The works of the Reverend and learned John Lightfoot D. D., late Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge such as were, and such as never before were printed : in two volumes : with the authors life and large and useful tables to each volume : also three maps : one of the temple drawn by the author himself, the others of Jervsalem and the Holy Land drawn according to the author's chorography, with a description collected out of his writings.

§ And he stood up to read.

Moses and the Prophets were read in their Synagogues every Sabbath day, Acts 13. 15. & 15. 21. And Moses every Synagogue day beside, and the Prophets every holy day, and the ninth day of the month Ab which was a fast, and every fasting day besides. Maym. in Tephillah per. 12.

On the Sabbath the readers of the Law were seven: on the day of expiation six: on ho∣ly days five: on the new moons and the seven days of the three great Festivals four: and on the second and the fifth day of every week three. And the Law might not be read by less than three, one after another. Id. ibid. & Talm. utrumque in Megil. per. 4. in Gemara.

Now on the Sabbath, the readers being then seven, they seven read in order thus: first a Priest, then a Levite, then five Israelites one after another. If there were not a Priest nor a Levite there, then seven Israelites did it. If a Priest were there and no Levite, then the Priest read twice. But the rule was, First a Priest, then a Levite, then an Is∣raelite, then a fourth, a fifth, a sixth, a seventh. And this may help the young Student of the Hebrew text to understand, that which he will meet with in some Pentateuchs (as the Pentateuch in Buxtorfes Bible, and that with the triple Targum) and that is, when he sees in the margin here and there 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 which mean no other thing than this order of the reading of the Law, first a Priest, then a Levite, then five Israelites in their order.

The 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Angelus Ecclesiae, or Minister of the Congregation called him out that was to read, and he went up into a Desk or Pulpit, (〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉) which stood in the midst of the Synagogue for that purpose, and he delivered him the Book of the Law: which he opened, and looked out the place where he was to read, but he began not till the Archi-synagogus bad him begin. Yea if the Archi-synagogus himself or the Minister of the Congregation were to read, he began not till the Congregation, or he that was now chief among them bad him read: Maym. ubi ante.

Before he read, he began with Prayer, blessing God that had chosen them to be his people, and given them his Law, &c. and then he begins standing all the while he reads, as it is said by the Evangelist, He stood up for to read. And for this posture they have a special caution in the treatise Megillah, That he that reads the Law must stand, partly for the honour of the Law it self, and partly because God said to Moses, Stand thou here with me. Per. 4. in Gemar.

As he read, the Minister of the Congregation stood by him, to see that he read and pro∣nounced aright (and from hence he was called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Episcopus or Overseer, as hath been observed) and if he missed he recalled him to utter it aright.

There stood another by him also, who did interpret into the Chaldee tongue what he read out of the Hebrew Text. For from the days of Ezra, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 they used to have an Interpreter in the Synagogue, who interpreted to the people what the Reader read: that so they might understand the sense of the words: And the Reader read a verse and stopt, till the Interpreter had interpreted it, and then he went on and read another verse, and the Interpreter interpreted it: and he might not read above one verse at once to the Inter∣preter: This was the constant practice in reading the Law: but in reading of the Prophets the Reader might read three verses at once to the Interpreter, &c. Talm. & Maym. ubi supr. & Mossecheth sopherim. per. 10.

It was their custom (saith Alphesi) to intrepret in the Synagogue because they spake the Sy∣rian tongue, and they interpreted that all might understand. In Megil. per. 4. To which Rabbi Solomon also speaketh parallel, saying, The Targum or interpretation, was only to make women and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 the common people to understand, who knew not the holy tongue: and the Interpretation was into the Vulgar Babylonian. Ibid. compare 1 Cor. 14. 27.

