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.

VERS. I.

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Now when Iesus was born.

A calculation of the times, when Christ was born.

WE thus lay down a Scheme of the times, when Christ was born. I. He was born in the year of the World, MMMDCCCCXXVIII. For from the Creation of the World to the Deluge are commonly reck∣oned MDCLVI. years.

From the Deluge to Abrahams promise are CCCCXXVII years. This being sup∣posed, that Abraham was born the CXXXth year of Tharah: which must be sup∣posed.

From the promise given to the going out of Egypt, CCCCXXX years, Exod. XII. 40. Gal. III. 17.

From the going out of Egypt to the laying the foundations of the Temple are CCCCLXXX years, 1 King. VI. 1.

The Temple was building VII years, 1 King. VI. 38. Casting up therefore all these together, viz.

	MDCLVI
	CCCCXXVII
	CCCCXXX
	CCCCLXXX
	VII
the sum of years amounts to	MMM.

And it is clear the building of the Temple was finished and compleated in the year of the world MMM.

The Temple was finished in the eleventh year of Solomon, 1 King. VI. 38. and thence to the revolting of the ten Tribes, in the first year of Rehoboam, were XXX years. Therefore that Revolt was in the year of the World MMMXXX.

From the Revolt of the ten Tribes to the destruction of Jerusalem under Zedekiah were CCCXC years: which appears sufficiently from the Chronical computation of the parallel times of the Kings of Judah and Israel: and which is implied by Ezekiel, Chap. IV. vers. 5. Thou shalt sleep upon thy left side, and shalt put the iniquities of the house of Israel upon it, &c. according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days. And when thou shalt have accomplished them, thou shalt sleep upon thy right side the second time, and shalt take upon thee the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days. Concerning the computation of these years it is doubted, whether those forty years are to be num∣bred together within the three hundred and ninety years, or by themselves, as following after those three hundred and ninety years. We not without cause embrace the former opinion, and suppose those forty years to be included within the sum of the three hun∣dred and ninety; but mentioned by themselves particularly, for a particular reason. For by the space of forty years before the destruction of the City by the Chaldeans, did Jeremiah prophesie daily, namely, from the third year of Josias to the sacking of the City: whom the people not harkning to, they are marked for that peculiar iniquity with this note.

Therefore these three hundred and ninety years being added to the year of the World MMMXXX, when the ten Tribes fell off from the house of David, the age of the World, when Jerusalem perished, arose to the year MMMCCCCXX.

At that time there remained fifty years of the Babylonian captivity to be compleated. For those remarkable Seventy years took their beginning from the third year of Jehoia∣chim, Dan. I. 1. Whose fourth year begins the Babylonian Monarchy, Jer. XXV. 1. And in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar the Temple was destroyed, 2 King. XXV. 8. when now the twentieth year of the Captivity passed: and other fifty remained. Which fifty being added to the year of the World MMMCCCCXX, a year fatal to the Temple, the years of the World amount, in the first year of Cyrus, unto MMMCCCCLXX.

From the first of Cyrus to the death of Christ are Seventy weeks of years, or CCCCXC years, Dan. IX. 24. Add these to the MMMCCCCLXX, and you observe Christ crucified in the year of the World MMMDCCCCLX. When therefore you have subtracted thirty two years and an half, wherein Christ lived upon the Earth, you will find him born in the year of the World MMMDCCCCXXVIII.

II. He was born in the one and thirtieth year of Augustus Cesar, the computation of his Monarchy beginning from the Victory at Actium. Of which matter thus Dion Cas∣sius writes. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 &c. a 1.1 This their Sed-fight was on the second of September: And this I speak up∣on no other account, (for I am not wont to do it) but because then Cesar first obtained the whole Power: so that the computation of the years of his Monarchy must be precisely reckon∣ed from that very day. We confirm this our computation, by drawing down a Chro∣nological Table from this year of Augustus to the fifteenth year of Tiberius, when Christ, having now compleated the nine and twentieth year of his age, and entring just upon his thirtieth, was baptized. Now this Table, adding the Consuls of every year, we thus frame.

