Sabbatic Year as the first Day of Creation was the first in the Hebdomadic Cycle For this Opinion seems not improbable when the Reason of this Cycle was not less universal than that of the Diurnal Hebdomadic Cycle Therefore the Opinion of Rob. Pontanus Cáledonius a Britain does not displease us when he asserts as much saying (p) De Sabbaticorum Annorum Period c. 2. p. 13. That the Reason of this sacred Observation preceeding by sevens has its Foundation in the Law of Nature as the Example of God himself which precedes all Laws from whence we may fairly gather that this Reason of reckoning by Sabbaths has respect to the Original of the Word and by a continual Series to be deduced from the first Sabbath That as God himself rested from the Work of Creation on the 7th Day so those Years of Rest Sabbaths and Jubile's came from the same exemplary Principle § 5. Some of the Jewish (q) Mâ—imonides c. 10. de Schemitha Jobel Rabbi's seem to The Sabbatic Cycle is a Character of certain and indubitable credit in respect of Time derogate from the Certainty of this Character when they tell us The Israelites had reckoned 17 Jubile's from the time they went into the Land of Canaan till the time they went out of it again And the Year in which they went out when the first Temple was destroyed was at the end of a seventh Year and the 36th of a Jubile For the first Temple stood 410 Years and after it was destroyed this Computation was also lost and abolished from thence the Land lay desart 70 Years and the 2 d Temple was built which stood 420 Years And in the 7th after it was rebuilt Esdras returned and restored this Aera the 2 d time And from that Year they began to reckon another Aera and made the 3 d Year of the 2 d Temple Sabbatic And they reckoned 7 Sabbatisms and consecrated the 50th Year altho' it was not Jubile yet they reckoned under the 2 d Temple so as that they did consecrate Sabbatisms Dionysius Petavius also follows Maimonides and is also of this Opinion (r) Lib. 9. de Doctrina Temp. c. 26. But as the Ignorance of the Jews in Chronological Affairs is very notorious so there 's nothing at all in this Discourse of Maimonides which would shake our Opinion that is not apparently false and argues the Author much mistaken about the Computation of Esdras at the end of 70 Years Restauration For Calvisius most truly (Å¿) Isag c. 26. says For who could suspect that the Jews in a Babylonian Captivity of 70 Years could forget their Sabbatic Years and afterwards institute others which should not be the same in order as those before the Captivity why should not the Jews as well have forgot their Sabbath Day and afterwards also institute another But this is impossible for God the Preserver of his own Institutions and Creatures would not have suffered such Set-times to have been disturbed from the Creation of the World So that the true Sabbatic Years were not changed but truly restored after the Babylonish Captivity For the Jews in that Captivity had Fields (t) Jer. 29. planted Vineyards mow'd and gather'd Grapes So that they were busied in those very things as were most proper to put 'em in mind of their Sabbatic Years Nor did their Exile endure beyond the Memory of any that were then alive At this Day where-ever they are dispersed they truly know and reckon up their Sabbatic Years How then could these forget them who had celebrated the Sabbatic Years in Judea and were returned back again into Judea to celebrate them after their Captivity But admitting they had forgot 'em yet after their Return they would have learn'd 'em again of the Samaritans who celebrated the Sabbatic Years with the Jews before the Captivity and had constantly retain'd 'em all that time for they were near Neighbours the distance betwixt Jerusalem and Samaria being not above 6 German Miles and the Nation of the Jews was very superstitious and tenacious of their Ceremonies as is well known 'T is therefore a vain thing for any one to suspect a Change in the Sabbatic Years § 6. A certain Author (u) Autor Solis Clavis Temp. itemque vindiciarum does not only conjecture Whether the Sabbatic and Jubilean Tears never had nor could have any other Form than such a mystical one wherein 343 Days are reckoned for a Tear but promises a Demonstration of the Affirmative but we deny both and our Reasons are 1. Because from the Author 's own Confession neither the Scripture nor any other ancienter Book makes mention of such a mystic Year 2. Because the six Years of Agriculture have without doubt sometimes coincided with the Solar Year For otherwise the times of Sowing and Harvest would have been uncertain 3. Because the (w) Lev 25. 