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A62371
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A letter written to the Jewes by Rabbi Moses Scialitti, a Jew of Florence baptized June 14. 1663. ; delaring the reasons of his conversion, and exhorting them to embrace the Christian faith.
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Scialitti, Paul Colend.
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1663
(1663)
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Wing S908; ESTC R8949
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12,804
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24
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eat yet that it will be lawful to eat of it And what else will it signifie only that by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ the Law is by him renewed grounded upon the first precept given by God unto Noah which sayes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Even as the green herb have I given you all things Gen. 9.3 All is lawful for ye to eat the Hogg returned once again unto its former condition that it should be lawful to eat it Where it is seen that as well by the sacred Text as by the sayings of the Rabbies his Law was to have a change and a renewing The third proof that not only it was to be changed in corporal things but also in divine and spiritual I will prove it unto you by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Rabbies when they say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They have demanded of the divine Law what deserveth a sinner what punishment must he have Answer that he bring a sacrifice and he shall be pardoned They have demanded of God himself what deserveth a sinner what punishment must he have Answer nothing else only repentance and he shall be pardoned proving of it from the Verse which David said Man and beast shall God save 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What else can be declared by your Rabbies themselves but that a Time was to come Psalm 36. that there should not be any need at all of sacrifices of beasts or animals for the remission of sins but only bare repentance since that sacrifice was nothing else but the Figure Type of the sacrifice of Christ as I refer to an other place the particular explanation thereof It sufficeth hitherto to have proved unto you by reasons evident powerful and clear that this your and my former Law was to be changed Therefore if it be true as I proved that this change must be it cannot be by any other than by this second Law of Charity and Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ who is the true Messias and God and the Son of God in one and the same person But first I will prove unto you the qualities that the Messias is to have that not only he is to be man born of a woman but God himself in essence and his Son by generation and this with brevity that I may not be tedious deferring the full enlargement of the same to my next work that he must be God himself I prove it unto you the Prophet saith speaking of the Messias 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And this is his name whereby he shall be called Jer. 23.9 the Lord our Righteousness and in another place Cap. 33.16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And this is the name wherewith he shall be called the Lord our Righteousness Well ye know my Heb. Brethren that this name of Jehovah that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lord can not be given nor is it ever given nor is it found written but for the proper divine Essence as your Cabalists do say i. e. the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vein and sourse of all sacred and divine names and is called by them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a proper name and essential name and others they call them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 surnames which may be found written with prophane significations as Eloim 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which may signifie Idols or Judges or else Adonai written in this manner 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which may be interpreted prophanely for my Lords but yet when this name is written with this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jehovah it cannot be allow'd otherwise than Sacred Holy and for Divine Essence it self Then if the Messiah is called with this title of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jehovah he must be God himself and not an ordinary man I observe also Brethren that the Prophet Isaiah speaking of the Messiah and of the names by which he is to be called saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And his name shall be called wonderful Isa 9.6 Counsellor the mighty God the everlasting Father the Prince of Peace O grand Titles among the rest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the mighty God spirituality 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God Humanity conjoyn'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 deriving from the name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies Man Observe that ye shall not find in all the sacred Scriptures any particular person intituled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God with this word only the Messias which was to come for whom had been spoken al the Prophecies which have been in him fulfilled thus then the Messias is not only to be corporeal as ye believe but corporeal and spiritual both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God and man And it was reason Brethren that it should be so for if we shall go about to consider the work that this Messias came to do and whence it proceeds we shall see that it was not expedient that he should be meer man for this Messias proceeds only as wel ye know by occasion of the curse given by God unto our first Father Adam for the sin of the fruit having said unto him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for ye well know where it is spoken duplicately by dying thou shalt die it s interpreted by your own very Rabbies that it treats always of two deaths that is death spiritual and death corporeal or temporal so that to the end that the world should not perish for this great sin the mercy of God hath found the means for to appease his justice and to save the world from this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 diabolical serpent for ye know well what the Rabbies say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He is the serpent he is the wicked temptation he is the Devil he is the Embassador of death he comes down and tempts he riseth and accuseth he descends and takes the soul So that this serpent is nothing else but diabolical temptation for God promiseth to put hatred betwixt this serpent and the seed of the woman insomuch that he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel what else can this clearly signifie with the foundation as I have exprest unto you of spiritual death to which Adam was condemned the which as ye know must cease with the coming of the Messias as your Rabbies say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the time to come the Divine Majesty will take the wicked temptation and behead it before the righteous to the end there may be no more temptation nor spiritual death but the remedy of all the evils as well temporal as spiritual which flow from sin might be obtained by the coming of the Messiah and for these so great effects a meer man was not sufficient and therefore he was to be God and man And the benefits of his coming were not to be extended to the Hebrews alone but to other nations also that all the world might be united in the
