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On the other side, it is argued, that the vowel points were unknown to the seventy who translated the scriptures, about. two hundred and eighty years before Christ, in the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus, king of Egypt. If, therefore, it is said, the Hebrew manuscripts at the time of the seventy were unpointed, or, if they were pointed in a manner different from that mode of pointing which has come down to us, the high antiquity, and of course, the authority, of the present vowel points is destroyed, and will reduce the invention to a period subsequent to the septuagint translation. In support, also, of this opinion, it is said that Origen, who lived in the third, and St. Jerome, who lived in the fourth century, and were both well skilled in Hebrew, make no mention of vowel points; the latter expressly asserts that the manner of reading the Hebrew was unfixed in his time. St. Jerome devoted much of his time to the study of Hebrew literature, having spent more than twenty years, solely for the purpose of attending the schools of the most celebrated Jewish teachers, and conversing with the most intelligent Jews on the subject of their language, and the meaning of their sacred. writings. Another remarkable fact is, that the Jews have never suffered the manuscripts which are preserved in their synagogues, for the purposes of religious worship, to be disfigured with points. Such is the substance of the principal arguments for and against the authority and authenticity of the vowel points. The reader who is desirous of examining this subject more at large, is referred to Calmet's Dictionary of the Bible, Wilson's Hebrew Grammar, and Brown's Antiquities of the Jews.

The opponents of the vowel points have adopted a method of reading which certainly recommends itself for its simplicity; that is, by supplying a short a or e between the consonants. The vowels thus supplied facilitate the pronunciation, which can be acquired in a very short time, and retained with very little practice, whereas the Mazoritic points are complex and difficult.

The first and most celebrated of the Hebrew writers of whom we have any certain knowledge, is Moses, who composed the Pentateuch, about 1450 years before the birth of Christ. Moses was brought up in the court of Pharaoh, and was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and is said to have had a per

fect knowledge of all the sciences then known. At forty years of age he left the court of the Egyptian king, where he was surrounded by the blaze and splendor of royalty, and seeking the land of Midian, he married Zippora, the daughter of Jethro, priest of Midian, and became an humble shepherd, tending the flocks of his father in law. From this humble condition, he was called to be the law-giver and judge of God's chosen people, and their leader from the house of bondage to the promised land. In the retirement of the land of Midian, while pursuing the peaceful occupation of a shepherd, he is supposed to have written by divine inspiration, the book of Genesis, which embraces a period of twenty-three hundred and sixty-nine years, from the creation of the world, and which contains the only authentic account of the great work of creation. It was at this time also, he is supposed to have written the book of Job; a book which yields to none in the sacred volume, for grand and sublime conceptions, and language at once energetic and abounding with the most pure and exalted precepts af morality. With regard to authorship of the book of Job, the subject is stated and examined at some length and with much learning, in the preface to Dr. Clark's commentary on the book of Job. In addition to the sacred books, which are on all hands acknowledged to be the work of Moses, he is said to have written several other works, not now extant, from which Pythagoras and Plato are supposed to have drawn, a great part of their respective doctrines. This opinion, however, is one which originated with the philosophers of the Alexandrian school, for the purpose, no doubt, of gaining credit for the doctrines they taught, which were a mixture of the Jewish and Christian philosophy, with that of the philosophers of Greece.

It is unnecessary to enter into a detailed account of the sacred writers after Moses, or a minute examination of their particular merits, as their works are, or ought to be, familiar to our readers. Among the most distinguished, however, are David, Solomon and the prophets. The authorship of the psalms is generally ascribed, exclusively, to David, who has been emphatically styled the "sweet psalmist of Israel." There are, however, some writers among the ancient Greek and Roman fathers, who contend, that the psalms are not the production of a single individual, but of several. St. Athanasius reckons but

seventy-two psalms, out of one hundred and fifty, which have been pronounced canonical, as the work of David, and the same number is ascribed to him by Eusebius, bishop of Cæsaria.

