Jews at this day keep, because the temple being down, their sacrifices are all ceased. But this opinion hath been exploded by most of our late authors; and indeed I can no way satisfy myself in it, and therefore will not acquiesce in this an

swer.

But before we are able to give a true account of this query, we must search a little deeper into the true ground of this difference between our Saviour's Passover and the Jews'.

The common opinion is, that the Jews in our Saviour's time were wont to translate their festivals from one Feria to another upon several occasions; as, whenever two festivals were immediately to follow one another, to join them into one; and therefore, when any fell upon the sixth Feria, to put it over to the next Feria or the sabbath, to avoid the concurrence of two sabbaths together; in the same manner as the Jews use to do in their calendar at this day, where they have several rules to this purpose, expressed by abbreviatures, thus, Adu, Badu, Gahaz, Zabad, Agu; whereof each letter is a numeral for some Feria. The rule for the Passover is 2, Badu; that is, that it should not be kept on the second, fourth, or sixth Feria. (There is an extract of a Rabbinical decree to this purpose, under the name of R. Eliezer, in Munster upon Matt. chap. xxvi.) And therefore, at this time, when our Saviour was crucified, the Passover falling upon the sixth Feria, or Friday, was, say they, by the Jews translated, according to this rule, to the next Feria, and kept on Saturday, or the sabbath; but our Saviour, not regarding these traditions, observed that day precisely which was commanded in the law, védel

Ovεolaι To Táoxa, (Luke xxii. 7.) that is, as they expound it, " upon which the Passover oUGHT to have been killed;" which was Friday, the day before.

But, under favour, I conceive, that all these decrees, together with that ratiocinium, or calendar, to which they do belong, were not then in use in our Saviour's time (although it be so confidently averred by the incomparable Joseph Scaliger), but long since invented by the Jews. Which I shall make appear;

First, In that the ancient Jews, about and since our Saviour's time, often solemnized as well the Passovers, as the other feasts, upon the Ferias next before and after the sabbaths, and those other Ferias, which have been made rejectitious since by that calendar. In the Talmudical title Succoth, chapter the last, we read of 10 or

-that is, a feast going in לשבת בין לפניה בין לאחריה

a feast, that falls ,שחל להיות ערב שבת שבת and אחד

mediately before, or following immediately after, the sabbath. And in Betzah, chap. i.

to be on the evening of the sabbath, or the day after the sabbath.-In Chagigah, the second

which is to the ;עצרת שחל להיות בערב שבת,chapter

same purpose with the former. More particularly concerning the Passover Pesachim, chap. vii. sect. 10. "Ossa, nervi, et omne residuum agni paschalis, cremantor sexto decimo: si is dies SABBATUM, decimo septimo." From this, and divers like places of the Talmud, Aben Ezra on Lev. xxiii. 4. observes, 'XI TIUŠNÍ DI NIVDA 7 no, There be divers instances in the Misna and the Gemara of the Passovers being kept in BADU, that is, on those days, which were made

rejectitious in the late calendar, the second, fourth, and sixth Feria. Therefore, these translations were not in use when the doctors of the Misna and Gemara lived.

Secondly, In that the Jews ever, while the temple stood, observed their new moons and feasts, according to the pass or appearance of the moon, and therefore had no calendar for their rule to sanctify their feasts by, but they were then sanctified by the heavens, as the Misna speaks. This is so clearly delivered by R. Moses Ben Maimon, in that excellent Halachah, entitled, KIDDUSH HACCHODESH, that I wonder so many learned men, that are well skilled in those authors, should miss of it. For having spoken of the rules of observing the parts, he then adds, that these were never made use of since the Sanhedrin ceased in the land of Israel, after the destruction of the temple; since which time they have used a calendar, calculated according to the middle motion of the

ודבר זה הלכה למשה מסינו הוא שבזמן שיש סנהדרין .moon קובעין עלפי הראייה ובזמן שאין שם סנהדרין קיבעין עלפי החשבון הזה שאנו משחבים בו היום ואין נזקקין לראיה אלא פעמום שהיה יום שקיבעין בחשבון זה הואיום הראייה או קידם לו ביום או אחריו

