Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	judge_n	king_n	ruth_n	1,639	5	10.6479	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B08603	Masora. A collection out of the learned master Joannes Buxtorfius's Commentarius Masorethicus. / By Clement Barksdale.	Buxtorf, Johann, 1564-1629.; Barksdale, Clement, 1609-1687.	1665 (1665)	Wing B6348A; ESTC R221405	27,661	74

valiant Leader Zorobabel whose Stock and Vertue is ennobled by the Genealogy of our Saviour Christ He had with him the High Priest Jeschua and other Chief Priests and Levites the companions of Zorobabel their Leader out of Babylon and he had also all that were Pillars of Piety among all the people These were the men designed for the Settlement of Religion not only for the present time but for the eternal benefit of Posterity from whom they knew the gift of Prophecy was now departing Cap. 10. XXXII In this Synod they thought it not sufficient to have delivered the Sacred authentick books unto the Church but the manner also how to read them cleerly and expound them was most prudently prescribed It appeareth by the learned Hebrews exposition of that place in Nehemiah chap. 8. vers 8. So they read in the Book in the sight of all the people and gave the sense and caused them t● understand the reading that in the publick Synagogue they read first the Text of the Book of the Law in Hebrew distinctly and understandingly according to the pauses and then explained it in the Chaldee which was now the vulgar Tongue of the people brought from Babylon This Reformation of the Sacred Scripture by Ezra was not unknown to Tertullian a most grave Writer of the first Antiquity in the Christian Church for in his Book De Hab. Mul. he saith After the overthrow of Jerusalem by the Babylonians it is certain that all the Instruments of the Judaic Literature were restored by Ezra Chrysostome also ascribeth unto Ezra the same work where he writeth Attend and Learn Gods mercy to us of old He inspired Moses and he wrote the Tables of Stone He determined him forty days in the Mount and again so many days that he might give him the Law In after times he sent Prophets who suffered innumerable wrongs War rushed in it consumed all sorts of men the Books were burnt in the Fire But again he inspired another man that he might repair those admirable Scriptures I mean Ezra and enabled him to compose the Law anew out of their Reliques c. Hom. 8. in Epist ad Hebr. Cap. 11. XXXIII Now and henceforth were the Foundations of the Masora laid the work was begun in the partition of the Sacred Books in the distinction of the Text into greater Sections and into Verses and in the dinumeration of them as also of the Letters least one Prick or Tittle might afterward be changed or lost For first having constituted the number of Canonical Books and reduced them into one body of Scripture they divided it into three principal parts viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Prophets and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the holy Writings or Hagiographa This Division was taken notice of by our Saviour and declared in that saying of his All things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law and in the Prophets and in the Psalmes concerning me Luc. 24. 44. where the Psalmes are put for all the Books in that part entitled Hagiographa out of which also some things are cited in the new Testament as fulfilled Elsewhere he named only two parts The Law and the Prophets were until John Luc. 16. 16. And in another place a whole part of Scripture is set for one Book of that part as It is written in the Prophets Mark 1. 2. Jo. 6. 45. That is in that part of Scripture which contains the Prophets in that Volumne of the Prophets For that which was cited was not written in all the Prophets but in one of them the first in Mal. 3. 1. the other in Isa 54. 13. Thus is this division usuall in the most antient writings of the Hebrews In the Masora when any word is found only thrice and that in the three parts of Scripture then they say We meet with it three times once in the Law once in the Prophets once in the Hagiographia In the Talmudists one binds up the Law the Prophets and the Hagiographa into one Book Again They brought unto us the Law the Prophets the Hagiographa bound into one Barabathra fol. 13. 2. Elias Levita in the third preface to his Masoreth where he speaks of the men of the great Synagogue and their labour in restoring of the Scripture writes thus For all the twenty four Books were not bound up together but they the Men of the great Synagogue conjoyned them and made three parts of them the Law the Prophets and the Hagiographa 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cap. 11. XXXIV These three parts were afterward divided into others The Law according to the diversity of the matter and the History was subdivided into five Books which are entitled by us Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuternomy The Prophets were subdivided into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the former Prophets and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the latter Prophets The former are four in number which are named under the title of the Books of Joshua Judges Samuel and Kings or so called because in these Books it is treated of the first Prophets In these Samuel was reckoned at first for one Book and the Kings likewise for one which afterwards were distinguished into two Hence Samuel is called a Prophet as in that He gave them Judges until Samuel the Prophet Act. 13. 20. The latter Prophets are also four Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel Daniel and the Twelve Lesser These last were united in one Book that they might not be in danger by their smalnesse to be lost Hence is that to be taken Act. 7. 42. As it is written in the Book of the Prophets that is of the lesser Prophets to wit Amos 5. 25. and hence also we read in the Hebrew Doctors Those eight Prophets were bound in one Barabathra fol. 13. 2. to wit the four former and so many latter before mentioned as the Commentator there explains The rest of the Books are the Hagiographa and they were stiled in the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Writings by a Synecdoche in asmuch as they were written by the Holy Spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is by immediate instinct of the Holy Ghost and not by a Prophetick spirit or by Prophecy properly so called So Daniel and Esra are accounted as it were Historical composing the History of the Church by divine instinct whither also pertain the Paralipomena or Chronicles whose Author Esra is supposed to have been David and Salomon have written most part things belonging unto piety and manners and Doctrin in adversity and prosperity albeit they have Prophetical matters David eminently often times intermixed The five small Books which they call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are likewise judged as Didactical and historical The Hagiographa therefore at first were accounted nine Books Psalmes Proverbs Job Canticles Ecclesiastes Esther Daniel Esra Chronicles where Esra comprehends also Nehemiah and the two Books of Chronicles are taken for one The Book of Ruth was referred to the Book of Judges for the

