fephus concerning Chrift, & Xessos Tv, This was Chrift, or the Christ, did not mean that this Jesus was the Chrift of God, or the true Ms of the Jews; but that this Jefus was diftinguished from all others of that Name, of which there werè not a few, as mentioned by Jofephus himself, by the Addition of the other Name of Chrift: Or that this Person was no other than he whom all the World knew by the Name of Jefus Chrift; and his Followers by the Name of Chriftians. This I efteem to be a clear Cafe, and that from the Arguments following.

(1) The Greeks and Romans, for whofe ufe Jofephus wrote his Antiquities, could no otherwife understand thefe Words. The Jews indeed, and afterward the Chriftians, who knew that a great Meffias, a Perfon that was to be Chrift, the Anointed of God; that was to perform the Office of a King, a Prieft, and a Prophet to God's People, might readily fo understand this Expreffion: But Jofephus, as I have already noted, wrote here, not to Jews or Chriftians, but to Greeks and Romans, who knew nothing of this; but knew very well that an eminent Perfon living in Judæa, whofe Name was Jefes Chreft, or Jefus Chrift, had founded a new and numerous Sect, which took the latter of those Names, and were every where from him called Chreftians or Chriftians b: In which Senfe alone could they understand these Words of Jofephus; and in which Sense alone, I believe, he defired they fhould understand them. Nor does Jofephus ever ufe the Hebrew Term Meffiab in any of his Writings; nor the Greek Term Chrift in any fuch Acceptation elsewhere.

(2) Jofephus himself as good as explains his own meaning, and that by the laft Clause of this very

See Authen. Rec. Vol. II. p. 1113.

Paffage,

Paffage, where he fays the Chriftians were named from this Chrift; without a Syllable as though he really met he was the true Meffiah, or Christ of God. He farther feems to me to explain this his meaning in thofe two other Places, where alone he elsewhere mentions this Name of Chrift; that is when, upon two feveral Occafions of the mention of James, both when he was condemned by Ananus, and when he was flain by the Jews, he calls him the Brother of Jefus, not that was the true Meffiah, or the true Chrift, but only that was called Chrift.

(3) It was quite befide the Purpose of Jofephus to declare himself here to be a Chriftian, or a Believer in Jesus as the true Messiah. Had he intended fo to do, he would furely have explained the meaning of the Word Chrift to his Greek and Roman Readers: He would furely have been a great Deal fuller and larger in his Accounts of Christ, and of the Chriftian Religion. Nor would fuch a Declaration at that Time have recommended him, or his Nation, or his Writings, to either the Greeks or the Romans: Of his Reputation with both which People he is known to have been, in the Writing of these Antiquities, very greatly follicitous.

(4) Jofephus's ufual Way of Writing is Hiftorical and Declarative of Facts, and of the Opinions of others; and but rarely fuch as directly informs us of his own Opinion; unless we prudently gather it from what he fays hiftorically, or as the Opinions. of others. This is very obfervable in the Writings of Jofephus; and in particular as to what he says of John the Baptift, and of James the Juft. So that this Interpretation is moft probable, as most agreeable to Jofephus's Way of Writing in parallel Cafes.

(5) This feems to be the universal Senfe of all the Ancients, without Exception, who cite this

Testimony from him: And though they almoft every where own this to be the true Reading, yet do they every where suppose Jofephus to be fti! an unbelieving Jew, and not a believing Chriftian. Nay Jerom appears fo well affured of this Interpretation, and that Jofephus did not mean to declare any more by these Words than a common Opinion, that, according to his ufual Way of interpreting Authors, not to the Words but to the Senfe, (of which we have, I think, two more Inftances in his Accounts out of Jofephus, now before us) he renders this Claufe credebatur effe Chriftus; He was believed to be Chrift: And this while we learn from his own intimate Friend Sophronius's Greek Verfion of his Latin Verfion, that Jerom had the common Greek Reading here, & Xeros Tv, This was Christ. Nor is the parallel Expreffion of Pilate to be otherwise understood, when he made that Infcription upon the Crofs, This is Jefus the King of the Jews which is well explained by himself elfewhere, and correfponds to the Import of the prefent Clause, What shall I do with Fefus who is called Chrift d? And we may full as well prove from Pilate's Infcription upon the Cross, that he thereby declared himself a Believer in Chrift, for the real King of the Jews, as we can from thefe Words of Jofephus, that he thereby declared himself to be a real Believer in him, as the true Meffiab.

