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A50868
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A brief examination of some passages in the chronological part of a letter, written to Dr. Sherlock in his vindication in a letter to a friend.
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Milner, John, 1628-1702.
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1700
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Wing M2076; ESTC R37638
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7,596
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12
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forty years after the building of the Temple But this Gentleman makes more bold with the Iewish Writers when he makes them to say of Iaddus the High Priest and all the Elders of Israel that they made a Covenant with Alexander though Darius was then living for which he cites Ganz p. 59. But these are not Ganz his words he only says that Alexander made a Covenant with Jaddus whom he calls Simeon the just And I believe you will be strangely surpriz'd when I tell you from R. Abraham F. David his Cabala what that Covenant was He covenanted says he with the High Priest that every Child that was born to any of the Priests that year should be call'd Alexander after his name and that they should begin their AEra contractuum from him Iosephus l. 11. c. 5 and 8. acquaints us that both Nehemiah and Sanballat liv'd to old age and of Nehemiah this Gentleman saith pag. 8. No doubt he lived to a very great age for he was Cupbearer to King Artaxerxes in the 20th years of his Reign We may suppose him to have been then about 25 years of age after that he liv'd to see the High Priesthood pass from Father to Son for four Generations And he saw a fifth coming in view namely Jaddua whom we suppose to have been then about 30 years old All this might very well be if Nehemiah were born 470 years before Christ and writ in the year 347 before Christ then he was about 104 years oâ—d There are this Gentleman 's own words out of which we must pick his sense as well as we can and when we have done our best I doubt we shall scarce understand either how the things cohere or how they prove that Nehemiah liv'd to a very great age 1. I cannot see the coherence particularly of that last passage if Nehemiah were born 470 years before Christ and writ in the 347 th year before Christ then he was about 104 years old for from the year 470 before Christ to the year 347 before him are 123 years so that this Gentleman had express'd himself more coherently if he had said Then he was about 124 years old Some perhaps will say that 347 is the Printer's mistake for 374 for this Gentleman says pag 1. that Nehemiah writ his Book Anno 374 before Christ. Well we now then suppose Nehemiah to have lived from the year 470 before Christ to the year 374 but then he would not have been about 104 years old but about 96 so that I despair still of making things cohere But then 2. I cannot see how all together proves that Nehemiah lived to a very great age for 1. They are only Suppositions which make up a great part of what is said and those can prove nothing 2. There is nothing certain but that after Nehemiah came from Susa to Ierusalem he liv'd to see the High Priesthood pass from Father to Son for some Generations but unless we were certain for how many Generations whether four or three or only two as also how many years every Person enjoy'd the High-Priest's Function we cannot prove from thence to what age Nehemiah liv'd 3. When this Gentleman says that Nehemiah saw the Priesthood pass from Father to Son for four Generations his meaning is that it pass'd from Ioiakim to Eliashib from Eliashib to Ioiada from Ioiada to Johanan and withal he begins his computation in the last year of Ioiakim and ends it in the first of Iohanan so that the time of Eliashib's and Joiada's enjoying the Priesthood being added to the 25 years which he is suppos'd to have liv'd when he came from Susa to Jerusalem is in effect all the time we have to make up Nehemiah's age according to this Gentleman He troubles himself much about the time of Nehemiah's writing his Book 1. He affirms p. 6. that it was writ after the Death of Longimanus and in or after the time of his Successor Darius This says he is certain for in his Book he mentions the Reign of Darius the Persian But why may we not think notwithstanding this that the rest of the Book was writ before the Death of Longimanus and that this touching the Reign of Darius and a few other passages might be inserted by Nehemiah or some other afterwards 2. He insists upon it pag. 7. that Nehemiah writ when the Reign of Darius was expired The Hebrew words says he shew it for there i.e. Neh. 12 22. it is said that the heads of the Levites and also the Priests were recorded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 over or