continuation of the History and the Lamentations to Jeremy for the same Authors sake According to this distinction the Books of the Bible in all were computed two and twenty agreeable to the number of the Hebrew Letters Cap. 11. XXXV After that they had defined and distributed the Canonica● Books the Men of the great Synagogue further considered of the conformity of the Text and the verity and variety of the reading Here first of all the Text was distinguished into Verses Notes of distinction being added which they called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because there was the end of every Verse For the Hebrews conceive that all the Scripture-text before was but as it were one Verse without any notes of distinction even as it is this day all their Books except very seldome and almost only in the greater Sections and Parts do not use distinctive Points but signifie a new Part Section or matter of discourse by larger Writing of the first Word And that till the time of this Council or great Synagogue the Text of Scripture was without Notes of distinction of the Verses the Jews prove out of the Sacred Book of the Law writen after the antient manner into a great form rouled up kept in their Synagogues in a Sacred Chest for publick solemn Readings on Sabbath dayes and other Festivals which is still to be seen without those Notes of Verses and without the Points of Vowels and Accents according to the form of the first exemplar written by Moses and given to the people of Israel as themselves affirm But that the whole Law was written without any distinction of words without any space interposed that the whole Text was as it were one Verse or one Word is a vain fiction of the Kabbalists Now if the Hebrew Text was distinguished into Verses by the Men of the great Synagogue why have not the lxx Greek Interpreters prudent Elders born Jews the chiefest learned Men most observant of their Law retained that distinction in their Traslation The Answer is that the difference of Verses as also of innumerous other places in that version is not from those first Interpreters but from the Transcribers who sometimes conjoyned sometimes divided the sentences as their Pen ran and their mind was either more or lesse intent which in great and long works usually happens Besides who can certainly affirm or believe that the present Greek version is altogether the same which those first interpreters with so great labour ftamed What made some of the most pious and most learned Fathers in the Primitive Christian Church so often to complain of that Translation What moved them to set forth so many new ones in the Greek Why did some so religiously embrace and so much commend the verity of the Hebrew Text Cap. 11. XXXVI After the distinction of the Verses by the men of the Great Synagogue they took into consideration the single Words and therein they had a double care one respected the writing of them by naked Consonants the other the reading of them and pronunciation by the Letters and Vowels jointly In the writing of the Words by the Letters they consulted with the Authentick Copies of the first Authors as many as were then extant in their hands or else followed the fidelity of other Copies most approved and most in number whether the Words were Written according to the Native propriety of their Origination what words with what quiescent Letters were written fully and what defectively what Letters and Words were written abundantly and not read or on the contrary what were read and not written in the Text or what were written in this manner and read in another as the Church had observed it continually from the time of Moses Of all which particulars the learned and skilfull then were able to give account and there were mystical reasons known to them but among the posterity through the most grievous calamities of after-times forgotten Now if this part of Critical learning belongs to the Masora and thence by all they are stiled Masoreths who were the Authors of it then none can deny but the first Masoreths were the Men of the great Synagogue Cap. 11. XXXVII A Second care of these Masoreths was about the reading and pronouncing of the Words together with the Vowels and Accents of them also particularly were written Masoretic Notes But whether the men of the great Synagogue here first invented the Points of Vowels and Accents or perfected them being invented by other or being neglected or disused restored them and took care that a Masora should be also written of them this cannot easily be said nor proved Lastly these men not content with all this numbred the Letters Words and Verses in every Book that it might be known what Letter what Word what Verse was in the midst of every one what Word did but once occur and therefore did easily admi● some error or corruption what words more often and how many times they were read under this or that form and infinite other things of like nature touching the explication of the Holy Text did they deliver that so they might fence it about as it were and preserve it from corruption And from this part of their Office whith was employed in numbring of the Words they were also called Sopherim i. e. Numerators from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to number and to celebrate their Antiquity and their Excellency the Talmudists call them the Antients and the First using this of those admirable men The Elogy heart of the Antients was like the Gate of the Porch to the Temple but the heart of the Latter like the eye of a Needle Lib. 119. Eribbim Cap. 5. Cap. 11. XXXVIII As afore Num. 6. two Authorities of Aben Ezra and Elias Levita were alledged touching the Authors of the Masora so likewise here shall we bring in the Testimony of some famous Hebrews to confirm this which is the more current opinion R. Gedalia in his Catena Kabalae fol. 21. writes Behold the men of the great Synagogue have set forth many new Constitutions for the good of the whole Captivity as the distinction of Verses the diversity of reading and writing the full words and the defective the Sections close and open the Letters greater and less the Accents and Vowel points My mind gives me that all were given to Moses from Mount Sinai but posterity was forgetful of them or that they were given indeed to Moses not that they should be committed to writing but these Princes the men of the Great Synagogue wrote them all down and communicated them to all Israel Don Isaac Abarbinel in the Preface to his Nachale Abhoth writes Ezra likewise taught Israel the Points Accents and ends of the Verses whereby he directed them and freed them from all confusion and error Ephodi cap. 7. of his Grammer writes in this manner That most Holy man who was the Head of the Scribes Ezra the Priest and Scribe shook his Lap and strained all his