Who was

Jews at the

S. 5. It is evident, both from the Words of the Ho High- ly Scripture, and Fofephus, that Caiaphas was HighPrieft a Prieft at the time of the Paffion of Chrift. The onmong the ly objection is taken from Luke 3. 2. where it is faid time of the Annas and Caiaphas being the High Priests, the Word Paffion of of God came unto Fohn. Compare Acts 5. 6. Which Chrift. Objection is fufficiently answered by Scaliger Prol. in Eufeb. to wit, that Annas was not actually HighPriest at that time, but only his Vicar to fupply his Place upon any emergent Occafion. Others will have it, that the Dignity of the High Pontiff being for Life, they always retained the Name though they were depofed as Annas was, who is mentioned here in the first place, by reafon of his great Authority, as having been High Prieft himfelf, and having feen both his own Son and Son-in-law in the fame eminent Sta tion.

tural and

Whether §. 6. The miraculous Eclipfe which hapned at the that Eclipfe time of the Paffion of Chrift, was both preternatural which hap- and univerfal: Preternatural, becaufe it hapned at the ned at the full Moon; it being evident, that fince the Solar Etime of the clipfes are caufed by the interpofition of the Moon bePaffion of twixt the Sun and the Eyes of the Beholders, the fame Christ was could not happen then according to the ordinary courfe preterna of Nature: "And Univerfal,according to Matthew 27. univerfal. 45. and Luke 23. 44. which is likewife confirmed by the Dialogue betwixt Dionyfius and Apollophanes reci ted by Suidas in his Lexicon upon the Word Dionyfi us; where, among other things, Dionyfius anfwered Apollophanes concerning this Eclipfe: Aut Deus patitur, ant vicem Patientis deflet, Either God himfelf fuffers, or elfe is extremely concerned about him that fuf fers: Which contradicts the Opinion of Origen, Laur. Valla, Erafmus Roterodam. and If. Peyrerins, who maintain that this was only a particular Eclipfe which was not feen at Athens, or any other place be yond the Horizon of Ferafalem. In fine, the Autho rity and Testimony of Phlegon makes it one of the most unqueftionable Characters of the time of the Paffion of Chrift.

Ckrift fuf- S. 7. Chrift fuffered on the 6th Feria,For, 1.the day fer'd on the on which Chrift was crucified, is called Mark 15.42. 6th Feria. and John 19. 31. aposáßßator; i. e. the Preparation, or the Day before the Sabbath. 2. It is faid, that the

Wo

Women staid but one day before they came to the Sepulchre. See St. Luke 23.26. 3. The Syrian and Arabick Interpreters unanimously agree that Chrift fuffered on the Friday; as 4. do the most ancient Fathers and Ecclefiaftical Writers. 5. It is confirmed by the Calculation of the Pafchal Plenilune, that was coincident with the 33d year of Chrift, which Plenilune did happen that fame year on the 6th Feria. All which fufficiently contradicts the Affertion of Paul. lus Middleburgenfis and Willhelmus Langius, that Chrift fuffered on the 5th Feria, or on Thursday. As to what they alledge for themfelves, viz. that it is faid in Matthew 12. 40. That the Son of Man fhall be three Days and three Nights in the Heart of the Earth: fome compute that space from the first beginning of Chrift's Paffion; others interpret it three wxenuse, containing two Nights and one Day. And others again, fay, that three Days are put by a Synecdoche for the three parts of a Day.

CHAP. XLII.

Of the Epocha of the last Destruction of the City of Jerufalem.

RULES.

1. For the better understanding of this Epocha, thefe following Characters ought to be taken into confideration. 1. The Jewish War (in the fourth year of which Jerufalem was taken) began in the fecond year after Florus was made Governour of that Province; and in the 12th year of the Reign of Nero. Jofephus lib. 20. c. ult. Ant. Tacitus 1. 5. Hiftor. 2. This deftruction of Jerufalem hapned at the time of the Expiration of the 70 Angelical Weeks, which, according to Dan. c. 9. v.24. were determined upon the People, and the Holy City. 3. The Deftruction of Jeru falem hapned in the 2d year of the Reign of Flavius Vefpafianus, according to Jofephus 1. 6. c. 47. de bell. Jud. and Eufebius in Chron. Now the Reign of Vef pafian commences with the first day of July (when Ti

berius Alexander, then Governour of Egypt, firft induced the Legions to fear Fealty to Vefpafian) in the fecond year after the Death of Nero: (For according to Dio Caffius 1. 66. there is an Interval of a whole year and 22 Days betwixt the Death of Nero and the beginning of the Reign of Vefpafian) in the fame year in which the Battle was fought near Cremona, and Vitellius was flain on the day of the Feast of Saturn. Tacitus 1. 3. About which time there hapned a notable Eclipfe of the Moon, which contributed not a little towards increasing the Tumult and Mutiny in Vitellius's Army. Dio I. 65. The Aftronomical Calculations make fuch an Eclipfe in the 69 year of the Vulgar Era of Chrift, on the 18th day of October.4. It was the 2d year of the 212th Olympiad when the Romans made themselves Masters of the City of Jerufalem. Eufeb. in Chron. 5. The DeStruction of Jerufalem hapned in the Confulate of Fl. Vefp. Auguftus for the second time, and of Titus. See Dio Caffius. 6. The City of Jerufalem was taken by the Romans in the 331st year before the Confulfnip of Stilico and Aurelianus. Sulpit. Severus. 7. Ti-. tus began the Siege of Jerufalem on the first day of the Unleavened Bread, the 14th day of the Month Xanticus, that being the fame day that the Jews were freed from the Egyptian Bondage jofephus 1. 5. c. 11. de Bel. Jud. 8. The Temple was laid in Afes on the 10th day of the Month Lous, on the fame day that the firft Temple was deftroyed by Fire by the King of Babylon. See Jofephus 1.7. c. 9, 10. and Seder Olam. 9. The City was deftroy'd on the 8th day of the Month Gorpiæus, and upon a Saturday, which day is in great veneration among the Jews to this day. Jofeph. Dio 1.66.

