what are the three, the language of man fails, and terms are wanting to express them." "Three persons has, however, been said-not for the purpose of expressing anything, but in order to say something and not remain mute." "Dictum est tres persona, non ut aliquid diceretur, sed ne taceretur."-DE TRINIT. lib. v. cap. 9

That modern theologians have cleared up this matter no better

That, when they are asked what they understand by the word person, they explain themselves only by saying, that it is a certain incomprehensible distinction, by which are distinguished in one nature only, a Father, a Son, and a Holy Ghost

That the explanation which they give of the terms begetting and proceeding, is no more satisfactory; since it reduces itself to saying, that these terms indicate certain incomprehensible relations existing among the three persons of the Trinity

in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three are one." Calmet acknowledges that these two verses are not in any ancient Bible: indeed, it would be very strange if St. John had spoken of the Trinity in a letter, and said not a word about it in his Gospel. We find no trace of this dogma, either in the canonical or in the apocryphal gospels. All these reasons, and many others, might excuse the Anti-Trinitarians, if the councils had not decided. But, as the heretics pay no regard to councils, we know not what measures to take to confound them. Let us content ourselves with believing, and wishing them to believe.

APOCRYPHA-APOCRYPHAL. [FROM THE GREEK WORD SIGNIFYING hidden.]

IT has been very well remarked, that the Divine writings might, at one and the same time, be sacred and apocryphal; sacred, because they had undoubtedly been dictated by God himself; apocryphal, because they were hidden from the nations, and even from the Jewish people.

That they were hidden from the nations before the translation executed at Alex

That it may be hence gathered that the state of the question between them and the orthodox is, to know whether there are in God three distinctions, of which no one has any definite idea, and among whichandria, under the Ptolemies, is an acthere are certain relations of which no one has any more idea.

knowledged truth. Josephus declares it in the answer to Appian, which he wrote From all this they conclude, that it after Appian's death; and his declaration would be wiser to abide by the testimony has not the less strength because he seeks of the Apostles, who never spoke of the to strengthen it by a fable. He says, in Trinity, and to banish from religion for his history, that the Jewish books being ever all terms which are not in the Scrip- all-divine, no foreign historian or poet had tures-as Trinity, person, essence, hypos-ever dared to speak of them. And, imtasis, hypostatic and personal union, in- mediately after assuring us that no one carnation, proceeding, and many others of had ever dared to mention the Jewish the same kind; which being absolutely laws, he adds, that the historian Theopomdevoid of meaning, since they are repre- pus, having only intended to insert somesented by no real existence in nature, can thing concerning them in his history, God excite in the understanding none but false, struck him with madness for thirty days; vague, obscure, and undefinable notions. but that, having been informed in a dream To this article, let us add what Calmet that he was mad only because he had says in his Dissertation on the following wished to know divine things, and make passage of the Epistle of John the Evan-them known to the profane, he asked pargelist:-"For there are three that beardon of God, who restored him to his record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one: and there are three that bear witness

senses.

Josephus, in the same passage, also relates, that a poet, named Theodectes,

having said a few words about the Jews in his tragedies, became blind, and that God did not restore his sight until he had done penance

As for the Jewish people, it is certain that there was a time when they could not read the divine writings; for it is said in the second book of Kings, (chap. xxii. ver. 8,) and in the second book of Chronides, (chap. xxxiv. ver. 14,) that in the reign of Josias they were unknown, and that a single copy was accidentally found in the house of the high-priest Hilkiah.

Ecclesiasticus, though the style is still the same.

The two first books of Maccabees, though written by a Jew. But they do not believe this Jew to have been inspired by God.

Tobit, although the story is edifying. The judicious and profound Calmet affirms, that a part of this book was written by Tobit the father, and a part by Tobit the son; and that a third author added the conclusion of the last chapter, which says that Tobit the younger expired at the age of one hundred and twenty-seven years, and that he died rejoicing over the destruction of Nineveh.

The twelve tribes which were dispersed by Shalmanezer, have never re-appeared; and their books, if they had any, have been lost with them. The two tribes The same Calmet, at the end of his which were in slavery at Babylon, and al- preface, has these words: "Neither the lowed to return at the end of seventy story itself, nor the manner in which it is years, returned without their books, or at told, bears any fabulous or fictitious charleast they were very scarce and very defec-acter. If all Scripture histories, containtive, since Esdras was obliged to restore ing anything of the marvellous or extrathem. But, although during the Baby-ordinary, were to be rejected, where is lonian captivity, these books were apo- the sacred book which is to be precryphal-that is, hidden, or unknown to served?" the people, they were constantly sacred, -they bore the stamp of divinity,-they were, as all the world agrees, the only monument of truth upon earth.

