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year, when either they first betook themselves to tents on their leaving Egypt presently after the passover, or when they quitted their tents upon their entrance into Canaan, a little before the passover, which was kept in the plains of Jericho; Joshua v. 10: whereas this feast was appointed to be celebrated at near six months' distance from either.

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Rabbi Jacob Levita conceives, that, as it was usual with people in warm climates to live much in tents or booths in summer, for coolness, God purposely directed the celebration of this feast to be delayed to that season of the year when the cold mornings, winds, and rains, ordinarily obliged them to quit their booths and betake themselves to their houses; that it might appear, their dwelling in booths at this time was not for convenience or pleasure, but in obedience to the Divine command.* Maimonides, on the contrary, observes, that this feast was wisely fixed to that season, when the people might dwell in booths with the least inconvenience, because the weather was then moderate, and they were not wont to be troubled either with heat or with rain.

Others have therefore endeavoured to prove, that this was the time of the year when Moses came down the second time from the mount, and brought them the joyful news, that God was appeased for the sin of the golden calf; and that he had accordingly ordered the tabernacle to be reared, in token that now he no longer disdained to dwell among them, in memory of which this feast is supposed to be appointed. However, this is assigning a quite different reason for their dwelling in booths or tabernacles from that which the Scripture assigns; for according to the Scripture this appointment was designed, not in commemoration of God's dwelling in the tabernacle among them, but of their "dwelling in tents forty years in the wilderness."

The learned Joseph Mede's opinion seems to be the most probable, as well as the most ingenious,‡ namely, that this feast was affixed to the time of the year when Christ was to be born, and the dwelling in tabernacles was intended as a type of

Mayer. de Temporibus et Festis Hebræor. part ii. cap. xvi. sect. iv. p. 318, 319.

+ Maimon. Moreh Nevoch. lib. iii. cap. xliii.

Mede's Diatrib. disc. xlviii. p. 268 of his Works, edit. 1677.

his incarnation; as St. John seems to intimate, when he saith,

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the word was made flesh, кαι ɛσknvwσev ev nμv, and tabernacled in or with us;" John i. 14.

We are assured by the apostles, that the law in the general had "a shadow of good things to come," Heb. x. 1, or a typical reference to Christ and the gospel dispensation. It is, therefore, incredible, that any of the three grand festivals should be without some illustrious type of him, or should not point to some principal circumstance concerning him; as we know the passover and the pentecost did, the former being a type of his passion, the latter of his sending the first-fruits of his Spirit, on his setting up the gospel kingdom. And can it be imagined, that the third principal feast, which was more solemn than either of the others, having a more extraordinary course of sacrifices annexed to it, should not typically point to some grand event concerning him and his kingdom? And to what can we so naturally apply it, especially after the hints St. John has given us in the passage before quoted, as to the incarnation and birth of our Saviour? The events, then, that were typified by the two former feasts, falling out at the very time of those festivals, it is probable the case was the same as to the feast of tabernacles, and that Christ was born at this festival.*

Of the Time of Christ's Nativity.

As to the vulgar opinion, that the birth of Christ was on the twenty-fifth of December, there is not only no good reason for it, but the contrary.

It is certain, this day was not fixed upon in the Christian church, as the day of our Saviour's nativity, till after the time of Constantine, in the fourth century; and then it was upon a mistaken supposition, that Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, was the high-priest, and that the day when he burnt incense upon the altar in the temple, while the people were

On the feast of tabernacles, besides the Mishna, tit. Succah, and Dachs, Talmudis Babylon. codex Succah, sive de Tabernaculorum Festo passim, see Meyer. de Temporibus et Festis Diebus Hebræor. part ii. cap. xvi. ; Reland. Antiq. part iv. cap. v.; Ainsworth on Levit. xxiii. 34-43; Lightfoot's Temple Service, chap. xvi.; Leidekker. de Republ. Hebr. lib. ix. cap. vii.

waiting without, was the day of expiation, or the tenth of the month Tisri, which fell out that year about the middle of September. As soon as Zacharias had fulfilled the days of his ministration, John the Baptist was conceived, that is, toward the end of September. Our Saviour was conceived six months after, that is, toward the end of March, and consequently his birth must fall out toward the end of December. This is the ground upon which the feast of our Saviour's nativity was fixed to the twenty-fifth of December.* However, that it is erroneous is very evident; for Zacharias was not in the holy of holies, into which the high-priest only entered, when the angel appeared to him; but by the altar of incense, which stood in the sanctuary without the veil, Luke i. 11; at which altar the common priests performed their daily ministry. Neither was Zacharias the high-priest; for we are told, that "he was of the course of Abia," and that his lot was to burn incense," ver. 5.9; whereas the high-priest was of no course at all, neither did burning incense in the most holy place fall to him by lot, but was part of his proper and peculiar office. Accordingly there is no reason to conclude, that the day when the angel appeared to Zacharias was the day of expiation, which is the foundation of the common opinion concerning the time of the birth of Christ.