throughout the Reign of Darius Our Translation hath to the Reign of Darius other Translations in the Reign c. but these not favouring he must without Example or Warrant to serve his Hypothesis translate Over or throughout the Reign of Darius There is no question but that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sometimes signifies Over as that is the same with Above but he should have alledg'd some other Text or Texts of Scripture in which it signifies Over in the sense of his Throughout or some Authority for it and when he doth this he doth something But let the words signifie what they will they must be understood as he would have them which appears says he by what followeth in the next verse where it is said that the Heads of the Levites were recorded in the Book of the Chronicles till the days of Johanan i.e. till he came to be High-Priest Yea rather the contrary appears from thence if we will acquiesce in Archbishop Vsher's judgment for he in his Annals A. M. 3589. makes Iohanan to have been High Priest in the Reign of Darius i.e. Nothus and if he was so then these words till the days of Johanan Neh. 12. 23. cannot prove that the meaning must be Throughout the Reign of Darius v. 22. but if any thing the contrary Here and elsewhere I press this Gentleman with Archbishop Vsher's Authority because he alledges him so oft in his Letter and declares his great esteem of his judgment The most Learned Primate was as well a great Chronologer as a good Textuary so pag. 7. and pag 9. when he had told how he supposed Iaddus born at such a time in compliance with the most Learned Primate he adds these words I attribute very much to his judgment in these matters 3. This Gentleman makes Nehemiah to have writ his Book when Johanan came to be High-Priest see pag. 7. also 9 and 10. but if you demand his proof of this he only saith pag. 9. that he hath very good ground for it but he is not so kind as to tell what it is So that by all that he hath said concerning Nehemiah's age and writing his Book he hath only demonstrated that it cannot be determin'd particularly to what age he liv'd or at what time he writ This Gentleman also in pag. 7. troubles himself about Neh. 12. 22 23. He says that Nehemiah in them tells us that as
for the Levites that were in the days of Eliashib Joiada Johanan and Jaddua the heads of those Levites and also the Priests all that were in the Reign of Darius Nothus were recorded in the Book of Chronicles but afterwards the Priests were not recorded but only the Heads of the Levites and those only during the High Priesthood of Eliashib and Joiada By Afterwards here nothing can be meant but after the Reign of Darius Nothus and so the Gentleman saith Afterwards i.e. after the Reign of Darius Nothus the Priests were not recorded but only the heads of the Levites and then when he adds and those only during the High Priesthood of Eliashib and Joiada it cannot be avoided but that he makes Eliashib to have been High-Priest after the Reign of Darius Nothus being contrary herein that I may say nothing of Archbishop Vsher to himself for pag. 10. he makes Joiada to have succeeded Eliashib five years before the end of Darius's Reign But to pass this the Gentleman says that the heads of the Levites were recorded only during the High Priesthood of Eliakim and Joiada who were then dead but not of Johanan But if the heads of the Levites in the days of Iohanan and so in the days of Iaddua were not recorded I would gladly know why they are named v. 22. as well as those in the days of Eliashib and Ioiada But his giving us both so strange a translation of part of v. 22. and so strange an Interpretation of the two verses proceeded from hence that he thought the Darius spoken of was necessarily Darius Nothus Thence also proceeded that which follows in the same pag. 7. As for Jaddua he is mention'd both here i e Neh. 12. 22. and before in this Chapter i.e. v. 11. not as being High Priest then how could he be in his Father's days but only as being then living and Heir apparent of the High Priesthood so the words are understood by the most Learned Primate By Then this Gentleman means the time when the Book of Nehemiah was written which he fansies was when Jaddua's Father Johanan entred upon the High-Priest's Function hence is that Parenthesis how could he be in his Father's days But it hath appear'd already that it is a Groundless fancy that Nehemiah writ his Book at that time and so all this that is buile upon it falls of it self As to the Primate's judgment I attribute very much to it but this Gentleman that takes leave to depart from it when he thinks fit cannot reasonably deny the like liberty to others Page 12. We are told concerning him that married the Daughter of Sanballat the Horonite that Nehemiah ch 3. 