John viii., are precisely the same? It is but his zeal to support the doctrine of the Holy Trinity that can have prevented him from examining the phrases found in these two chapters. In Exod. God says, "Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel, m's w mas✶ the being who is being' hath sent me unto you;" a phrase in Hebrew, which implies Him who alone can be described as only mere being or existence, and which is translated in the Greek Septuagint, though not very correctly, eyw eiμ But in the Gospel of ὁ ων, "I am the being." John (viii. 24) the words are," I am," (he or Christ,) and in the original Greek, eyw ei, "I am," without the addition of wv, "the being," as is found i in the Septuagint. In the Hebrew translation of John viii. 24, 8, or "I he," is found. So, in ver. 58, we find only eye, "I am." In John viii. 24, the word Xgisos is of course supplied in comparing with Matt. xxiv. 5, "I am Christ,” and with John iv. 25, 26. I would then ask, is 8 m'as л, or "the being who is being," a phrase precisely the same with yw eu, or "I am"? If so, it must אהיה * is the future tense of 'n to be, which literally implies "I shall be," and is used for "I am," that is, "I am and shall be;" equivalent to the "eternal being." The Jews consequently count this term among the names of God, as is evident from its being used in agreement with a verb in the third person, as in the above-cited verse. I say not very correctly, because we find in the Septuagint, the term ', rendered & wv, or the being, in one instance, and in lieu of the same term 'n in the other. require a mode of argument to prove it, equally beyond my comprehension with the mysterious doctrine of the Trinity, which it is brought to support. From the circumstance of Jesus having announced, "Before Abraham was, I am," (ver. 58,) the Editor concludes, that "the Jews at once understood him to declare himself God, and took up stones to stone him; nor did Jesus hint that they had mistaken him;" '—a silence which the Editor thinks amounts to the tacit acknowledgment by Jesus of his deity. But from the context of ver. 58, it appears clearly that the indignation of the Jews arose from the idea that Jesus declared himself not merely the contemporary of Abraham, but even gave out that before Abraham, he was; and that it was for this they attempted to stone him. It is not the only instance in which Jesus left the Jews to labour under a misconception of his meaning, for we find the same to have been the case in several other instances. Thus, John ii. 19-21: "Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body." John vi. 53, 66, viii. 26, 27: "I have many things to say and to judge of you; but he that sent me is true and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him. They understood not that he spake to them of the Father.". The Editor mentions, (page 559,) that "Job also testifies that the redeemer is God," and quotes Job. xix. 25, 26: "For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God." I fully coincide with the Editor in this declaration. Not Job alone, but all the other writers of the sacred books, testify that the true redeemer is God; and they all expected him to cast his mercy upon them, both at the last moment of their life, and at the last period of the world. I am at a loss to know what expression in the passage in question has induced the Editor to refer to the other texts cited, "would we know whether by God, Job means some inferior deity, neither creature nor creator;" for there can be no doubt that the term redeemer is frequently in the sacred writings applied in its strict sense to the Most High God; and that the phrases, "He shall stand at last," and "I shall see God," which are also found in the above passage, are often spoken of the Supreme Being, without implying any necessity of understanding them as applicable to an inferior deity, either creature or creator. Exod. xxxiv. 5: "And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there," &c. Zech. xiv. 3, 4: "Then shall the Lord go forth and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet will stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem." Numb. xiv. 14: "That thou art seen face to face." Matt. v. 8: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." The phrase, " at the latter day," found in verse 25, is incorrectly rendered in the English version as the translation of the Hebrew, as has been already noticed in page 389. [Note.] The Editor refers his readers to Psalm ii. last verse, "Kiss the son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are they who trust in him,"-leaving the context carefully out of sight. I therefore deem it proper to cite the preceding verses here, that the public may judge whether the verse referred to by the Editor be directly applicable to Jesus or to David. David thus relates the circumstance of the hostile disposition of the heathen kings against God and against his anointed David himself, in verses 1-3, and the despite of God at their vain boast, in verses 4-6. He then mentions, in verses 7-9, how God afforded him consolation: "I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my son; THIS DAY HAVE I BEGOTTEN THEE. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." David lastly mentions what God recommended those heathen kings to do for their safety, verses 10-12: "Beware now, therefore, O ye kings; be instructed, ye judges of the earth! Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the son, lest he be angry," &c. Here Jehovah, in verse 7, calls David, my son, this day have I begotten thee," corresponding with Psalm lxxxix. 27, "Also, I will make him (David) my first-born, higher than the kings of the earth." I must again say, that nothing except the violent force of earlyacquired prejudice can lead any one to the direct application of the term "son" (found again in verse 12 of the same Psalm, relating to the same subject) to another than David. God again assures David, in verses 8, 9, that he would have the heathen for his possession, and that he would break the heathens and dash them to pieces. So we find in [1] Chron. xiv. 8: "When the Philistines heard that David was anointed king over all Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek David: and David heard of it, and went out against them." Ver. 16, [17]: "David therefore did as God commanded him and they smote the host of the Philistines from Gibeon even to Gazer. And the fame of David went out into all lands; and the Lord brought the fear of him upon all nations." all nations." And ch. xviii. 1-8: "Now after this it came to pass, that David smote the Philistines, and subdued them, and took Gath and her towns out of the hand of the Philistines. And he smote Moab; and the Moabites became David's servants, and brought gifts. And David smote Hadarczer, king of Zobah, unto Hamath, as he went * Vide Psalm ii. 2, "against his anointed." |