the words τους αρχαίοις are put for υπο των αρχαίων ; and others se pose they are put for προς τους αρχαίους. He prefers the late terpretation. Campbell and Doddridge translate the words, "Ye have b that it was said to the ancients;" and Doddridge cites Gro Whitby in confirmation of this rendering. In the French bible, published by the American Bible So the translation is according to that of Campbell and Doc "Vous avez entendu qu'il a été dit aux anciens." Montanus renders the phrase by the dative, as do most translators. Beza renders it by the ablative, in accordance our version. Indeed his authority may have had weight w English translators. There are two authorities in point, which, one would think, settle the true sense of the passages in Matthew. In Romans ix. 26, we find these words, "xai EGTUI, EV TỤ TITU βήθη αὐτοῖς.” "And it shall come to pass, that in the place it was said to them." In Galatians iii. 16, we find these words, " de Aßpaap αἱ επαγγελίαι, καὶ τῷ σπέρματι αὐτοῦ,” “ Now to Abraham and were the promises made," (spoken.) In these latter passages, we see the same verb passive fo by the dative, and so rendered in our version. There are examples in the new testament; but these are mentioned be they occurred to me incidently, and they appear to just translation of Campbell and Doddridge, showing most conclusi that our English version is erroneous. And it is somewhat s lar, that such an accurate investigator as Rosenmueller, should b neglected to cite several passages in the new testament, com tory of his own opinions. th The version, as it now stands, gives the precept the apperanz of being a common saying, a kind of proverbial maxim, am ancients. This aspect would very much impair its authori the ancients were not law-givers. It is far more probable, Christ referred directly to the commands of Moses, which given to the ancients; and that his own subsequent precepts intended to show the greater strictness and excellence of the m law under the gospel. P. S. On further examination, I find that to instead of by isthe translation in the bishop's bible; and with this correspond the re sions of Jerome, Erasmus, Castalio, Calvin, and the Geneva bibe Luther also has to; De Wette, has von, by, but sets zu, to, in margin. The editor of the Encyclopædia of Religious Knowledge, unde the word Adam, has adopted the common opinion, that this name was given to our progenitor, because he was made of earth. This ion seems to have no foundation except the resemblance been the Hebrew word for earth, and this name. A similar reblance is seen also between this name and the Hebrew word red, whence Josephus affirms that Adam, signifies one that is , because he was formed out of red earth. B. 1. Ch. 1. Now ive learned by long and laborious research, that nothing is more eptive than such an inference. What should we say if an etylogist should deduce the word man, from the Latin mano, to v, because of the identity of the radical letters? or if one should luce the word pine, a tree, from the verb to pine? Yet many, y many, of the etymologies of writers stand on no better foun ion. But the word Adam has a nobler origin. It signifies form, pe, image, and probably, in the description of Adam and his ation, allusion is made to this signification. He was made in image of God; not that God has a corporeal form, but the rase is intended to express the dignified and majestic form of D, representing his superiority to all other animated beings on th. This was also the opinion of pagan nations, which is eleatly expressed by Ovid, Os homini sublime dedit; coelumque tueri Met. Lib. 1. 1. 85. Adam, in the primary sense of the word, is the name of the Iman race, the whole species, like the word man, in English. In is sense, the word is frequently used in the bible. Job, xiv. 1; eut. iv. 32; Ps. cxviii. 6, 8, and exliv. 4; Prov. xvi. 1. I would not be understood as questioning the common opinion, at the image of God, mentioned in Gen. i. 27, has reference to he moral qualities of Adam. I suppose the words to include the odily form, and the moral and the intellectual powers of man at is creation. The account of the creation of Adam, Gen. i. 26, 27, is an acount of the origin of the species, mankind, although one pair ony was first created. And hence we understand the propriety of he use of them in the plural. "God created man in his own mage, in the image of God created he him, male and female created be them." This description is given before the creation of the woman, and is to be considered as the general account of the creation of the species, in correspondence with the general account of the creation of plants and animals, in the preceding verses. The particular manner of the creation, is mentioned in chap. ii. 7. It is no feeble evidence of the justness of my opinion, that man, in English, the common term by which the race of mankind is expressed, has the like signification. See the explanation of the word in my quarto dictionary. This same word is seen in the Latin hominis, the nominative homo, being contracted. Hence we see the precise word in humanus, the prefixed aspirate and termination being removed. In Latin also the word signifies the whole race or species. Parkhurst, the author of a Hebrew lexicon, is, in my opinion, correct in assigning this name, Adam, to its proper origin; although in a multitude of instances, his etymologies are fanciful, and still more, his deductions from them. The opinion here given, of the meaning of the word Adam, seems to be countenanced by the apostle Paul, 1 Cor. xi. 7, and by James iii. 9. Under the word atonement, the editor has admitted the common opinion, that the Hebrew word thus rendered, which is copher, or as I should write it, cofer, signifies a cover. Lexicographers seem to be agreed, that this is the signification; and they have, from this Hebrew word, deduced the English word, cover. This deduction is demonstrably erroneous. Our word cover, is from the French covrir; this from the Italian coprire; and this from the Latin cooperio. The French couvert, English covert, is only a contraction of the Latin co-opertus. One reason assigned for this opinion, that cofer signifies a cover, is, that the Hebrew word has this signification in Genesis vi. 14, where it is commanded to Noah, "thou shalt pitch it (the ark,) within and without with pitch." This, say the lexicographers, was a covering of the ark with that substance. In this opinion there is a mistake which is very common, in supposing the verb to be the word from which the noun is formed. The reverse is the fact. The name cofer was first formed from the general sense of