Year of the World	City built	Augustus	Christ born	Consuls.
3928	754	31	1	Cas. Aug. XIV. and L. Aemyl. Paulus.
3929	755	32	2	Publius Vinicius, and Pub. Alfenus Varus.
3930	756	33	3	L. Aelius Lamia, and M. Servilius.
3931	757	34	4	Sext. Aemilius Carus, and C. Sentius Saturninus.
3932	758	35	5	L. Valerius Messalla, and Cn. Corn. Cinna Magn.
3933	759	36	6	M. Aemil. Lepidus, and L. Aruntius.
3934	760	37	7	A. Licin. Nerv. Silanus, and Q. Cecil. Metel. Cret.
3935	761	38	8	Furius Camillus, and Sext. Nonius Quintilianus.
3936	762	39	9	Q. Sulpit. Camarin. and C. Poppaeus Sabinus.
3937	763	40	10	Pub. Corn. Dolabella, and C. Iunius Silanus.
3938	764	41	11	M. Aemil. Lepid. and T. Statilius Taurus.
3939	765	42	12	Germanicus Caes. and C. Fonteius Capito.
3940	766	43	13	L. Munatius Plancus, and C. Silius Caecina.
3941	767	44	14	Sext. Pomp. Sexti F. and Sext. Apuleius Sexti F.

Augustus Cesar died the XIXth day of August: on which day he had formerly entred upon the first Consulship. b 1.2 He lived LXXV years, X months, and XXVI days. He bore the Empire alone from the Victory at Actium XLIV years, wanting only XIII days.

c 1.3 Tiberius held the Empire in great slothfulness, with grievous cruelty, wicked covetousness, and filthy lust.

Year of the World	Of the City built	Of Tiberius	Of Christ	Consuls.
3942	768	1	15	Drusus Caes. and C. Norbanus Flaccus.
3943	769	2	16	C. Statil. Sisenna Taurus, and Scribonius Libo.
3944	770	3	17	C. Caecil. Rufus, and L. Pomponianus Flaccus.
3945	771	4	18	Tiber. Caes. Aug. III. and Germanicus Caes. II.
3946	772	5	19	M. Iulius Silanus, and L. Norban. Flac. vel Balbus.
3947	773	6	20	M. Valerius Messala, and M. Aurel. Cotta.
3948	774	7	21	Tiber. Caes. Aug. IV. and Drusus Caes. II.
3949	775	8	22	D. Haterius Agrippa, and C. Sulpitius Galba.
3950	776	9	23	C. Asinius Pollio, and C. Antistius Veter.
3951	777	10	24	Sext. Cornel. Cethegus, and Visellius Varro.
3952	778	11	25	M. Asinius Agrippa, and Cossus Cornel. Lentulus.
3953	779	12	26	Cn. Lentulus Getulicus, and C. Calvisius Sabinus.
3954	780	13	27	M. Licinius Crassus, and P. L. Calphurnius Piso.
3955	781	14	28	Appius Iul. Silanus, and P. Silvius Nerva.
3956	782	15	29	C. Rubellius Geminus, and C. Fusius Geminus.

In the early spring of this year came John baptizing. In the month Tisri Christ is baptized, when he had now accomplished the nine and twentieth year of his age, and had now newly entred upon his thirtieth. The thirtieth of Christ is to be reckoned with the sixteenth of Tiberius.

Of Augustus now entring upon his one and thirtieth year (wherein Christ was born) Dion Cassius hath moreover these words. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Having now compleated thrice ten years, being compelled indeed to it he continued his Govern∣ment, and entred upon a fourth ten of years: being now more easie and slothful by reason of age. In this very year was the Taxation under Cyrenius, of which Luke speaks Chap. II. So that if it be asked, when the fifth Monarchy (of the Romans) arose, after the dis∣solution of those four mentioned by Daniel? An easie answer may be fetched from S. Luke, who relates, that in that very year, wherein Christ was born, Augustus laid a Tax upon the whole World.

III. Christ was born in the thirty fift year of the reign of Herod: which we gather from the observation of these things. 1. d 1.4 Herod reigned, from that time he was first declared King by the Romans, seven and thirty years. 2. Between the death of Herod, and the death of Augustus, there was this space of time.

