THE ARITHMETIC OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. No. 11. [Continued from No. XLIX. p. 32.] HONORED by your prompt attention to my Introductory suggestions on the subject of Biblical Arithmetic, I proceed to submit some farther observations on this interesting topic:-relating chiefly to Numbers. The Hebrews have employed their letters to express numbers; but whether this practice originated with themselves, or was derived from the Arabians or Greeks, it is difficult to decide. The learned Calmet says, (Bib. Encyclop.-Letters): I do not believe the ancient Hebrews did so, nor that letters were numerical among them. I see no evidence of this in Scripture. The sacred authors always write the numbers entire, and without abbreviation.' The Jews and Greeks, in numerically valuing their letters, arranged them in three divisions: the former used their five finals, and the latter invented five new characters, in addition to their alphabet. 1st. The first nine denote units; as, 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 2d. The following nine represent tens; as, צ פ ע ס נ מ ל נ י 10 2030 40 50 60 70 80 90 3d. The last nine express hundreds; as, 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 The Syrians have made the same use of their alphabet; and so have the Arabians and Persians, notwithstanding they have regular figures besides. The Greeks expressed numbers by their large as well as small letters; and used their alphabet in its natural order, to represent a consecutive series, or marks of division. Thus the 24 books of the Iliad and Odyssey are marked by the 24 letters, as the stanzas of the 119th psalm are by the Hebrew letters. (Dr. Valpy's Greek Gram. p. 32. 7th ed.) The numbers which occur in the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures are chiefly the following: εις one δυο two. The Hebrew term literally denotes the repeated number. אחד שני שלש τρεις three τέσσαρες four, 6 from ya, to agitate; because,' says Parkhurst, it was the fourth day on which the sun, moon, and stars were formed, and the natural agitation of the celestial fluid began.' תמש TEYTE five. This word is first applied to the fifth day of the creation, when the world was arrayed or set in order, for the reception of man and animals, Gen. i. 23. The Greek, according to Martinius, may be derived from аs, Tavros, all; as this number is equal to that of all the fingers on each hand. שש ‡ six, first used in reference to the sixth day-the day of exultation for the finishing of the creation of this system, Gen. i. 31. שבע επτα seven. Sufficiency or perfection is the import of this term: and, according to Parkhurst, both the Greek and English are derivations from the Hebrew. שמנה οκτω eight. The Hebrew denotes the 'superabundant number, and the Greek is said to be derived from wxa duw, eminently two, as being the cube of that number. 'Is not,' asks Parkhurst, this a derivative from, to turn; as denoting that number which turns from units to a higher order of numbers?' The import of each of these terms evidently signifies, the rich number, including all units under it. An extensive number, from the Arabic to dilate or extend. ! אלף The Greek is said to come from completion, as being the cube of 10, or being formed by multiplying 10 twice into itself: as the Latin mille may be from , to fill. The Syriac is plainly from the Greek.-Mark v. 9, 15. The Roman legion then consisted of about 4200 foot, and 300 horse. D; μύριοι ten thousands, or denoting a number which is immense, innumerable, in both languages. The terms employed by the art or science of Biblical Arithmetic, are, 50-to enumerate, compute, cypher. It simply denotes the act of numeration, or calculation. In general, when , number, is placed after the substantive with which it is connected, it signifies a few, as Gen. xxxiv. 30: but when before it, many; as Job xxxvi. 26. -a reckoning, a finished computation, or addition, Consult Lev. xxv. 27. Eccl. vii. 27. D-to count, reckon together, or to make a contrasted account. Exod. xii. 4, and Num. xxxi. 28, seem to require this meaning of the term. -a distribution, or division; whether by number or order. See, for this purpose, Gen. xiii. 16, and 1 Kings xx. 25. And if these explanations be correct, may not the above terms be considered as expressing the fundamental principles, or rules, of the arithmetic of Holy Scripture? Apiμos-number, is the usual Greek term employed to express this idea; for which the Syriac has in the New Testament. A correct understanding of Scriptural numbers can scarcely be attained, without a knowledge of the methods of numeration