. edit. Oxon.

* Ων τιμωριών προειρημένων ὑπὸ προφητῶν μεταγενέστεροι γενόμενοι οἱ ποιηταὶ καὶ φιλόσοφοι ἔκλεψαν ἐκ τῶν ἁγίων γραφῶν, εἰς τὰ δόγματα αὐτῶν ἀξιόπιστα γενηθῆ vas. Theoph. ad Antol. 1. i. c. 19, p. 62. edit. Hamb.