• 1. e 1.5 The ten years current of the reign of Archelaus.
• 2. f 1.6 Coponius succeeds him, banished into Vienna, in the Presidentship of Judea.
• 3. Marcus Ambibuchus succeeds Coponius.
• 4. g 1.7 Annius Rufus succeeds Ambibuchus, during whose Presidentship Augustus dies.* 1.8

Since therefore only fourteen years passed from the nativity of Christ to the death of Augustus (out of which sum when you shall have reckoned the ten years current of Ar∣chelaus, and the times of the three Presidents) we must reckon, that Christ was not born, but in the last years of Herod. Thus we conjecture:

In his thirty fift Christ was born.

In his thirty seventh now newly begun, the Wise men came: presently after this, was the slaying of the infants, and after a few months the death of Herod.

IV. Christ was born about the twenty seventh year of the Presidentship of Hillel in the Sanhedrin.

The rise of the family of Hillel took its beginning at the decease of the Asmonean fa∣mily: (Herod indeed succeeded in the Kingly government:) a family sprung from Ba∣bylon, and, as was believed, of the stock of David. For h 1.9 a book of genealogy was found at Jerusalem, (which we mentioned before) in which it was written, that Hillel was sprung from the stock of David, by his wife, Abital. Now Hillel went up out of Babylon to Jeru∣salem, to enquire of the Wise men concerning some things, when now, after the death of Shemaia and Abtalion, the two sons of Betira held the chief seats. And when he, who had resorted thither to learn something, had taught them some things of the Passover rites, which they had forgot, they put him into the chair. You have the full story of it in the i 1.10 Jerusalem Talmud. We mention it Chap. XXVI. 1.

Now Hillel went up to Jerusalem, and took the Chair an hundred years before the de∣struction of the City. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 k 1.11 Hillel

and his son Simeon, and his son Gamaliel, and his son Simeon bare the Government for an hundred years before the laying waste of the Temple. Of those hundred years if you take away two and thirty, and an half of the life of Christ, and forty years (as it is common∣ly computed) coming between the death of Christ, and the destruction of the City, there remain the twenty seven years of Hillel before the birth of our Saviour.

Hillel held the government forty years. So that his death happened about the twelfth or thirteenth year of Christ: His son also held it after him, and his grandsons in a long succession, even to R. Judah the Holy. The splendor and pomp of this family of Hillel had so obscured the rest of the families of Davids stock, that perhaps they believed or expected the less, that the Messias should spring from any of them. Yea, one in the Ba∣bylonian Gemara was almost perswaded, that Rabbi Judah the Holy of the Hillelian family was the Messias. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 l 1.12 Rabh said, If Messiah be among the living, our Holy Rabbi is such: if among the dead, Daniel was he.

V. Christ was born in the month Tisri: somewhat answering to our September. This we conclude, omitting other things, by computing backwards from his death. For if he died in his two and thirtieth year and an half, at the feast of the Passover, in the month Nisan, you must necessarily lay the time of his birth in the month Tisri: But that he died at that age, not to make any delay by mentioning more things, appears hence, that he was baptized now beginning his thirtieth year, and that he lived after his baptism three years and an half; as the space of his publick Ministry is determined by the Angel Gabriel, Dan. IX. in the half of a week, (that is, three years and an half,) he shall make the sacri∣fice to cease, &c. But of this hereafter.

This month was innobled in former times, 1. For the Creation of the World. Weigh well Exod. XXIII. 15. Joel II. 23. 2. For the nativity of the first Fathers; which the m 1.13 Jews assert not without reason. 3. For the repairing the Tables of the Law. For Moses after the third Fast of forty days, comes down from the mountain, a messenger of good things, the tenth day of this month, which was from hence appointed for the Feast of Expiation to following ages. 4. For the Dedication of the Temple, 1 King. VIII. 2. And 5. For three solemn Feasts, namely, that of the beginning of the year, that of Ex∣piation, and that of Tabernacles. From this month also was the beginning of the Jubilee.

VI. It is probable Christ was born at the Feast of Tabernacles.

1. So it ariseth exactly to three and thirty years and an half when he died at the Feast of the Passover.

2. He fulfilled the Typical equity of the Passover and Pentecost; when at the Pass∣over he offered himself for a Passover, at Pentecost he bestowed the Holy Ghost from Heaven, as at that time the Law had been given from Heaven. At that time the first fruits of the Spirit were given by him, (Rom. VIII. 23.) when the first fruits of corn had been wont to be given, Levit. XXIII. 17. It had been a wonder, if he had honour∣ed the third solemnity, namely the Feast of Tabernacles, with no Antitype.

