may be thought decisive of the question, according to the maxim of Aristotle, εἷς πιστὸς μάρτυς ἱκανός. For the Jewish canon, hear Josephus, in his first book against Apion, sect. 8. ̓Απὸ δὲ ̓Αρταξέρξου μέχρι τοῦ καθ ̓ ἡμᾶς χρόνου γέγραπται μὲν ἕκαστα· πίσω τεως δ ̓ οὐχ ὁμοίας ἠξίωται τοῖς πρὸ αὐτῶν, διὰ τὸ μὴ γενέσθαι τὴν τῶν προφητῶν ἀκριβῆ διαδοχήν. “ But from "Artaxerxes down to our own times all events "are indeed recorded: but they are not consi"dered equally worthy of belief with those which "preceded them, because there was not an exact "succession of prophets as before." And for the Christian church, no less an authority than St. Jerome distinctly affirms, "Macha"bæorum libros legit quidem ecclesia, SED EOS 66 INTER CANONICAS SCRIPTURAS NON RECI"PIT." Præfat. in Proverb. Salomonis. One might have thought, that this solemn assertion, coming from so high a quarter, would have been decisive: that a Roman catholic at least would have bowed with implicit deference to the recorded judgment of this learned Father, to whom he owns himself indebted for his Bible. And so indeed he did, during earlier and better times. But Rome found troubles come upon her: doubts arose, and objections were made, and must be met at all events: and the third book of Maccabees offered too fair a field, of dreams, and visions, and miraculous appearances, and a (fancied) recommendation of prayers for the dead, to be neglected by that church. The council of Trent boldly pronounced the two books Canonical; and as such they are professedly received by all the adherents of the Roman see. It is sad however, to see some of her learned followers betraying their distrust of the grounds upon which they are bidden to stand; and such men as P. de la Haye, and Calmet after him, driven to the miserable shift of attempting to find reasons for the propriety of their being deemed Canonical, from the mere fact of St. Paul's having used, in his Epistle to the Hebrews, ch. xii. 35, where he is speaking of the martyrs, the expression, aλλ d'étνμπаvíσOnσav" which torture," say they, "Eleazar suffered!" as if therefore it necessarily followed, that the particular book which details these his sufferings must be, not only that one which the Apostle had in view, but moreover must have been written by divine inspiration, and consequently be Canonical! 66 The reader, who desires to see this point treated in detail, is referred to "Jo. Rainoldi censura li"brorum apocryphorum Veteris Testamenti, ad"versum Pontificios," 2 tom. 4to. Oppenheimii 1591 and to Archbishop Ussher's "Summary of "Christian Religion." I may also take leave to mention, that the question of the Canonical character of these books was warmly debated in Germany, about the middle of the last century, by Froelich and the two Wernsdorfs; the former of whom denied, and the latter maintained, their title to that high distinction. The contest began by some observations made in a publication of Froelich, entitled "Annales Regum Syriæ," 4to. 1744. To these E. Werns 66 c 3 dorf replied, in "Prolusio de Fontibus Historiæ 66 Syriæ in Libris Maccabæorum,” 4to. Lipsiæ, 1746. Frolich rejoined, in "Prolusio in Examen "vocata," 4to. 1746. G. Wernsdorf then entered the field, with a "Commentatio de Fide Histo"rica Librorum Maccabæorum," 4to. 1747; and was supported by an anonymous Jesuit, who published a treatise entitled, "Authoritas Libro"rum Maccabæorum canonico-historica adserta," 4to. Viennæ, 1749. In 1754, Froelich republished his "Annales," and probably replied to all the arguments of his opponents: for in the Preface he states, "post ultimum anno 1749, pro li"bris Maccabæorum finitum certamen, silentium "et pax." What may be the character or merits of these last-named publications, I am