9. Scripture attributes to the Jubilean and Sabbatic Years a fixt Beginning and State Thou shalt reckon says God seven Weeks of Years c. Then thou shalt cause the Trumpet to sound every where on the 7th Month on the 10th day of the same Month the Day of Expiations ye shall cause the Trumpet to be sounded throughout the whole Land From which Words Interpreters have hitherto inferr'd that the Jews ought to begin the Jubilean Years from the same 10th day of the Month Tisri whereas 't is immediately added That ye may sanctifie the 50th Year And although the Author of Mystical Computation of whom we shall speak in the next Section hath sought a Solution in the Ambiguity of the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a Proclamation or a Command of the Solemnity of the Jubilean Year indeed it was joined to a certain Day of the Civil Calendar whereas the Jubilean Year without any Relation to this Command took its Original elsewhere ..... How ill it becomes a Learned Man to trifle in a serious Affair For who knows not that a better Account may be given of the Beginning than of the Proclamation of the Jubilean Years who is ignorant of the Emphasis of the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Or who shall perswade himself that a Year should be sanctified amongst the Jews some Months before it began Maimonides speaks much juster (x) In Halacha Schemidda Vejobel c. 10. on this Subject From the beginning of the Year to the Day of Expiations the Servants were neither dismiss'd nor did they serve their Masters nor were the Fields restored What then They did eat drink and were merry and every one put a Crown upon his Head But as soon as the Day of Expiations was come the Senators of the Sanhedrin sounded Trumpets and sent away their Servants free Fields were then also restored 4. From that mystic Form which is against the Laws of Sydereal Years it would follow that it might be possible that the Product of one should maintain the Jews for three Years together against Lev. 25.
21. sequ For although mention is there made of three Years yet by no means were they compleat and separately reckoned as is evident from the Place just mentioned On the contrary 't is evident that this Hypothesis brings in a new Method destitute of all Probability For if for Example the Beginning of the Sabbatic Year should fall upon the Vernal Month Nisan which would sometimes happen the Jews could not gather the Fruits because of the Religion of the Year and consequently on the preceding Year they would hardly have given themselves the trouble of Sowing but neither was it lawful to sow about Tisri the Autumnal Month of the same Year Therefore they could not mow about Nisan the Year following It was therefore necessary for 'em to wait till they could have the Harvest of the 3d Year § 7. The Absurdity of that Opinion is The Mystic Sabbatic Cycle hence evident For admitting it the Sabbatic Years would undoubtedly be wholly deprived of their best Character when amongst the Sabbatic Years from the faithful Tradition of Historians the intercepted time divisible into aliquot Parts should not always be 2401 Days or the Quantity of a mystic Sabbatic Cycle § 8. The Author of (y) Sâ—lâ— Temp. p. â—1 in vind p. 4. the mystic Chronology The manner how the Author of mystic Chronology would prove his Opinion about the Sabbatic and Jubilean Years premises some Hypotheses which he says are founded in Scripture and which are granted by all that allow of the Old Testament whether Christians Jews or Turks 1. That God made the World in six Days 2. That on the 7th he rested from the Work of the Creation 3. That any 7th from this and consequently all the Multiples of 7 following one another in Arithmetic Progression as 7. 14. 21. 28 c. were made Sabbaths or destin'd for Rest in Memory of the preceding six Days Creation and resting on the 7th 4. Therefore if from any Sabbath we go backwards by the spaces of 7 Days or the Interval of a Week we shall at last come to that Day of Divine Rest 5. And this is an inseparable Property resulting from the Institution it self and the Divine Fact viz. That it should be a Multiple of the Time and calls back into our Memory and points at the Divine Rest and the very individual Day thereof 6. That God instituted a Sabbatic Year as wâ—ll as a 7th Day in memory of his Rest in which he also would have the same (z) Lev. 25. 