the work which is now called the Masora, of which there is both a greater and a less printed at Venice and at Basil, it hath nevertheless been enlarged since the time of that school; for there were Masorites long afterwards, even as late as about A. D. 1030; particularly Ben-Asher and Ben-Naphtali, who were very famous, and the last of the profession. Each of these published a copy of the whole Hebrew text, as correct, saith Dr. Prideaux, as they could make it. The eastern Jews have followed that of Ben-Naphtali, and the western that of Ben-Asher; and all that has been done since is to copy after them, without making any more corrections, or masoretical criticisms*.

Their work regards merely the letter of the Hebrew text: in which they have, first, fixed the true reading by vowels and accents; though whether these points were originally annexed to the Hebrew letters by them is a matter of dispute, which we shall consider in another place.

They have, secondly, numbered not only the chapters and sections, but the verses, words, and letters of the text. They find, accordingly, in the Pentateuch 5245 verses, and in the whole Bible 23206. Some indeed have doubted, whether they carried their diligence so far as to number the letters. But father Simon attests that he had seen a MS Masora, which numbered in the book of Genesis 12 great sections, 43 sedarim, or orders, 1534 verses, 20713 words, and 78100 letters. The Masora is therefore called by the Jews, the hedge or fence of the law; inasmuch as this numbering the verses, words, and letters is a means of preserving it from being altered and corrupted. Thus it is said in the Mishna, that tythes are the fences of riches, vows are the fences of sanctity, silence is the fence of wisdom, and the Masora is the fence of the law. Hence also Aben-Ezra calls the Masorites the keepers of the walls of the holy city §.

* Prideaux's Connect. part i, book v, vol. ii, p. 516, edit. 10.

+ Vid. Simon. Histr. Critic. Vet. Test. lib. i, cap. xxvi, p. 128, Paris,

1681.

↑ Pirke Abhoth, cap. iii, sect. xiii, tom. iv, p. 442, edit. Surenhus.

§ Aben-Ezra quoted by Carpzovius, Critic. Sacr. part i, cap. vi, p. 288, Lipsia, 1728.

They have, thirdly, marked whatever irregularities are found in any of the letters of the Hebrew text; as that in some words one letter is of a larger (vid. Deut. vi, 4), in others, of a less (vid. Gen. ii, 4) size, than the rest. Of the former sort they discover thirty-one instances; of the latter, thirtythree. They observe four words in which one letter is suspended, or placed somewhat higher than the rest, vid. Judg. xviii, 30; nine places, in which the letter nun is inverted, vid. Numb. x, 35; and several places where the final letters are not used at the end of words; and others, where they are used in the middle.

They are likewise very fruitful in finding out reasons for these irregularities, and mysteries in them. Thus the great vau in the word pr gachon, in the forty-second verse of the eleventh chapter of Leviticus, is to signify, that it is just the middle of the Pentateuch. The last letter both of the first and last word of this sentence in the sixth chapter of Deuteronomy, ver. 4. "Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is one Lord," is of an extraordinary size, in order to denote the extraordinary weight of that sentence, and the peculiar attention it deserves. The caph in the word na libhchothah in the second verse of the twenty-third chapter of Genesis, where Abraham is said is to weep for Sarah, is of a lesser size, to signify the moderation of his mourning, she being an old

woman.

They are, fourthly, supposed to be the authors of the keri and chethibh, or the marginal corrections of the text in our Hebrew Bibles; among which they have noted transpositions of letters in some words, as n jebuchar, for jechubar, in the ninth chapter of Ecclesiastes, and the fourth verse; and one word put for another, as " ubenè for uben, in the forty-sixth chapter of Genesis, and the twenty-third verse. But we shall have occasion to take further notice of the keri and chethibh, when we come to treat of the Hebrew language.

From this short specimen of the works of the Masorites, you will probably conceive a higher opinion of their industry and diligence than of their judgment. As for the irregularities in the letters, upon which they have commented, it being

reasonable to suppose that these happened at first by mere accident in transcribing, they would have discovered more good sense if they had corrected them, than in devising reasons for them, and assigning mystical interpretations to them.

