Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 18, RHI-SCR

Sciipture.
SCR [ 7'84 ]
14. it is faid, Abraham purfued the four out of the rock
Judges
chap. Kviii,
The book
of Exodus.
Genclis xiv
confederate kings to Dan, yet that name was not given
till after the conqueft of Paleftine*. We anfwer, this
might be jnferted by a tranfcribcr. But fuch a fuppofi-
tion is not neceffary j for though we are told in the book
of Judges that a city originally called Lailh received
then the name of Dan, this does not prove that Laith
■was the fame city with the Dan which is mentioned in
'Genefis. The fame anfwer may be given to the objec¬
tion which is brought from Genefis xxxv. 2i. where the
'tower of Edar is mentioned, which the objeftors fay
was the name of a tower over one of the gates of Jeru-
falem. But the tower of Edar fignifies the tower of the
docks, which in the padoral country of Canaan might
be a very common name. 3. The mod formidable ob¬
jection is derived from thefe two paflages, Gen. xii. 6.
“ And the Canaanite was then in the land.” Gen. xxxvi.
31. “ Thefe are the kings that reigned over the land of
Edom, before there reigned any ling over the children of
Jfraely Now, it is certain that neither of thefe paf-
fages could be written by Mofes. We allow they Were
added by a later writer ; but this circumftance cannot
invalidate the evidence which has been already produ¬
ced. It does not prove that Mofes was not the author
of the book of Genefis, but only that the book of Ge¬
nefis has received two alterations fince his death.
According to Rivet, our Saviour and his Apoftles
have cited V] paffages verbatim from the book of Ge¬
nefis, and have made 38 allufions to the fenfe.
The book of Exodus contains the hiftory of the If-
raelites for about 145 years. It gives an account of the
flavery of the Ifraelites in Egypt ; of the miracles by
which they were delivered ; of their paffage through the
Red fea, and journey through the wildernefs ; of the fo-
lemn promulgation of the Decalogue on Mount Sinai,
and of the building and furniture of the Tabernacle.
This book is cited by David, by Daniel, and other facred
writers. Twenty-five paflages are quoted by our Sa¬
viour and his apoftles in exprefs words, and they make
19 all Arons to the fenfe.
The book of Leviticus contains the hiftory of the
Ifraelites for one month. It confifts chiefly of laws.
Indeed, properly fpeaking, it is the code of the Jewilh
ceremonial and political laws. It defcribes the confe-
cration of Aaron and his fons, the daring impiety and
exemplary puniftiment of Nadab and Abihu. It reveals
alfo fome predictions refpecting the punilhment of the
Tfraelites in cafe of apoftafy j and contains an aflurance
• that every fixth ear thould produce abundance to fup-
• port them during the feventh or fabbatical year. This
2 Z011' book is quoted as the production of Mofes in feveral
books of fcripture *.
The book of Numbers comprehends the hiftory of the
Ifraelites for a period of about 38 years, reckoning from
the firft day of the fecond month after their departure
from Egypt. It contains an account of two number¬
ings of the people ; the firft in the beginning of the fe¬
cond year of their emigration, the fecond in the plains
of Moab towards the conclufion of their journey in the
wildernefs f. It defcribes the ceremonies employed at
Gal. iii. 12. the confecration of the tabernacle, gives an exaft jour-
1 Pet. i. 16. nal of the marches and encampments of the Ifraelites,
I7 relates the appointment of the 70 elders, the miraculous
TNumb^'i cure performed by the brazen ferpent, and the mifcon-
xxvi. "duft of Mofes when he was commanded to bring water
16
Leviticus.
Jeretn. vu.
22, 23.
is. 16.
4£zek. xx.
11.
Matth.
viii. 4.
Korn. x. 5.
xtii. 9.
2 (’or. vi.
16.
SCR
There is alfo added an account of the Scripture-
death of Aaron, of the conqueft of Sihon and Og, and 1 ^
the ftory of Balaam, with his celebrated prophecy con¬
cerning the Mefliah §. § Numb.,
The book of Numbers is quoted as the work of Mofes XX1V* D-
in feveral places of Scripture *.
The book of Deuteronomy comprehends a period ofiv. 22.
nearly two months. It confifts of an interefting addrefs 2 Chron.
to the Ifraelites, in which Mofes reCals to their remem-xx*x II*
branco the many inftances of divine favour which they
had experienced, and reproaches them for their ingrati- xjjv
tude. He lays before them, in a compendious form, Matth.
the laws which he had formerly delivered, and makesX1*- 5* .
fome explanatory additions. This Was the more necef-Johf V1‘
fary, becaufe the Ifraelites, to whom they had been ori-J zj *
ginally promulgated, and who had feen the miracles in Deutero-
Egypt, at the Red fea, and Mount Sinai, had died inn°my-
the wildernefs. The divine origin of thefe laws, and the
miracles by which they were fanflioned, muft already
have been well known to them ; yet a folemn recapitu¬
lation of thefe by the man who had miraculoufly fed the
prefent generation from their infancy, who by the lift¬
ing up of his hands had procured them viflory in the
day of battle, and who was going to leave the world to
give an account of his conduft to the God of Ifrael,
could not but make a deep and lading impreflion on the
minds of all who heard him. He inculcates thefe laws
by the moft powerful motives. He prefents before them
the moft animating rewa'rds, and denounces the fevereft
punifhments againft the rebellious. The prophecies of
Mofes towards the end of this book, concerning the fate
of the Jews, their difperfion and calamities, the conqueft;
of Jerufalem by the Romans, the miferies of the befieged,
and the prefent ftate of the Jewifli nation, cannot be* Matth.
read without aftonithment. They are perfpicuous and iv. 4.
minute, and have been literally accompliftied. John i. 45.
'J'bis book is quoted as the production of Mofes by QajS”j’
Chrift and his apoftles *. I9
4. The hiftorical books are 12 in number, Joflma, The hifto-
Judges, Ruth, Samuel I. and II. Kings I. and II. Chro-ric hooks,
nicies, Ezra, Nehemiah, Efther. Thefe, if confidered
diftinCtly from the Pentateuch, and the writings more
properly ftyled prophetical, contain a compendium of
the Jewilh hiftory from the death of Mofes, A. M. 2552,
to the reformation eftabliftied by Nehemiah after the re¬
turn from the captivity, A. M. 3595, comprehending
a period of 1043 years*
To enable us to difeover the authors of thefe books,
wre have no guide to conduCt us but conjeCture, inter¬
nal evidence, or the authority of the modern Jews,
From the frequent references in Scripture, and from the
teftimony of Jofephus, it appears that the Jews were
in pofleflion of many hiftorical records which might
have thrown much light on this fubjeft if they hadftill
been preferved. But during the calamities which befel
that infatuated nation in their wars with the Romans,
and the difperfion which followed, thefe writings have
periflied. But though we can produce no teftimony jefervi„?
more ancient than the age of our Saviour to authenti-of the full-
cate the hiftorical books, yet there are fome faCls re-eft ciedit,
fpedling the mode of their prefervation which entitle
them to credit. The very circumftance itfelf, that the
Jews have preferved them in the facred volume to this
day, while their other ancient books have been loft, is
a proof that they confidered them as the genuine re¬
cords