the vifion of Zacharias, the father of John the Baptift, at the temple. Luke i. And it was a thing very proper to have had a place in his Hiftory. The prophecies of Simeon and Anna at the temple, and other things that happened there about that time, as we may think, must have been well known to him. Then the preaching and miracles of our Saviour, and his Apostles, at Jerufalem, and in Galilee, and all over Judea: the crucifixion of Jefus at Jerufalem, at the time of a Paffover, the darkness for three hours at Jerufalem, and all over Judea; the death of James the brother of John, at Jerufalem, by Herod Agrippa, All these things must have been well known to him.

Moreover, before Jofephus had finished his work of the Jewish Antiquities, or even the Hiftory of the Jewish War, Chriftianity had fpread very much in Afia, and in other parts, and at Rome itself, where alfo many had fuffered, and that feveral years before the final ruin of Jerufalem, and the Jewish nation. The progrefs of the Chriftian religion was a very confiderable event. And it had its rife in Judea.

The fect of the Chriftians, which had its rife in Judea, and confifted partly of Jews, partly of men of other nations, was as numerous, or more numerous, in the time of Jofephus, than any of the three Jewish fects, the Sadducees, Pharifees, and Effens, whofe principles are particularly defcribed by him in the War, and in the Antiquities. And therefore, as we may think, were deferving of notice. But they were not Jewish enough. They were not entirely Jewish. And they were followers of a leader whom our Author did not, and could not efteem, confiftently with his prevailing views and fentiments.

Jofephus was well acquainted with affairs at Rome, and in all the fettlements of the Jewish people in Afia, and parts adjacent. He is as exact in the account of the feveral fucceffions in the Roman empire, as any Roman Hiftorian whatever. What a long and particular account has he given of the confpiracy against Caligula, and his death, and the fucceffion of Claudius?

I do not fay, that Jofephus had read the books of the New Teftament. He might have come to the knowlege of moft of the things juft mentioned another way. They are great and remarkable events, about which a contemporary, and a man of good intelligence, engaged in public life, could not be ignorant. His filence therefore about Chriftian affairs, is willful and affected. It cannot be owing to ignorance. And must therefore be afcribed to fome other caufe, whatever it may be.

His profound filence, however, concerning the affairs of the Chriftians in his time, is no objection to their truth and reality. The Hiftory of the New Teftament has in it all the

marks

marks of credibility that any Hiftory can have. Heathen Hiftorians of the beft credit, have born witness to the time of the rife of the Chriftian religion, the country in which it had its origin, and who was the Author of it, and its fwift and early progrefs in the world.

Of all thofe things which are recorded in the Gofpels, and of the progrefs of Chriftianity afterwards, we have uncontefted evidence from the evangelical Writers themselves, and from ancient Christian Authors, ftill extant, and from Heathen Writers, concurring with them in many particulars.

And Jofephus, the Jewish Hiftorian, who believed not in Jefus, has recorded the hiftory of the Jewish people in Judea, and elsewhere; and particularly the ftate of things in Judea, with the names of the Jewish Princes, and Roman Governors, during the ministry of our Saviour and his Apoftles. Whereby, as formerly fhewn at large, he has wonderfully confirmed, tho' without intending it, the veracity, and the ability, of the evangelical Writers, and the truth of their Hiftory. He has alfo, as we have now seen in this volume, bore teftimony to the fulfilment of our Lord's predictions, concerning the coming troubles and afflictions of that people: which is more credible, and more valuable, than if given by a believer in Jefus, and a friend and favourer of him. So that though all the paffages in his works, which have been doubted of, fhould be rejected; he would be ftill a very ufeful Writer, and his works very valuable.