Although the whole collection of psalms may not have been written by David, we have sufficient evidence, that the greater portion were composed by him. Warmed by a spirit of devotion, and animated by the most exalted sentiments of the wisdom. and perfections of the great Creator, he poured forth his prayers in the most sublime poetry: "The Lord reigneth," says he, “let the earth rejoice; let the multitudes of the isles be glad thereof. Clouds and darkness are around about him; righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne. A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about. His lightnings enlightened the world; the earth saw and trembled. The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory." Sublime as are some of the descriptions of Homer, the father of epic poetry, they fall far short of the majesty and grandeur of the royal psalmist. In the psalms there is a peculiarity of style and language that interests the imagination whilst it improves the heart. "Other poetry," says Steele, "leads us through flowery meadows, or beautiful gardens, refreshing with cooling breezes or delicious fruits, soothes us with the murmur of waters or the melodies of birds, or else conveys us to the court or camp; dazzles our imagination with crowns and sceptres, embattled hosts, or heroes shining in burnished steel; but sacred numbers seem to admit us into a solemn and magnificent temple; they encircle us with every thing that is holy and divine; they superadd an agreeable awe and reverence to all those pleasing emotions we feel from other lays, an awe and reverence that exalts whilst it chastises; its sweet authority restrains each undue liberty of thought, word and action; it makes us think better and more nobly of ourselves, from a consciousness of the great presence we are in, where saints surround us, and angels are our fellow worshippers."* In modern times, praise is often bestowed on rank and title which is only due to merit; and thus we frequently find, that men enjoy a celebrity in the literary world, on account of their elevated rank, which is denied to superior genius in humble life. This

*Guardian No.51.

remark, however, will not apply to David, who wielded the sceptre of a then powerful nation, and was surrounded by all. the splendor of royalty. His superior endowments commanded the admiration of his subjects, yet more than his regal state, and while posterity acknowledges his claims to the character of a poet of the first order, it acknowledges also, that he possessed the inspiration of a prophet, and was the "anointed of the God of Jacob." The psalms were collected by Esdras, according to a tradition prevailing among Hebrews and Christians.*

Among the wise men of the Jews, the first rank, by universal consent, has been assigned to Solomon, the son of David. In the books attributed to him, we discover the same sublimity of conception, the same energy of language, the same commanding eloquence, that distinguish the other sacred writers, and designate one to whom "wisdom and knowledge" had been granted. The writings of Solomon display extensive knowledge of the ways of men, and a superior degree of moral wisdom; they inculcate doctrines and opinions with regard to the conduct of men worthy of all acceptation, and which could only proceed from a mind preeminently enlightened. That he was well skilled in the sciences then known and cultivated, we have no doubt; but. we have not been able to discover that profound knowledge in them respectively, which have been ascribed to him. We regard him rather as a great moral teacher, and endowed with superior wisdom, than as a teacher of natural and physical science. Of the works of Solomon, we have the books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon. These are generally, if not universally, ascribed to him; the books of Wisdom and Ecclesiasticus, which are attributed to him by some, are denied by others, and being thus of doubtful origin, are placed among the apocryphal books. Besides the above, many other works have been attributed to his pen, on magic, medicine and a variety of other subjects, which have been justly rejected as infamous attempts to impose on the credulity of mankind. It is thought by some, that Aristotle, the celebrated Grecian philosopher, was indebted to some of the works of Solomon, not now extant, for a great portion of that wisdom which gained him so much celebrity, even in modern times. It is easy to advance such an opi

*Calmet's Dict. of the Bible, art. Psalms.

nion, but it is difficult to prove or disprove it, when authorities for either purpose are unattainable.

*

The several prophets may, with propriety, be regarded in the list of Hebrew writers. They were the divines, the philosophers, the instructers and the guides of the Hebrews in piety and virtue. They were the organs through which the Almighty thought proper to communicate his will to his chosen people. They generally lived retired, in a sort of community, where they and their disciples were employed in prayer, in labor and in study. Their sacred character and exemplary conduct, inspired the people with that reverence which is due to the minister of God, and secured an influence never employed by them, but in delivering the will of God, and inculcating the principles of religion and virtue. The writings of the prophets, as well as the other sacred writings, have been remarkably preserved amidst the convulsions of empires and the devastations of war, which have destroyed the works of other ancient writers. The remarkable fulfilment of the prophecies, leaves no room to doubt of their immediate inspiration, and affords the most powerful evidence of the truth of that sublime religion which has brought life and immortality to light-a religion which, when left free to operate, purifies the heart, and fits the soul for the blessed regions of immortal glory.

In the old testament, we have the writings of sixteen prophets, four of whom are distinguished as the greater, and twelve as the lesser prophets. The four greater are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel. The twelve lesser are Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Micah, Jonah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi.

In addition to the books considered canonical, Hebrew literature possesses other works. The books of the Apocrypha, so called from the Greek word ɑnoxgurtw, "to hide," because of their doubtful origin, were never admitted into the Jewish canon, nor read in the synagogue. Neither are they admitted as canonical by protestant christians, but they, nevertheless, contain many sublime sentiments, and supply many historical facts in relation to the history of the Jews. As literary productions then, they deserve to occupy a conspicuous place in the history of the period to which they belong.

* Calmet's Dict. of the Bible, art. Prophet.