88 



uroeil aoaiiist their hypotheses, have been partly brought for- 

 ward by several able advocates of the contrary system, and 

 more particularly by the accurate and copious Vignoles, and 

 appeared so forcible and convincing, that despairing after the 

 failure of such minds as Usher, Marsham, and Scaliger, to 

 support satisfactorily the authority of the Hebrew text, they 

 began to found themselves on the reading of some Greek 

 copies, and the general opinion of the Grecian Father's, sup- 

 -ported by the passage of the Acts mentioned above; and 

 proposed to alter the contested passage, 1 Kings, 6-1. by 

 reading 580 or 680 ; or by interpreting it in a different man- 

 ner, and supposing it omitted the years of the servitudes and 

 anarchies. Capellus and Vossius support the new reading of 

 580 years, which they alledge will completely solve every 

 difficulty, and take in the whole period. 



I have already submitted a view of their arguments, and 

 after I have presented the hypothesis which I have adopted, 

 I shall, in the remarks upon the objections that may be al- 

 ledged against it, urge other reasons in refutation of their 

 system, and, I trust, demonstrate that my own is more con- 

 sistent, satisfactory, and conformable. 



But, before I proceed to deliver the peculiar views of 

 the theory I propose, I must premise some general observa- 

 tions, tending to elucidate the system and method on which 

 I have proceeded. 



1st. 



