For No. XVI. 1732. Art. XVI. Christian Conjecture touching 317 Art. XVII. The Sacred and Prophane World illuftrated, Part fecond, comprizing Eu rope, &c. 47326 Art. XVIII. The Italian Hiftorians from the Year of the Christian Era 500, tỷ 1500, &c. 341 Art. XIX. Boerhaave's Elements of Chymistry, &c. The fecond Extract. 348 Art. XX. The Odes and Fragments of Anacreon of Teos in Greek and Latin, &c. 387 Art. XXI. Of the Care and Guardianship of the Highways, in one Book, by Fver. Otto, Counsellor and Doctor of the Civil Law at Utrecht. 391 Art. XXII. The prefent State of LEARNING. LITTERARIA. ARTICLE XVI. Chriftiana de five Urim & Thummim Conjectura quid fuerint? Ex Nominibus, Dictis S. Scripturæ, & Antitypo propofita & probabilis reddita, per Fo. Ben. Carpzovium Lipf. Fil. & Ñc-. pot. Ebr. L. Prof. Publ. extraord. & No. focom. Paftorem. That is, A Christian Conjecture touching Urim and Thummim, made probable from the Names and Sayings of the Scripture, and from the Object they reprefented. By John Benedict Carpzovius, Profef for of the Hebrew Tongue at Leypfick, &c. Leypfick 1732, 8vo. Pages 354. T HIS Piece ought rather to be entitled a Dream than a Conjecture; for the Author throughout the whole Work feems rather to dream than to reason, or rationally to conjecture. He is pleased to ftyle the Conjectures of other Writers, relating to the fame Subject, docta vigilantium fomnia, that is, learned dreams of Men that were awake. No. XVI. 1732. YOTA His VOL. III. 317 His own Conjectures, though he has thought fit to fet them off with the fpecious Epithets of Christian and Probable, hardly deferve fuch a commendation; for neither are they learned, nor feem they to have been made by one who was awake. However our Readers, we hope, will allow us, out of refpect to a publick Profeffor in one of the chief Univerfities of Germany, to take fome notice of this Performance; the more, because the Author's Method and Way of Reafoning are quite new, and what none of our Readers have ever before met with. That He begins his Preface by acquainting us, that when he firft communicated his Thoughts touching the Urim and Thummim, mentioned in Scripture, to a Man of great Learning, whose Difciple he had been, he was affured by him, that he would be handled very roughly, if he should ever happen to publish them. called to his Memory the following Saying he had read in Rabbi Gamaliel; Look out for one who can teash you, and do not meddle with Things that are doubtful, nor accustom yourself to pay Tithes upon CONJECTURE. Our Author having quoted R. Gamaliel, thinks it a Duty incumbent upon him not only to give us the Hiftory of his Life, but moreover to inform us of his whole Pedigree, which he does accordingly, and not in a few Words. He takes for granted, that this R. Gamaliel was the Son of Simeon, who took our Saviour in his Arms in the Temple that S. Paul was brought up at his feet, that he is the fame Perfon with the Gamaliel mentioned in the Alts, chap. v. 3, 34; that he was one of our Saviour's Judges, &c. In the next place Mr. Carpzovius fhews, with great Profufion of Quotations from Holy Writ, how agree agreeable the Doctrine of R. Gamaliel, infinuated in the above-mentioned Saying, is to the Doctrine contained both in the Old and New Teftament. He finds a great many Paffages in Scripture, which, in his Opinion, answer wonderfully well to the two firft Sentences of that Saying. For inftance to the first, viz. Look out for one that can teach you; anfwer the following Texts out of S. Paul's fecond Epiftle to Timothy, Keep the true Pattern of the wholeSome Words, which thou haft beard of me. cap. i. V. 13. But continue thou in the Things which thou hast learned, and which are committed unto thee, knowing of whom thou hast learnt them. c. iii. V. 14. And in the firft Epiftle; If any Man teachetb otherwise, and confenteth not to the wholeSome Words of our Lord Jefus Chrift, and to the Doctrine which is according to Godliness, he is puft up, and knoweth nothing. c. vi. v. 3, and 4. But of all the Paffages that can be alledged from Scripture, that of S. Paul in his firft Epiftle to the Corinthians (c. xiv. v. 35.) And if they (Women) will learn any Thing, let them ask their Husbands at home: For it is a fhame for Women to fpeak in the Church; bears in his opinion most affinity with the Saying of the Rabbi, Look out for one that can teach you. As to Gamahel's third Sentence, Do not accustom yourf if to pay Tithes upon Conjecture; he thinks it is plainly expreffed in thefe Words of our Saviqur; Think not that I am come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I am not come to destroy them, but to fulfill them. Matth. c. v. v. 17. MR. Carpzovius having thus compared the Doctrine of his Rabbi with that of the Scripture, proceeds to fhew that we are allowed to propose our Conjectures touching the true Mean Y 2 ing ing of the obscure Paffages of Holy Writ, provided they be Chriftian Conjectures. But what he understands by Christian Conjectures we know not, fince he has not thought fit to explain it. In the last Page of his long-winded Preface he hints at his Subject, and acquaints us, that his Defign is to propofe a Chriftian Conjecture touching the Urim and Thummim frequently mentioned in Scripture. If any one, not well verfed in Scripture, or Rabbinical Learning, fhould take his Conjecture, (as he takes the Conjectures of others) for a Dream, he defires it may be explained by fome Jofeph or Daniel, and not by an old Woman, or a fuperftitious Harlot. THE Work is of a piece with the Preface. He begins it by rejecting what others have wrote touching the Urim and Thummim; and then proposes his own Opinion, or Chriftian Conjecture, which is; that the Urim and Thummim were two Tables containing the Doctrine and Law of Chrift, or the Gofpel. And this is perhaps the Reason why he entitles his Work a Chriftian Conjecture. He proves his Opinion thus: Urim and Thummim fignify Light and Perfection; but Light and Perfection are the true Characters of the Gofpel: Ergo Urim and Thummim fignify the Gofpel. He produces several other Arguments in proof of his Conjecture; but they are all still lefs to the purpose than this. Here he begs his Father's pardon, (whom he calls a moft learned Man) for departing from his Opinion; and adds, that a Son may be allowed to difagree even with his Father in fuch Things as are doubtful, and subject to Conjectures; which he elegantly expreffes thus: A Patre Filium in re incerta, & Conjecturis obnoxia, diffen |