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.

SECTION XI.

That the Iews for all their spite to Christianity, could not impose upon us a corrupted Text.

HEre we cannot but clear them, as for mater of fact, of what some lay to their charge. [but they do it for their own ends] that they foisted a corrupt Text of the old Testament upon Christians, and so befooled them in the very foundation of their Religion: So did their ancestors by Ptolomy King of Egypt, and so what these men would have done, if they could, it is easie to conjecture, but they did not, they could not so impose.

1. It was their great care solicitousness, as to themselves, and their own use, to preserve the Text in all purity and uncorruptness; and what our Saviour says of not one Jota or one title of the Law perishing, they were of the same mind, and indea∣voured to maintain and assert that for true with all industry. It were too long here to speak of the work of the Masorites for this purpose, who altered not, added not, invented not a tittle, but carfully took account of every thing as they found it, and so recorded it to posterity that nothing could be changed. We shall only bring in their own expositions which will attest to this truth to both those words that our Saviour hath, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉: It is little to be doubted that Christ speak∣ing in their language, meaneth the letter Jod, which is far the least of all their let∣ters. And about this letter the Jerusalem Talmud hath this passage: Sanhedr. fo. 20. col. 3. The book of Mishneh Torah [Deuteronomy] came and prostrated it self before God, and said unto him: O Lord everlasting, Thou hast written thy Law in me. A Testament that fails in part, fails in the whole. Behold Solomon seeks to root Jod out of me [viz. in 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 He shall not multiply wives.] The Holy blessed God saith to it: Solomon and a thousand such as he shall fail, but a word of thee shall not fail. R. Houna in the name of R. Acha said: The Jod that the blessed God took from the name of our mother Sarah, was given half of it to Sarah and half to Abraham. There is a tradition of R. Hoshaiah: Jod came and pro∣strated it self before God and said; Lord everlasting, thou hast rooted me out from the name of a righteous woman. The holy blessed God saith to it: Heretofore thou wast in the name of a woman, and in the end of it, Henceforward thou shalt be in the name of a man and in the beginning. This is that which is written, Moses called the name of Hoshea, Jehoshua. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉: one Tittle: It most properly means those little Apiculi that di∣stinguish betwixt letters that are very like one to another: You may have the explana∣tion of this in this pretty descant of Tanchuma fol. 1. It is written, saith he, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 You shall not prophane my holy Name. He that makes the Cheth 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 a He 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 destroys the world: for he makes this sense, You shall not praise my holy Name. It is written 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord: He that makes the He 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 a Cheth 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 destroys the world; for he brings it to this sense, Let every thing that hath breath profane the Lord. It is written 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 They lyed to the Lord: He that maketh Beth 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Caph 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 destroyes the world: for he maketh this sense, They lyed like the Lord. It is written 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 There is none holy like the Lord. He that makes Caph 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Beth 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 destroys the world: for he maketh this sense, There is no holiness in the Lord. It is written 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 The Lord our God is one Lord. He that makes Daleth 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Resh 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 destroys the world: for he bringeth the sense to this, The Lord our God is a strange God, &c. In Chagig. fol. 77. col. 3. they speak more of the letter Jod, and so doth Midras Tillin in Psal. 114. In Deut. 32. 18. this little letter is written less then it self in the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and yet preserved in that quan∣tity and not altered, and observed so by the Masorites.

2. Yet could they not for all their care but have some false Copies go up and down amongst them, through heedlesness or error of transcribers. In Shabb. fol. 15. col. 2. they are disputing how many faults may be in a part of the Bible, and yet it lawful to read in. The books of Hagiographa, say they, If there be two or three faults in every lea•• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 He may mend it, and read: The Books of Hagiographa they read not in their Synagouges, as they did the Law and the Prophets, therefore this is to be understood of a mans private reading, and of his own Bible, which if faulty, there were true Copies whereby he might mend it and so read. Nay in Taanith fol. 68. col. 1. there is mention of a faulty Copy that was laid up in the publick records. They found three books in the Court of the Temple. The book 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 the book 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and the book 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 In one they found written 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and in two it was written 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 [Deut. 33. 27.] And they approved the two, and refused the one. In one they found written, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and in two it was written 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 [Exod. 24. 5.] They approved the two, and refused the other. In one they found written 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and in two it was written 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉; They approved of the two and resused the other. That alteration 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 which is the second mentioned, the Babylonian Gemarists, and Massecheth Sopherim per. 1. say was one of the thirteen alterations that the Septuagint made in the Law for Ptolomy King of Egypt. Which seems to argue that as they translated the Bible into Greek, in which they made thousands of alterations from the text, so that they copied an Hebrew copy for him, and in that made these, and this that was found in the Court of the Temple a transcript of that Copy.

3. In every Synagogue they had a true Copy: And it was their care every where to have their Bible as purely authentick as possible, as may be seen by the curious rules that are given to that purpose in Massecheth Sopherim newly cited, and Megillah.

For this they accounted their treasure and their glory: And in the reading of the Law and the Prophets in the Synagogue, it was their great care that not a tittle should be read amiss: and for this purpose the Minister stood over those that read, and over∣saw that they read aright: and from this, as Aruch tells us, he was called Chazan, that is Episcopus or Overseer: In Jerus. Sotha fol. 21. col. 3. the Samaritans are blamed by the Jews for wilfully corrupting their own Pentateuch. R. Eliezer ben R. Simeon said, I said to the Scribes of the Samaritans, You have falsified your Law, and yet reap no advantage by it: for you have written in your Law, By the plain of Moreh which is Si∣chem; And was it not manifest enough without that addition that it was Sichem? But you construe not, a pari, as we do. It is said here, The plain of Moreh, and it is said elsewhere, The plain of Moreh: there it is no other but Sichem: no more must it be here. [The addition cavilled at, which is Sichem, is so in the Samaritan Pentateuch now extant, at Deut. 11. 30.] But amongst all the wickedness that Christ and his Apostles laid to the charge of the Jews, yet you never find them blamed in the least degree for this, that they went about to corrupt the letter of the Text: The sense indeed they spoiled with their glosses, and so made the Word of God of no effect, and this they hear of throughly, but not a word of their spoiling the letter of the Text.

4. Had they been never so desirous to have imposed upon Christians, by falsifying the Text, they could not possibly do it: For

First, Every Synagogue in the world having the purest Copy that possibly was to be got, how impossible was it such legerdemain should be, when there were so many thousand Copies to discover it [unless they were all corrupt alike] and multitudes out of the Synagogues, Rulers and People were converted to the Gospel.

Secondly, As learned men as any they had among them, and that as well understood what Text was pure, what corrupt, Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus, Paul, and mul∣titudes of the Priests imbraced the Gospel: and so multitudes of pure Copies were in the hands of Christians, upon the first rising of the Gospel, and multitudes that had such Copies in their hands were converted daily.

5. To which may be added that the same power and care of God that preserves the Church, would preserve the Scriptures pure to it: and he that did and could preserve the whole, could preserve every part, so that not so much as a tittle should perish.