Our Lordes famile and many other poinctes depending upon it opened against a Iew, Rabbi David Farar: who disputed many houres, with hope to overthrow the gospel, opened in Ebrew explication of Christianitie; that instructed, Rabbi Abraham Ruben. With a Greke epistle to the Geneveans. By H. Broughton.

Of Ebrew.

1 He must knovv that the letres Ebrevv, the 22 vvhich vve have, vvere not invented by Ezra; as manie fabled, but giuen in the Tables to Moyses, and knovven of old.

2 The Greke Alphabet, vvhich deuided Homers Iliad & Odyssea, is elder much then that age; of Babels captiuitie; & it is named from the Ebrevv; and the Ebrevv much elder then it; and the Characters that gaue the name, yet much elder; and ordered in the Alphabet, for like forme; and so ordered in the Psalmes Prov. 31; and six times Lam. in all, 21 times; therfore an Ebrician vvold not be found Analphabetus, to learne his, A, B, C.

3 In Noas time Podamim & Dodamim; Piphath and Di∣phath. Thubal and Chalyb by transposition, noted the letters to be of old as this day; and manie countreis in Heathen na∣med from Noes familie; differing by mistaking letters. David Kimchi noteth manie such 1 Chr.

4 The lxxii, had old dimme copies; as 1000 yeres old, or more; wher theyr eies often missed, by letters like; as yet they be. D. Drus. noted that vvell in Ciun & Rempham; a transla∣tor of courage vvold put Ciun Act. 7. from Amos 5.

5. Vovvels had Gods auctority in the tables; as Tiphereth Israel teacheth. Their infinite varietie could not be from man; & no mans auctority could prevaile to force a nation to ••ake them; yf the prophetes in all ages had not settled them, as theyr age spake.

6. Accentes haue vse to stay spech by the argument; as De∣mosthenes excelled by pronuntiation. I brevv accentes teach that to Ebrevves: & that, not Musique, is theyr vse.

7. Elias Leuita doted vvhen he denyed that any old gramma¦rianes afore him of renovvne: sayd, that vovvels vvere of old. kimchi vpon Hoseas expresly ••elleth, that Ionathan Coaeual to S. Pauls Rabbi, the sage Gamaliel, had Hoseas poincted.

8. Azarias blameth Elias; by that all nationes haue vovvels; then specially Israell; more curious in style, then all Greke po∣etes.

6. Tiphereth Israel sayth sagely, that all the lavv is now at this day vvith vs, in the 22. Letters in vovvels & in accentes, as in Moses time. The Pope, vvho beleued Elias, vvarring against them vvho say the poinctes, & so the accentes are from God, the Pope beleving Elias, and vvekeninge the auctoritie of Gods vvord, herin dealeth not vvell: nor any of ours that fo∣lovv him. No mans vvit could invent 14 vovvels; vnless at the first they had them; nor nedeless variety of poinctes, to great difficulties of grammer, vnless autours had vvritten so at the first. So Benj, my son, hoseas 11 & Math. 2. might as vvell be Banaj, my sonnes. So Gnasaj, God, my makers, for mysticall tri∣nity in Elihu, might as vvelbe Gnosi, my maker. And seing Iewes 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 from Babel, as Iulius Africanus in Euseb. Greketh, ascending to Ierusalem, folovved Arabians to haue vovvels, comon, as Mariam & Miriam, Salomon, & Solomon, Abel, & Ebel, Gog, & Gyg, Cores, & Cyros, it vvas not possi∣ble for late Ievves to persuade one man to rest in many late-in vented vovvels.

10 Two kindes of Chananean Bibles we have now; vowel∣led, and vnvowelled; so they had at the first. The one for cer¦tentie, yf doubt came; the other for expedition. As we write vnvowelled. So R. Ruben to me; and I to him, in my late prin¦ted workes. The lxx vsed only the vnvowelled; to hide with more facilitie, holy thinges from dogges; when danger was.