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.

§. Being [as was supposed] the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli.

At every descent in this Genealogy, the word Jesus is to be understood, otherwise the first and last descents are improper, and different in stile from all the rest. For Joseph was not the Son of Heli, but only his Son in Law, and Adam was no more the Son of God, than any of the other holy men, that were named before. The sup∣ply therefore is thus to be made to make all proper, Jesus, being as was supposed the Son of Joseph, Jesus the Son of Heli, Jesus the Son of Matthat, &c. Jesus the Son of Seth, Jesus the Son of Adam, Jesus the Son of God.

And the like stile of Genealogy, Moses useth, Gen. 36. 2. Aholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon, where Anah is not called the daughter of Zibeon, for he was a man and not a woman: no more was Joseph the Son of Heli, for he was only his son in Law, but the word Aholibamah is to be supplied thus, Aholibamah the daughter of Anah, Aholibamah the daughter of Zibeon.

Heli or Eli [for the name seemeth to be the same with his in 1 Sam. 1. 3. &c.] was not the natural Father of Joseph, for Matthew told us plainly before, that it was

Jacob that begot Joseph, but Heli was the Father of Mary, and Father-in-Law of Joseph only: Now because it is not used in Scripture to mention any women in a pedigree, or to run the line from the Mother, but from the Father to the Son, therefore Mary is not here named at all, but intimated or included, when the line begins from her Father, and calleth her husband his son, which he was only because of her.

So that Luke intending to shew Christ the seed of the woman, must of necessity reckon by Mary the daughter of Heli, as Matthew intending to shew him the heir of the Crown of David, doth reckon by Joseph the heir male apparent. In comparing and lay∣ing together these men that Matthew and Luke have named, in the ancestry of Jo∣seph and Mary, betwixt the returning out of the captivity, and the times of our Sa∣viour, we find that every one man in the stock of Joseph, did almost outlive two of those in the line of Mary, the one line affording twenty descents betwixt those two periods, and the other but one above half so many: which easily and readily confuteth that opinion that some have strangely held, that the persons in the two Genealogies have been the same men, only under different names: and it helpeth somewhat to settle the times between those two periods, against the different miscountings of seve∣ral men, some stretching them longer than the eleven persons named in Matthew could stretch to live, and some cutting them shorter than the twenty named in Luke could be comprehended in.

Ver. 27. Which was the Son of Salathiel, which was the Son of Neri.

Neri was the natural father of Salathiel: he seemeth to have been so named from the candle which the Lord reserved for David and his house, 2 Chron. 21. 7.

Ver. 31. Which was the Son of Nathan.

2 Sam. 5. 14. 1 Chron. 3. 5. It is like that he was named after Nathan the Prophet, who brought David word of the promise, 2 Sam. 7. and of the cotinuance of his house, which failed in the race of Solomon: but continued in the race of this Nathan, till the King came that was to sit on Davids Throne for ever. Here again the number of persons in the Genealogy of Mary, betwixt David and the captivity, exceed the number in the Genealogy of Joseph, in Matth. 1.

Vers. 36. Which was the Son of Cainan, which was the Son of Arphaxad.

In Moses it is said Arphaxad begat Shelah, and Shelah begat Eber, Gen. 10. 24. & 11. 12. And so is it briefly reckoned, 1 Chron. 1. 24. Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah, without any mention of Cainan at all, nor is there any memorial of such a son of Arphaxad throughout all the Old Testament, nor indeed was there ever any such a man in the world at all. Here therefore is an extraordinary scruple, and a question of no small difficulty meeteth us; where Luke found the name of this man, which is not to be found elswhere in all the Bible? And whether it be not an error in the Text, and were not a miscarriage in the Evangelist, to reckon a man for an ancestor of Christ, that the world never saw, or that never was upon the Earth.

Answer, It is easie indeed to resolve, where Luke found this name of Cainan, and from whence he took it, namely from the Greek Bible, or the Septuagint, which hath inserted it in those places of Moses that are alledged; but when this is resolved, the greater scruple is yet behind, of his warrantableness so to do, and of the purity of the Text, where it is so done.

The Seventy Translatours indeed read Gen. 10. 24. thus, Arphaxad begat Cainan, and Cainan begat Sala, and Sala begat Eber. And in Chap. 11. they say, Arphaxad lived one hundred and thirty five years, and begat Cainan, And Cainan lived one hundred and thirty years and begat Sala, and Cainan lived after he begat Sala three hundred and thirty years. And from hence hath Saint Luke without controversie taken in Cainan into this Genealogy, a man that never was in the world, but the warrantableness of this in∣sertion will require divers considerations to find it out. As let the Reader be pleased seriously to ruminate upon these.