4. Arithmetic Progression 7. That in the Sabbatic Years he would have observed and commanded the Observation not only of an (a) Lev. 25. 4. Arithmetic Progression but also a Geometric one viz. the Square of the Sabbatic Year or 7 7 49 Years he instituted for the Jubile 8. The Sabbatic Year ought to be neither greater nor less than the time of Labour and a Fruits or Culture of the Earth which in this Year God would have omitted 9. That time must be greater than 49 and less than 366 Days 10. That there is no Number betwixt 49 and 366 by which we can return back again to the Root 7 unless 343 viz. the Cube of 7. From these Hypotheses he says follows this Apogogic Syllogism Every memorial time of Divine Rest taken from the 7th Day of Creation ought to be multiple of the Number 7 and by a given Regression viz. both Arithmetic and Geometric in a given Proportion viz. Septuple to point out the first of the Divine Rest or the Individual 7th of the Creation But the Mosaic Sabbatic and Jubilean Years are a memorial time of Divine Rest begun on the 7th Day of the Creation Ergo c. And hence further he adds an Epistomonic Syllogism as he calls it Whatever Years ought to be multiple of the 7th Day of Creation and shew the same by a regression as well Arithmetic as Geometric must consist of some Number betwixt 49 and 366 between which 't is impossible they should be either more or less than 343 But the Sabbatic and Jubilean Years ought to be multiple of the 7th Day of Creation and shew it by a Progression as well Arithmetic as Geometric and to consist of a Number betwixt 49 and 366 Therefore 't is impossible that the Sabbatic and Jubilean Years should have either more or fewer Days than 343. 10. 10 c. This is the Basis of this mystic Computation but which is built upon the Sand For first of all our Mysteriographer puts us in mind of a strange Agreement betwixt Christians Jews and Turks in their admitting of the Old Testament But how great soever the Agreement of the two former be that of the Turks is a Dream of the Author Indeed we know the (b) Hotting in Hist Orient p. 409. Turks value the Law of Moses believe that Christ is the Son of Mary the Spirit of God his Word and his Apostle but only in such a sense as Mahomet has left them The Turks tell us of many things depraved in the old many things omitted and many added Nor do they acknowledge the History of the Creation or the first Week from the Mosaic Writings as the Christians and Jews do but are wont to report many Fables of them which that Impostor invented as when God made Adam the Throne of God Paradise c. he held in his Hand a Pen â—00 Miles long and 80 broad Besides the Turks keep not the 7th but the 6th Day of the Week holy contrary to Moses So little occasion has our Author from the Agreement of the Turks for the Foundation of any of their Hypotheses nor according to the sense of his 5th Hypothesis will meet with great Agreement betwixt the Christians and Jews The Times of our Saviour's Nativity his Circumcision of the Eremetic Fast c. are Memorials of those things which hapned long since though no one ever yet of any mystic Multiples Further the 6th 8th and 9th Hypotheses are no where extant in the Old Testament nor are they received by any Christians if you except our (c) Hanlinus Author and his Disciples nor are they granted by the Jews not to mention the Turks God had no respect to the first Sabbath in constituting this System of Years that from the 7th Day of the Creation the Quantity of the Year should be deduced by an Arithmetic and Geometric Progression there are no Footsteps of it in that place our Author has cited in Leviticus But the rest are evident So very false do we find our Author's Philosophy when we consider the (d) Lev. 26. 3 4 5. Amplitude of of the Divine Promises In short the Author of this mystic Computation has acted ignorantly when he makes one of his Limits a System of 366 Days when the Jews knew nothing of it their Annus Communis being 354 Days their Annus Embolimaeus 384 and the Mean 367. Having shewed the Falsity of these Hypotheses we easiy see
