The Young-students-library containing extracts and abridgments of the most valuable books printed in England, and in the forreign journals, from the year sixty five, to this time : to which is added a new essay upon all sorts of learning ... / by the Athenian Society ; also, a large alphabetical table, comprehending the contents of this volume, and of all the Athenian Mercuries and supplements, etc., printed in the year 1691.

3. R. David Kimchi's Testimony examined.

Elias in Masoret Hammasoret, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 7th. 2d. alledgeth what Kimchi saith in Miklol, pag. 69, 70. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉

And the Or∣derers of the Pointing have put a diffe∣rence between the Third Pers. Sing. of the Preterperfect Tense of Niphal, and the Par∣ticiple Benoni Sing. for their reading is the same, viz. Niphkad, alike in both; and they have Pointed the middle radi∣cal letter of the Preterperfect Tense with Pathak, and the Participle Benoni with Kamets.

Now all that is hence objected, is, That if Kimchi had thought that Moses or Ezra had Pointed the Text, he would not have spoken in the Plural Numb. Metakkenim, the Orderers; but in the Singular.

Res. (1.) That doth not follow; for he might mean Ezra, in Conjunction with the Men of the Great Synagogue col∣lectively.

(2.) Other places of Kimchi shew what his Opinion is herein; though, as Buxtorf observes, the Jews speak of Ezra, and the Sanh••drin, in the Singular or Plural Num∣ber indifferently: Ezra is called the Head of the Scribes; and Aben Ezra, speaking of the 18. Tikkun Sopherim on Numb. 12.12. He calls them there, Tikkun Ezra.

But to ••ind Kimchi's Mind plainly, we shall view the places where he speaks his Thoughts about it: As,

First, In his Preface on Ioshua; where speaking of the Keri and Ketib, he saith,

It appears that these words were found thus, 〈…〉〈…〉 that in the former Capti∣vity the 〈…〉〈…〉, and the Wise Men were disper••ed; and they that knew the Law, were dead: And the Men of the Great Sanhedrin, who restored the Law to its old Estate, they found some difference between some Copies; and they followed the agreement of the majority of Copies, according to their knowledge; and in the place that they could not well understand clearly which was the rightest and truest, there they wrote one, and did not Poin•• it; or else they wrote it without, and did not write it within:

That is, in the line; and so they wrote one way in the Line, and another in the Margin.

Now (saith Buxtorf) in that Kimchi saith of the Men of the Great Sanhedrin, that re∣stored the Law to its pristine state, That the one of these words that have a different reading, they did not Point: Doth it not plainly follow then, in his Opinion, that they Pointed the other? Or else how was the not Pointing the one, a Mark to distinguish it from the other? And so by Consequence the Points were then in use.

Capellus Vind. lib. 1. cap. 1. sect. 27. saith, What if he say Kimki here contradicts what he saith elsewhere?

Resp. Then he should prove it: But this he doth not attempt to do.

He objects, The words, And they did not Point it, are not necessarily to be understood of the Great Sanhedrin.

Resp. But they are necessarily to be un∣derstood of them; for none else are spoken of but them only.

Capellus, after all his Cavils, saith, Sed esto fuerit & Kimchi, & Aben Ezra, & Auctor Cosri, in ea sententia Esdram Auctorem esse & Inventorem Punctorum; id nihil Officit Sententiae meae ••orum enim testimonia eo tantum Adduxi, ut probarem Mosem non esse eorum Auctorem:

But be it so, that Kimchi, Aben Ezra, and the Author of Cosri, were of that Opinion, That Ezra was the Author and Inventor of the Points; that nothing hurts my Position; for I brought their Testimony to this intent only, that I might prove that Moses was not their Author.

Resp. And this we do not here debate: In vain then are all his Cavils, and all the Evidences for the Time, Place and Persons, when, where, and by whom the Points were invented; for they have no other, and no other doth Elias bring to prove the Masorites of Tiberias Pointed the Text. And yet Capellus Arcanum, cap. 1. sect. 2, 3. cap. 2. sect. 2. cap. 3. And after him Wal∣ton, Proleg. 3. Consider. pag. 228. stick not to affirm that Elias hath proved this; and therefore, whilst our hand is in, we'll produce one place more out of Kimchi, to shew his Mind about the Authors of the Points; which Elias hath curtail'd, to signifie the Sound, and not the Shape, but very unfairly: the place is in Miklol, pag. mihi 96.

For also our Rabbi's, of happy memory (saith Kimchi,) when they say, that it is necessary to give a space be∣tween words that are joyned together, (that is, apt to sound as one word, though they are two,) as Gnal-lebabeka, be Col-lebabe••em; they do not speak this, to make a Stop or Pause, so as that Makkaph should not be put between the two Lameds, as it is put: But although that he do read them with Makkaph, yet he should put such a space between them, in pronouncing them, that it may sound as if he read two Lameds: For behold, Becol-lebabkem, Becol is pointed with Kamets, because of Makkaph; and if it were read without Makkaph, it should be pointed with Holem: But this our Rabbins, of happy memory, do not say; as if there∣by they intended to change the Vow∣els which were given to Moses on Sinai.

So that here he speaks of the Shapes of the Points, Cholem, Kamets, and Makkaph: And saith, They were given of Moses on Sinai, and must not be changed there∣fore.