CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY GIFT FROM
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http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924029308503
THE FIVE BOOKS FROM MACKABEANS IN ENGLISH.
WITH NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS,
BY
HENRY COTTON, D.C.L.
ARCHDEACON OF CASHEL,
AND DECEASED STUDENT AT CHRIST CHURCH, OXFORD
OXFORD, AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS. MDCCCXXXII.
TO
THE PROVOST, FELLOWS AND SCHOLARS, VAN TRINITY COLLEGE, DUBLIN, TO WHOSE VALUABLE LIBRARY I HAD THE MOST GENEROUS ACCESS, THE PRESENT PUBLICATION IS ENGRAVED,IN TESTIMONYOF RESPECT AND RESPECT.
BOOK 1 INTRODUCTION
The first book, commonly known as the third, contains the history of not more than eight or nine years. It opens with the battle of Raphia, which was fought between Antiochus the Great, king of Syria, and Ptolemy Philopator, king of Egypt ; in the third year of the 140th 0lympiad, -of Rome 537,—of the Seleucidse 96,—before Christ 217. The principal event recorded in it is the attempted punishment and extraordinary deliverance of the INTRODUCTION. xix Jews at Alexandria. This transaction, as we learn from chap. ii. took place during the high priesthood of Simon, son of Onias, who succeeded to that ofice in the year B. C. 211.
This book in time is prior to both the second and the third, and in authority is considered superior to the lattera: although Philostorgius, a writer of the fourth century, declares it “monstrous” and full of improbabilities. Its author is unknown : he is supposed to have been a Jew of Alexandria ; indeed some, as Franciscus Junius, attribute both this and the Book of Wisdom to Philo: and the work is thought by Dr. Allix (” Judgment of the Jewish Church”) to have been written during the reign of Ptolemy Philopator, or a little after the Book of Ecclesiasticus, about two hundred years before Christ.
The Greek text is considered to be the Original. There is a Syriac version of it, to be seen in the Polyglott Bibles of Paris and London, and a literal Latin from this Syriac is given in the Bible of P. de la Haye. There is no ancient Latin; but a modern one, by Nobilius, is in the Polyglotts. Calmet observes, that the Latins, so far as he knew, had never quoted this book: nor does it appear in their earlier printed Bibles ; the first edition in which he had found it was one printed by Froben, of the year 1538. The book also appears in the German Bibles, in a version made by Jo. Circemberger, first printed at Wittemburg in 1554. It was translated into French by Calmet and is found in the third volume of his ” Literal ” Commentary on the Bible.” Although it was reckoned Canonical by some of the Fathers, and is contained in most manuscripts of the Septuagint ; yet, as it never found its way into the Vulgate translation, nor was received by the western church, our authorized English Bibles have not usually contained it. Yet an English version of it was put forth by Walter Lynneb in a small volume, in1550; which in the next year, with some few alterations, and many corrections of the spelling, was appended to a folio Bible printed by John Daye. —About 170 years afterwards, a new translation of it was published by Whiston, in his ” Authentic Documents,” 21 vols. 8vo. 1719 and 1727. And a third version, made by Clement Crutwell, was added to his edition of the Bible with bishop Wilson’s notes, 3 vols. 4to. Bath, 1785. Having compared each of these with the Greek text, I think Whiston’s version to be the most faithful of the three ; but have not at all considered myself as hound to retain it, wherever an examination of the Original suggested an alteration as advisable.
The book, in reality, does not belong to the history of the Maccabees ; since it relates events which took place fifty years before their time. But it has been remarked that the expression ” Maccabee” was adopted by the Jews to designate anyone who had suffered persecution for religion ; in honourable remembrance of that family, which so nobly fought and fell, in the sacred cause of their country and their God. The events of this book are not found in the historical works of Josephus: but in the Latin portion (where the Greek is wanting) of his second book against Apion, a somewhat similar transaction is related as having occurred ; not indeed under Ptolemy Philopator, but fifty or sixty years later, during the reign of Ptolemy Physcon. There is good reason for believing that Josephus is here in error.
a Mr. Milman, in his History of the Jews, flippantly calls the Third (First) Book a “romantic story,” and ” a ” legend.” Butancientwriters of sound learning speak of it with respect: and Grotius disdained not to comment on it, as well as on the other two books.
b Lynne dedicates his book to lady Anne, duchess of Somerset : and assigns as his reason for the publication, that the work was often quoted in the Table, or Concordance, compiled by Bullinger and others of the church of Zurich, which he had translated, and was publishing in the same volume ; and that it was to be found in no English Bible except one which John Daye was then printing, This edition of Lynne was reprinted in 12mo, in 1563.
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