Judith; although Luther himself declares that "this book is beautiful, good, holy, useful, the language of a holy poet and a prophet animated by the Holy Spirit, which had been his instructor," &c.

We now give the name of apocrypha to those books which are not worthy of belief; so subject are languages to change! It is indeed hard to discover at what Catholics and Prostestants agree in re-time Judith's adventure happended, or garding as apocryphal in this sense, and in rejecting

The prayer of Manasseh, King of Judah, contained in the second book of Kings.

The third and fourth books of Maccabees.

The fourth book of Esdras; although these books were incontestably written by Jews. But it is denied that the authors were inspired by God, like the Jews.

where the town of Bethulia was. The degree of sanctity in Judith's action has also been disputed; but the book having been declared canonical by the council of Trent, all disputes are at an end.

Baruch, although it is written in the style of all the other prophets.

Esther.-The Protestants reject only some additions after the tenth chapter. They admit all the rest of the book; yet no one knows who King Ahasuerus was, although he is the principal person in the

The other books, rejected by the Protestants only, and consequently consi-story. dered by them as not inspired by God himself, are

The book of Wisdom, though it is written in the same style as the Proverbs.

Daniel.-The Protestants retrench Susannah's adventure, and that of the children in the furnace; but they retain Nebuchadnezzar's dream, and his grazing with the beasts.

On the Life of Moses, an apocryphal book thus shalt thou save thy empire, if, indeed, the decrees of fate can be opposed."

of the highest antiquity.

The ancient book which contains the life and death of Moses, seems to have been written at the time of the Babylonian captivity. It was then that the Jews began to know the names given to the angels by the Chaldeans and Persians.

Pharaoh was pleased with this advice. He sent for the midwives, and ordered {them to strangle all the male children of which the Jewesses were delivered. There was in Egypt a man named Abraham, son of Keath, husband to Jocabed, sister to his brother. This Jocabed bore him a daughter named Mary, signifying perse

Here we see the names of Zinguiel, Samael, Tsakon, Lakah, and many others, of which the Jews had made no mention.cuted, because the Egyptians, being deThe book of the death of Moses seems to have been posterior. It is known that the Jews had several very ancient lives of Moses and other books, independently of { the Pentateuch. In them he was called Moni, not Moses; and it is asserted that mo signified water, and ni the particle of He was called by the general name of Melk. He received those of Joakim, Adamosi, Thetmosi; and, especially, it has been thought that he was the same person whom Manethon calls Ozarziph.

scended from Ham, persecuted the Israelites, who were evidently descended from Shem. Jocabed afterwards brought forth Aaron, signifying condemned to death, because Pharaoh had condemned all the Jewish infants to death. Aaron and Mary were preserved by the angels of the Lord, who nursed them in the fields, and restored them to their parents when they had reached the period of adolescence.

At length, Jocabed had a third child : this was Moses, who, consequently, was Some of these old Hebrew manuscripts fifteen years younger than his brother. were withdrawn from their covering of dust He was exposed on the Nile. Pharaoh's in the cabinets of the Jews, about the year daughter found him while bathing, had 1517. The learned Gilbert Gaumin, who } him nursed, and adopted him as her son, was a perfect master of their language, although she was not married. translated them into Latin about the year 1535. They were afterwards printed, and dedicated to Cardinal Bérule. The copies have become extremely scarce.

Never were rabbinism, the taste for the marvellous, and the imagination of the Orientals, displayed to greater excess.

Fragment of the Life of Moses.

Three years after, her father Pharaoh took a fresh wife, on which occasion he held a great feast. His wife was at his right hand, and at his left was his daughter, {with little Moses. The child, in sport, took the crown and put it on his head. Balaam the magician, the king's eunuch, then recalled his Majesty's dream. "Behold," said he, "the child who is one day A hundred and thirty years after the to do you so much mischief! The spirit settling of the Jews in Egypt, and sixty of God is in him. What he has just now years after the death of the patriarch Jo-done is a proof that he has already formed seph, Pharaoh, while sleeping, had a dream. He saw an old man holding a balance: in one scale were all the inhabitants of Egypt; in the other was an infant; and this infant weighed more than all the Egyptians together. Pharaoh forthwith called together his shotim, or sages. One of the wise men said-"O king, this infant is a Jew, who will one day do great evil to your kingdom. Cause all the children of the Jews to be siain;

the design of dethroning you. He must instantly be put to death." This idea pleased Pharaoh much.

