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Mattathias, which was the son of Semei, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Juda,

in Matthew, and Luke, is the same with Salathiel in 1 Chron. iii. 17. he proceeds to enquire whether chronology will support him in the times of these generations.

From examining the chronology, it appears that there is no place for the suppositious Pedaiah, and that Naum begat Amos B.C. 290, himself fifty years old. After Amos let thirty years be computed for each generation, or an hundred years for three, the dates will then appear thus:

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Dr. Barrett then enquires, whether by the proposition it appears that Salathiel in Luke and Salathiel in 1 Chron. are the same person, provided the generations be traced up to David; He acknowledges the difficulties of the enquiry, and that the utmost to be expected is, to shew the invalidity of the arguments against it.

Matthew states, that Jechonias was the father of Salathiel : but Luke says, that Neri was his father; this may be reconciled by supposing that Ner was the maternal grandfather of Salathiel, and hence, according to the custom of the Hebrews, put down for his father. The truth of this hypothesis is next examined.

It is a received opinion of the Jews, that Susanna was wife of Jechonias, and mother of Salathiel, which is confirmed by Biblioth. Clement. Vatic. tom. i. p. 290. and she was undoubtedly nearly allied to the throne, from the magnificence in which she lived. (See the account in the Septuagint version of Daniel, compared with 2 Sam. xv. 1.—1 Kings i. 5.)

He next enquires into the genealogy of Neri, whom he supposes to be the same with Neariah, mentioned so frequently by Jeremiah, and who was the father of Baruch and Seraiah. Baruch was certainly of an illustrious family, as we learn from Josephus, who calls him the son of Neri; which Dr. Barrett establishes by several considerations, shewing that Baruch, and consequently Neriah, sprung from Nathan the son of David.

As nothing is related of the ancestors of Neriah, he again recurs to conjectures, which are chiefly the following: Masseiah, or Melchi, the father of Neriah, was probably the same mentioned in 2 Chron. xxxiv. 8. as governor of the city. It is also probable Simeon, the son of Juda, mentioned Luke iii. 30. is the same person called Maasseiah, the son of Adaiab, in 2 Chron. xxiii, 1. The two names being written with the same letters, and differing scarcely except in situation. It is well known to all biblical critics that the names of the Old Testa

27 Which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of

ment have been much corrupted, not only in different translations, but in different copies of the original.

Admitting the above hypothesis, Dr. Barrett shews that the family of Nathan was concealed in an obscure situation, till the greater part of the family of Solomon was destroyed by the treachery of Athaliah; when Masseiah, or Simeon, moved with pity towards his relative Joash, by the assistance of Jehoida, removed Athaliah out of the way, and set Joash upon the throne; from which time the dignity of the family increased, till the line of Solomon becoming extinct, Jechonias, his only remaining heir, took to wife Susanna the daughter of Neariah. Supposing this hypothesis to be true, Dr. Barrett thus constructs his genealogical table, beginning at the division of the line of Solomon, omitting Melea and Mainan as interpolations.

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In treating of the ancestors of Mary, and the consanguinity between her and Joseph, Dr. Barrett shews, that the Virgin was not, (as was formerly supposed) descended from the tribe of Levi, but from the family of David; and brings several additional arguments to prove that St. Luke traces the genealogy of Mary, and St. Matthew that of Joseph.

According to the universal voice of antiquity, the father and Dr. mother of the Virgin were called Joachim and Anna, Barrett thinks it indisputable that Joachim is the same name with Eli, Luke iii. 23. or Eliakim, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 4. which is rendered probable by the Virgin's being called by some Jewish writers, Mary, the daughter of Eli. Thus it may be taken for granted, that Eli was the father of Mary, and maternal grandfather of Christ, and that he is considered by St. Luke as the real father of Christ. He next considers the family of Anna, the mother of Mary. It is generally agreed that the father of Anna was named Matthan, and he is supposed by some to have been a priest-and as the daughters of the priests might intermarry with any tribe, it accounts for Mary's being the cousin of Elizabeth, (who was really of the tribe of Levi,) though her father Joachim, or Eli, was a descendant of the tribe of Judah. Dr. Barrett next proceeds to the family of Joachim; but in

Rhesa, which was the son of Zorobabel, which was the son of Salathiel, which was the son of Neri,

28 Which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Addi, which was the son of Cosam, which was the son of Elmodam, which was the son of Er,

29 Which was the son of Jose, which was the son of Eliezer, which was the son of Jorim, which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi.