Jofephus knew how to be filent when he thought fit, and has omitted fome things very true and certain, and well known in the world. In his preface to the Jewish Antiquities, he engages to write of things, as he found them mentioned in the facred books, without adding any thing to them, or omitting any thing in them. And yet he has faid nothing of the golden calf, made by the Jewish people in the wilderness: thus drop-' ping an important narrative, with a variety of incidents, recorded in one of the books of Mofes himself, the Jewish Lawgiver, the moft facred of all their Scriptures.

The fin of the molten calf is alfo mentioned in other books of the Old Teftament, in the confeffions of pious Ifraelites; as Neh. ix. 18. and Pf. cvi. 19. Neverthelefs Jofephus chofe to obferve total filence about it.

A learned Critic obferved fome while ago, as fomewhat very remarkable, that Jofephus has never once mentioned the word Sion, or Zion, neither in his Antiquities nor in his Jewish War; though there were fo many occafions for it; and though it is fo often mentioned in the Old as well as the New TeftaB 4

ment.

ment.

And he fufpects that omiffion to be owing to defign and ill-will to the Chriftian caufe.

< And if I was not afraid of offending by too great prolixity, I fhould now remind my Readers of a long argument of old date, relating to the affeifment made in Judea, by order of Auguftus, at the time of our Saviour's nativity, near the end of Herod's reign, recorded by St. Luke ch. ii. It then quoted a paffage from the Antiquities of Jofephus, whence it appears, that there were then great difturbances in Herod's family. And there were fome Pharifees, who foretold, or gave out," That God had decreed to put an end to the government of Herod, and his race, and transfer the kingdom to another." Jofephus here takes great liberties. And though he was himfelf a Pharifee, and at other times fpeaks honourably of that fect, he now ridicules them. He fays, "They were men who valued themselves highly for their exact knowlege of the laws. And talking much of their intereft with God, were greatly in favour with the women. Who had it in their power to controul Kings: extremely fubtle, and ready to attempt any thing against those whom they did not like." But it appears, that the King who was then talked of, and who was to be appointed, "according to the predictions of the Pharifees," was a perfon of an extraordinary character. For he fays, that Bagoas, an eunuch in Herod's palace, 66 was elevated by them, with the profpect of being a father and benefactor to his country, by receiving from him a capacity of marriage, and having children of his own.".

All these particulars, though not expreffed with fuch gravity as is becoming an Hiftorian, and is ufual in Jofephus, cannot but lead us to think, that he was not unacquainted with the things related in the fecond chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel. Says the Evangelift: "Now when Jefus was born in Bethleem of Judea, in the days of Herod the King, behold there came wife-men from the East to Jerufalem, faying: Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have feen his ftar in the Eaft, and are come to worship him. When Herod the King had heard all these things, he was troubled, and all Jerufalem with him." The word rendered troubled, is of a middle meaning. How Herod was moved, may be easily gueffed, and is well known. The inhabitants of Jerufalem were differently moved and agitated; partly with joyful hopes of feeing their Mefliah,

Credibility. P. i. B. 2. ch. i. Vol. I. p. 628. third edition.

645. the

The quotation is, as above, p. 628.... 630, taken from the Antiquities. L. 17. cap. 2. § 4. p. 831. Havercamp.

King of the Jews; partly filled with apprehenfions from Herod's jealoufy, and the confequences of it.

It seems to me, that Jofephus had then before him good evidences, that the Meffiah was at that time born into the world, But he puts all off with a jeft. Perhaps, there is not any other place in his works where he is fo ludicrous. We are not there fore to expect, that ever after he should take any notice of the Lord Jefus, or things concerning him, if he can avoid it.

And why fhould we be much concerned about any defects in this Writer's regard for Jefus Chrift, and his followers: who out of complaifance, or from felf-interested views, or from a miftaken judgment, or fome other caufe, fo deviated from the truth, as to afcribe the fulfilment of the Jewifh ancient prophecies concerning the Meffiah, to Vefpafian, an idolatrous Prince, who was not a Jew by defcent, nor by religion; who was neither of the church, nor of the feed of Ifrael?