Temple was destroyed on the Eve of the Sabbath towards the latter end of the 7th Year and it was likewise in the Week of the Station of Joarib and the 9th day of the Month Ab. In the same Manner hapned the 2 d Destruction And at both times the Levites were singing the Canticle And what Canticle God our Lord will return upon their Heads their Iniquity and destroy them in their Malice c. In the other Chronological Treatise written by Rabbi David Ganz they indeed own that Expedition of Fl. Vespasian and Tit. Vespasian to have been the same but at the same time relate Matters in a very different manner concerning Josephus and the Destruction of the Temple to the 3828th Year after the Creation and the 420th Year after its first Foundation All which is a convincing Argument of the Ignorance of the Jews in relation to their own History and the Destruction of their City § 3. We have already said in the foregoing Concerning the Computation of the Fathers of this Epocha Chapter that the Fathers have too much contracted that Interval betwixt the time of the Baptism and Passion of Christ from whence it is evident that their Computations of the Interval betwixt the Passion of Christ and the Destruction of Jerusalem being built upon an erroneous Hypothesis no great Account is to be made upon their Opinions in this Point § 4. (o) De â—su Tab. p. 59. Joh. Jac. Hainlinus is of Opinion that Whether the Destruction of the City hapned in the 71st year of Christ the Destruction of the City of Jerusalem hapned in the 71st year of Christ and in the 4784th year of the Jul. Period But this Opinion being founded upon the Fictitious Hypothesis of his Mystical Years is directly repugnant to the Ancient History Neither is it possible to find out an Expedient to make the Month of September of the 71st year of Christ coincident with the 2d year of the Reign of Vespasian as our Author would willingly persuade the World § 5. It is a very difficult Task to explain What Months are understood by Josephus in his Relation of the Destruction of Jerusalem the Foreign Names of the Months mentioned by Josephus in his Relation of the Destruction of Jerusalem For in his 6th Book Ch. 4. (p) De Bel. Jud. he says the Siege began on the 14th day of the Month Xanticus And in the same Book in the 8th Chapter he says that the Romans made themselves Masters of the first Wall on the 5th day of the Month Artemisius Thus he frequently makes mention of the Month Lous and refers the total Desolation of the City to the 8th day of the Month Gorpiaeus It is beyond all dispute that Josephus had borrowed these Names from the Macedonians who being subdued by the Romans had been forced to change their Ancient Lunar Calendar for the Solar of the Romans The Macedonian Months do thus correspond with the Julian Audinaeus January Peritius February Dystius March Xanthicus April Artemisius May. Daesius June Panemus July Lous August Gorpiaeus September Hyperberetaeus October Dius November Apellaeus December But whether Josephus by the Names of these Macedonian Months did understand them according to the Julian Months is a great Question Ruffinus Josephus Scaliger Calvisius Archbishop Vsher and many others are of this Opinion But for my part I am rather inclined to believe that Josephus by these Macedonian Names did understand the Jewish Months For it is expresly said by Josephus that his Country-men did go out of Aegypt on the same 14th day of the Month Xanthicus when Titus began to invest the City of Jerusalem and it being unquestionable that this was the 14th of the Month Nisan there is but little Probability that Josephus intended to make this day of the Month Nisan correspondent with a certain Day of the Julian Calendar And the Characters of the Epocha of the Departure of the Jews out of Aegypt shewing most evidently that the Jews did depart out of Aegypt not on the 14th but 16th day of April we may rationally conclude that Josephus did by the Month Xanthious understand the Month Nisan on the 14th day of which Month the Feast of the Passover was constantly kept by the Jews Secondly it is not very probable that the Jews should refer the Day of the first Destruction of their Temple to any certain Day of the Julian Calendar which was not as much as thought of at that time it being mention'd by Josephus that on the 10th day of the Month Lous likewise the first Temple was destroyed by Fire I see no Reason why