3. The Instruction of the Feast of Tabernacles agrees excellently with the time of Christs birth. For when Moses went down from the Mount on the tenth day of the month Tisri, declaring that God was appeased, that the people was pardoned, and that the building of the holy Tabernacle was forthwith to be gone in hand with, (hitherto hin∣dred by, and because of the Golden Calf) seeing that God now would dwell among them, and forsake them no more: the Israelites immediately pitch their Tents, knowing they were not to depart from that place before the divine Tabernacle was finished, and they set upon this work withal their strength. Whence the tenth day of that month, wherein Moses came down, and brought this good news with him, was appointed for the Feast of expiation; and the fifteenth day, and seven days after, for the Feast of Tabernacles, in memory of their dwelling in Tents in the wilderness, when God dwelt in the midst of them: which things with how aptly Typical an aspect they respect the Incarnation, when God dwelt among men in humane flesh, is plain enough.

3. Weigh Zechar. XIV. vers. 16, 17. And it shall come to pass that every one, that is left of all the Nations, which came against Jerusalem, shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the Earth unto Jerusalem, to worship the King the Lord of Hosts, even upon them shall be no more rain.

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉

In Bethlehem.

It will not be improper here to produce the Gemarists themselves openly confessing that the Messias was born now a good while ago before their times. For so they write: n 1.14 After this the children of Israel shall be converted and shall enquire after the Lord their God, and David their King, Hos. III. 5. Our Rabbins say, That is King Messias, if

he be among the living, his name is David, or if dead, David is his name. R. Tanchum said, Thus I prove it: He sheweth mercy to David his Messiah (Psal. XVIII. 50.) R. Josua ben Levi saith, His name is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 A Branch (Zech. III. 8.) R. Judan bar Aibu saith, His name is Menahem, (that is, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, The Comforter.) And that which happen∣ed to a certain Jew, as he was plowing agreeth with this business. A certain Arabian travail∣ing, and hearing the Ox bellow said to the Jew at Plow, O Jew, loose thy Oxen, and loose thy Plows, for behold! the Temple is laid waste. The Ox bellowed the second time; the Arabian saith to him, O Jew, Jew, yoke thy Oxen, and sit thy plows: 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 For behold! King Messiah is born. But saith the Jew, What is his name? Menahem, saith he. And what is the name of his father? Hezekiah, saith the Arabian. To whom the Jew, but whence is He? The other answered, From the palace of the King of Bethlehem Judah. Away he went, and sold his Oxen, and his Plows, and became a seller of Infants swadling cloths, going about from Town to Town. When he came to that City (Bethlehem,) all the women bought of him, but the Mother of Menahem bought nothing. He heard the voice of the women saying, O thou Mother of Menahem, thou Mother of Menahem, carry thy son the things that are here sold. But she replied, May the enemies of Israel be strangled, because on the day that he was born, the Temple was laid waste. To whom he said, But we hoped, that as it was laid waste at his feet, so at his feet it would be built again. She saith, I have no mony. To whom he replied, But why should this be prejudicial to him? Carry him what you buy here, and if you have no mony to day, after some days I will come back and receive it. Af∣ter some days he returns to that City, and saith to her, How does the little infant? And she said, From the time you saw me last, Spirits and Tempests came, and snatched him away out of my hands. R. Bon saith, What need have we to learn from an Arabian? Is it not plainly written, And Lebanon shall fall before the Powerful one? (Esa. X. 34.) And what fol∣lows after? A Branch shall come out of the root of Jesse; (Esa. XI. 1.)

The Babylonian Doctors yield us a confession not very unlike the former: o 1.15 R. Chani∣nah saith, After four hundred years are past from the destruction of the Temple, if any one shall say to you, Take to thy self for one peny a field worth a thousand pence, do not take it. And again, After four thousand two hundred thirty and one years from the creation of the World, if any shall say to you, Take for a peny a field worth a thousand pence, take it not. The Gloss is, For that is the time of Redemption, and you shall be brought back to the holy Mountain, to the inheritance of your Fathers, why therefore should you mispend your peny?