Jofephus was a man of great eminence and diftinction among his people. But we do not obferve in him a seriousness of fpirit becoming a Chriftian; nor that fublimity of virtue which is fuited to the principles of the Chriftian religion. Nor do we difcern in him fuch qualities as fhould induce us to think, he was one of those who were well difpofed, and were not far from the kingdom of God. He was a Prieft by defcent, and early in the magiftracy, then a General, and a Courtier, and in all fhewing a worldly mind, fuited to fuch ftations and employments. Infomuch that he appears to be one of thofe, of whom, and to whom, the best Judge of men and things faid: "How can ye believe, who receive honour one of another, and feek not the honour that cometh from God only!"

The fifth chapter contains the Teftimonies of the Mifhnical and Talmudical Writers.-In the fixth, our learned Author makes remarks upon the age, work, &c. of Jofeph Ben Gorion, or Jofippon, a perfon of a very extraordinary character, who wrote a Hiftory of the Jews, in fix books, and has been for fome time in great reputation with the learned men of the Jewish nation. His work was publifhed, in the Hebrew original, at Conftantinople, by Rabbi Tham, in the year 1510, and another edition made of it at Venice, in 1544.

My Readers cannot but remember, fays Dr. Lardner, that our Greek Jofephus, when he gives an account of the determination of the Jewish people to go to war with the Romans, informs us, that they appointed Jofeph Ben Gorion, and Ananus. the High-prieft, to pretide at Jerufalem. Others were fent as Generals into feveral parts of the country; and himself, Jo

feph

feph fon of Matthias, was appointed Governor of the two Galilees, together with 'the Prefecture of Gamala annexed to them.

Our Author's account of the fame determination is to this purpose: "The Jews, out of their Generals which were at Jerufalem, chofe three Princes valiant for war, Me Jofeph the Prieft, valiant for war with the help of Jehovah, and Ananus the Prieft, and Eleazar his fon, Priests also, and by lot they divided to them the feveral parts of the country, in which they fhould carry on the war. The third part, which was the first lot, containing the land of Galilee and Naphtali, came out to Jofeph Ben Gorion the Prieft. And they called him Jofippon, by way of praife and honour: forafmuch as he was then anointed with the military ointment for the war. The fecond lot came

out to Ananus the High-pricft, to govern at Jerufalem and the adjoining country. The third lot came out to Eleazar, fon of Ananus, and what follows." This fhould be compared with what is writ by Jofephus *.

Thus he adopts the appellation of Joseph son of Gorion. But perfonates Jofeph fon of Matthias. And like him, he is appointed Governor of Galilee. And all along he will be Jofephus in the main, and another perfon, when he pleafeth. He will alfo tranfcribe the Greek Jofephus, and copy a large part of his Hiftory of the Jewish War, without taking any notice of him. If he differs from him, and adds to him, it is not taken out of any other Writers better informed, but from his own invention only.'

The Doctor makes feveral extracts from his work, fhewing his teftimony to the deftruction of Jerufalem, by Vefpafian and Titus, and tells us, that he is evidently an Impoftor and a Plagiary, who knows nothing of the war of which he writes, but what he has ftolen from another, without naming him.-He is placed by the Doctor in the tenth century, not very far from the beginning of it, in the year of Chrift 930.

The feventh chapter contains a recollection of the foregoing articles, and reflections upon them.-The Teftimonies of ancient Heathen Authors, are contained in eight very fhort chapters; in the firft of which we have the Epiftle of Abgarus King of Edeffa to Jefus, and the Refcript of Jefus to Abgarus. As the authority of thefe Epiftles depends entirely upon Eufebius, our Author tranfcribes his account at length, from the laft chapter of the first book of his Ecclefiaftical Hiftory.

The learned are divided in their opinions on this fubject; our Author makes the following obfervations upon it:

De B. Jud. lib. ii. cap. 20. § 1. 2. 3.