by the Month Lous should not be understood the Month called AB by the Ancient Jews Thus the Words of the Prophet Jeremiah (q) C. 52. v. 12. may be reconciled with the Relation of Josephus In the Month says the Prophet on the 10th day of the Month AB which was the 19th year of Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon came Nebuzaradan Captain of the Guard which served the King of Babylon into Jerusalem and burned the House of the Lord c. According to this Hypothesis the Months are as follows Xanthicus Nisan Artemisius Giar Daesius Sivan Panemus Tamutz Lous Ab. Gorpiaeus Elul Hyperberetaeus Tisri Dius Marchesvan Apellaeus Casleu Audinaeus Tebeth Peritius Schebath Dystius Adar § 6. It is commonly supposed that Jerusalem How ofteâ— Jerusalem was taken was taken but twice and that not altogether without Reason if it be understood in reference of its total Destruction Nevertheless (r) L. 8. c. 18. de Bell. Jud. Josephus affirms that it was taken five several times before it was destroyed by Titus Jerusalem says he was taken five times before By Asoch the Aegyptian King and after him by Antiochus then by Pompey and after these by Herod and Sosias who preserved the City But before that time the King of Babylon had laid it quite desolate Which sufficiently contradicts that Vain-glorious Inscription mentioned by (s) Inscr Ant. fol. 154. Justus Lipsius which is as follows IMP. TITO CAESARI DIVI VESPASIANI F. VESPASIANO AUG PONTIFICI MAXIMO TRIB POT X. IMP. XVII COS. VIII P. P. PRINCIPI SUO S. P. Q. R. QUOD PRAECEPTIS PATRIS CONSILIISQUE ET AUSPICIIS GENTEM JUDAEORUM DOMUIT ET Uâ—BEM HIEROSOLYMAM OMNIBUS â—â—â—TE SE. DUCIBUS REGIBUS GENTIBUSQUE AUT FRUSTRA PETITAM AUT OMNINO INTENTATAM DELEVIT § 7. The Temple Destroyed by Titus is generally The Temple destroyed by Titus was the 2 d Temple called the second Temple For tho' according to (t) L. 15. c. 14. Ant. Josephus Herod did demolish the Temple and built a new one instead of it yet this being done only with an Intention to render the Structure of the Temple the more Magnificent and having no relation to its interiour Parts is therefore not called the 3d but the 2d Temple § 8. Josephus affirms that in the Siege and How many of the Jews perâ—shed in
where among other things Dionysius answered Apollophanes concerning this Eclipse Aut Deus patitur aut vicem Patientis deflet Either God himself suffers or else is extremely concerned about him that suffers Which contradicts the Opinions of Origenes Laur. Valla Erasmus Roterdamus and Is Peyrerius who maintain that this was only a particular Eclipse which was not observed at Athens or any other Place beyond the Horizon of Jerusalem And the Authority and Testimony of Phlegon makes it one of the most unquestionable Characters of the time of the Passion of Christ § 7. Christ suffered on the 6th Feria For the Christ suffered on the 6th Feria Day on which Christ was crucified is called by (p) C. 15. v. 42. St. Mark and (q) C. 19. v. 31. St. John 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is Preparation or the Day before the Sabbath 2. It is said that the Women staid but one Day before they came to the Sepulchre See St. Luke c. 23. 3. The Syrian and Arabick Interpreters unanimously agree that Christ suffered on the Friday as 4. do the most ancient Fathers and Ecclesiastical Writers 5. It is confirmed by the Calculation of the Paschal Plenilune which was coincident with the 33d Year of Christ which Plenilune did happen that same Year on the 6th Feria All which sufficiently contradicts the Assertion of Paulus Middleburgensis and Willhelmus Langius that Christ suffered on the 5th Feria or on Thursday What they alledge for themselves that it is said in (r) C. 12. v. 40. Matthew That the Son of Man shall be three Days and three Nights in the Heart of the Earth some compute from the first Beginning of Christ's Passion others interpret it by three 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 containing two Nights and one Day CHAP. XLII Of the Epocha of the last Destruction of the City of Jerusalem For the better understanding of this Epocha these following Chararacters ought to be taken into Consideration 1. The Jewish War in the fourth Year of which Jerusalem was taken began in the second year after Florus was made Governour of that Province and in the 12th year of the Reign of Nero. See (a) Lib. 20. c. ult