Chapter XII: Introduction

1. State of the World at the Birth of Christ—Tradition concerning his
Advent—Its epoch determined from Prophecy.

The Christian era was ushered into notice, by a state of peace among all nations, unprecedented in the history of the world. The temple of Janus at Rome was shut, after the lapse of seven centuries of incessant warfare. At this period, a very general belief prevailed among men, that the long-expected Saviour of the world was about to appear. Many incontestable proofs of this fact are to be found in ancient history. Soter or Saviour, had indeed become a common appellation among kings, both in Syria and Egypt; and the foreshortened shadows of coming events indicated the near approach of the “Desire of all nations.” Poets anticipated his happy reign; historians longed for the promised age of miracles; and philosophers panted for the Advent of a heaven-born Instructor of mankind. The epoch assigned, by universal tradition, for the epiphany of this wonderful personage, was the _Sixth Age_ of the world; or, according to the ancient Hebrew chronology, the middle of the _Sixth Millennium_ or _Chiliad_, of years from the creation of the world.

Respecting the true origin of the assigned epoch, a considerable difference of opinion exists. It is, however, generally referred to the ancient tradition among the Jews, that the world was destined to last for a period of _seven millenaries_ of years, the first _six_ corresponding to the _six days_ of creation, and the _seventh_ to the _Sabbath_ or day of rest; and that previous to the last _millennium_, the Messiah should appear in great power and glory. Traces of this tradition may be found in the vaticinations of the Sybilline oracles, and in the writings of the Greek theogonists and cosmogonists. The prevalence of the same tradition in the time of our Saviour and his Apostles, had evidently led the disciples to associate, as contemporaneous events, the _first_ Advent of Christ, and the restoration of all things. See Matthew xxxiv. 2, and 2 Thessalonians ii. 1.

Although there be no foundation in Scripture for the Jewish tradition itself, yet the fact of its existence at an early period of the Christian era, added to the universal belief among ancient writers, that the Messiah did appear at the assigned epoch, affords a strong presumptive proof that it was the true one. Theophilus, bishop of Antioch, who flourished in the second century, ingeniously unites the historical fact and the Jewish tradition, when he intimates that as the _first Adam_ came into existence on the _sixth day_ of creation, so the _second Adam_ came into the world on the _sixth day_ of the Chiliads, _each day_ being reckoned as “_a thousand years_.” It is evident, however, that this early father had derived his knowledge of the true epoch from its original and only source; for, he says, “the whole time, even all the years” from the Creation to the Crucifixion, “are shown” in the Scriptures, “to those who are willing to obey the truth.”[1] Accordingly, we assert that it was possible to ascertain at a very early period,—almost five centuries before Christ,—the true length of the whole interval in question, by a careful examination of the Sacred Records; the exact period from the rebuilding of Jerusalem to the Crucifixion, being assigned in the prophecies of Daniel; while, the period from Creation to the Return of the Jews from Babylon, can be determined from the other books of the Old Testament. Before we proceed to demonstrate the truth of this assertion, we must shortly glance at the history of these Books.

2. Short history of the Septuagint Version of the Old
Testament—Discrepancies between the Hebrew and Septuagint—Their
effect on Sacred Chronology.

It is universally admitted that the Pentateuch was translated into Greek about three centuries before Christ, for the use of the dispersed tribes of Israel, and particularly of the Jews, who had settled in Alexandria, and other parts of the Grecian Empire. Although the history of this translation given by Aristeas, Josephus, and others, savours too much of the marvellous for modern belief, yet all antiquity agrees that it was executed in the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus, and, according to some, at his request, by seventy-two interpreters selected from the most learned and eminent men among the Jews by the High Priest and Sanhedrim at Jerusalem. It is moreover asserted, that the other books of the Old Testament were translated about a century later than the Pentateuch; and this assertion is in some measure proved by a considerable diversity of style and sentiment. It is quite certain, however, that the Greek version of the whole of the Hebrew Scriptures, now called the Septuagint, was in public use at least a century before the Christian era; and that the Evangelists and Apostles made citations from this version in the New Testament, in preference to the original text.

Such being the origin and authority of this ancient and venerable version, its value cannot be too much appreciated; for, without it, the Christians would have been entirely at the mercy of the Jews, as to the authenticity, the integrity, and the meaning of the Holy Scriptures; first, of the Old Testament, on account of their ignorance of the Hebrew, and the danger of the glosses and traditions of their opponents; and second, of the New Testament, on account of its being the complete elucidation and fulfilment of the Old. Besides, although the Jews were for ages the appointed custodiers of the Hebrew text, and are generally considered to have been faithful to their trust; yet we must not conceal the fact that it now differs considerably from the Septuagint in many important places, particularly in the prophecies relating to the Messiah; and, that its chronology of the whole period from the creation to the first advent, is completely at variance with that of the Greek version.

The chronological discrepancies between the Hebrew and the Septuagint, which amount in all to nearly fifteen centuries of difference in regard to the true age of the world, have occasioned disputes among the learned ever since the third century. The Christian Church, however, has always followed the longer computation of the Seventy, from the earliest period of its history till the era of the Reformation; while the Jewish Church has retained the shorter chronology of the Hebrew text from the second century till the present day. Archbishop Usher, the great modern authority in chronology, endeavoured to fix and determine the true epoch of the birth of Christ from that text alone. Dr. Hales, a later and more accurate authority, made a similar attempt, founding his computation on the Septuagint. As this subject has been lately revived by writers of considerable eminence on both sides, we shall endeavour to place the whole Scriptural evidence before our readers, in the following critical analysis of the question.