God, tho' obfcurely, and under fome difguife, to amufe thofe to whom their Anfwers were returned; as here, Apollo would have him believed to be Bacchus. So Plutarch and others thought him. But Tacitus rejected this Opinion, which was occafion'd by the Obfervation of the Feast of Tabernacles, and of Trumpets, and the Day of Atonement in Autumn, and by fome other Rites; and their Sabbaths were fuppos'd to be in Honour of Bacchus, who was called likewife Sabbus. The Tetragrammaton, or Jehovah, is likewife fuppofed to be meant by the Tetracys of Pythagoras; and Ex, a word ufed in Songs and Acclamations, has a plain allufion to Alleluia, especially with the addition of is, as is . The Septuagint retain the Hebrew word aasaiu, Songs or Hymns, Judg. ix. 27. Jubilare, Feftus fays, was a Ruftick word fignifying to cry out; but the Tufci or Tyrrheni, were defcended from the Tyrians, who were Neighbours and Allies to the Jews. Grotius and others are of opinion, that the Egyptians imitated the Urim and Thummim.

From a learned and large Account of Mr. Selden's m upon that Subject, it appears, that there was a ge neral Obfervation among the Heathen, of one Day in feven; tho' length of Time and corruption of Manner's had greatly obfcured or quite blotted out the remembrance of the Original Inftitution; or Superstition had by degrees affigned other Reasons for it: And this is fufficient to reconcile Jofephus and other

k Tacit. Hift. 1. 5. c. 5. Plut, Sympofiac. 1. 4. c, 5;

1 Omnino ex his duobus locis Elian. 1. 14. c. 34. Died. Sic. 1.1 apparet. Gentes vicinas imitatas morem Hebræorum: ut folet Diabolus effe Dei fimia. Grot. de Imp: 'Sum. Poteft. c. 6. § 8. Morem hunc man. Moyfen ab Egyptiis accepiffe, fed contra ab Hebreis ad Egyptios effe tranflatum, ipfa ratia & veritas exigit. Huc accedit, quod ipfimer Egyptis magnam religionis rituum fuorum partem Chaldais, id eft, Hebrais acceptam ferant. If, Vol. de Tranflat.-EXX. Interpr. c. 16.

m

Seld de Jur. Nat. & Gental. 3. c. 15.

H 3

Authors

Authors with what he brings, which feems to imply the contrary. He likewife holds it probable, that the ancient and most known Example of Abraham gave occafion to the Payment of Tythes by the Greeks, and Romans, and Carthaginians, as well as by the Phanicians and Arabians. And as to the laft, he produces an Inftance, which fhews, that they must have had this Custom from the Hebrews. For in Arabia Felix all Merchants were obliged to carry their Frankincenfe to Sabita the Capital City, and there to offer the Tithe of it to their God Sabis; and they were permitted to fell none 'till this was done. Sabis, as he obferves, was a corruption from Zaboth, an ufual Attribute, of the True God. It has been proved by feveral, and is generally agreed by learned Men, that many of the Rites among the Egyptians and other Nations were the fame with thofe appointed by the Law of Mofes, or very like them. But fome would have it, that Mofes took thefe Rites from thofe Nations, without any Proof, or poffibility of Proof, that I can perceive. For how fhould it be proved, when we have no Writings or Memorials of thefe Nations fo ancient as thofe of Mofes by many Ages? And we read in the Scriptures, that feveral Laws were enjoin'd the Jews, because they were contrary to the Idolatrous Practices of the Heathen, but never find the least intimation that any were given them in imitation of the Gentile Worship; and it is unreasonable to imaginę that they fhould have Laws appointed in contradiction to the Idolatrous Worshippers, and others at the fame time in compliance with them, when they were by a miraculous Providence feparated and diftinguished from the Idolatrous Nations, and kept forty Years in the Wilderness, to hinder them from all communication with them, and to cure them of the proneness which they had to imitate them. If it be fuppofed,

Seld. of Tithes, c. 3:

o Plin. Hift. 1. 12. € 14.

that

that the Jews who were hated and defpifed by other Nations, would be very unlikely to be imitated by them: It may be obferved, that they were not always thus defpifed, nor among all Nations; but lived in good Efteem and Friendship with the Egyptians, 'till a King arose who knew not Jofeph. They generally were better efteemed 'till the latter Ages of their Government; and then, the reafon of their being ill thought of, was, because they were fingular in the principal Points of Worthip, and refolute and zealous in the Obfervation of it, and would make no Compliances with the Heathen World; for they preferv'd themselves free from all Idolatry after their Captivity in Babylon. But however hated and contemned they might be; yet the fame Authors who acquaint us with it, exprefs their own fenfe, rather than the fenfe of the reft of Mankind; for at the fame time they tell us, that they gained every-where Profelytes. The Greeks were likewife ever defpifed by the Romans, but ever imitated; and we have now an Example of a neighbour-Nation, which is generally both imitated and fpoken againft. There can be no other reafonable Account given of the Agreement of fo many other Nations with the Jews, in their Rites and Cuftoms; but that thefe Nations, in the times of Solamin, or fome time after, during the flourishing eftate of the Kingdoms of Judah and Ifrael, or per haps after the Captivity, and fince the Difperfion of the Hebrews, had conformed themfelves to them. P Numenius the Pythagorean wrote, that Jannes (whom 9 Pliny calls Jamnes) and Jambres, the chief of the Magicians of Egypt, by their Sorceries, withstood Mofes the Leader of the Jews, a Man most powerful in his Prayers to God.