V. Though Jofephus did not defign here to declare himself openly to be a Chriftian, yet could he not poffibly believe all that he here afferts con cerning Jefus Chrift, unless he were fo far a Chrifian as the Jewish Nazarens or Ebionites then were; who believed Jefus of Nazareth to be the true Meffiab, without believing he was more than a Man Who also believed the Neceffity of the Obfervation of the ceremonial Law of Mojes in order

• Matth. xxvii. 31.

17, 22

I.

to

to Salvation for all Mankind: Which were the two main Articles of thofe Jewish Chriftians Faith, tho' in Oppofition to all the thirteen Apoftles of Jesus Chrift, in the firft Century; and in Oppofition to the whole Catholick Church of Chrift in the fol lowing Centuries alfo. Accordingly I have elfewhere proved, that Jofephus was no other, in his own Mind and Confcience, than a Nazarene or Ebionite Jewish Chriftian; and have obferved that this intire Testimony, and all that Jofephus fays of John the Baptift, and of James, as well as his abfoJute Silence about all the rest of the Apostles and their Companions, exactly agrees to him under that Character, and no other. And indeed to me it is most aftonishing, that all our learned Men, who have of late confidered thefe Teftimonies of Jofephus, except the converted Jew Galatinus, fhould mifs fuch an obvious and natural Obfervation. We all know from this St. James's own Words, that fo many Myriads of Jews as believed in Chrift, in the first Century, were all zealous of the ceremonial Law; or were no other than Nazarene or Ebionite Chriftians: And, by Confequence, if there were any Reason to think our Jofephus to be, in any Senfe, a Believer or a Chriftian; as from all these Testimonies there were very great ones; all thofe and all other Reafons could not but confpire to affure us, he was no other than a Nazarene or Ebionite Chriftian, See Authent. Records Vol. II. P. 954-960. And this I take to be the plain and evident Key of this whole Matter.

VI. Since therefore Jofephus appears to have been, in his own Heart and Confcience, no other than a Nazarene or Ebionite Chriftian, and, by Confequence, with them rejected all our Greek Gofpels and Greek Books of the New Teftament; and received only the Hebrew Gospel of the Nazarens

• De Arcanis Cathol. Verit. Cap. IV. apud Jof. Edit. ult. Vol. II. P. 275. f Act. XXI. 20.

Authent. Rec. Vol. II. p. 647-650.

or

or Ebionites, ftyled by them The Gospel according to the Hebrews; or according to the twelve Apostles; or even according to Matthew; we ought always to have that Nazarene or Ebionite Gofpel, with the other Nazarene or Ebionite Fragments in View, when we confider any Paffages of Jofephus relating to Chrift or to Christianity. Thus, fince that Gofpel omitted all that is in the Beginning of our St. Matthew's and St. Luke's Gofpels; and began with the Ministry of John the Baptift: In which firft Parts of the Gospel Hiftory are the Accounts of the Slaughter of the Infants, and of the Enrolment or Taxation under Auguftus Cæfar and Herod, 'tis no great Wonder that Jofephus has not taken Care particularly and clearly to preferve those Histories to us. Thus when we find that Jofephus calls James, the Brother of Christ, by the Name of James the Fuft, and defcribes him as a moft just or righteous Man, in an especial Manner; we are to remember that fuch is his Name and Character in the Gofpe! according to the Hebrews, and the other Ebionite Remains of Hegefippus ; but no where elfe, that I remember, in the earlieft Antiquity. Nor are we to suppose they herein referred to any other than that Righteoufnefs which was by the Jewish Law, wherein St. Paul, before he embraced Christianity, profeffed himself to have been blamelefs. Thus when Jofephus with other Jews, afcribed the Miseries of that Nation under Vefpafian and Titus, with the Deftruction of Jerufalem, to the. barbarous Murder of James the Juft, we must remember, what we learn from the Ebionite Fragments of Hegefippus, that these Ebionites interpreted a Prophecy of Ifaiah as foretelling this very Murder, and thofe confequent Miferies: Let us take away the Just One; for he is unprofitable to us : Therefore ball they eat the Fruit of their own Ways. 8 See Grabe Spicileg. Sec. I. p. 15& Sec. II. p. 203. &c. b Philip iii. 4, 5, 6. i Ifaiah iii. 10. I 2 Thus

31.