unable to judge or pronounce; as not a single one of them was to be procured in any public or private library in Dublin. Nor have I been able to meet with "Mi"chaelis on the Maccabees," 4to. 1774: nor "Charles Wilson's Version of the apocryphal "books, with critical and historical Observations," 8vo. 1801: nor the dissertations said to be contained in the "Bibliotheca Historica" of Meuselius: nor the " Harmony" by J. M. Faber, 8vo. 1794, &c. &c. a perusal of which treatises, together with many others illustrating the same subject, might perhaps have considerably diminished the imperfections of the present work. The Prayer of Eleazar, occurring in Book I. Chapter vi. It will be at once perceived and allowed, that both the imagery and language of this prayer are highly poetical, although the words themselves have never yet been submitted to the strict rules of a metrical arrangement. Βασιλεῦ μεγαλοκράτωρ, ὕψιστε, παντοκράτωρ Θεὲ, τὴν πᾶσαν διακυβερνῶν ἐν οἰκτιρμοῖς κτίσιν, ἔπιδε ἐπὶ ̓Αβραὰμ σπέρμα ἐπὶ ἡγιασμένου τεκνα Ιακωβ, μερίδος ἡγιασμένης σοῦ λαὸν ἐν ξένῃ γῇ ἀδίκως ἀπολλύμενον, πατέρ. Σὺ Φαραὼ πληθύνοντα ἅρμασι, τοπρὶν Αἰγύπτου ταύτης δυναστὴν, ἐπαρθέντα ἀνόμῳ θράσει καὶ γλώσσῃ μεγαλορρή μονι, σὺν τῇ ὑπερηφάνῳ στρατίᾳ παντοβρόχους ἀπώλεσας, φέγγος ἐπιφάνας ἐλέους Ἰσραὴλ γένει. Σὺ τὸν ἀναριθμήτοις δυνάμεσι γαυρωθέντα, Σενναχηρείμ βαθὺν ̓Ασσυρίων βασιλέα, δοράτι τὴν πάσαν ὑποχείριον ἤδη λαβόντα γῆν, καὶ μετεωρισθέντα ἐπὶ τὴν ἁγίαν σοῦ πόλιν, βαρέα λαλοῦντα κόμπῳ καὶ θράσει σὺ δέσποτα ἔθραυσας, ἔκδηλον δεικνὺς ἔθνεσι πολλοῖς τὸ σὸν κράτος. Σὺ τοὺς κατὰ τὴν Βαβυλωνίαν τρεῖς ἑταίρους, πυρὶ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐθαιρέτως δεδωκότας, εἰς τὸ μὴ λατρεῦσαι τοῖς κενεῖς, διάπυρον δροσίσας κάμινον, ἐρρύσω μέχρι τριχὸς ἀπημάντους, φλόγα πᾶσιν ἐπιπέμψας τοῖς ὑπεναντίοις. Σὺ τὸν διαβολαῖς φθονοῦ λέουσι κατὰ γῆς ῥιφέντα θηρσὶ βορὰν Δανιὴλ εἰς φῶς ἀνήγαγες ἀσινῆ. Τόν τε βυθιτρεφούς ἐν γαστρὶ κήτους Ἰωνὰν τηκόμενον ἀφειδῶς, ἀπήμαντον πᾶσιν οἰκείοις ἀνέδειξας, πατέρ. Καὶ νῦν μισύβρι, πολυέλεε, τῶν ὁλῶν σκεπαστὰ, τὸ τάχος ἐπιφάνηθι τοῖς ἀπὸ Ἰσραὴλ γένους, ὑπὸ δὲ ἐβδελυγμένων ἀνόμων ἐθνῶν ὑβριζομένοις. Εἰ δὲ ἀσεβείαις κατὰ τὴν ἀποικίαν ὁ βίος ἡμῶν ἐνέσχη ται, ῥυσάμενος ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ ἐχθρῶν χειρὸς, ὡς προαίρῃ δέσποτα ἀπόλεσον ἡμᾶς μόρῳ. Μὴ τοῖς ματαίοις οἱ ματαιόφρονες εὐλογησάτωσαν ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν ἠγαπημένων σοῦ ἀπωλείᾳ, λέγοντες, οὐδὲ ὁ Θεὸς αὐτῶν ἐρρύσατο αὐτούς. Σὺ δὲ, ὁ πᾶσαν ἀλκὴν καὶ δυναστείαν ἔχων ἅπασαν, Αἰώνιε, νῦν ἔπιδε, ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς τοὺς καθ ̓ ὕβριν ἀνόμων ἀλόγιστον ἐκ τοῦ ζῆν μεθισταμένους ἐν ἐπιβούλων τρόπῳ. Πτηξάτω δὲ ἔθνη σὴν δύναμιν ἀνίκητον σήμερον, ἔντιμε, δύναμιν ἔχων, ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ Ἰακὼβ γένους. Ἱκετεύει σε τὸ πᾶν πλῆθος τῶν νηπίων, καὶ οἱ τούτων γονεῖς μετὰ δακρύων. Δειχθήτω πᾶσιν ἔθνεσιν ὅτι μεθ ̓ ἡμῶν εἶ Κύριε, καὶ οὐκ ἀπέστρεψας τὸ πρόσωπον σοῦ ἀφ ̓ ἡμῶν· ἀλλὰ καθὼς εἶπας, ὅτι οὐδ ̓ ἐν τῇ γῇ τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτῶν ὄντων ὑπερεῖδες αὐτοὺς, οὕτως ἐπιτέλεσον, Κύριε. The words of the foregoing prayer fall almost naturally into English blank verse; the following translation being, for the most part, no more than a mere verbal rendering of the Greek, as it stands at present. Monarch most powerful ! highest, mightiest Gop ! Lo! Abraham's seed-lo! Jacob's sacred race- What wrongs we suffer in a stranger-land. Thou-when stern Pharaoh, Egypt's mighty lord, Spread forth his chariot-band in proud array, And with high-swelling boasts defied thy power; Him and his host, beneath the boiling wave Of his own sea didst whelm; while with mild ray O'er Israel's rescued sons thy mercy shone. |