Ant. Josephus The Jews bore it patiently says (b) L. 5. Histor Tacitus till the time when Gessius Florus was made Governour then the War began to break out when Cestius Gallus then Deputy-Governour of Syria endeavouring to force them to a Compliance they were vanquished in several Engagements 2. This Destruction of Jerusalem hapned at the time of the Expiration of the 70 Angelical Weeks which according to the Words of the Prophet (c) C. 9. v. 24. Daniel were determined upon the People and the Holy City 3. This Destruction of Jerusalem hapned in the 2 d year of the Reign of Flavius Vespafianus according to (d) L. 6. c. 47. de bell Jud. Josephus and (e) In Chron. Eusebius The Reign of Vespafian commences with the first day of July when Tiberius Alexander then Governour of Aegypt first induced the Legions to swear Fealty to Vespafian in the 2 d year after the Death of Nero For according to (f) L. 66. Dio Cassius there was an Interval of a whole Year and 22 Days betwixt the Death of Nero and the Beginning of the Reign of Vespasian I say in the same Year when the Battle was fought near Cremona and Vitellius was slain on the day of the Feast of Saturn See (g) L. 3. Tacitus And about which time hapned a notable Eclipse of the Moon which contributed not a little towards increasing the Tumult and Mutiny in Vitellius 's Army See (h) L. 65. Dio. Such an Eclipse hapned in the Year of the Vulgar Aera of Christ 69 on the 18th day of October as may be easily investigated by the Astronomical Calculations 4. It was the 2 d Year of the 212th Olympiad when the Romans made themselves Masters of the City of Jerusalem See (i) In Chron. Euseb 5. The Destruction of Jerusalem hapned in the same year that Fl. Vesp Augustus a second time and Titus were Roman Consuls See (k) L. 66. Dio Cassius 6. It was the 331st Year before the Consulship of Stilico and Aurelianus when the City of Jerusalem was taken by the Romans See Sulpit. Severus 7. Titus began the Siege of Jerusalem on the first day of the Vnleavened Bread on the 14th day of the Month Xanticus on the same day that the Jews were freed from the Aegyptian Bondage See (l) L. 5. C. 11. de Bel. Jud. Josephus 8. The Temple was laid in Ashes on the 10th day of the Month Lous on the same Day that the Temple was destroyed by Fire by the King of Babylon See (m) L. 7. c. 9 10. Josephus and Seder Olam 9. The City was taken on the 8th day of the Month Gorpiaeus and upon a Saturday which Day is in great Veneration among the Jews to this Day See Josephus and (n) L. 66. Dio Cassius From these Characters it is evident that Titus began the Siege of Jerusalem in the Year of the Julian Period 4783 Cycl ☉ 23. ☽ 14. on the 14th day of April and that the Temple was laid in Ashes on the 6th day of August in the same Year and the total Desolation of the City on the first of September If therefore from any certain Year of the Julian Period be subtracted 4782 Years and 3 Months Any certain year given of the Julian Period to find out the year since the beginning of this Epocha or 7 Months or 8 Months the Residue shews the Year since the beginning of the Siege of Jerusalem and the Destruction of the Temple and City On the other hand if to the known Years of this Epocha the before-mentioned Sum of Years and Months be added the Product will be correspondent to the Year of the Julian Period § 1. THE true Chronology of the Destruction Where we must look for the Chronology of this Epocha of Jerusalem must chiefly be looked for in the Books of Josephus he having been at the same time a Prisoner in the Roman Camp and employed by them as a Messenger to the Besieged And tho' the Jewish Rabbi's but especially Rabbi Isaac Abarbinel do exclaim against his Authority yet their Calumnies are of little Consequence against so great an Historian it being certain that the Rabbi's themselves are Ignorant as to the true time of the Destruction of their City as we shall have Occasion to shew immediately § 2. The Rabbi's in their Chronological Treatises Concerning th◠Jewish Computation of this Epocha relate this Destruction in the following Words especially in their Great Chronicle From the time of the War of Vespasian till the War of Titus are 24 Years From the time of the War of Titus till the War with Barcozbe 16 Years Thus according to Rabbi Jose the days of good Works and Sins return within one another As for Example the first