the way of proceeding therein, Mention is alfo made of 
Strange worfliip, or idolatry, becaufe it afforded march 
matter for judicial proceedings. The filth was concerning 
obligations, facrifices, and every thing that had any rela¬ 
tion thereto. The iixth had for its f'ubjeft the feveral 
forts of purifications. 
The rabbis have made this book their principal ltudy, 
and many of them have written comments on it; which 
they call Gemara, i. e. the perfection of the Mifchna, or 
fin idling of the law, Thefe commentaries have been col¬ 
lected together, and are contained in the Two Talmud's, 
viz. that of Jerufalem and that of Babylon ; they contain 
a complete body of Jewifli doftrines, as well religious as 
moral. The former was compiled by the rabbis of Jeru¬ 
falem, about A.D. 230 ; the Jews tell us that the princi¬ 
pal author was rabbi Johanan ; but it is not of fo great 
authority as that of Babylon, which was compoi'ed at a 
future period. The Jerufalem Talmud is frequently ob- 
feure, but that of Babylon is clear and explicit. The 
Babylonifh Talmud was begun by A fa, and continued by 
Marmar and Mar, his dilciples or foils ; it is fuppofed to 
have been completed about A. D. 500. The Talmud of 
Jerufalem and the Mifchna, after the Chaldee paraphrafes 
of. Onkelos and Jonathan, are the molt ancient books of 
doctrine the Jews have, except the facred authors. Light- 
foot has derived a great deal of help from them, for the 
explaining many paflages of the New Teltament, by com¬ 
paring -the expreflions of the Mifchna with thole of the 
apoftles and evangelifts. Maimonides has made an extract 
or abridgement of the Talmud of Babylon, which, in the 
judgment of many, is preferable to the Talmud itielf; for 
lie rejeCts what lie finds there that is fabulous, childilh, or 
u'felefs, and applies himfelf to colleCt only the decilions 
of cafes with which that great work abounds. See the 
article Talmud. 
It may be eafy for an enlightened mind to perceive how 
ufeful it would be, in order to underhand, witli clearnefs 
and precifion, the Gofpel and the apoitolical Epiltles, if 
the opinions and ufages of the Jews, at the time when 
the authors of the New Teltament wrote, were properly 
known. By Jewifli opinions we do not mean the pre¬ 
cepts and doctrinps of the law, but certain traditions, 
which they pretend were left them by their fathers, which 
are now found in the Talmud, and which the Jews, who 
are flriCt adherers to their cufloms and ceremonies, do 
yet obferve, as far as times and places will admit. 
The Confeflion of Faith, which contains a fummary of 
thele traditions, confifts of thirteen articles, but they are 
not all equally ancient. The ninth, which declares that 
the law of Mofes cannot be abolished by any other law, 
was evidently drawn up with a view to counteract the 
principles of Chriftianity ; but Jefus Chrift came not to 
deftroy the law, but to fulfil it. This confeflion of faith 
is prefented to us by Buxtorf in his treatife De Synagoga. 
Judaica , and is as follows : 
I. I firmly believe, that God, blefled be his name for 
ever, is the Creator and the Maker of all things; and that 
every thing was, is^ and will be, made for him alone. 
II. I fiymly believe, that this Creator of all tilings, 
blefled be his name for ever, is one, by an unity peculiar 
to himfelf; and that he alone has been, is, and will be, 
cur God. 
III. I firmly believe, that this Creator, blefled be his 
name for ever, is not corporeal, nor can in any'mariner 
whatfoever be conceived to be corporeal ; and that there 
is no likenefs to him whatever. 
IV. I firmly believe, that the Creator, blefled be his 
name for ever, is the beginning and end of all things. 
V. I firmly believe, that the Creator, blefled be his 
name for ever, ought alone to be worlhipped, and that 
none other hefides him is worthy of adoration. 
VI. I firmly believe, that all the words of the prophets 
are true. 