28. calleth him one of the Sons of Ioiada the Son of Eliashib the High Priest and that this is plain enough to shew that he was the younger Brother of Johanan the Father of Jaddus But I deny that it is plain enough to shew it and my Ground is from this Gentleman 's own words Pag. 5. he says that Iohanan the High-Priest is called the Son of Eliashib Neh. 12 23. who indeed was his Grandfather and his Father was Joiada Neh. 12 10. Just so here Iaddus's Brother is call'd one of the Sons of Joiada who indeed was his Grandfather and his Father was Iohanan 'T is usual to call Grandsons by the name of Sons So that with the greatest part of the Learned Men that have writ on this subject we may still believe not the Uncle but the Brother of Iaddus to be the person spoken of Neh. 13. 28. and that Iosephus his Narration concerning Manasseh is an excellent comment upon that Text. I willingly acknowledge that I want some light to help me to discover the necessity of those consequences pag 9. If Jaddus was but 30 years old when he came to be High-Priest then the age of Joiakim when he dyed must have been at least 90 years his Son Eliashib at least 62 his Son Joiada near 70 his Son Johanan near 60 and each of these it is very probable much more and four of these must have been born when their Fathers were but 20 years old How these consequences can be made out I do not apprehend It remains that we examine that view of the years of the Persian Kings and Jewish High-Priests which he gives us pag. 10. and we shall quickly find that his Chronology therein is as to a great part of it meerly conjectural or at the best very uncertain Of the time of Nehemiah's writing his Book I have shew'd the uncertainty above This Gentleman tells us pag. 9. that Jaddus might have been born any year before his Father Johanan came to be High-Priest and that he suppos'd him born 30 years before in compliance with the most Learned Primate Which Primates Judgment he notwithstanding this departs from in other particulars of this view as to omit other instances when the Primate reâ—ers Nehemiah's coming from Sasa to Jerusalem to the 454th year before Christ this Gentleman refers it to the 445th year before him As to the Persian Monarchs the View out of Ptolemy's Canon makes Darius Nothus to have reigned 19 years Artaxerxes Mnemon 46 Ochus 21 Arses 2. But Diodorus Siculus whose Authority may at least counterbalance Ptolemy's gives only 43 years to Artaxerxes Mnemon but 23 to Ochus and speaks of Arses his third year see Diod. Sic. l. 13. l. 15 and l. 16. Sulpitus Severus also gives 23 to Ochus and 3 to Arses The same Sulpitius Severus allots 62 years to Artaxerxes Mnemon which Plutarch in Artaxerxes doth also and Câ—esias who had the greatest advantages of knowing how long he reign'd gives to Darius Nothus 35 years So that the best Authors differing thus one from another how can we determine how long they reign'd I have not Ptolemy's Canon by me but take it for granted that he allots the number of years forementioned to these Kings As for the High Priests the View out of Georgius Syncellus assigns to Eliashib 34 years but the Chronicon Alexandrinum gives him 40 years as the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 apud Scaliger also doth It is somewhat strange that this Gentleman should refer the death of Ioiakim to An. 445. before Christ and yet refer his Son Eliâ—shib's being High Priest to the year after I had thought that the Son being Heir apparent to the High Priesthood had succeeded immediately upon the Father's Death It is the more strange because having said pag. 8. that it appears that Ioiakim dyed the same year that Nehemiah Government began he gives this reason for it for his Son Eliashib was High Priest at the time when the Wall of Jerusalem was building For I believe that the Wall of Ierusalem was building yea was finish'd the same year that Nehemiah's Government began And if so it is more certain that Eliashib was High Priest the same year that his Government began than it is that Ioiakim dyed that year Yea but says this Gentleman It is certain that Joiakim was High Priest within the time while Nehemiah was Governour And this he thinks may be prov'd from Neh. 12. 26. where the words are These were in the days of Joiakim the Son of Jeshua the Son of Jozadak and in the days of Nehemiah the Governour Now it is certain from these words that Joiakim was High Priest within the time while Nehemiah was Governour it is said in the same Chapter that all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah gave the portions of the Singers Neh. 12 47. Is it certain from hence that Zerubbabel and Nehemiah govern'd for some time together I say then that it is more certain particularly from Neh. 3.1 that Eliashib was High Priest the same year that Nehemiah's Government began than it is that Ioiakim dyed the same year This Sir may suffice to give you a taste of the Gentleman 's Chronology I only add that I am Your very Affectionate Friend and Servant FINIS