D: Et hæc erat traditio Mosis in monte Sinai, quod omni tempore, quo duraret Sanhedrin, constituerent Neomenias juxta páo hoc vero tempore, quo jam cessavit Sanhedrin, constituerent secundum calculum hunc astronomicum, quo nos hodie utimur: nec ullo modo jam ad páow nos astringimus, cum sæpe contingat, ut dies, legitimus secundum nostrum calculum vel concurrat cum lunari pára, vel antevortat eam unica die, vel etiam subsequatur. And again, a little after, most punc

מאימתי התחילו כל ישראל לחשוב בחשוב בחשכון זה ;tually מסוף חכמי תלמור בעת שחדבה ארץ ישראל ולא נשאר בית דין

קבוע אבל בימי הכמי משנה וכז בימי חכמי תלמור עד ימי אביי Quando primum ודבא על קבועת ארץ ישראל היו סנמכין

cœperunt omnes Israelitæ computare, secundum hunc calculum? A fine doctorum Talmudicorum, quando jam desolata erat terra Israel, neque erat, consistorium aut synedrium, quod determinaret: nam per omnes dies doctorum Misnæ et doctorum Gemaræ, usque ad Abæum et Rabbæum, acquiescebant omnes Judæi in sanctione terræ Israelis.

-And those rules forementioned of not keeping the several feasts upon such and such Ferias were made together with this calendar, as the

אין קיבעון בחשבון : same author there also avoucheth זה בימי אוו לפי שהחשבון זה הוא לקבוע הירחוה שמש בחלובה .e .2 אטעעון לא במקום אטתי לפיבך עשו יום קביעה ויום דחייה

In this account they never constituted the newmoon of Tisri upon Adu, because this account was made according to the conjunction of the sun and moon in the middle motion; therefore, now they constituted some legitimate and other rejectitious days, which they could not do before, when the new-moon (and therefore all the other feasts) was determined according to the paois.

But the Talmud was not completely finished till about the five hundredth year of the Christian era; therefore this Jewish calendar, and these rules concerning the translation of feasts, were not in being till about that time, and so could be no reason of this difference between the time, in which our Saviour solemnized the Passover, and the other Jews.

For further confirmation hereof, we may observe, that the Karraites, which have rejected the fond traditions of the Pharisees, retain still the ancient custom of reckoning their new-moons aro

* Emen.

149, 150.

- τῆς φάσεως, as * Scaliger himself hath well observed: though in this he were Temp. p. mistaken, that he thought they had assumed it of late, merely out of hatred to the other Jews, whereas they have kept it in a constant succession from antiquity, and hold it still as neces

saith my) אסנס הוא מההעתקה .sary by Divine right שבל ישדאל מודים בה שמזמן המלבות היי טקרשים (author החרשים בראיית הידח : ועור מהקש כח הדכוד ערע הענין ממלת חדש יורע שהוא חרוש הדבד והוא חרוש ירחבבל חדש

This is confessed by all Israel, that from the time of the kingdom they were ever wont to consecrate the new-moons by the paris and the very etymon of the word chodesh implies so much, for it signifies the renewing of something; so that it is denominated from the change of the moon, or phasis, as the epocha and beginning of it.-And this is one of the great controversies to this day between those two sects of the Jews, the DN or Karræi,—and , or Rabbanæi ;—which is grown at length to such a height, that the Karraites, deciphering the conditions of those witnesses, whose testimonies might be accounted valid for the paois, make this for one, that they should no way belong to the sect of Rabbinists: which perhaps to observe in the author's own words would not be unpleasant τοῖς φιλαρχαίοις καὶ

התנאי השני שלא יהיה הליק בדעתו בקריש החדש .pelodyots מדעת חבמינו וחבה מזת הצד ראוי לקבל ערות חישמעלים מפני שהם חילבים אחרי רעת חבמיני בען ייני הראייה ובריב הזמנים אנו שוים עמהם ואין ראוי לקבל לנו עדות חרבנים מפני שהם חלוקים ממנני בוח ואע פ שאחינו. ובשרנו חם אמנם בזח מדו

Ayy, i. e. A second condition is, that they be not such, as hold an opinion concerning the sanctification of the new-moon different from the opinion of our wise men concerning the pha