the verb; it is the name of the substance, and then converted into a verb, or applied as a verb; just as we should say, in using the noun, pitch, "pitch it with pitch ;" or oil the cloth with oil; water the field with water. The command to Noah was, to put on cofer; some bituminous substance, which had that name. And here let me observe that, through the Arabic, we have camphor, from the same verb. The original spelling was cafor, the letter m being adventitious. We may not be able to ascertain from what circumstance these substances were named. Gums are substances often exsuded from plants, and are sometimes named from this circumstance, from the sense of a verb signifying to send out, or to issue. Sometimes substances are named from their qualities, or most common and obvious quality. To ascertain facts of this kind, it would be necessary to have a perfect acquaintance with the language in which the word was first used. The word cofer, atonement, is rendered in English by various verbs, as to appease, to forgive, to purge away. The atonements prescribed in the Levitical law, were often made by the sprinkling of the blood of victims. This was considered as purification. So also was the use of oil. See Leviticus xiv. and xvi., and Numbers viii. In all the injunctions on this subject, the essence. of the ceremony consisted in purification, or cleansing. Hence it was applied to a house and to the tabernacle, the holy place and the altar. In order to obtain a clear view of this subject, we must resort to the use of the same word, cofer, in the cognate languages. In the Chaldee, the word signifies to turn away, to reject, to deny, to forsake, or apostatize, to wash, cleanse, or remove filth. In Proverbs xxx. 20, it is rendered to wipe. "She eateth and wipeth her mouth." In Matt. xxvii. 24, it is rendered, washed. In Syriac, it is rendered to deny, reject, wipe, or wash, and to purify. Hence in 1 Cor. iv. 13, it is used for filth, off-scouring, that which is removed from any thing by washing; as we should say, the washing. In Arabic, this word signifies to deny, reject, or be an infidel. Hence the Mohammedans call those who reject their religion, caffars, and hence the name Caffraria, in Africa. The word signifies also a village, whether from its being remote or detached from a city, I do not know, but christians also denominated those who did not receive the gospel, pagans, from pagus, a village. In Arabic, however, the name caffar was given to those who would not receive the religion of Mohammed, because they denied, or rejected that religion. The true sense then of the word cofer, is to cast away, to reject, and in religious rites, to remove filth or defilement, and hence to cleanse and purify. In some of its uses, it may be rendered perhaps, to cast behind the back, or at least, it may convey this idea, and in this use, the sins of men may be considered as covered from the eyes of the offended person. But the primary sense is to reject. So in English, we use forgive, the negative of give, that is to give back or away. Pardon, from the French, has a like signification. But perhaps, remit, from the Latin, will better express the sense, or at least render it more obvious. From these authorities and facts, the inference, in my view, is clear, that the atonement of the old testament consisted, not in covering, in its proper sense, or spreading over, but in cleansing, or purification. In this sense, it coincides well with holiness, in the new testament. The effect of purification from sin, is reconciliation. The divine Being is appeased, and rendered propitious. This sense, therefore, is secondary. In regard to the meaning of the Greek word aion, often rendered eternity, there is no difficulty, as we can trace the word to its original and true sense. The Greek aei is a contraction, the original palatal consonant being lost, as in a thousand other words. It is also lost in the Latin arum and aetas. So it is in most of the modern languages of the Teutonic family. In German, it is lost in ew, ewig, eternal; in the Dutch, eeuwig; the Danish, evig, and Swedish, ewig. The termination ig, is the same as occurs in other words, and which in English is generally contracted into y, as in holy; Saxon, halig. But in the Saxon, our parent language, we have it both contracted, and in its original form. It is seen in ece, eternal, contracted as ea, water is from aqua. But it occurs also in eca, eternal, and in ecelice, eternal, and in ecnesse, eternity, and all these are of one family, which belongs to the verb ecan, to increase, which is the English eke. Thus we find that the verb, the radix, signifies to increase, to extend; eternity then is indefinite extension. The application of the word depends on appropriation by usage. The sense of the verb being general, it may be, and is applied to limited periods, as in the Latin aetas, an age. So in regard to other words, the primary general sense has been restricted by usage. The Greek word ora signifies radically, time in general or season, but after men began to measure duration, it was used also for an hour. So the Latin word ager, a field indefinitely, has been limited by an English statute, and now we see the word in acre. It will easily be seen, that as the human mind cannot comprehend eternity in duration, any more than it can infinite space, no word which men can form would express the whole idea. All that men can do, in this case, is to express their ideas by a word of indefinite meaning. And what better mode can men take to convey their limited ideas of what is unlimited, than to use a word which expresses enlargement or extension? Eternity then is unlimited extension in duration; and that the Greek word above mentioned, is often used in that sense, is a fact which no critic can disprove, and no rational critic can deny. The true principles of etymology are little understood; and with the books now generally used, and the course of studies now pursued, in the colleges and universities, both in Europe and America, these principles cannot be fully understood. I close these remarks, by cautioning my fellow-citizens against placing much confidence in the etymologies of European writers, except such as refer English words to the languages, which may be considered as modern; the Greek, Latin, French, etc. The derivation of most words from these sources, is usually very obvious, and easily understood. No great research is necessary, to show, that nation is from the Latin natio, and this from natus nascor; or that geography is from the Greek y, the earth, and description. But an attempt to proceed further, and deter |