So that this use of interpreting was introduced of necessity, because they were not able to understand the Original Text, and they might not read the Scriptures publickly but in the Original: And they hold withall that Ezra himself gave example and a copy for this, for so they understand that passage, Neh. 8. 8. The Gemarists in the Jerusalem Talmud question, Whence came the custom of having an Interpreter. R. Zeora in the name of R. Ha∣naneel saith from that place, They read in the Book of the Law, That meaneth the reading: Distinctly; that meaneth the interpreting, and gave the sense, that meaneth the exposition, and caused to understand the reading, that meaneth the Massoreth, or points and accents. In Meg. ubi supr. Where also it relateth these two or three stories. R. Samuel bar R. Isaac went into a Synagogue, and saw one as he interpreted leaning to a pillar. He saith to him, That is not law∣ful: For as the Law was given in fear and terror, so must it be used with fear and terror. The same man went into a Synagogue, and saw the Angelus Ecclesiae, reading and setting no man by him, (no Interpreter as Alphesi expounds it) He saith to him, That is unlawful, for it was given by the hand of a Mediator, so is it to be used by the hand of a Mediator.

He also went into a Synagogue, and saw a Scribe reading his interpreting out of a Book, He saith to him, That is unlawful; for, what by word of mouth, by word of mouth, and what out of the book, out of the book.

The Reader of the Haphtaroth or portion out of the Prophets, was ordinarily one of the number of those that had read the Law: he was called out to read by the Minister of the Congregation, he went up into the desk, had the Book of the Prophet given him, began with Prayer, and had an Interpreter, even as it was with them that read the Law.

And under these Synagogue rulers are we to understand Christs reading in the Syna∣goue at this time: namely, as a member of the Synagogue, called out by the Minister, reading according to the accustomed order, the portion in the Prophet when the Law was read (and it is like he had read some part of the Law before) and having an Inter∣preter by him to render into Syriack the Text he read: he then begins in Syriack to preach upon it.

Now if it be questioned Under what notion may the Minister of the Congregation be thought to call him out to read? It may be answered. 1. It is possible he had done so, many a time before, while Christ lived amongst them as a private man: for though none but men learned and in orders might Preach and Teach in their Synagogues, yet might, even boys and servants, if need were, read there, if so be they were found able to read well: And Christ though his education was but mean according to the con∣dition of his parents, John 7. 15. yet it is almost past peradventure, that he was brought up so as to read, as generally all the children of the Nation were. 2. Christ in other parts of Galilee had shewed his wisdom and his works, and his fame was spread abroad; and no doubt was got to Nazareth where he was best known: and this would readily get him such a publick tryal in the Synagogue, if he had never been upon that imployment before, to see what evidences he would give of what was so much reported of him.

Vers. 17. And there was delivered to him the Book of Esaias.

It is a tradition, and so it was their practice 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 That they read not in the Synagogues in the five books of Moses bound together, but every book of the five single by it self: And so also may it be conceived they did by the Prophets, that the three great Prophets, Esay, Jeremy, Ezekiel, were every one single, and the twelve small Prophets bound together: And we may conclude upon this the rather, be∣cause they had also this Tradition and practice 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 That the Maphtir or he that read in the Prophets might skip from passage to passage (that is, from one text to another for illustration of the matter he read upon) but he might not skip from Prophet to Prophet, but only in the twelve small Prophets.

The delivering of the Book unto him by the Minister, to whom he also delivers it again when he hath read, vers. 20. doth confirm what was said before, that Christ stood up to read as a member of the Synagogue, and in the ordinary way of reading used there: for so it was the custom of the Minister to give the book to those that did so read: But if Christ had gone about to read, beside or contrary to the common custom of the place, it can little be thought that the Minister would so far have complied with him, as to give him the Book that he might read irregularly or beside the custom. To which may also be added: that if our Saviour intended only to rehearse this passage of Esay, that he might take it for his text to ground his discourse upon, he could have done that by heart, and had not needed the Book; but it sheweth that he was the Reader of the second Lesson, or of the Prophets this day, in the ordinary way as it is used to be read by some or other of that Synagogue every Sabbath.