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I add farther, that not only is the vulgar opinion of the season of his nativity destitute of any just ground; but there are good and valid arguments against it. For instance,

There was a decree from Cæsar Augustus issued and executed at this season, that all persons, women as well as men, should repair to their respective cities, to be taxed, or enrolled. This occasioned the Virgin Mary to come to Bethlehem at that time; where she was delivered. But surely this decree was not executed in the middle of winter, which was a very severe season in that country, and highly inconvenient for travelling, especially for such multitudes, and in particular for women in Mary's condition; as may be inferred from what our Saviour saith in the twenty-fourth chapter of St. Matthew, concerning the difficulties to which his disciples would be exposed, if their flight, previous to the siege and

* Spanheim. Histor. Eccles. secul. i. sect. ii.; de Nativitate, sect. iii. p. 523, 524; et secul. iv. sect. vi. de Ritibus, p. 855, edit. Lugd. Bat. 1701.

destruction of Jerusalem, should happen in the winter, ver. 20.

Again, at the time when Christ was born, there were shepherds abroad in the fields by night watching their flocks; certainly a very unseasonable service for the winter in Judea, if we may judge of the weather in that country, and at that season, by the Psalmist's description: "He giveth snow like wool, he scattereth the hoar frost like ashes; he casteth forth his ice like morsels; who can stand before his cold?" Psalm cxlvii. 16, 17.

Upon the whole, there is great probability, that Christ was not born in December. But, though we do not pretend to be certain of the real time when he was born, there are, however, several reasons to incline us to believe, it was at the feast of tabernacles; particularly, as was hinted before, the synchronism of the type and the antitype in the two other principal feasts; and the same, therefore, was probably the case as to this feast.

Again, Dr. Lightfoot has offered several arguments, to prove that Christ was baptized at the time of the feast of tabernacles.* But when he was baptized, he was wast etwV Tplakovra apXouEvos, that is, entering on his thirtieth year, Luke iii. 23; consequently this was the same time of the year in which he was born.

Farther, Joseph Scaliger observes, that the twenty-four courses of the priests, which went through the year, began with the month Nisan about the vernal equinox; and that consequently the eighth course, to which Zacharias belonged, ministered in the latter part of July. If from thence you reckon the five months to the virgin's conception, and nine more for her gestation, the birth of Christ will fall in the latter end of September, that is, at the season of the feast of tabernacles.t

See his Harmony on Luke iii. 21.

+ See Scalig. Fragment. p. 58, 59, ad Calcem Emend. Temp.; Mede's Diatrib. disc. xlviii. on Deut. xvi. 16; Christ's Birth mistimed, a Tract, No. iv. in the Phoenix, 1707; and in defence of the common opinion, Selden on the Birth-day of our Saviour, apud Opera, vol. iii. tom. vi. p. 1405, et seq.

CHAPTER VII.

OF THE FEAST OF TRUMPETS AND NEW MOONS.

HAVING considered the three grand festivals, at which all the male Israelites, who were able, were obliged to assemble at the national altar, we proceed to consider the lesser feasts, of which some were menstrual, others annual. The menstrual were the new moons, which were kept on the first day of every month; and of these one was more remarkable and to be observed with greater solemnity than the rest; namely, on the first day of the month Tisri. This is styled the "feast of trumpets."

It is proper first to consider the common new moon feast, of which we find no other institution in the law of Moses than merely a prescription of certain sacrifices to be offered on the day of the new moon, or, which is the same, on the first day of the month, over and above the sacrifices that were daily offered; see Numb. xxviii. 11-15.

The sacrifices prescribed on this occasion, are two young bullocks, one ram, and seven lambs, for a burnt-offering, and a kid of the goats for a sin-offering, to be attended with meat offerings and drink-offerings, as usual in other sacrifices.

The number of the animal sacrifices are eleven, for which the Hebrew doctors have devised the following reason, because the lunar year falls short of the solar by eleven days.* We find only one precept more in the law of Moses concerning these new moons; namely, that "in their solemn days, and in the beginning of their months, they shall blow with the trumpets over their burnt-offerings, and over the sacrifices of their peace-offerings;" Numb. x. 10. But this is rather to be considered as a ceremony attending the sacrifices, than as peculiar to the new moon days; for the same thing is enjoined at their other solemn sacrifices, or on their other solemn

Reland. Antiq. part iv. cap. vii. sect. iv. p. 510, 3d edit.

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