from Eupolemus and Artapanus.+ Strabo,+ gives an account of the law of Mofes as prohi biting images, and limiting divine worship to one invifible, or univerfal being; and in confequence thereof, bears an honorable teftimony to the jews as a pious and righteous nation.

Celfus refers to this paffage of Strabo, and fre quently mentions Mofes and other perfons, recorded in the jewish history.

Juftin, from Trogus Pompeius, relates, that Mofes was driven out of Egypt; that he led the other exiles; that he encamped at Mount Sinai, and that he confecrated the feventh day as a facred folemnity.+

Pliny the elder, notices Mofes, as eminent among the Magicians; referring, moft probably, to his power of working miracles.*

Tacitus mentions Mofes as one of the exiles from Egypt, who perfuaded the other exiled jews to follow him as a celestial guide; and notices their having been conducted by him through the wilderness; by him relieved, in a fupernatu ral manner, in their thirst; and also, their having

xxix.

Eufeb. Præp. Ev. book IX. chap. xxvi

Geog. lib. xvi.

See Warb. div. leg. vol. I. p. 417, 418.-Leland against Morgan, p. 212, 213. 4 Juil. hift. book xxxvi. chap. II. *Plin. nat. hift. book xxx. chap. I.

received from him a code of laws; of which he gives a large, though an imperfect account.*

Juvenal mentions Mofes as the author of a volume that was preferved, with great care, among the jews; by which the worship of images and the eating of fwines fleth were forbidden; circumcifion and the obfervation of the fabbath, ftrictly enjoined. †

Longinus cites Mofes as the lawgiver of the jews, and a perfon of eminence; and remarks, that he has given a fpecimen of the true fublime, in his account of the creation of the world.

Numenius, as quoted by Eufebius and Origin, notices Mufæus, meaning, in all probability, Mofes, as a leader of the jews, who, by his prayers, brought great calamities on Egypt; whom Jamnes and Jambres, thofe celebrated magicians, were not able to refift. Į

Chalcidius fpeaks of Mofes as a person of emi nent wifdom, and as one who pretended to divine revelation. §

* Tacit. hift. book V. chap. III-V. Gord. tac. vol. IV. p. 476 — 482.

+ Juv. fat. XIV. ver. 95

Long. de fub. p. 50.

106.

Euf. præp. ev. book IX. chap. VIII. book XI. chap. X. orig. against celf. book IV. p. 198,

199.

Budei phil. hift. chap. L. § 22.

Diodorus Siculus, in his catalogue of thofe lawgivers, who pretended to have received their laws from fome deity, mentions Mofes, as afcribing his laws to that God whom he calls Jaoh, which, it is probable, is a corruption of Jehovah.*

And in an extract from his fortieth book, which is preferved by Photius, he gives a large, but, in fome refpects, an erroneous account of the jews ; in which he mentions Mofes as a man of diftinguilhed prudence, who fettled the jews in the land of Canaan; inftituted their religion and laws; forbad them images; divided the people into twelve tribes, and established a priesthood among thein with judicial authority-t

Juftin Martyr relates, that moft of the hiftori-. ans, poets, lawgivers and philofophers of the Greeks, mention Mofes as the leader and prince of the jewith nation; and, particularly, enumerates T'olemon; Appion, of Poflidon; Ptolemy Mendefius; Hellanicus; Philocorus; Caftor; Thal-· lus, and Alexander Polyhiftor; and adds, what is moft worthy of attention, that they received their account of Mofes, not from the jews, but the egyptian priests; from whom, it is well known, they collected moft of their learning.‡

* Diod. fic. 1. I.

+ Diod. fic. ap. phot. bib. No. 244. P; 2051,

2052.

See Juft. cohort. ad gent. p. 9-11. Huet. dem. Pr. IV. C. II. p. 49, &c. Calm. dict. vol. II. p. 236-238.

III. THE JEWS BEFORE THE APPEARANCE OF CHRIST, HAD AMONG THEM THE BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT.

THESE books are ftill extant in the Hebrew and Chaldee languages, with fuch marks of ori. ginality, as prove them to be very ancient.

They were tranflated into Greek, as before hath been obferved,* at the request of Ptolemy Philadelphus; and the tranflation was depofited in the Alexandrian library.†

Onkelos published his Chaldee paraphrafe on the law; and Jonathan his paraphrafe alfo, on the prophets, antecedent to the time of Chrift.t

Jofephus gives a catalogue of thefe books ;|| which, fince the publication of the gofpel, have been regarded as genuine, both by jews and chriftians.

The quotations made from the old teftament in the new, are numerous; and feveral ancient

P. 119, Note..

+ See Prid. con. vol. II. p. 38 et feq. Jof. ant. book XII. chap. II. Eufeb. ecclef. hift. book V. chap. VIII.

Calm. dict. in Onk. and Jonath. Prid. con. vol. IV. p. 755:

Jof. against Appion, book I. p. 1036.

Thefe quotations, and the exprefs references in the new teftament to the old, are coinputed to be about fix hundred.

writers, particularly Melito, Gregory Nazianzen, Origin, Athanafius, Hilary, Epiphanius and Jerom, have tranfmitted to us catalogues of thefe books.*

IV. THE BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT POSSESSED BY THE JEWS, AT THE APPEARANCE OF CHRIST WERE GENUINE.

As Mofes was the lawgiver of the jews, it is moft reasonable to conclude, he would write his inftitutions, as fuch a meafure would have been of great importance to the jewish nation; and feveral authors mention Mofes as a writer, as well as a law giver.

It is very probable, that in the polity founded by Mofes, occafions of writing hiftories and laws, would frequently have occurred; and that the prophets would not only commit their prophecies to writing, but by writing alfo, as well as by their eloquence, endeavor to enforce on mankind the practice of religion.

The perfons to whom the books of Mofes, and fucceeding writers, were first delivered, were competent to determine, whether they were genuine or not; and it is rational to believe they would not have received them, with fuch profound veneration, had they not been fully perfuaded of their truth. When it is confidered, how highly these books were efteemed by the jews in general, and

* Du Pin's canon of fcrip. vol I. chap. I.