which are practised among the Orientals. The very acute and learned Editor of Calmet has offered some ingenious illustrations on this subject; particularly in his valuable publication entitled, Scripture Illustrated by means of Natural Science, &c.;' from which a few selections shall now be made. After some introductory observations on the immense enumerations, in the beginning of Numbers, he says: The fact is, the numbers as they stand by fair inference are impossible; but, where is the error, and how shall we discover it?' He maintains the necessity of cutting off cyphers as the only possible method of correcting and verifying those apparently incredible numbers. Having cited and established some apposite instances from the Asiatic Researches, Herodotus, and Diodorus Siculus, he judiciously concludes with stating: 'Since then we find, that the ancient Hindoo books, the ancient Chaldean books, the ancient Egyptian books, all agree in the same mode of incorrectness, and are apparently restored to correctness, by removing the cyphers, need we wonder if a similar evil has, in one or two places, attended the Hebrew copies also? But to what could this be owing? Did the original writers use cyphers? Or, did they use terms whose genuine signification was afterwards lost, or the notation of which became afterwards misunderstood? How should this happen in countries so remote from each other? There must be some common source of this error, for that it is a wilful mistake, I cannot allow." The Arabians have a very singular idiom in their dates, and other large numbers, placing generally the units before the tens, the tens before the hundreds, and the hundreds before the thousands; though it is not uncommon, even in the same passage, to follow both methods. (Richardson's Arab. Gram. p. 48.) May not this satisfactorily explain the enumeration of 1 Sam. vi. 19, placing the numbers on the principle of the Arabic notation? Certainly this is a much more probable number than the 5070 of our common version! Apparent contradictions in the Sacred Writings, arising from the difference of numbers, may proceed from the Scriptures speaking in whole or round numbers-from numbers being taken exclusively or inclusively-from various readings and from the New Testament writers sometimes quoting numbers from the Septuagint version instead of the Hebrew text.-Horne's Introd. &c. i. p. 594-598. 2d ed. As writing, and numeration also, has certainly undergone variations in the manner of being read; having been sometimes read from left to right, at other times from right to left, it is evident that a small degree of inattention in copying, to adjust passages where numbers are recorded, would have the effect of producing cyphers, where they were not originally intended. The influence which this change of mode might have, may be readily perceived by inspecting the figure of an abacus,' or numeration tablet. "We are not to blame the Sacred Books for our own non-understandings: if we cannot reckon their numbers properly, what follows? Not that they are erroneous, but that we are ignorant; and if we be ignorant, the thought should not only stimulate us into further researches, but should render us grateful to any who, by communication of their remarks, may help to lead us to more correct principles." "It is very true, that these numbers are not articles of faith, nor can they justly pretend to equal importance; but they are of importance. They have furnished arguments to freethinkers and infidels, of which it is desirable honestly and fairly to deprive them: they have embarrassed the humble but hearty friends to revelation; and is it not then to be wished that they were entirely corrected? not by fancying errors in the sacred books, but by superior information and knowledge, derived from those very countries where the Scriptures were originally written: especially as to this day they have retained some of those peculiarities, which we in our western situation find perplexing; and others might in time be traced and unravelled by persevering diligence." Oswestry, April, 1822. ATHENARUM PANORAMA, SEU GRÆCIE VETERIS ENCOMIUM. QUUM mea respiceret primæ tentamina musæ J. W. So called from pa, dust; because it was a little table strewed over with dust, on which the ancient mathematicians drew their schemes and figures. Very ancient-if later than computing by the fingers, and by lapilli or stones, (which obtained among the Egyptians,) it was prior to the use of numeral letters, or figures wrought with the pen. In use among the Chinese, Greeks, Romans,' &c.-Howard's Encyclop. p. 6. VŎL. XXVI. NO. LI. CI. JI. B |