Oriental customs: or an illustration of the sacred Scriptures, by an explanatory application of the customs and manners of the Eastern nations, and especially the Jews. Therein alluded to, together with observations on many difficult and obscure texts, collected from the most celebrated travellers, and the most eminent critics / by Samuel Burder.

  • Samuel Burder
Date:
1802
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Oriental customs: or an illustration of the sacred Scriptures, by an explanatory application of the customs and manners of the Eastern nations, and especially the Jews. Therein alluded to, together with observations on many difficult and obscure texts, collected from the most celebrated travellers, and the most eminent critics / by Samuel Burder. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    No. 596.—xiii. 17. And that no man might bay or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.'] Many learned men have thought these expressions relate to the manner in which Ptolemy Philopater persecuted the Jews. “ He forbad any to enter into his palace, who did not sacrifice to the gods he worshipped, whereby he excluded the Jews all access to him, either to the suing to him for justice, or the obtaining of his protection, in what case soever they should stand in need of it. He ordered by another decree, that all of the Jewish nation that lived in Alex- andria should be degraded from the first rank of citi- zens, of which they had always hitherto been from the first founding of the city, and be enrolled in the third rank among the common people of Egypt, and that all of them should come thus to be enrolled, and at the time of this enrollment have the mark of an ivy-leaf, the badge of the god Bacchus, by an hot iron impressed upon them; and that all those who should refuse to be thus enrolled, and to be stigmatized with this mark, should be slaves ; and that if any of them should stand out against this decree, they should be put to death.” Prideaux’s Connection, part ii. lib. 2. ann. ante C. 216. No. 597.—xvii. 5. And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the Great.] It has been ob- served by interpreters, that lewd women were used to have their names written over their doors, and some- times on their foreheads; and that criminals among the Romans had an inscription of their crimes carried before them. In the first sense, as Mr. Daubu£ observes, this inscription will denote a public profession of what is sig- nified by it, or a public patronage of idolatrous doctrines and worship. In the second sense, it will denote the crimes for which she is condemned, and was punished by the foregoing plagues. Mr. Waple thinks this in-