VII. I firmly believe, that the prophecies of Mofes our 
inttruCtor, peace be to him, are true ; and that he is the 
Vol. X. No. 7*1. 
father of all the lages, whether they went before, or came 
after, him. 
VIII. I firmly believe, that all the law, which is at pre¬ 
fen t in our pofieflion, 'was given by Mofes our inftruCtor, 
peace fee to him. 
IX. I firmly believe, that this law will be never changed ; 
and that the Creator, blefled be his name, will never give 
another. 
X. I firmly believe, that the Creator, blefled be his 
name, knows all the addons and ail the thoughts of men. 
XI. I firmly believe, that the Creator, blefled be his 
name, will benevolently reward thole who keep his com¬ 
mandments, and punilh thofe who break them. 
XII. I firmly believe, that the'Memah muft come; 
though his coming be delayed, I will always expect is, 
until he does appear. , 
. XIII. I firmly believe, that the dead will arife at the 
time appointed by the Creator, vvhofe name be blefled, 
and his glory magnified, throughout all ages, to all eter¬ 
nity. Arner^. 
The Jews were fo firmly and flriftly attached to the 
■worfliip of the true God, long before the birth of Chrift, 
that no remains of their fopner inclination to idolatry 
was obferved in them ; and hence it is, that neither Jefus 
Chrift, nor any of his apoftles, call the lealt reflection or 
reproach upon them for any Inch thing. But, becaufe 
they received'feveral other doftrines, which it may be of 
fome importance to know, betides thbfe which are con¬ 
tained in thefe thirteen articles, we fhall therefore give an 
account of them, beginning with that which relates to 
the birth of man. 
The rabbis, acknowledge, that there is in man a fund 
of corruption and uncleannefs; and the Talmud fpeaks of 
original fin in thefe words : “ We ought not to be fur- 
priled that the fin of Eve and of Adam was fo deeply en¬ 
graven, and that it was fealed with the king’s fignet, that 
it might be thereby tranfmitted to all their poiterity : ie 
was becaufe all things were fignified the day that Adam 
was created, and he was the perfection and con Turn m ation 
of the world; fo that, when he finned, all the world fin¬ 
ned with him. We partake of his fin, and lhare in the 
puniftunent of it, but not in the fins of his defeendants.” 
The rabbis teach, that the wounds which were made in 
man by fin will be cured by the Mefliah ; but they fay 
there will be two Meffiahs, one of which fhall be put to 
death, and the other appear with glory. As to the time 
of infs coming, they acknowledge that their fathers be¬ 
lieved that the fpace of time which the world was to laft 
was fix thoufand years ; that of thefe God appointed two 
thoufand for the law of nature, two thoufand for the law 
of Mofes, and two thoufand for the fylefiiah; fo that, ac¬ 
cording to this account, the Melliah muft have come 
much about the fame time that Jefus Chrift was born and 
died; but, fay they, the iniquities, of men, which are in- 
creafed in infinitum, have obliged God to let a great part 
of this two thoufand years pafs away before the coming 
of the Mefliah; and they forbid the making of any com¬ 
putation of the years of his coming. Moreover, the grofs 
and carnal Jews ftill look on the Mefliah as a conqueror, 
who muft lubdue all the earth, make them matters of it, 
and heap all good things upop them ; and they fondly 
imagine that his reign will be a reign of pleafure and vo-- 
lupt.uoufnefs. 
They feldom make ufe of the name of God in their oaths; 
but, when they do, it makes them inviolable. They will, 
however, fvvear by the creatures, (a pitiful (hift,) and 
think they have an indubitable right to break thole at- 
teltations. This, perhaps, gave rile to the prohibition of 
oaths by Jefus Chrift and his, apoftles in Mattli. v. in or¬ 
der to correct that horrid abufe of them, which was too 
frequently praclifed by the Jews, when the name of God 
was not exprefsly mentioned in them. 
That not one of them (flail be excluded from a future 
ftate of exiftence is a prevailing notion among the Jews, 
is evident from their confelfion of faith 3 entertaining the 
9 Z idea, 
