Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	call_v	day_n	sabbath_n	4,345	5	10.2877	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49450	A new history of Ethiopia being a full and accurate description of the kingdom of Abessinia, vulgarly, though erroneously called the empire of Prester John : in four books ... : illustrated with copper plates / by ... Job Ludolphus ... ; made English, by J.P., Gent.; Historia Aethiopica. English	Ludolf, Hiob, 1624-1704.; J. P., Gent.	1682 (1682)	Wing L3468; ESTC R9778	257,513	339

of the Jews Error who were learned in the Books of the Mosaic Law Most Nations have a particular Dyet some by custome some through superstition Not to speak of the Mahumetans who abstain not only from Swines flesh but from Wine is not the custom of the Bannians not much different from the ancient Pythagoreans to be strangely admir'd who onely feed upon Herbs and Meats made of Milk which we hardly believe sufficient to sustain Nature Others there are that devour all sorts of Creatures which the flesh consuming Beasts themselves refuse and otherwise nauseous to the most part of Men. The Oriental Tartars feed upon Camels Foxes and all sorts of wild Beasts Some of our Europeans indulging their appetites please their palats with a sort of Dyet abominated by all other People as Frogs Cockles and I know not what sort of Insects Gregory had an utter aversion to Lobsters Crabbs Crayfish and Oysters which we accompt our chiefest Delicacies and it turn'd his stomach to see Turkies Hares and several other Dishes to which he was unaccustom'd brought to our Tables Being ask'd why he abstain'd from Swines flesh he retorted still and why we from Horse-flesh And most certainly were we to banquet with the Tartars there are but very few of us that would easily be induc'd to eat Horse-flesh with an Appetite tho it be one of their principal junkets Nay their Embassadors to our Princes desire fat Horses for their Kitchins However they abstain from blood and things strangl'd not out of any observance of the Mosaic Law but an Apostolic Decree always in force in the Eastern Church which was also for many Ages observ'd in the Western Church and reviv'd in some Councils They also rebuke us for that we suffer'd that Decree to be laid aside Nor do they allow the Jews Sabboth out of a respect to Judaism or that they learnt it from some certain Nations that kept the Seventh day holy But because the ancient Custom of the Primitive Church who observ'd that day perhaps out of complacency to the Jews being long retain'd in the East was at length carry'd into Ethiopia For thus we find it written in some ancient Constitutions which they call the Constitutions of the Apostles Let the Servants labour five days but let them keep the Holydays the Sabboth and the Lords Day in the Church for the sake of Pious Instruction The Council of Laodicea decreed that the Gospels with other parts of Scripture should be read upon the Sabboth when before the Paragraphs of the Law of Moses were onely read upon the Sabboth and the Gospels upon the Sunday the Texts of the old Law being thought most agreeable to the Old Sabboth and the Texts of the New Testament to the New Sabboth Socrates also farther testifies that the People us'd to assemble at Church upon the Sabboth and Lords Day And Gregory Nyssen whose Writings the Ethiopians have among them saith With what Eyes dost thou behold the Lords Day who hast defil'd the Sabboth Know'st thou not that these two days are Twins and that if thou injur'st the one thou dost injury to the other But Claudius makes so much difference between both days that he prefers the Lords day before the Sabaoth But as to what pertains to our Celebration of the ancient Sabaoth we do not celebrate it as the Jews did who Crucify'd Christ saying Let his blood be upon Us and our Children For those Jews neither draw water nor kindle fires nor dress meat nor bake bread neither do they go from house to house But we so celebrate it that we administer the Sacrament and relieve the Poor and the Widow as our Fathers the Apostles commanded Us. We Celebrate it as the Sabaoth of the first Holiday which is a new day of which David saith This is the day which the Lord made let us rejoyce and exult therein For upon that day our Lord Jesus Christ rose and upon that day the Holy Ghost descended upon the Apostles in the Oratory of Sion And in that day Christ was incarnated in the Womb of the Perpetual Virgin St. Mary and upon that day he shall come again to reward the Just and punish the Evil. Gregory also testify'd That the Habessines abstain from no sort of Labour upon the Sabaoth but from the most servile sorts of Labour This Custom continu'd long in the Church till it was abrogated by degrees for by the 22d Canon of the said Council of Laodicea the Christians are forbid to work upon the Sabaoth Nevertheless the Sacred Lectures were continu'd for a time as appears by the Canon above mention'd till at length those were also left off perhaps because that the People having a licence to work there were but few that repair'd to Church Moreover according to the Custom of the Jews it is lawful in Abessinia to marry the Widow of the Brother deceas'd as Alvarez testifies Adding That the Habessinian defend their so doing by