;

They were about to kill little Moses when the Lord immediately sent his angel Gabriel, disguised as one of Pharaoh's officers, to say to him, "My lord, we should not put to death an innocent child, which is not yet come to years of discretion; he put on your crown only because he wants judgment. You have only to

let a ruby and a burning coal be presented to him: if he choose the coal, it is clear that he is a blockhead, who will never do my harm; but if he take the ruby, it will be a sign that he has too much sense to burn his fingers: then, let him be slain." A ruby and a coal were immediately brought. Moses did not fail to take the ruby; but the angel Gabriel, by a sort of legerdemain, slipped the coal into the place of the precious stone. Moses put the coal into his mouth, and burned his tongue so horribly, that he stammered ever after; and this was the reason that the Jewish lawgiver could never articu-sapphire tree. Sephora's lovers presented late.

was not aware that his daughter Sephora had fallen in love with the prisoner, and every day, with her own hands, carried him partridges and quails, with excellent wine. He concluded that Moses was } protected by God, and did not give him up to Pharaoh.

Moses was fifteen years old, and a favourite with Pharaoh. A Hebrew came to complain to him, that an Egyptian had beaten him, after lying with his wife. Moses killed the Egyptian. Pharoah ordered Moses' head to be cut off. The executioner struck him; but God instantly changed Moses' neck into a marble column, and sent the angel Michael, who in tree days conducted Moses beyond the frontiers.

However, Jethro the priest wished to have his daughter married. He had in his garden a tree of sapphire, on which was engraven the word Jaho or Jehovah. He caused it to be published throughout the country, that he would give his daughter to him who could tear up the

themselves, but none of them could so much as bend the tree. Moses, who was only seventy-seven years old, tore it up at once, without an effort. He married Sephora, by whom he soon had a fine boy, named Gerson.

As he was one day walking in a small wood, he met God (who had formerly called himself Sadaï, and then called himself Jehovah), and God ordered him to go and work miracles at Pharaoh's court. He set out, with his wife and son. On the way, they met an angel (to whom no name is given), who ordered Sephora to

of stone. God sent Aaron on the same {errand: but Aaron thought his brother had done very wrong in marrying a Midianite; he called her a very coarse name, and little Gerson a bastard, and sent them the shortest way back to their own country.

The young Hebrew fled to Mecano, King of Ethiopia, who was at war with the Arabs. Mecano made him his general-circumcise little Gerson with a knife made in-chief; and, after Mecano's death, Moses was chosen king, and married the widow. But Moses, ashamed to have married the wife of his lord, dared not to enjoy her, but placed a sword in the bed, betwixt broself and the queen. He lived with her forty years without touching her. The angry queen at length called together the Aaron and Moses then went to Phastates of the kingdom of Ethiopia, com-raoh's palace by themselves. The gate plained that Moses was of no service to of the palace was guarded by two lions of her, and concluded by driving him away, an enormous size. Balaam, one of the and placing on the throne the son of the king's magicians, seeing the two brothers late king. come, set the lions upon them; but Moses touched them with his rod, and the lions humbly prostrating themselves, licked the feet of Aaron and Moses. The king, in astonishment, had the two pilgrims brought into the presence of all his magicians, that they might strive which could work the most miracles.

Moses fied into the country of Midian, to the priest Jethro. This priest thought has fortune would be made if he could put Moses into the hands of Pharaoh of Egypt, and began by confining him in a low cell, and allowing him only bread and water. Moses grew fat very fast in his dungeon, at which Jethro was quite astonished. He

The author here relates the ten plagues

of Egypt, nearly as they are related in Then God, being angry, said to the bad Exodus. He only adds, that Moses angel Samael, "Well then, wicked one, covered all Egypt with lice, to the depth thou must take his soul." Samael drew of a cubit; and that he sent among all the his sword, and ran up to Moses. The Egyptians, lions, wolves, bears, and tigers, dying man rose up in wrath, his eyes which ran into all the houses, notwith-sparkling with fire. "What! thou vilstanding that the doors were bolted, and devoured all the little children.