that the writers became acquainted with the language in confequence of an actual intercourse with those who spoke it; rather than from any ftudy of books: and that intercourse must have been very much confined to the middling, or even lower claffes, fince the words and phrases, most frequently used by them, paffed current only among the vulgar. There are undoubtedly many plain intimations* given throughout these books,

that

any thing, which could be called idiomatical or vulgar in the language of our Lord himself, who taught always in his mother tongue. His Apoftles and Evangelifts, on the contrary, who wrote in Greek, were, in writing, obliged to tranflate the inftructions received from him into a foreign language of a very different structure, and for the ufe of people accustomed to a peculiar idiom. The apparently respectful manner in which our Saviour was accofted by all ranks of his countrymen, and in which they fpoke of his teaching, thews that he was univerfally confidered as a perfon of eminent knowledge and abilities. It was the amazing fuccefs of his difcourfes to the people, in commanding the attention and reverence of all who heard him, which firft awaked the jealoufy of the Scribes and Pharifees." Campbell, Vol. I. p. 23.

It may be proper to state that in the year 1767, a work was published at Naples with the following title. Dominici Diodati J. C. Neapolitani de Chrifto Græcè loquente Exercitatio, quâ oftenditur, Græcam, five Hellenifticam linguam cùm Judæis omnibus, tùm ipfi adeò Chrifto Domino et Apoftolis, nativam, ac vernaculam fuiffe. It is written, as I am told by a learned friend, with acutenefs rather than erudition, and contains no argument of real weight against the generally received opinion of scholars.

*It is obvious to cite fuch paffages as Mark i. 16. ii. 14. John xxi. 3. 7. where the occupations of the Apostles are plainly and profeffedly mentioned. It may be more fatisfac

B 2

tory

that the writers were of this lower clafs, and that their affociates were frequently of the fame description; but the character of the style is the strongest confirmation poffible, that their conditions were not higher, than what they have afcribed to themselves.

WHAT is the inference from these facts? That the books of the New Teftament were written exactly at the time, in which they are supposed to have been written, and by the very perfons, to whom they are afcribed? By no means. No internal marks perhaps could fupply a proof of fuch accuracy as this. But they fhew that they were written near the time, to which they were attributed; and by perfons fimilarly fituated in religion, language, and condition, to thofe, whofe works they are afferted to be. So that the internal marks, thofe characters which cannot be feigned, are so far from contradicting the pretenfions of the writers, that they even supply a powerful argument in their favour. "It cannot be concluded (fays Michaelis

very tory to refer to Acts iii. 6. xviii. 3. xx. 34. 2 Cor. ch. viii. and ix. xi. 6, 8, 9, 27. xii 14, &c. Phil. ii. 25. iv. 10, &c. 1 Theff. ii. 6, 9. 2 Theff. iii. 8, 10, 11. Philem. 11, 18. In thefe, the attainments, occupations and affociates of the first preachers of the Gospel are indirectly mentioned and alluded to, and afford a fpecies of undefigned proof, which feems to repel the imputation of fraud, efpecially if the circumftance of ftyle be taken into the account.

very justly) from these premifes alone, that the facred books of the New Teftament were written by those particular perfons to whom they are afcribed, but only that they were compofed either by native Jews, or by perfons, who, by continual intercourfe with that nation, had infenfibly adopted the Jewish style. It follows therefore, from what has been faid above, that they were written before the year 120, a conclufion fufficient to answer our present purpose, when applied to the books of undoubted authority*."

SECONDLY, The remarkable minuteness and precision, with which the incidents and conversations are recorded in the historical books, fuit the character, and justify the pretensions, of the authors, as having been eyewitnesses, or as having derived their information from eye-witneffes. Not only are the time and place of many tranfactions described with uncommon exactness †, but the

• « τὰ ὁμολογέμενα.” Ρ. 47.

+ John vi. 10. "Now there was much grafs in the place." Surely that is the obfervation of an eye-witnefs.-Mark ix. 3. The defcription of the transfiguration is fo ftriking, that it increafes the probability of Mark's Gofpel being written under the direction of St. Peter.-Obferve the incident in c. xiv. 51, 52. Who was this varioxos? could it be Mark himfelf? I beg alfo to refer the reader to the following paffages, which appear to me to bear evident marks of being written by perfons well acquainted with the facts, which

they

the names of individuals are particularly mentioned; and this too, when the writers do not affect precifion, as to the order of occurrences, but profelfedly relate events, as they fuggefted themfelves to the memory, or appeared to be more peculiarly worth recording.

It is the practice of impoftors, with the pretence of accuracy, to avoid entering into particulars, and to carry away their readers by enlarging upon general topics: thofe, who write with the mintitetiefs of the facred hiftorians, can do it only in the conviction, that they are defcribing real incidents.From this it follows, that the tranfactions, must have occurred fomewhere about the

time

they have undertaken to record. Mark v. 25. viii. 14. X. 50. xiv. 5. Luke viii. 42, 51. ix. 28. xix. 3, 4. xxii. 59. xxiv. 42. John vi. 22, 23. xviii. 26. xix. 39. xx. 3, 7. xxi. 1, &c. The enumeration of circumstances, fo minute with refpect to time, age, place, quantity, gefture, &c. carries along with it a fort of calm, but fatisfactory evidence, in which the mind acquiefces more readily, in proportion as it examines more attentively. To the foregoing paffages add Mark xiv. 54. and the parallel places, Luke xxii. 55. John xviii. 18. The intenfeness of the cold during the night in Judæa, about the time of the vernal equinox, is fufficiently proved by the concurring evidence of travellers. See Shaw's Travels, folio, PP. 362. 377 379 Maundrell complains of the feverity of the dews in the night of March 22. See his Journey, p. 57. 6th Edit. The crucifixion, according to Ferguson, took place April 3rd in the last year of the zozd Olympiad. See his Aftronomy, 4to. p. 194.

Mark v. 22. x. 46. xv. 21, 40, 43: xviii. 10. Acts ix. 36. x. 1, 32. xiii.

Luke xxiii. 26. John 1, 6, 7.

time they are related to have happened, and the hiftories must also have been written not long after: fince Jerufalem was destroyed, the inhabitants flain or carried away, and the whole country made defolate, about 40 years after the death of Jefus: and as no opportunity was afterwards afforded for obferving any thing fimilar, fo no temptation could be prefented for laying the fcene of fuch incidents in that country.

THIRDLY, Thefe writings are not infected with the flightest tincture of party fpirit. If the authors had been prompted to compofe and publifh thefe hiftories with any finifter intention, their object would have been to exalt the character of Jefus and his followers, and to degrade and vilify their adverfaries. Splendid eulogia upon the one, and pointed cenfures of the other, would have been studiously introduced. Instead of which, not the flightest attempt at panegyric, nor the leaft degree of mifreprefentation is obfervable. A plain tale is told artlessly and abruptly. The character of Jefus is rendered prominent by a fimple detail of his actions; and the proceedings of his enemies are fet forth in the ufual manner of historical narrative, without offenfive imputations