union of one Law and one faith and attain salvation thereby according to the Prophet Isaiah 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light Chap 9.2 They that dwell in the land of the shadow of death upon them hath the light shined ver 6. and then it follows 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for unto us a childe is born which ye know well to be a prophecy of the Messiah as I have already declared And according unto your account of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the mystical sense ye know the Rabbines say that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There is one signification in the writing and there is one signification in the reading ver 7. which being granted let us consider the following verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Of the increase of his Government and peace there shall be no end This word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the increase must be observed that the Mem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 finalis is in the midst of it an extraordinary unusual thing and never allowed by any rule Let us observe then that this Mem is a numerical letter denoting the number 600. And from the time of this Prophecie of Isaiah to the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ are just 600. years according to the following computation Uzziah reigned 52. years Jotham 16. Ahaz 16. Hezekiah 29. Manasseh 55. Ammon 2. Josiah 31. Jehoiakim 11. Zedekiah 11. The captivity of Babylon lasted 70. years and the second temple 420. which are in all 713. Now if we take away 40. years for the former part of the reign of Uzziah before Isaiah began to Prophesie and 33. years for the time in which our Saviour lived upon earth and 40. years more for the time from his passion to the destruction of the Temple the number to be subtracted from 713. will be 113. and the remainder 600. So then the Mem finalis was put on purpose in the midst of this word to signifie that this Messiah this childe to whom the Prophet gives such honourable titles and in whom this increase of Government was to be fulfilled should be born just 600. years after the date of the prophecy as Jesus of Nazareth the true Messias indeed was By whose coming also was fulfilled that Prophecy of Jeremiah which saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jer. 31.31 32 33. Behold the days come saith the Lord that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt which my covevenant they brake although I was an husband unto them saith the Lord. But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel c. What other thing brethren can this change of Covenant mean but only the abolishing of the Law of Moses which was the covenant ratified in the day that our Fathers went out of the land of Egypt and the substituting in the room of it the Law of Christ which is a new and a better covenant the benefit whereof according to the following words of this Prophecy is a more distinct and general knowledge of God which is contained in the knowledge of this Messiah God and man as is before declared You know also that the Messias at his coming must through this general knowledge of God take away all Idolatry as from many places I could prove if it were not already confest by you without any contradiction if then this Messias must be God and man if he must redeem the world if he must take away all Idolatry it remains onely for us to prove that this Jesus is that Messias that ye may not say 't is true indeed the Messias is of that essence and shall unite to his Divinity the humane nature and must perform those works which you have spoken of but all this will come to pass hereafter he is not yet come To which I answer that as the Law of Moses is received for the sake of an universal Tradition generally acknowledged in every nation and consequently the history of the miracles there recorded is worthy of belief So also is the Law of Christ for since the first publication of his Gospel it hath been generally acknowledged and without contradiction that in such a certain time Jesus Christ lived and died and soon after his Gospel was written and proclaimed by his Disciples who neither wrote nor preached it for gold nor silver nor compliance with any Prince but on the contrary thereby exposed themselves to many sorrows and a cruel death Now ye know the rule of the Rabbines 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A man sins not but for himself it is not imaginable that one man should sin for another without the expectation of some profit or gain but on the contrary an apparent certainty of persecution and death It is therefore a sign and evident proof of the tru h of their relation that they suffered themselves to be put to death rather then conceal the doctrine which they were commanded to publish Some heathen Authors also have made remarkable mention of Christ and some of the circumstances of his life and death the substance of whole story remains to this day uncontradicted by any writer of those times Ye know also the common rule 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the voice is true which is not stopt Now if the History of Christ be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a voice which is not stopt it is necessary by your own rule to confess that it is true Now let us add to this acknowledged truth the consideration of the time when the fulfilling of the prophecies concerning the Messias was expected and we shall see how the coming of Jesus of Nazareth did fully consort therewith which hath in part been proved already from the 9. of Isaiah and may be further explained in the interpretation of the following Prophecies of which the first shall be that of Daniel concerning 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the seventy weeks Dan. 2.24 c. in which the time of the Messiahs coming is clearly intimated for from the beginning of the captivity of Babylon to the destruction of the second Temple are just seventy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 weeks of years that is seventy times seven viz. four hundred and ninety years the captivity lasted 70. and the second Temple 420. years the destruction of which concluded the first coming of Christ the Messiah the Saviour of the world It is necessary therefore to confess that this Jesus is the true Messias of whom the Prophets spoke so long before because his coming doth thus exactly agree with the time allotted in this Prophecie according as I have explained it for the coming of the Messias Now as the foregoing Prophecie is exactly accomplished in the end of our Saviours first coming so also are the two following