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it in the above quotation from Wetstein , he need not have told us , that " the remark of Theophylact deserves notice : wtrre $ \ vape 7 6 Clptyivv ^ Keytav on 1 < ttoli r £ \ o $ Tif $ MoXaa-eoS ^ . Ch . iv . On the temptation , Mr . B ^ lqomfield seems to adopt the hypothesis of Farmer , referring to Maltby's Sertoons for a particular explanation . He takes no notice of the common notion of the personal presence of the Devil ,
whether in his own form or disguised as a good angel . We are glad to see that a learned and orthodox divine of the Church of England , does not con- > sider this notion as any longer deserving notice : of course , nothing is said of the opinion that the narrative is a figurative mode of expressing what passed in our Lord ' s mind , since that may be thought to imply his simple humanity ; but a curious speculation is slightly mentioned respecting which many
readers would have thanked him for more particulars : " Among the diversity of opinions entertained on this passage , I must notice one recently devised by some German theologians , who maintain , that the hafiokos here mentioned was either the Pontifex Maximus , or one who had passed the office of High * Priest , and had considerable influence with the people , and who , at intervals , as occasion offered , had a mind to try Jesus—whether he was really the Messiah and would deliver the Jews from the Roman subjection . "
On iv . 24 , the first mention of demoniacs , Mr . B . gives a very useful epitome of Wetstein ' s note , shewing that demoniacs were persons afflicted with madness and various other diseases , and that these diseases were not really produced by the Devil or any spiritual beings , but that the name demoniac , like lunatic , merely expressed the vulgar opinion . A farther examination of
the subject , with due notice of what has been written by Mede , Farmer , &c , is promised in a future note , but if any such is to be found , it has escaped our careful search . We were a little surprised to find Mr . B . ( on Mark xvi . 9 , " Mary Magdalene , out of whom he had cast seven demons" ) speaking as if he believed in the reality of possession :
" Markland observes / ' he says , < that this seems to be one of those places of the New Testament of which no satisfactory account has yet been given , viz . what is meant by Iwrd hon ^ via . ( seven demons ) . For my part I see not in what the difficulty consists , at least according to the common opinion on the subject of demoniacs . The difficulty can only be found by those who adopt
the new hypothesis . They are fain to interpret the expression of curing a dangerous epilepsy or melancholy . Or they take it of a person in whose mind an opinion had been fixed , that seven demons had occupied frer body , which is yet more harsh . Neither can I bring myself to admit with Kuinoel , that seven may be taken , by a certain figure of speech , as a certain for an uncertain number . "
We cannot profess for ourselves to feel much of Markland's difficulty . The Jews , it seems , spoke of those who were afflicted with violent madness , or epilepsy , as being possessed by a number of demons : thus the madman * cured by our Lord in the country of the Gadarenes , conceived himself to be possessed by a whole legion of evil spirits ; and Mary Magdalene was spoken of , on the same principle , as having had , not only one , but many demons **
We agree with Kuinpel as to the use of the number seven to express an indefinite number , Examples of it are cited from the Old Testament , but we refer to Schleusner ' s article , which seems to us satisfactory . The Hebrews , from the earliest times , regarded the number seven as a perfect number , and used it in various ceremonies to express the completeness of the action , as > bowing seven times to mark entire respect , sacrificing SQven animals , mourning seven days , and other similar instances ; what then could be more nalu *
Untitled Article
Review * —BloomfieUPs Recensio Syn&ptica Aftnotafiotm Sacrdt . 207
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), March 2, 1827, page 207, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1794/page/47/
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