Hence, the visions of the Apocalypse, in which the book is presented to the view of the inspired Apostle as so firmly sealed, that no created power was able to open it or to look thereon,-could not in strict propriety have been given till near the end of Domitian's reign. Accordingly it appears to be one of those minute and unexpected coincidences, by which truth is always distinguished, that this Revelation was given to St John in the island of Patmos, to which he was banished in the very persecution which has just been noticed as marking the concluding years of this Emperor. Not till then could it be truly affirmed, that No man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. But from that time the assertion could be made: the sealing up of the book was then complete and irrevocable: -irrevocable until the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, shall prevail to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. CHAPTER V. A CONJECTURE RELATIVE TO THE PRESENT STATE OF THE IN entering upon this chapter the author feels most sensibly the correctness and weight of the observation, that it is more easy to expose error, than to discover truth. We may entertain a moral conviction, that the sacred books of the Jews did not share the fate of the other spoils of the temple of Jerusalem; and that, after being used by Josephus in the composition of his Antiquities, they did not again return into the land of Judæa;-and yet remain altogether unable to trace their subsequent history. On this subject the author regrets that he has little besides conjecture to offer. And, indeed, so slight is the foundation, on which the following suggestions are built, that he has more than once doubted the propriety of introducing them, lest they should weaken the general argument; which appears to him to stand on a much firmer basis. But, on reflection, he entertains a hope that even the little which he has now to propose, will be received with a candid spirit; and that his attempt may be the means of leading other students to deeper and more successful researches. At the same time, also, he appeals to the justice of his readers to draw a distinction between the conjectures offered in the present chapter, and the general interpretation which has been given of the sealed book. The author may be right in the general meaning of the symbol, though wrong in this particular point. It may be true, that the Book is the Old Testament, which became sealed at the destruction of Jerusalem, and is to be hereafter unsealed by the reproduction of its authentic copy; although the conjectures, which the present or any other writer may offer on the place of its concealment, should prove to be altogether erroneous. Having said thus much by way of apology for the present attempt, the author will now state what has occurred to him on this part of the subject. We have seen, that after the triumph of Vespasian and Titus the Pentateuch was by the command of the Emperor deposited in the royal palace; the remaining volumes of the Old Testament being in the private possession of Josephus. After the lapse of a few years this author, having finished his history of the Jewish War, was engaged in composing his work on the Antiquities of his nation, or, as he expresses it, in translating the sacred books into the Greek language. In the course of this work, besides general references to the sacred books as the authority, on which his statements are founded, he twice distinctly refers to the copy, which had been laid up in the temple at Jerusalem ;—once in the Pentateuch, and again in the book of Joshua. While engaged, then, in the composition of this work, Josephus had access to that volume, which was deposited in the royal palace, equally with those, which were now his own property. But it is not probable, that he would be permitted to remove this volume to his private residence: it seems more likely that an apartment. in the palace itself would be assigned to him, where he would enjoy the free use of the book, without endangering its safe custody. The question then occurs: In what palace was the Pentateuch deposited? Was it placed in the state palace on the Palatine hill, or in some more private palace belonging to the Emperor? It may appear hopeless to attempt to settle this point: but an accidental discovery in the Lateran palace has led the author to a conjecture that this was the place in which the Jewish Pentateuch was deposited. There has been found in the Lateran palace a brass plate or tablet, on which was engraved the decree of the Senate conferring the Empire on Vespasian: and this circumstance seems to identify this palace as having belonged to that prince. Now the Lateran palace was so named from the noble family of the Laterani, to whom it belonged. In the reign of Nero, A.D. 65, the head of this family, Plautius Lateranus, engaged with many of the principal persons in Rome in a conspiracy against the life of that prince. Lateranus was put to death, and his palace in all probability confiscated to the Emperor. The history of this conspiracy is given at large by Tacitus'; and Juvenal has alluded to the stately mansions of the conspirators surrounded by the imperial soldiers: Jussuque Neronis Longinum, et magnos Senecae praedivitis hortos, Tota cohors.2 1 Annal. xv. 2 Sat. x. v. 15-18. Quod epitheton, egregias, indicium est, aetate quoque Juvenalis splendidas illas et valde conspicuas aedes fuisse: unde et a Nerone fisco addictas, et ab Imperatoribus deinceps possessas usque ad Con Five or six years only, then, before the accession of Vespasian this sumptuous mansion of Lateranus had become part of the property of the crown: and it is not improbable that Vespasian might prefer it as an occasional private residence, instead of the public palace of the Empire. Certainly, the circumstance of his having made choice of this house, in which to deposit so interesting and valuable a document, as the tablet, which has been discovered there, which, to speak in legal terms, was the title-deed of Vespasian to the Empire, renders the supposition far from improbable. And, possibly, the same place, which was chosen for the safe custody of this tablet, might have been selected as the depository of another document equally interesting and valuable, the sacred roll, which had been saved from the ruins of the temple of Jerusalem, and carried in the triumphal procession. The author has no wish to press this conjecture beyond its reasonable value. Should it, however, be correct, there will be little doubt, that at the close of the reign of Domitian, when Josephus had finished his great work on the Antiquities of the Jews, all the volumes of the Old Testament would be placed with the Pentateuch under the seal of this palace, and descend with it to the succeeding Emperors. Here, then, the book remained sealed up until the time of stantinum non vane a plerisque omnibus asseritur. Cumque ibi tabula aenea reperta sit, quâ Senatus Romanus Vespasiano imperium commendat, ac in manus tradit, quae nostrâ memoriâ in Capitolium translata est, eandem ibi velut in domo imperatoriâ affixam fuisse indubium est. Nardini Roma Vetus. lib. III. cap. vii. Graevii Thesaurus, Tom. IV. p. 1004. This tablet is also mentioned by Crevier, Histoire des Empereurs Romains, Tom. I. p. 31. who refers to Gravina, de Romano Imperio. This latter work the present writer has not seen: and he regrets that he is unable to give more minute information respecting the discovery of this interesting relic. |