[The Grounds of Christianity Examined by Comparing The New Testament with the Old by George Bethune English]@TWC D-Link bookThe Grounds of Christianity Examined by Comparing The New Testament with the Old CHAPTER XVI 6/17
I shall mention only one.
Matthew says, in the 2nd chapter, that when Joseph, the husband of Mary, returned from Egypt, "hearing that Archelaus reigned in Judea, he was afraid to go thither, and therefore turned aside, into the parts of Galilee." Now this, as will appear from a map of Palestine, is just like saying, "a man at Philadelphia, intending to go to the State of New York, on his route heard something which made him afraid to go thither, and therefore he turned aside--into Boston!" That the author of that Gospel was ignorant of Jewish customs will be evident from the following circumstances.
He says Jesus told Peter, that before the cock crew he would deny him thrice; and that afterwards, when Peter was cursing and swearing, saying "I know not the man! immediately the cock crew." Now it is unfortunate for the credit of this story, that it is well known, that in conformity with Jewish customs, at that time subsisting, no cocks were allowed to be in Jerusalem, where Jesus was apprehended.
This is known, and acknowledged by learned Christians, who have extricated themselves from this difficulty, by proving that the crowing of the cock, here mentioned, does not mean, as it appears to mean, absolutely the crowing of a cock, but that it means--what dost thou think reader? why it means---the sound of a trumpet!!* According to Luke, as soon as Jesus was dead, Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate, and begged his body, and hasted to bury it, because the Sabbath (which began at sunset,) drew on; that his female disciples attended the burial; observed how the body was placed in the sepulchre, and returned and prepared spices and ointments to embalm it with, before the Sabbath commenced; and then rested the Sabbath day, according to the commandment. The pretended Matthew, however, tells us, that "when the even was come (i.e., when the Sabbath day was actually begun,) Joseph went to beg the body--took it down, wrapped it in linen, and buried it; and that Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, were sitting over against the sepulchre.
From the time that this writer has thought fit to allot for the burial of Jesus, it is evident, that he was not only no Jew, but so ignorant of the customs of the Jews, that he did not know that their day always began with the evening, or he would never have employed, Joseph in doing what no Jew would, nor dared to have done, after the commencement of the Sabbath.
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