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of Solomon . For my own part , the interpretation of Lardner pleases nuttiest , who refers the first part of the address to the Supreme , and the'latter ' part only either to Solomon or the Messiah . Perhaps Christ is intended to be designated by the title " sceptre of righteousness , " as he is certainly called by Clement of Rome , ?« the sceptre " of the Divine Majesty . ' '
I now pass to the last passage which will at present require our attention , and that is certainly one about which there hangs no small obscurity . From the 102 nd Psalm the writer quotes , as having respect to the Messiah , the sublime passage which begins , " Thou , Lord , ( in the Hebrew , JehovahJ hast laid the foundations of the earth , " &c . In the original Psalm , as we read it in the Hebrew and our English Version , there is neither any obscurity in this passage , nor any thing which would lead us to see more in it than a-very fine declaration of the eternal majesty of the Almighty . But it is not less evident , at least as it appears to me , that the writer to the
Hebrews considered it as having in some way an especial reference to the Messiah , and indeed we must conclude that this would also be readily conceded by those to whom he wrote . The question , therefore , for us to decide is , why the writer referred it to the Messiah , and in what sense . Lardner and others among the Unitarians , have thought that in establishing the dignity of ihe Messiah ' s kingdom , it was not unsuitable to quote a passage declarative of the eternal and imrjpmtable nature of God , who * was pledged to $ he support of that kingdom . This is doubtless ingenious , yet I conceive tljere are many as w $ Jl as myself to whom it will appear probable that the
write * must h # ve seen m the passage some reference to the Messiah muc& more distinct and specific . Nqvv , from bis quotations it is evident that the writer Qf this Epistle useq the version of th ^ Seventy , an 4 it is $ ouriousr £ a
gajc ^ O niy God , take m $ not away m the midst of my days : thy years me throughout all generations . O fold , " &c . But in the Greek it is as follows : Af ttycptQ'n awry $ v < $$ i&XWS qlvtou , r ^ y oXiyo T / ir ^ x . ruv vnxifftv ( aqv waytyefXw ^ Wf JW ftVFVftyW /* * "itMVft 'ifiepw ftop' W ysvz $ yevew ra ^ rvj ar ^ v , &C . : that lSj " He answered him in the way of his strength . Declare unto rue thefewnew of my days : take me not away in the middle of my days ; tljy years are from generation to generation , " &c . Now this was the passage as read by the writer of this Epistle and the other Hellenistic Jews : and we here
observe a sorrowful and dignified person , who was probably considered as the Messiah , of whom it is said , f < He answered Jiim , i . e . God , in the way of his strength , i . e . in th # midst of his mjghjy c ^ rger , saying , Daclare unto me the fewness of my days ; thy years aue throughout all generations . " Immediately follows the paasage quoted by the writer as containing a reference to the Messiah : and my opinion is , that as the Messiah had been previously introduced as demanding to know the number of his da , ys , the Jews who of the
used this version were probably accustomed to regard some p ^ rt following passage as a $ , ansper of fjfod ' to t his deitiqud * . I # * jr ? Jthat as it is a fact that the writer has referred ^ Pf ^ g ? iti ^ M ^^ ah , Isee no more probable way of # qcptjn . tu > g fpr bp ]^ y ^ 4 < W W tf » tt . fet just now suggested . Accor ^ i « g # ^ en , ) p ) b * fi v ^ w > i& $ WQ 9 l # i paa ^ ge ifl to be explained thus : the Messiah is jnto ( Jufiadftddrewing fltod ^ ^* p&anjrwseied him in the way of his stre >» ath , D ^ clar ^ uato ma Ahe ^ fewinQfft oi my 4 nyn . Take me
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Illustrations of the Epistle to the ffebrews . Sfp
Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), June 2, 1828, page 379, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2561/page/19/
