of it as the first word of chapters, even in the hiftorical works of prophane Greek writers, clearly evinces that this mode of employing as in scripture is of Hebrew origin, and an idiom of the Hebrew language. 3. The frequent ufe of xa at the beginning of chapters and verses, in the Gofpels, and the book of Acts, therefore fhews, that the writers of them were perfons of Hebrew education, or in habits of intercourse with Jews. For though pure claffical Greek writers may occafionally begin fentences, and even sections and chapters, with xai; yet, as Michaelis obferves, in his Introduction to the New Teftament, vol. i. p. 142, "the peculiarity of a language frequently confifts, in the repeated use of particular ઃઃ 66 phrases," and, we may add, of particular words and particles, in a fingular manner. "In cafes "where a native Greek would have introduced, as "the connection required, perhaps feveral particles, "the writers of the New Teftament are obliged to ઃઃ fupply their place with the fingle conjunction xa, "which they repeat as often the Hebrew writers "their Vau prafixum, that gives the structure of "their periods a tedious uniformity.”—Michael. Introd. vol. i. p. 123. 4. The Hebrew idiom muft have been adopted by the Septuagint tranflators of the Old Testament, and by the writers of the New Teftament, at a time when the Greek language was familiarly used by native Jews; for no other people wrote Hebraistic Greek. This, therefore, could not have been before Alexander conquered Judæa, nor much later than the first century. After the conquefts of Alexander, Greek became the general language in his empire. On this account, as well as because many Gentiles who fpake Greek became profelytes to Judaism, the Jews at Alexandria tranflated the Hebrew fcriptures into Greek. In this verfion, as was natural when Jews tranflated their own fcriptures into another language, much of the Hebrew idiom was retained. The first traces of Hebraic Greek are found in the Septuagint. The continual reading of this in their fynagogues tended to confirm the Jews in the ufe of this Hebraic Greek on religious fubjects. This, therefore, became habitual to the writers of the New Teftament. It was a style that was best understood by thofe to whom it was originally addreffed. And it is highly probable, that if the New Teftament had been written with Attic purity, it would have been unintelligible to many of its earliest readers, who had never read the doctrines of religion in any other than Jewish Greek. See Michael. vol. i. p. III, 117 to 119. The frequent Hebraifms and Syriasms. in the Greek of the New Teftament fhew it not only to have been written by men of Hebrew origin, but also to have been a production of the first century, or within A. D. 120; fince, after the decease of the Jewish converts to Christianity, we find hardly any inftance of Jews who turned preachers of the Gofpel; and the Chriftian Fathers were for the moft part totally ignorant of Hebrew, and therefore would hardly introduce Hebraifms and Syriafms into their writings. See Mich. vol. i. chap. 2, fec. 10. The facts which we have stated, and the few observations which we have fubjoined, concerning the idiomatic use of the particle xa in the Chriftian fcriptures, have been fubmitted to the public, in order to excite others to purfue a fimilar mode of investigation refpecting other inftances of Hebraic Greek that abound in them. If the several various Hebrew idioms in the New Teftament were each. accurately traced, refpecting both their frequency in each particular author, and their comparative frequency in different authors; and if these facts were difplayed by an enumeration of particulars, this would prove by induction, which is the only true and folid bafis of this kind of evidence, how thoroughly Hebrew idioms pervade thefe writings in general, and what particular Hebrew idiom prevails most in every fingle book. This method would alfo fully and clearly display a part of that fatisfactory evidence which the books of the New Teftament themselves afford, of the age in which they were penned, and of the native country, or of the intimate affociates, of their authors, by which a large addition would be made to the proof of their authenticity and credibility. The tediousness of these refearches would be repaid by their extenfive utility and unspeakable importance. Printed by Richard Cruttwell, |