II. From thefe Characters it is evident that Titus be gan the Siege of Jerufalem in the year of the Julian Period 4783, Cycle O.23.14. on the 14th day of April, and that the Temple was laid in Afbes on the 6th day of August in the fame year; and the total defolation of the City was accomplished on the first of September.

III. If therefore from any certain year of the Julian Period be fubtracted 4782 years and 3 Months, or 7 Months, or 8 Months, the Refidue fhews the year fince the beginning of the Siege of Jerufalem, or the Deftruction of the Temple, or that of the City. On the other hand, if to the known years of this Epocha the before-mentioned Sum of years and months be added, the Product will be correfpondent to the year of the Julian Period.

§. 1. THE true Chronology of the last Destructi- Where we on of Ferufalem mutt chiefly be looked for must look in the Books of Jofephus, he having been at the fame for the time a Prifoner in the Roman Camp, and employed by Chronology them as a Meffenger to the Befieged. And tho' the'f this EJewish Rabbi's, but especially Rabbi Ifaac Abarbinel poch do exclaim against his Authority, yet their Calumnies are of little confequence against fo great an Hiftorian, it being certain that the Rabbi's themselves are igno rant of the true time of the Destruction of their City; as we shall have occafion to fhew immediately.

Concern

§. 2. The Rabbi's give this account of the laft Deftruction of Ferufalem in their Great Chronicle: 'From ing the Je the time of the War of Vefpafian, till the War of with ComTitus, are 24 years: From the War of Titus till the putation of War of Barcozbe, 16 years. Thus, according to this Epochs Rabbi fofe, the days of good Works and Sins, re

C turn within one another. As for Example, the first Temple was deftroyed in the Eve of the Sabbath, towards the latter end of the 7th year; and it was likewise in the Week of the Station of foarib, and the 9th day of the Month Ab. In the fame manner hapned the 2d Deltruction. And at both times the Levites were finging the Canticle; And what Canticle? God our Lord will return upon their Heads ́ their Iniquity, and deftroy them in their Malice,&c. In the other Chronological Treatife written by Rabbi David Ganz, they indeed own the Expedition of Fl. Vefpafian and that of Tit. Vefpafian to have been the fame; but at the fame time relate matters in a very different manner concerning Jofephus, and the Deftru ction of the Temple which they fix to the 3828th year after the Creation, and the 420th year after the first

Foun

Concern

Foundation of the Temple. All which is a convincing Argument of the ignorance of the Fews in relation to their own Hiftory, and the Destruction of their

City.

§. 3. We have already faid in the foregoing Chaping the ter, that the Fathers have too much contracted the InComputa terval betwixt the time of the Baptifm and Paffion of tion of the Fathers in Chrift, from whence it is evident that their Computations of the Interval betwixt the Paffion of Chrift and the Deftruction of Jerufalem being built upon an erroneous Hypothefis, no great Account is to be made of their Opinions in this point.

this Epoch.

Whether

City bap

§. 4. Fob. Jac. Hainlinus de ufu Tab. p. 59. is of Othe deftru pinion, that the Deftruction of the City of Jerufalem dion of the hapned in the 71st year of Chrift, and in the 4784th ned in the year of the Fulian Period; But this Opinion being 71ft year founded upon the fictitious Hypothefis of his Mystical of Chrift. years, is directly repugnant to the Ancient Hiftory: Neither is it poffible to find out an expedient to make the Month of September of the 71st year of Chrift coincident with the 2d year of the Reign of Vefpafian, as our Author would willingly perfwade the World.

WhatMon.

§. 5. It is a very difficult Task to explain the Foare under reign Names of the Months mentioned by Fofephus in ftood by Jo-his relation of the Destruction of Ferufalem: For 1. fephus in 6. c. 4. de Bel. Fud. he fays, the Siege began on the bis Relati- 14th day of the Month Xanthicus and ibid. c. 8. he on of the fays, the Romans made themfelves Mafters of the first deftruction of JerufaWall on the 5th day of the Month Artemiftus. In like iem. manner he frequently makes mention of the Word Lois,and refers the total defolation of the City to the 8th day of the Month Gorpiaus. It is beyond all dispute, that Jofephus borrowed thefe Names from the Macedonians, who being fubdued by the Romans were forc ed to change their ancient Lunar Calendar for the SoLar of the Romans. Now the Macedonian Months de thus correspond with the Fulian: