APPENDIX:

CONTAINING

NOTES, WITH FURTHER ILLUSTRATIONS.

NOTE I.

"In the beginning" never signifies, either in the Old or New Testament, from all eternity, and it is surely a great abuse of language to understand it in that sense; and I am surprised to find that Dr. Lardner gave that meaning the preference. His words are: "By beginning, I think, cannot be intended the beginning of the gospel, but of the creation, or rather always, from eternity, was the word." See Treatise on the Logos, 8vo. edit. p. 19. But this opinion is not supported by the authority of a single passage. Would that learned and modest critic have left his comment so defenceless, if he could have appealed to the usage of scriptural language ?How can "in the beginning" mean from all eternity? We cannot think of beginning, but as the beginning of something: is it consistent to say, "the beginning of eternity ?"

Cicero says somewhere, Principio est nulla origo-" to beginning there is no origin." Most divines adopt this Pagan, or rather Atheistical, notion in explaining the first clause of John's proem.

Justin Martyr has the following observation on the expression "as one of us," in Gen. iii. 22. "This was not said to the angels, who did not assist in the creation of man;

и

but here is meant that production which was issued from the Father, and before all his works was with the Father, and to him the Father speaks, as the word through Solomon declared, that this was both the beginning before all the creatures, and the offspring produced of God, [iri naι agxn πgo πάντων των ποιημάτων τουτ' αυτο και γεννημα ύπο του Θεου εγεγεν vo] which is called by Solomon wisdom." It is evident from the tenor of the remark, that Justin did not mean eternity by beginning. Thirlby's Justin, p. 270.

The following extract from Theophilus of Antioch, (who flourished about A. D. 181,) will show, that he did not think the logos, or its generation, to be eternal. "Therefore God having his word implanted in his own bowels, [ενδιάθετον τοις 1d1015 67λayxvois] produced, or begot, it with his own wisdom, having brought it forth [egevğausvos] before the universe. This word he had his minister [Tougyos, under-worker] of all the things made by Him; and through it He made all things. This [word] is called agxn, [agxn signifies both beginning, and rule or ruler] because he rules and governs all the things which were created through him. This [word] therefore, being the spirit of God, and his governor, [agxn] and the power of the most high, descended into the prophets."/Theoph. ad Aptol. p. 88. Colon. 1686.

Tertullian (about A. D. 200,) says that "the word is the beginning or commencement of an undertaking, not the name of any substance......... The Greek word signifies nothing else than beginning, and beginning nothing else than commencement."-Tert. contra Hermog. c. xix.

The following remarks of Origen (who flourished as late as A. D. 230,) show that he did not interpret the phrase in the beginning in the sense now deemed orthodox :-" Nor would it be absurd to call the God of the universe the beginning; so as to import, that the Father is the beginning of the Son; and the Maker the beginning of all things made, and, in a word,

God the beginning of all things that exist. John confirms this, when he says, In the beginning was the word,' meaning the word the Son, said to be in the beginning, as being in the Father." Huet. Orig. Comment. vol ii. p. 17. This fanciful interpretation of Origen, by which in the beginning is understood in the Father, is not only very different from the orthodoxy now prevalent, but affords a fair presumption, that he was wholly unacquainted with it.

I have found no reference to this phraseology in the most early Fathers. From their silence, it is obvious that the question about the eternity and deity of the logos had not begun to be agitated in their time.

NOTE II.

To men, in general, I fear, it is not easy to convey a just notion of the extensive influence of the peculiar idiom of the Hebrew language, which I have endeavoured to explain in the Commentary. I deem it, therefore, necessary to cite additional examples from the original. But as my printers do not possess Hebrew types, I shall refer to the Greek Septuagint translation, where it literally adheres to the Hebrew. And it is at the same time to be observed, that the writers of the New Testament generally used, and mostly followed, that translation in their quotations from the Old Testament. The examples here will not be so closely related to the subject of the Proem as in the Commentary. The translations will be mostly literal.

1 Sam. xii. 14. "And ye shall not contend against the mouth of the Lord.”—Τῳ στοματι Κυρίου.

1 Sam. xxii. 4. "And he besought the face [person or presence] of the king of Moab”Και παρεκάλεσε το πρόσωπον του βασιλεως Μωαβ.

2 Sam. xiv. 20. "In order to compass the face of this word, or thing”Ενεκεν του περιελθειν το πρόσωπον του ξηματος τούτου.

1 King. viii. 11. "And the priests could not stand to minister for the presence of the cloud”Απο προςώπου της νεφέλης. 2 King. iii. 15. "And the hand of the Lord-xg Kugiou was upon him, and he said, &c."-" The hand of the Lord" here is equivalent to "the spirit of the Lord" in other places. 2 King. xiii. 4. " And Jehoahaz besought the presence of the Lord-rou goowTou Kugrou-and the Lord hearkened unto him." 1 Chron. v. 26. "And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul-To πvevμa Daλox—king of Assyria, &c." that is, Pul himself.

Nehem. ix. 5. "And they shall praise the name of thy glory”—ονομα δόξης σου.

Job viii. 2. "How long wilt thou say these things, talkative spirit of thy mouth-πνευμα πολυβξημον του στόματος σου. Job xvii. 11. "The joints, "The joints, or sinews, of or sinews, of my heart were broken”τα αρθρα της καρδιας μου.

Job xx. 23. "The rage of his anger"-upov ogyns. v. 24. "From the hand of iron"-x eigos didngou. εκ χειρος σιδήρου.

Prov. xviii. 21. "Death and life are in the hand of the tongue"εν χειρι γλώσσης.

Ps. xxxiv. 5. "Let them be as chaff before the face of the wind". κατα πρόσωπον ανέμου.

Ps. lx. 3.

"Thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment”οινον κατανύξεως.

Ps. lxxx. 5. "Thou feedest them with the bread of tears" —αρτον δακρύων.

Ps. xcix. 4. "The king's strength-run Carλews [literally, the king's honour] loveth judgment."

Ps. xcvi. 13. "I will take the cup of salvation”—Torngiov

σωτηρίου.

Zech. iv. 4. "These are the two sons of oil, or fatness"δυο υιοι της πιοτητος.

Mal. ii. 5. "And that he might fear from the face of my name”απο προσωπου ονοματος μου.