Dr. Prideaux saith, those, who were the authors of the Masora now extant, were a monstrous trifling set of men, whose criticisms and observations went no higher than numbering the verses, words, and letters, of every book in the Hebrew Bible, marking which was the middle word, verse, or letter, in each of them, and making of such other poor and low remarks concerning them, as are not worth reading or regarding, whatever Richard Simon the Frenchman may say to the contrary*.

The D durshanim, whom Godwin supposes to be intended by the disputers of this world mentioned in the first chapter of the first epistle to the Corinthians, ver. 20, were likewise a sort of scribes or doctors of the law. There was a threefold exposition of the law in vogue among the Jews, in their later and corrupt ages; the first a literal explication of the written law, which they called po mikra, the second, consisting of the traditions of the fathers, styled the w mishna, with a comment upon them styled the gemara, both together called the talmud; the third a mystic and allegorical exposition of the scriptures, called midrash, or commentary xar xt. The apostle's allegory of Sara and Hagar, with their sons, by which he illustrates the two covenants, in the epistle to the Galatians, chap. iv, is somewhat in this style, and was therefore admirably suited to the taste of the persons, whom he is there addressing.

The Cabalists likewise were a sort of mystical doctors, who discovered a world of mystery in the letters of the sacred text, either by considering their numeral power, or by changing and transposing them in different ways, according to the rules

* See Prideaux's Connect. part i, book v, sub anno 446. For a larger account of the Masorites and their works, consult, besides the authors already quoted, Buxtorfii Tiberias; Carpzovii Critica Sacra, part i, cap. vi; and Walton. Prolegom. viii, ad Bibl. Polyglot.

+ Vid. Lightfoot. Hor. Hebraic. in Luc. x, 25.

of their art. By these means they extracted senses from the sacred oracles, very different from those which the expression seemed naturally to import, or which were ever intended by the authors*.

We have before offered some reasons for believing that by the copos, mentioned in the first chapter of the first epistle to the Corinthians, ver. 20, are meant Gentile philosophers, and not, as Godwin seems to imagine, Jewish teachers of traditions. Whether the disputer of this world, ourYS TO alwvos T8T8, referred to the Jewish allegorical doctors, or the Gentile natural philosophers, as distinguished from the moral philosophers, called rogo, is differently conjectured by the learned, but very hard to be determined with certainty.

* A large account of the cabalistic art, as practised, not only by Jews, but by Heathens and Christians, may be seen in Basnage's History of the Jews, book iii, chap. x—xxviii.

CHAP. VII.

OF THE TITLE RABBI.

THE title Rabbi, with several others from the same root, rabhabh, magnus est, vel multiplicatus est, began first to be assumed, according to Godwin, as a distinguishing title of honour by men of learning, about the time of the birth of Christ. We find it anciently given, indeed, to several magistrates and officers of state. In the book of Esther it is said, the king appointed - col rab betho, "all the officers of his house," Esth. i, 8.

which we render In Jeremiah we

read of the rabbè hammelek, "the princes of the bon king," Jer. xli, 1. In the book of Job it is said, that the o rabbim, which we render "great men, are not always wise," Job xxxii, 9 Engl., 10 Heb.; a rendering, which I apprehend well expresses the original meaning of the word. It was not therefore in those days properly a title of honour, belonging to any particular office or dignity, in church or state; but all, who were of superior rank and condition in life, were called rabbim. We do not find the prophets, or other men of learning in the Old Testament, affecting any title beside that which denoted their office; and they were contented to be addressed by their bare names. But as religion and true knowledge declined among them, their pride discovered itself in affectation of titles of honour. Thus, in the first ages of the Christian church, during the prevalence of truth, and of piety and humility, the ministers of Christ had no other titles, but the mere names of their office, apostles, pastors; &c., whereas, in the later corrupt ages of ignorance and pride, a number of titles of honour were invented, to support their dignity, and conciliate the respect and reverence of the people; as masters, doctors, &c.

The first Jewish rabbi, said to have been distinguished with any title of honour, was Simeon, the son of Hillel, who succeeded his father as president of the Sanhedrim; and his title