the Laws of the Old Testament But Gregory positively deny'd that it was lawful but onely conniv'd at by the Magistrate However that such Wives are also prohibited from coming to the Holy Communion wherein Alvarez agrees with him However it does not therefore follow that this Custom was translated from the Jews to the Habessines no more then if any one should assert that the Laws of Polygamie and Divorce were deriv'd from the Jews And yet this is somewhat strange I must confess that they abstain from that Muscle which the Hebrews call Ghid Hannesheh or the Sinew mutilated the Ethiopians Sereje Berum the forbidden Nerve the Amharies Shalada Which very probably they might learn from the Jews in their own Country of which Nation there are several Colonies in Ethiopia But as to what is reported concerning Queen Candaces Eunuch we have already shew'd that she was not Queen of Habessinia but of the Ethiopians that inhabited the Iland of Meroe and if the Eunuch were a Jew it does not follow that his Lady the Queen shall be so too Others there are who tell us That Menilehec's Successors in a short time return'd to the worship of Idols Which if it be true the assertion of the Continuation of the Jewish Religion till the time of the Apostles will prove altogether vain tho in Europe most certainly the Habessines were long suspected of Judaisme and so are many to this day Which King Claudius observing by his Disputations with Gonsalo Rodriguez and the Writings which he compos'd to refute the Errors of the Habessines set forth a Confession of which we have already cited several parcels as they related to our business The chief Scope of which was to remove that Suspition of Judaism from himself and his Subjects which in my opinion he very effectually did CHAP. II. Of the Conversion of the Habessines to the Christian Faith The Conversion of the Habessines attributed to Queen Candace's Eunuch but contrary to authentic Histories Candace no Habessinian Other Traditions nothing better Demonstrated when and by

the King himself Tellez reports That it was stufft with places of Scripture but nothing to the purpose The King more incens'd by this Writing renew'd the Edict about the Sabbath and commanded the Husbandmen to Plough and Sow upon that Day adding as a Penalty upon the Offenders for the first Fault the Forfeiture of a weav'd Vestment to the value of a Portugal Patack for the second Confiscation of Goods and that the said Offence should not be prescribed to Seven years a certain form usually inserted in their more severe Decrees Certainly it must of necessity be true what Tellez reports of the Natural Piety of the Habessines since they were thus to be compell'd to the Neglect of the Sabbath by such Severe Laws when we can hardly be induc'd by stricter Penalties to observe the Lord's-Day Among the rest one Bucus a stout and famous Soldier felt the utmost rigour of this Decree for being accus'd to have observ'd the Sabbath he was made a most severe Example that others of less consequence might not think to expect any Mercy From thence Jonael Viceroy of Bagemdra took an occasion to Revolt alluring all to his Party who were displeased with the Edicts Upon which News many of the chiefest of the Court both Men and Women of which several were near allyed to the King with Tears in their Eyes besought him once more not to expose himself and the Kingdom to Calamity but to take Pity upon so many poor afflicted People offending out of meer Simplicity and Ignorance and not to disturb the Minds of his People with such unseasonable Changes The King far from being mov'd with their Tears but rather the more displeas'd to see so many all of one Mind that at once he might answer all confirm the wavering and terrifie the Headstrong having summon'd together the Chief Nobles and Commanders of his Army that attended the Court in a short but grave Oration put them in mind of past Transactions upbraiding them among the rest For that they had depriv'd Zadenghel both of his Life and Kingdom because he had forsaken the Alexandrian Religion to embrace the Roman Faith That for his part after his Victory obtain'd against Jacob he had bin severe to none but rather had pardon'd all nevertheless he was disturb'd with daily Seditions and Rebellions under pretence of changing his Religion when he only reform'd it For that he acknowledg'd as much and the same that others did That Christ was true God and true Man but because he could not be Perfect God unless he had the Perfect Divine Nature nor perfect Man without perfect Humane Nature it follow'd that there were two Natures in Christ united in one Substance of the Eternal Word Which was not to abandon but explain his Religion In the next place he had abrogated the Observation of the Sabbath Day because it became not Christians to observe the Jews Sabboth These things he did not believe in favour of the Portugueses but because it was the Truth it self determin'd in the Council of Chalcedon founded upon Scripture and ever since the time of the Apostles deliver'd as it were from hand to hand and if there were occasion he would lay down his life in defence of this Doctrine but they who deny'd it should first examine the Truth of it Having finished his Oration a Letter was brought him from Jonael