First, That the Seventy Translatours did that work unwillingly, and for fear: For the Scripture was the Treasure of the Jews, which made them more glorious than any Nation under Heaven. Therefore to communicate this their riches to the Heathen, whom they abominated and detested, was as much against their heart as what was most. So that had not the fear of the power of Ptolomy brought them to the work

of the Translation, more than their own good will, there had been no such thing done. Ptolomy Lagus, the Father of Ptolomy Philadelphus, for whom they translated, had carried away an hundred thousand Jews captive into Egypt, as saith Aristeas, so that the fear and dread of that house lay upon them, that they durst deny it nothing, which otherwise they would most vehemently have done such a thing as this, to have communicated their Scriptures to the Heathen in a vulgar Tongue.

Secondly, The Translation then being undertaken for fear, and with so ill a will [that as Aristeas, who was present at the work, saith, the Translatours were very unwilling to go for Egypt, though he interpret it, because loath to go from Eliazar the High Priest] and that the Jews kept a mournful fast every year, sorrowing for that work of the Translation. It cannot be expected that the Translation will be done with any more fidelity, than barely what will keep the Translatours out of danger.

Thirdly, Therefore they strive as much as they can, to conceal the Truth and Trea∣sure of the Scripture from the Heathen, and as much as they dare to delude them. Their chief means for this, is to use an unpricked Bible, in which the words written without vowels, might be bended divers ways, and into divers senses, and different from the meaning of the Original, and yet if the Translation were questioned, they might prick or vowel the word, so as to agree to their Translation. How they have dealt in this kind, there is none that ever laid the Hebrew Bible, and the Septuagint together, but hath observed.

Fourthly, Their differences from the Original, which were innumerable, were partly of ignorance, they themselves not being able to read the Text alway true in a Copy unvowelled. But this ignorance was also voluntary in them, they not caring to mistake, so that they might do it with their own security.

Their general care was, that since of necessity they must Translate the Bible, as lit∣tle of it might be imparted and revealed by the Translation as was possible.

Their particular and special heed was also, that those places of the Text, which Translated Literally, or according to the true meaning, might prove dangerous any ways to the Nation of the Jews, or bring them into distaste with the potent King for whom they Translated, should be so tempered and qualified that no hazzard might arise, nor any such matter might be seen.

Fifthly, It was a common speech among the Jews, and rang ordinarily in their Schools, and Pulpits, That the seventy Souls of Jacobs family, that went down into Egypt, were equivalent, or answerabe in worth to all the seventy Nations of the World.

This was a dangerous doctrine for the Jews, if it should come to be known, (as it could not choose but be) especially when their puissant enemies should find the numbers agreeable, of seventy Souls, Gen. 46. and seventy Nations, Gen. 10. To prevent any such danger, the Translators thought it a sure way, to spoil the just number in both places, and so they did reckon seventy five Souls, and seventy two Nations, both which accounts are followed by Saint Luke, Act. 7. and in this place.

Sixthly, The several persons reckoned Gen. 10. Every one of which was the Fa∣ther and original of a several Nation, be just seventy. The Translatours to spoil the sum, which might prove perilous, have added two more, and both of the same name, Cainan, the one the immediate son of Sem, the other his Grandchild, or the son of Ar∣phaxad. For ver. 22. of that Chapter, they read thus. The sons of Sem were Elam, and Ashur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram, and Cainan; and vers. 24. thus, Ar∣phaxad begat Cainan, and Cainan begat Sala.

In which additions, these two things are very observable.

First, The place where they have thrust in these two men: Namely, so close to Sem, as could not possibly be closer, unless they would have had him to have had two sons of the same name, Cainan.

Secondly, The name it self, that they have thus chosen twice over, namely Cainan, which signifieth mourning or lamenting. So Enosh called his son, Gen. 5. 9. Because of the lamentable corruption of Religion in those times: And it is without doubt, the Translatours in the iterated choice of this word, or heavy and doleful name, in∣tended to shew some inward sorrow: the cause of which may be best imagined, by laying the name, and the place of it together.

The blessing of Noah upon Japhet, God shall inlarge Japhet, and he shall dwell in the tents of Sem, Gen. 2. 27. The Jews themselves of old, understood, to aim at the Greek Tongue, viz. that God should use that as a means for the admission of the Heathen to the secrets and mysteries of the Jews Religion. This was their vexation at all times, to hear, or to think of the Gentiles being called, as appears by Jonah, Chap. 4. 1. by the Nazarites, Luke 4. 28. and by them of Jerusalem, Act. 22. 21, 22. For Moses had plainly told them, that their calling in, should be the others casting off, Deut. 32. 21.

