from wondering that this account varies in many circumftances from that given in the Jewish records, we have much more reafon to wonder that there is fo remarkable a coincidence.

Apion, an Egyptian writer, although a bitter enemy of the Jews, afcribes great antiquity to their nation. He fays, that "in the reign of "Amofis, king of Egypt, they departed from that "country under Mofes as their leader." This Amofis he makes contemporary with Inachus the founder of the Argive kingdom in Greece, According to Clemens Alexandrinus, Inachus lived four hundred years before the Trojan war . Later chronologers make his reign much earlier. It is evident from this, however, that even the Egyptian writers admit, that the Ifraelites left Egypt in a very early period.

Many learned writers have fuppofed, that the Ifraelites were the Hycfos or thepherd-kings, who, according to Manetho, held all Lower Egypt in fubjection for 259 years. Others, because there is fo little agreement between the Scripture-hif tory and the circumstances mentioned by Manetho, fuppofe that these fhepherds were fome other people. But not to fay that the number of years affigned to their ufurpation agrees very nearly with the period which elapfed from the advance ment of Jofeph to the departure of the Ifraelites; it seems to fettle the difpute, that Manetho himfelf afferts, that a great body of thefe fhepherds, during the reign of Themofis," retreated to a 66 country

"country now known by the name of Judea, "where they built the city of Jerufalem." He alfo fays, that during the reign of Amenophis, whom he places long after Themofis, the remnant of these fhepherds "united under Ofarfiph, a prieft of Heliopolis, whofe commands they "fwore to obey, on condition of not being obli

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ged to worship the Egyptian gods; that they "fhould marry with their own people, and eat "fuch meats as they deemed holy. Ofarfiph,' he adds, "was the founder of that polity: he "was fo named from Ofiris, a god worshipped at

46

Heliopolis. When he changed his religion he "took the name of Mofes "." However much the truth is disguised in this account, it seems unnatural to understand it of any other nation than the Ifraelites. As Jofeph, who was next in dignity to the king, "bought all the land for "Pharaoh," and removed the people" to cities

from one end of the borders of Egypt even to "the other end thereof;" it was natural enough in fucceeding ages to afcribe fuch changes to conqueft by a ftrange people who led the life of fhepherds, a life extremely odious to the Egyptians. Manetho evidently refers to the character of Mofes as a legiflator; and it is difficult to conceive how he should have connected Mofes with these fhepherds, had he not found fuch a connexion already established in the ancient annals, or at least in the ancient traditions, of Egypt. Befides, Themofis is generally viewed as the fame with Amofis,

Jofeph. cont. Ap. li i.

b Gen. xlvii. 20, 21.

.

Amofis, in whofe reign, according to Apion, the Ifraelites left Egypt. As Mofes "was learned in "all the wisdom of the Egyptians," there is every reason to suppose, that he had been educated by their priests; and as he did not "vifit "his brethren" till he was "full forty years "old "," we need not wonder that in fucceeding times he was not only confidered as a priest, but called an apoftate, in confequence of his joining himself to the Ifraelites. We learn from Tatian the Affyrian, that in his time the annals of the Egyptians were extant, moft diligently compiled by Ptolemy, a prieft of Mendes in Egypt. According to Ptolemy, "in the reign of Amosis, "the Jews departed from Egypt into their own country, under Mofes as their leader." He alfo represents Amofis as contemporary with Inachus b.

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Tacitus, the Roman hiftorian, gives a very particular account of the Jews. "It is related," he fays, "that the Jews, being exiles from the island "of Crete, took poffeffion of the most remote "parts of Lybia, at the time that Saturn was violently expelled by Jupiter from his king"dom. An argument is borrowed from their 66 name. It is faid, that Ida, being a famous "mountain in Crete, the inhabitants, thence call"ed Idai, were, by a barbaric change of the "name, denominated Judæi. According to fome, during the reign of Ifis, a great multitude in"undating

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a Acts vii. 22, 23.

b Tatian. cont. Græc. p. 171. edit. Pari

an. 1015. Vid. etiam, Theophil. ad Autolye, lib. iii. p. 130, 131.

"undating Egypt under Hierofolymus and Juda 66 as their leaders, fettled on the neareft lands." Having mentioned other accounts, he adds, “The "most of authors agree, that a bodily conta

66

gion making its appearance in Egypt, when

King Occhoris inquired concerning the means "of cure, he was commanded by the oracle of "Hammon to purge the kingdom, by expelling "fuch men as were deteftable to the gods. A great rabble being collected, they were warn"ed by Mofes, one of the exiles, that they could expect no help either from gods or men, as "they were deferted by both; but, that they might be delivered from their prefent miferies, by implicitly confiding in him as a heavenly "leader. To this they affented, and blindly fet “out on a journey by chance. Nothing diftreff "ed them fo much as the want of water.

66

66

And

66 now, not far from deftruction, they all lay flat "on the ground; when a flock of wild affes, leaving their pafture, climbed a rock fhaded with "wood. Mofes, forming a conjecture from the "verdure of the foil, followed them, and difco"vered abundant fprings of water. Having ob"tained this refreshment, and continued their "journey for fix days, on the feventh they took "poffeffion of lands, in which they built a city “and temple, having expelled the former inha "bitants. Mofes, in order to fecure the nation to himself, in fucceeding times, inftituted new rites, which were contrary to those of other nations." He afterwards affigns the fame, rea

n

fon

fon with Trogus for the confecration of the feventh day of the week, obferving, that "they de"voted the seventh year also to idleness. Others," he fays, "apprehend that this honour belongs "to Saturn, and that we have either received the "first principles of religion, as handed down by "the Idæans (or Jews), who were expelled with "Saturn, and were the founders of the nation : "or because the ftar of Saturn poffeffes the high"eft orb and the greateft power among the fe "ven planets, by which men are governed, and "the most of the heavenly bodies exert their power and finish their courfe by the number Seven, But, in what manner foever thefe rites were introduced, they have the fanction of antiquity a."

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Thus it appears from Tacitus, that fome earlier writers carried back the exiftence of the Jews as a nation, nearly to the very commencement of the fabulous hiftory of the Greeks. It is evident, that there was alfo a general belief, that the Ifraelites received their law from Mofes, very foon after they left Egypt, and that it had the higheft antiquity. Nor is it lefs clear, that there was a general tradition, that the Sabbath was inftituted even before the existence of the Ifraelites as a nation. Many learned writers have produ ced very strong reafons for fuppofing, that the Saturn of the heathens was the Noah of Scripture. According to this opinion, it would feem that the heathen nations traced back the confecration of VOL. I.

E

the

a Tacit. hift. lib. §.