containing many haughty Demands and among the rest the Expulsion of the Jesuits The King believing there would be no better way than to answer him in the Field Commanded the nimblest of his Armed Bands to March of which the Rebel having Intelligence and not willing to abide his Fury fled for shelter among those inaccessible Rocks whither it was in vain to pursue him Thereupon Susneus well-knowing that the Revolters would not be able long to endure the Inconveniencies and Famine that lodg'd among those inaccessible places blockt him up at a Distance So that Jonael at length weaken'd by daily desertions fled to the Gallans who being at variance among themselves kept their promis'd Faith but a short time for being underhand tempted with Rewards by the King they at length turn'd their Protection into Treachery and slew the Unfortunate Implorer of their Security This Bad Success however did not terrifie the Inhabitants of Damota inhabiting the Southern parts of Gojam who upon the News of the Prophanation of the Sabbath as they called it with their Hermites that sculk'd in the Deserts of that Province ran to their Arms. Ras-Seelax otherwise their Lord and Patron in vain Exhorting them to continue their Obedience whose kind Messages of Peace and Pardon they refus'd unless he would burn the Books Translated out of Latin into the Habessine Language by the Fathers and deliver up the Fathers themselves to be Hang'd upon the highest Trees they could find Thus despairing of Peace Ras-Seelax set forward tho deserted by the greatest part of his Forces who favoured the Cause of their Countrymen so that he had hardly Seven Thousand Men that stook close to him while the Enemies Body daily encreas'd However he resolv'd to Fight them knowing his Soldiers to be more Experienc'd and better Arm'd besides that he had about Forty Portuguese Musquetiers in his Camp When they came to blows the Victory fell to the King's Party tho it cost dear in regard that about Four hundred Monks that had as it were devoted themselves to die for their Religion fought most desperately of which a Hundred and fourscore were Slain Hitherto the King had not made Publick Profession of the Roman Religion partly out of fear of stirring up Popular Tumults against him partly being loath to dismiss his Supernumerary Wives and Concubines but at length encourag'd by so many Victories he lay'd all fear aside and publickly renounc'd the Alexandrian Worship and confessing his Sins after the Roman manner to Peter Pays dismiss'd all his Wives and Concubines only the first of those to which he had bin lawfully Marry'd His Example convinc'd many others who were not asham'd to keep many Mistresses but Adultresses also Not long after the King signify'd his Conversion to the Roman Religion to his whole Empire by a Publick Instrument not without the Severe reproof of the Alexandrian Patriarch The sum of his Manifesto was That having deserted the Alexandrinian he now reverenced only the Roman See and had yielded his Obedience to the Roman Pope as the Successor of Peter the Prince of the Apostles for that that See could never err either in Faith or good Manners and then he exhorted his Subjects to do as he had done He also discoursed at large concerning the two Natures in Christ and tax'd the Ethiopian Primates as guilty of many Errors But neither the King's Example nor his Exhortation wrought upon many For at the same time his Son Gabriel began to study new Contrivances tho with no better Success than they who had taught him the way For when he had intelligence that Ras-Seelax was marching

word to say And thus a second Victory being won from the Primate of Ethiopia himself a more severe Edict concerning the two Natures was publish'd by the Cryer making it Death for any Person to deny the contrary By this so sharp a Decree as if it had bin the loud signal to Battel it is incredible to think how the minds of the People were incens'd As for the Controversie it self they did not think it of so high a Concernment as to engage divided Parties in Blood and Massacre about it In regard that all acknowledg'd both Divinity and Humanity in Christ so that the Question was only about a word But let the Question be what it would such a severe way of proceeding was never heard of before in Ethiopia as being altogether contradictory to the mildness of Christ and his Apostles and the Lenity of the Primitive times So then if Men were to be scourg'd and whipp'd because they could not apprehend two Natures in Christ what must they expect if other Questions should be started about Innovations of greater difficulty in the Doctrine and Ceremonies of the Fathers Exasperated with these fair pretences Simeon the Metropolitan together with several of the Nobility and among the rest Jamanaxus alias Emana Christos another of the King's Brothers by the Mothers side and lastly almost all the Interested Clergy and Monks met and held Consultations together to prevent the threatning Mischiefs and lastly combin'd to live and dye for the Defence of their ancient and settled Religion To this end Simeon under pretence of incumbent Duty which was to be watchful over the Preservation of the Constantinopolitan Religion fix'd an Excommunication Publickly upon the Dores of the great Church belonging