Therefore, it could not but be a most vehement sorrow, and main vexation to these Translators, that they, perforce, and so sore against their wills, must be made the in∣struments, by translating the Bible into Greek, to let Japhet, or the Heathen, into the tents of Sem.

This sorrow, as their Nation expressed by a mournful Fast, so did they themselves among other things, by a lamenting and sorrowing name, Cainan twice over, put in so close to Sem, as if they called on him to mourn with them, because his tents were now unlocking for the entrance of the Gentiles.

Seventhly, God using the Septuagint, as the Key for admission of the Heathen, and as an Harbinger to the New Testament, left it not there, but therein used it also in alle∣gations from the Old, yet oftentimes differing from the letter of the same, but never without special reason.

Eighthly, Saint Luke, as he followed the Doctor of the Gentiles, Saint Paul, so he wrote his Gospel for the Gentiles: therefore whereas Matthew writing his for the Jews, deriveth the Genealogy, but from Abraham the first Father of the Jews, This Evange∣list writing for the Gentiles, fetcheth the Line from Adam, the common Father of all, both Jews and Gentiles.

This is the aim and scope of this Genealogy, and the reason why it is set at Christs Baptism:

First, To shew that there was no distinction of persons in the promise given to Adam, for all Nations were then equally in his loins: for this, the holy line runs down to him.

Secondly, That therefore all Nations have equal interest in the Messias, and that in the Preaching of the Gospel, which Christ began from his Baptism, there should be no difference of people made, as there was before. This being the intent of the Pedegrees placing here, as the very placing of it doth inevitably evince, it is not only warrantable, but also admirably divine, that Luke taketh in Cainan from the Seventy.

For, first, writing for Heathens, he must follow the heathens Bible in his quo∣tations.

Secondly, In Genealogies he was to be a Coppier, not a Corrector.

Thirdly, and chiefly, In following this insertion of the Seventy, he imbraceth not their error, but divinely draweth us to look at their intent.

When Jude mentioneth Michaels striving with Satan about the body of Moses, he approveth not the story as true, which he knew to be but a Talmudick Parable: but from the Jews own Authors, he useth this as an argument against them, and for their in∣struction.

So though Luke from the Seventy, the Bible of the Heathen, have alledged Cai∣nan the son of Arphaxad, he alledgeth it not as the truth more than the Hebrew, but from the Septuagints own authority, or from the matter which they inserted in di∣staste of the calling of the Heathen, he maketh comfortable use and instruction to the Heathen concerning their calling.

First, They put in two men, Gen. 10. that they might dissemble their arrogating of singularity above all Nations, and to make Ptolomy believe, that there was no such distinction of people held by them: [but they thought otherwise.]

Luke reserves the one of these in his pedegree (for the other could not come in it,) to teach the Gentiles really, what they did in dissimulation, that there was no such distinction of Nations in the sight of God, even the Seventy themselves being witnesses.

Secondly, They used a mournful name for the men whom they inserted, in de∣testation of the coming in of the Gentiles; Luke reserves this also for the comfort of the Gentiles, which were now to be called in: To teach them from the Jews own confession, that the divulging of the Gospel in vulgar languages, should bring Japhet into the tents of Sem: which thing was now ready to begin, when Christ at his Baptism is anointed to Preach the Gospel, and to send it abroad to be

Preached both to Jew and Gentile. And what the Seventy in their Cainan sor∣rowed to see afar off, Luke in his Cainan calls to behold now with comfort near at hand.

Thus are the Censers of Korah and his company though ordained for an evil end by them, yet reserved in the Sanctuary for a good by the command of GOD.

Ver. 38. Which was the Son of Adam, which was the Son of God.

Thus hath the Evangelist shewed Christ to be the seed of the woman, promised to Adam, and descended from him: And that, he that was proclaimed the seed of the Woman to Adam, in the garden, was now pointed out and proclaimed the Son of God, from Heaven to John, at Jordan. And thus doth the Evangelist conclude this Genealogy with a clear expression of Christs two natures, his humanity, for he was the son of Adam; his divinity, for he was the Son of God: And this lesson, of these two natures being knit and united in the person of our Saviour, the Evangelists all of them teach very frequently as they go along, as a thing of chief and choice observa∣tion: which we shall take up and observe, as we proceed.