tJNCLK IN ENGLAND. 193 



new, or derived from the Mosaic law, and the 

 writings of the Jewish prophets. Hence the 

 writers of the New Testament were obliged to 

 employ Greek words, whose meanings were de- 

 termined rather by analogy, than by their original 

 derivation; and to combine them according to 

 the idioms of the Hebrew and Syriac languages, 

 rather than by the natural construction of Grecian 

 phraseology. 



" It is remarkable," he continued, " that this 

 circumstance is one which some rash infidels have 

 presumed to consider as inconsistent with the 

 idea of a divine interference in the promulgation 

 of Christianity ; and yet on sober inquiry, it will 

 be found materially to strengthen its evidence. 

 For if no phrase had been used which was not 

 in conformity to the purity of the Grecian tongue, 

 we should lose one of the great marks of authen- 

 ticity in the New Testament its peculiar lan- 

 guage. You will readily perceive that the He- 

 braisms and Syriasms by which it is distinguished, 

 and which could have proceeded only from men 

 of Hebrew origin, prove it to have been a pro- 

 duction of the first century ; for after the death 

 of the first Jewish converts to Christianity, we find 

 hardly any instance of Jews becoming preachers 

 of the gospel : and as to the Christian fathers, 

 they were mostly ignorant of Hebrew. This dis- 

 tinguishing mark is to be found in all the books 

 of the New Testament, in different degrees; nor 



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