Σ

u

A Tradition, of the manner of the Passage of the Ifraelites through the Red Sea, was retained among the People of Heliopolis, related by Artapanus. Miracles were fometimes wrought among the Heathen, by the Invocation of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; and these and other Hebrew Names, as Zebaoth, and Adonai, were commonly used by the Gentiles, in their Incantations and Exorcifms, which they retained by Tradition, though they knew not the meaning nor original of them. The Names of Seraphim and Cherubin, of Michael and Gabriel, were also used to the like Purposes, as Pfellus fays in his Expofitions of Zoroafter's Oracles, Pliny fays, the words us'd on fuch occafions were foreign and ineffable, and the fame character he gives of the Punick Tongue, which differ'd but little from the Hebrew. AndPorphyry himself produced feveral Oracles af cribing the true wifdom and knowledge of Religion to the Hebrews. y On the Gold Coast of Guinea there is a kind of Tryal by a bitter Water, like the Tryal of Jealoufie enjoined by the Law of Mofes, Num. v. 17. and feems to be a remainder of it. And in the adjacent Countries, they circumcife their Children, and reft one day in feven; tho' without any fenfe of God, or his Worship. In the Kingdom of a Kachemire are feveral Marks of Judaifm. One who relating that Circumcifion, the Water of Jealoufie, and other Rites, are in ufe with the Inhabitants of the Gold Coast of Guinea, fays that feveral Europeans affert, that the Ne

Apud Eufeb. Præpar. 1. 9. c. 27.

f Orig. contra Celf. 1. 1. & 4. Vid. Grot. ad Matth. xii. 27. * Ονόματα Βαρβαρα μήποτ' ἀλλάξης, Εἰσὶ δ ονόματα πας ἑκάσοις θεόσδολος Διαμιν ἐν τελελαῖς αρνητα ἔχοντα. Fr. Patrie Zoroaftr. Orac. u Plin. Hift. 1. 5. Proc. lib. 28. c. 2. x Apud Eufeb. Præp. Evang. 19. c. 10. y Damp! Voyage,, Vol. z. Varen. de Diverf, Gent. Relig. Memoir. Tom. 4. b Bofman Lett. 19, 12, 18.

14

a Bern.

groes

groes ftill retain many Laws and Cuftoms which favour of Judaifm, and acknowledges that there are divers other Ufages among them, which feem the fame in effect, as well as in Name, with fuch as occur in the Old Teftament; declares himself notwithstanding to be rather perfuaded, that they had all these from the Mahometans when at the fame time he takes notice, among the reft, of their marrying the deceas'd Bro ther's Wife: but where is this enjoin'd by the Law of Mahomet? Those who firft travel'd into China, found Hebrews there, who call'd themselves Ifraelites, but knew not the Name of Jews; they were difpers'd in divers Provinces, and read the Pentateuch in the Hebrew Tongue, in their Synagogues, without Points. The Obfervation of New Moons, Years of Jubilee, and Circumcifion, was found among the Americans, and an infinite number of Ceremonies and Customs (fays Acofta) which refembled the ancient Law of Mofes. They had likewife e a Tradition of Noah's Flood. Hornius acknowledgeth that the Name of Jofeph was in ufe among the Americans, and that they frequently mention'd the word Alleluia in their Songs, and ufed Circumcifion; and he fhews, that in their feveral Languages they have many Words from the Phoenician or Hebrew Tongue. The People of Bengala retain'd the Name of Adam; and in Madagascar they s had the Names of Adam, Eve, and Noah. So that there is no Nation but has ftill had fome Memorials of Reveal'd Religion. And it has been fhewn by Clem. Alexandrinus, by Eufebius and Theodoret, and by Modern Authors, that the Philofophers had generally fome Knowledge of the Religion of the Hebrews, (as it was

Trigaut. de Chrift. Exped. apud Sinas, 1. 1. c. II.
Jof. Acofta Hift. 1. 5. c. 27. & l. 6. c. 2.

d

f Ler. Hift. Navig. in Braf. c. 16. Pet. Mart. Dec. 6. c. 4. f Horn. de Orig. Americ. Præf. & l. 2. c. 10. & 1. 4. c. 15. Voyage de Jean Struys, Tom. 1.

particu