Page:The ancient interpretation of Leviticus XVIII. 18 - Marriage with a deceased wife's sister is lawful.djvu/33

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mity of men of all ages, countries, and climes—of Jews before the coming of Christ and after the coming of Christ—of Eastern Christians and Western Christians—of Romanists and Protestants? Is it to be believed that the Jews before Christ, and at the time of Christ, and ever since, have been ignorant of their own language?—that all the gigantic scholars of the age of the Reformation were unable to learn Hebrew, so as to translate Lev. xviii. 18 correctly?—or that words, so uniformly translated for seventeen centuries, and by opposing parties, are equivocal in their signification? Yet this is said and argued by some who profess to have a respect for antiquity. Let such persons, if they can, weaken this statement by producing testimony as old and varied, and scholars as competent as those who have been named. I myself can find no one who gives a different translation before the year 1575.^[1] Then appeared, so far as I can find, for the first time, that translation found in the Bible of Junius and Tremellius, "mulierem unam ad alteram ne assumito." Even if we allow these translators to have had competent^[2]knowledge of the Hebrew language, yet can we prefer the judgment

↑ It is said by Drusius and Grotius in their Commentaries, as given in the "Critici Sacri," that the Karaites interpreted verse 18 as a prohibition of polygamy; and they refer for proof to the Rabbinic book "Psikta Zutarta," written by Rabbi Tobiah in 1104. But Trigland, with the best, the Venetian, edition of that book before him, says, that in the whole section there is no mention of the Karaites. Neither is it found in either of two copies which I have consulted. It is certain that some of the Karaites allow a man to take as many wives as he pleases, as is proved by Trigland by an extract from one of their most famous books, the "Addereth Eliyahu;" and it is to be remembered that the Karaites, who did not exist as a sect before a.d. 751, and whose most ancient book was not written until about 400 years afterwards, cannot be received as witnesses of ancient Jewish opinion.
↑ Which, however, is denied by P. Simon, Carpzov, Le Long, and others.

[1] It is said by Drusius and Grotius in their Commentaries, as given in the "Critici Sacri," that the Karaites interpreted verse 18 as a prohibition of polygamy; and they refer for proof to the Rabbinic book "Psikta Zutarta," written by Rabbi Tobiah in 1104. But Trigland, with the best, the Venetian, edition of that book before him, says, that in the whole section there is no mention of the Karaites. Neither is it found in either of two copies which I have consulted. It is certain that some of the Karaites allow a man to take as many wives as he pleases, as is proved by Trigland by an extract from one of their most famous books, the "Addereth Eliyahu;" and it is to be remembered that the Karaites, who did not exist as a sect before a.d. 751, and whose most ancient book was not written until about 400 years afterwards, cannot be received as witnesses of ancient Jewish opinion.

[2] Which, however, is denied by P. Simon, Carpzov, Le Long, and others.

[1]

[2]