Exercitations on the Epistle to the Hebrews

§ 15 Again, They have a Tradition out of the School of one Elijah, a famous Master amongst them of the Tannarei or Antetalmudical Doctors which they have recorded in the Talmud Tractat. Saned. distinct. Chelec. about the continuance of the world, which is as follows, [Greek or Hebrew], It is a Tradition of Elijah that the world shall continue six thousand years, two thousand void (which the gloss of Rabbi Solomon Jarchi reckons from the Creation of the world, unto the Call of Abraham) two thousand to the Law (from thence to the destruction of the second Temple) and two thousand to the days of the Messiah. It is incredible how the latter Rabbins are perplexed with this Tradition of their Masters, which is recorded in the Talmud as sacred. In the account they give in Shebet Sehuda of a Disputation they had with one Hierom a converted Jew before the Bishop of Rome, they know not how to disentangle themselves from the Authority of it. The sum of their answer is, that the next words in the Tradition are, that that time is elapsed, because of their sins; but as others have already manifested that that gloss is no part of the Tradition, but an addition of the Talmudists, so we shall immediately manifest the vanity of that pretence. Others of them say, that it sufficeth to maintain the truth and credit of the Tradition, if the Messiah come at any time within the last two thousand years. But besides, that even they also are now drawing towards their period, not a fifth part in their computation of that space of time remaining, so this gloss is directly contrary to the very words of the Tradition. For as two thousand years are assigned to the world before the Law, and two thousand to the Law, which they reckon from the Call of Abraham to the ruin of the second Temple, so the two thousand years allotted to the time of the Messiah must begin with his coming, as the other portions do one of them with the Creation, the other with the Call of Abraham, or else the space of time above sixteen hundred years between the expiration of the second two thousand years, and the third, must be left out of the computation. And the time limited for the duration of the world extended above sixteen hundred years, beyond what is allotted unto it in their Tradition.

§ 15 Again, They have a Tradition out of the School of one Elias, a famous Master amongst them of the Tannarei or Antetalmudical Doctors which they have recorded in the Talmud Tractat. Saned. distinct. Chelec. about the continuance of the world, which is as follows, 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, It is a Tradition of Elias that the world shall continue six thousand years, two thousand void (which the gloss of Rabbi Solomon Jarchi reckons from the Creation of the world, unto the Call of Abraham) two thousand to the Law (from thence to the destruction of the second Temple) and two thousand to the dayes of the Messiah. It is incredible how the latter Rabbins are perplexed with this Tradition of their Masters, which is recorded in the Talmud as sacred. In the account they give in Shebet Sehuda of a Disputation they had with one Hierom a converted Jew before the Bishop of Rome, they know not how to disintangle themselves from the Authority of it. The summ of their answer is, that the next words in the Tradition are, that that time is elapsed, because of their sins; but as others have already manifested that that gloss is no part of the Tradition, but an addition of the Talmudists, so we shall immediately manifest the vanity of that pretence. Others of them say, that it sufficeth to maintain the truth and credit of the Tradition, if the Messiah come at any time within the last two thousand years. But besides, that even they also are now drawing towards their period, not a fifth part in their computation of that space of time remaining, so this gloss is directly contrary to the very words of the Tradition. For as two thousand years are assigned to the world before the Law, and two thousand to the Law, which they reckon from the Call of Abraham to the ruine of the second Temple, so the two thousand years allotted to the time of the Messiah must begin with his coming, as the other portions do one of them with the Creation, the other with the Call of Abraham, or else the space of time above sixteen hundred years between the expiration of the second two thousand years, and the third, must be left out of the computation. And the time limited for the duration of the world extended above sixteen hundred years, beyond what is allotted unto it in their Tradition.