A new history of ecclesiastical writers containing an account of the authors of the several books of the Old and New Testament, of the lives and writings of the primitive fathers, an abridgement and catalogue of their works ... also a compendious history of the councils, with chronological tables of the whole / written in French by Lewis Ellies du Pin.

(e) It is very certain, that at first this Lan∣guage was not common to all the Jews.] This is a∣bundantly proved against the common opinion, by what is said in the Book of Nehemiah, ch. 13. v. 24. that the Children of the Jews who had Married strange Women, spoke Asotice and not Judaice. In the Hebrew the words are Ashdodith, and Jehudith, and this last word in the second Book of Kings, ch. 18. v. 26. is opposed to A∣ramith, which signifies in Syriack, Precamur loqua∣ris nobis Syriace & non Judaice; in the first Book of Ezrah, ch. 4. v. 7. and in the Prophet Daniel, ch. 2. v. 4. Aramith has still the same signification. On the contrary Jehudith signifies the Hebrew Tongue in opposition to the Syriack, as we may see in the second Book of Chron. ch. 32. v. 18. 2 Kings, 18. 26. and in Isaiah, ch. 36. v. 11. There were several Jews therefore in the time of Ezrah that still spoke Hebrew. And this is evidently proved by the Books of Ezrah that were made since the Captivity, and yet were written in He∣brew, and not in Chaldee, except some Chapters of the first Book of Ezrah, where he tells us of the opposition, that the Officers of the King of Per∣sia, who spoke Chaldee, gave to the Jews. From whence it follows, that the Jews both understood and spoke Hebrew. For otherwise why should Ezrah, if he designed to have his Books intelli∣gible by all the Jews, write them in a Language, which was not natural to them. The same con∣sideration will hold good as to the Books of the latter Prophets, who wrote in Hebrew after the Captivity, and yet addressed their Prophecies to all the People. But lastly, that which admits of no reply, is a remarkable passage in the Book of Ne∣hemiah, ch. 8. and 9. where we find, that the Law was read in Hebrew before the People, and all the People hearkened to it, and understood it; These Remarks have been lately made by a very Inge∣nious and Learned Person. Mr. Simon indeed brags, that he has invincible Reasons to overthrow them; When he has honoured the World with a Sight of them, we shall see whether they are powerful enough to make us retract this opinion, as he would willingly perswade us they are; but in the mean time he ought not to take it amiss, if till then, we continue in the same mind.