You may fetch the reason of this calculation, if you are at leisure, out of the Tract Sanhedrin. p 1.16 The Tradition of the School of Elias, the World is to last six thousand years, &c. And a little after, Elias said to Rabh Judah, The world shall last not less, than eighty five Jubilees: and in the last Jubilee shall the son of David come. He saith to him, Whe∣ther in the beginning of it, or in the end? He answered him, I know not. Whether is this whole time to be finished first, or not? He answered him, I know not. But Rabh Asher asserts, that he answered thus, Until then expect him not, but from thence expect him. Hear your own Countrymen, O Jew, how mony Centuries of years are past by and gone from the eighty fift Jubilee of the World, that is, the year MMMMCCL, and yet the Messias of your expectation is not yet come.

Daniels weeks had so clearly defined the time of the true Messias his coming, that the minds of the whole Nation were raised into the expectation of him. Hence it was doubt∣ed of the Baptist, whither he were not the Messias, Luk. III. 15. Hence it was, that the Jews are gathered together from all Countries unto Jerusalem, Act. II. expecting, and coming to see, because at that time, the term of revealing the Messias that had been pre∣fixed by Daniel, was come. Hence it was, that there was so great a number of false Christs, Matth. XXIV. 5, &c. taking the occasion of their impostures hence, that now the time of that great expectation was at hand, and fulfilled: and in one word, They thought the Kingdom of God should presently appear; Luk. XIX. 11.

But when those times of expectation were past, nor did such a Messias appear, as they expected, (for when they saw the true Messias, they would not see him) they first broke out into various, and those wild, conjectures of the time; and at length all those con∣jectures coming to nothing, all ended in this curse, (the just cause of their eternal blind∣ness) 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 May their soul be confounded who compute the times.

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.

Wise men from the East.

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Magi, that is Wizzards, or such as practised ill arts: for in this sense alone this word occurs in holy Writ.

From the East. This more generally denotes as much as, Out of the land of the Hea∣then, in the same sense as the Queen of the South is taken, Matth. XII. 42. that is, An Heathen Queen. Consider this passage in the Talmud, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 From Rekam to the East, and Rekam is as the East: From Ascalon to the South, and Askalon is as

the South: From Acon to the North, and Acon is as the North. These words q 1.17 R. Nissim quotes from R. Judah, and illustrates it with this Gloss, From Rekam to the furthest bounds of the land Eastward, is Heathen land: and Rekam it self is reckoned for the East of the World, and not for the land of Israel. So also from Askalon onwards to the South is the Hea∣then Country, and Askalon it self is reckoned for the South: that is, for Heathen land.

Those Countries, where the sons of Abraham by his wife Keturah were dispersed, are more particularly called the Eastern Countries, Gen. XXV. 6. Judg. VI. 3. and elsewhere often. And hence came these first fruits of the Gentiles: whence it is not unlikely that Jethro also came, the first Proselyte to the Law: And that which is spoken by the Ge∣mara concerning the Arabian, the first pointer out of the Messias born, is perhaps some shadow of this story of the Magicians coming out of Arabia, and who first publickly declared him to be born.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Dion Cass. lib. 51. in the beginning.
• b 1.2

  Dion Cass. lib. 56.
• c 1.3

  Eutrop. lib. 7.
• d 1.4

  Ioseph. Antiq. lib. 17. cap. 10.
• e 1.5

  Ios. Antiq. lib. 1••. cap 15.
• f 1.6

  Id. ibid. & lib.
• g 1.7

  Id. iold. cap. 3
• * 1.8

  18. cap. 1.
• h 1.9

  Hieros. Taa∣nith, fol. 68. 1.
• i 1.10

  Pisach••n, fol. 33. 1.
• k 1.11

  Bab. Schabb. fol 15. 1.
• l 1.12

  Sanhedr. fol. 98. 2.
• m 1.13

  Hieros Rosh Hashanah, fol. 56. 4.
• n 1.14

  Hieros. Bera∣coth, fol. 5. 1.
• o 1.15

  Av••doh Za∣rah, fol. 9. 2.
• p 1.16

  Fol. 97.
• q 1.17

  In Gittin, cap. 1. art. 1.