to the Camp against all that embrac'd the Religion of the Franks or ventur'd to Dispute concerning it The King tho highly offended with this unexpected boldness of the Metropolitan durst not adventure to revenge himself However he Publish'd another Edict whereby Liberty was granted to every Person that so pleas'd to embrace and exercise the Fathers Religion already establish'd by fair Disputes and Arguments on their side Which so little terrify'd the undaunted Metropolitan that he thunder'd out his Anathema's against all that maintain'd two Natures in Christ. The Moderate Party bewail'd these Paper Skirmishes which they foresaw would break forth and end in Slaughter and Misery and that the King's Decrees would never be establish'd without the effusion of much Blood Sensible of these Fears several of the great Personages of the Kingdom together with the King's Mother Ite-Hamelmala most earnestly besought the King to desist from what he had begun and not to raise up implacable Seditions to the Ruin of himself and his Kingdom After which the Metropolitan with many Monks and Nuns came to the Camp and implor'd the King not to innovate any thing in Religion otherwise that they were prepar'd to lay down their lives for the Religion of their Ancestors At last the King referr'd the whole Business to another Colloquie which continu'd for Six days one after another but without any Success A clear Testimony that Controversies in Religion are not to be decided by Disputes After that all the Clergy throw themselves at the King's Feet and with Sighs and Tears beseech him Not to change a Religion so quietly Establish'd in Ethiopia for so many Ages by so many of their Emperors But nothing would prevail the King remain'd inexorable and immoveable so that the Petitioners departed full freighted with Exasperation and Rebellion Immediately all hopes of Concord and Agreement being lay'd aside the Sword was next unsheath'd whence follow'd those terrible Commotions and Bloody Wars that have almost ruin'd the most flourishing part of Ethiopia The Chief of the Conspirators were Jamanaxus Aelius the King's Son in Law Viceroy of Tigra the Eunuch Caflo and several others But to give the better Colour to their Rebellion and Design of Killing the King the Metropolitan caus'd a new and more severe Excommunication to be fix'd upon the Chief Church in the Camp by which all the partakers of the Latin Religion were Anathematiz'd In the mean time the Fathers of the Society relying upon the King's Favour hasten'd to get all things ready that might be of advantage to Establish their Doctrine To that end they translated Maldonatus upon the Four Evangelists Toletus upon St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans Ribera upon the Hebrews and some others into the Ethiopic Language which some esteem'd others by reason of the intermixture of Amharic words contemn'd as full of Barbarisms and Soloecisms But as for the Lord's Prayer and the Salutation of Mary being nothing but the Latin written in Ethiopic Characters they abhorr'd 'em as looking upon them to be nothing but Magic Spells On the other side the Alexandrians fell upon the Fathers with all the bitterest Invectives that might be those Paper Skirmishes being generally the fore-runners of more Bloody disputes In pursuance of which Aelius by an Edict Commands all the Franks to depart out of Tigra and the Alexandrians to follow him by which means having muster'd up a compleat Army he openly Rebels Simeon Curses the Franks but loads Aelius with his Blessings upon which he no doubt relying resolv'd to fight his Father in Law then upon his March against him with a strong Force notwithstanding all the Perswasions of his Wife to the contrary Fierce therefore and in the heat of his young Blood and over-confident of his own Faction not staying so much as to take his Breakfast but as it were Drunk with Fury and Rage only with a small Troop about him he leaps his Horse into his Father's Camp asking Where the King was and so what between the astonishment of some and the wonder of others what the Matter should be he rode up without any hurt to the King's Pavilion where at length the Alarum being taken he was soon surrounded Ston'd and Stabb'd to Death and so dearly paid for his rashness The Captain thus Slain the Soldiers betake themselves to their heels Simeon between the Fugitives and the Pursuers stood alone by himself like a man stupifyed whether not at first observ'd or neglected as a Clergy-man but at length being known he was Slain among the Crowd Both their Heads were sent about the Kingdom and expos'd as a Public Spectacle The Eunuch Caflo had his Head struck off Jamanaxus was pardon'd Thus the Kindred of Kings for the most part escape the Punishment of those Rebellions to which they themselves have given Life and Encouragement The King who was never fearful now more emboldened by his Victory now questions other Heads of Religion and soon after by Public Edict prohibits the Observation of the Sabbath as Judaical and Repugnant to Christianity In answer to this Edict some Person without a Name had written contemptuously of the Roman Religion reflecting severely upon the Fathers of the Society whom he call'd the Kindred of Pilate as being a Roman and withal sharply menacing