30 Which was the son of Simeon, which was the son of Juda, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Jonan, which was the son of Eliakim.

31 Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David,

$2 Which was the son of Jesse, which was the son of Obed, which was the son of Booz, which was the son of Salmon, which was the son of Naasson.

33 Which was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of Aram, which was the son of Esrom, which was the son of Phares, which was the son of Juda,

this examination he finds very few documents to guide his enquiries. It however seems probable that James, Joses, Simon, and Judas, mentioned in Matt. xiii. 55. and Luke vi. 3. as the brethren of our Lord, were in reality his cousins, being the sons of Mary, the wife of Alpheus, and sister to the Virgin.

Concerning Cleopas, or Klopas, there are various opinions, but that conjecture of Calmet seems the most probable, that Cleopas was the husband of that Mary who was sister to the blessed Virgin, and father of James the less.

Dr. Barrett thinks that these apparently discordant systems may be harmonized into the following scheme:

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Having thus investigated this difficult question, Dr. Barrett concludes by observing, that his principal object was to prove,

34 Which was the son of Jacob, which was the son of Isaac, which was the son of Abraham, which was the son of Thara, which was the son of Nachor,

35 Which was the son of Saruch, which was the son of Ragau, which was the son of Phalec, which was the son of Heber, which was the son of Sala,

36 Which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad, which was the son of Sem, which was the son of Noe, which was the son of Lamech,

37 Which was the son of Mathusala, which was the son of Enoch, which was the son of Jared, which was the son of Maleleel, which was the son of Cainan,

38 Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God 23

by the agreement of the Evangelists, that Christ descended from David by the line of Solomon.

To effect this he has formed a genealogical table of the family of David, according to the principal genealogical tables given in the Old Testament; and to this test, supported by fair criticism and the comparing of MSS. he brings the table of descent given by St. Matthew and St. Luke, and finding that they both agree with his conclusions, he of course concludes that they necessarily agree with each other. From their mutual agreement with the line of descents collected from the Old Testament, without any other collateral evidence, he further concludes, that the genealogies of St. Matthew and St. Luke are genuine, authentic, and accurate.

Vide Dr. Adam Clarke's Comment. on Luke iii. from whose abridgment of Dr. Barrett's work, the above is compiled. Whitby, and the commentators.

23 It is not necessary to enter into the investigation of the question whether these two chapters of St. Luke are genuine ; for the whole Gospels rest upon the same evidence: that is, they are now found in every manuscript and version extant, and were always received as authentic from the commencement of the Christian æra. A class of writers, however, falsely assuming the name of Christians; have framed to themselves many arguments against the truths contained in these and the two first chapters of St. Matthew; and having persuaded themselves that the doctrines they contain are indefensible, they proceed to attack the authenticity of the chapters which assert them. Their principal reason for this conduct is, that a heretic named Marcion, used a copy of St. Luke's Gospel, in which these chapters were omitted. The whole question has been fully and most impartially examined by Dr. Loefler, and the conclusions of his careful investigation are these:

1. The Gospel used by Marcion was anonymous.

2. The four Gospels were all alike rejected by Marcion, who maintained the anthenticity of his own anonymous Gospel, in place of these inspired compositions.

3. His followers assert that Christ himself, and St. Paul, were the authors of Marcion's Gospel.

4. Irenæus, Tertullian, and Epiphanius, had no reason for

MATT. i. 2-17.

2 Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;

3 And Judas begat Pharez and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram;

4 And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon;

5 And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse ;

6 And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;

7 And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa;

8 And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias;

9 And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias ;

10 And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias ;

11 And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon:

12 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel;

13 And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor;

14 And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud;

15 And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob;

16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

regarding Marcion's Gospel as an altered edition of St. Luke's; their assertion is mere conjecture (a), resting on absurd and frivolous allegations. The great difference of the two Gospels is inconsistent with this supposition.

5. No reasonable motive can be assigned, which could have induced Marcion to use a garbled copy of St. Luke's Gospel; the motives assigned by the fathers being inconsistent and selfdestructive.

It is supposed, therefore, that he adopted some apocryphal composition, combining much of the matter given by St. Luke with his own ideas of theology and revelation.

Vide J. P. Smyth's Testimony to the Messiah, vol. ii. p. 13, 14.-Vindication of the two first chapters of St. Matthew and St. Luke, by a Layman.-See also Dr. Nares, Archbishop Laurence, and Mr. Rennell, on the Socinian New Testament.

(a) Marsh's Michaelis, vol. iii. p. 159.

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