Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 2.djvu/386

 PEN

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PEN

fyppofccL to have publi/h'd the Old Teftament, or at leaft a Parr of it corrected and enlargM. See Canon.

There are two famous pentateilchs, or Editions of the tpentateucfy which have a Jong Time difputed the Prefe- rence, both as to Antiquity, and as to Character, viz. that of the Jews, calPd the Jewijh or Hebrew Pentateuch, wrote in Ch-Udean or AJjyrian Characters; and that of the Samaritans wrote in the Samaritan or Phoenician Character.

Each is maintained to be the ancient Hebrew; tho' the Ge- nerality of the Criticks give it in behalf of the latter. See He- brew.

Indeed, as to the Point of Matter, they are generally pretty conformable to each other; each has all the interpolated Paf- ia°es above-mention'd, tho' the Samaritan has one or two more, not in the Hebrew. The firfta Paffage in 1)eut. 27. 4 where an Altar is enjoin'd to be built, and Sacrifices to be of- fered at Mount Ebal, or rather Mount Gerizz-im, which Paf- fage was doubtlefs foifted in to countenance the Samaritan Worfhip, and reprefent it of equal Antiquity with that of the Temple of Jemfaknt* See Samaritans.

Indeed, Mr. fflmfi'on declares he fees no Reafon to accufe the Samaritan of Corruption, in thefe Points, but rather the Jew'ip j and earnei'tly concludes that the Fotmer is an uncor- rupted Copy of the Books of Mcfes, originally derived from the firft Separation of the ten Tribes emfelves, in the Days of Jeroboam; the contrary whereof is apparent from the mere "confelTed Interpolations afcribed to Ejdras, who lived feveral hundred Tears after the time of Jeroboam*

But the grand Difference is in the Character: The Jewip being in the Chaldean or Affyrian Character, and the Sama- ritan in the Phoenician, i. e. the Camaniiifii Character; this latter teems to have an Advantage over the vulgar Jewifc Pentateuch; yet is Prideaux of Opinion, the Latter is only a Tranfcript from the Former, out of the Chaldean into the old Hebrew Character. One great Reafon he gives, is, that there are many Variations in the £^2^7^72, manitettly occasioned by miitaking the iimilar Letters in the Hebrew Alphabet; which Letters having no Similitude in the Samaritan Character, 'tis evident the Variations mult have a-rifen in tranferibing from the vulgar Hebrew into the Samaritan-, not the contrary way.

Add to this, that Simon, Allix, and many other learned Men take the Chaidean or Affyrian Character to have been the Character always in ufe among the 'Jews; and the Sama- ritan or Canaamt/jh, or as it is alfo calPd the old Hebrew Character, to have never been ufed by the Jews before the Captivity, in any manner, either in Books or on Medals. See Character.

Hence the Pentateticlo muft have been tranferibed into that Charaaer; and that, probably, to render it legible to the Inha- bitants of Samaria, who upon the firft Introduction of the ^Pentateuch might probably be verfed in no other Character. Ufoer takes the Samaritan Pentateuch to have been compiled by c Dofithem a Samaritan, mention'd by Origen to have adul- terated the Pentateuch. Du-pin fuppofes it the Work of fome modern Samaritan, whom he imagines to have compiled it chiefly out of the different Copies of the Palestinian and 'Ba- bylonian Jews, and the Septuagint; becaufe it fometimes agrees with one, and fometimes with another.

PENTATHLON, in Antiquity, the five Exercifes per- formed in the Grecian Games, and for which Prizes were -propofed. See Exeucises, Game, vc.

Thefe Exercifes were Wreftling, Boxing, Leaping, Run- ning 'and Quoit-playing.

He who bore away the Prize in 'em all, was call'd Pe?ztathms; by the Latins, Quiucurtio; as the five Exercifes themfelves were by thofe latter People call'd ghiinquertium.

PENTATONON, in the ancient Mufic, a Concord, by us call'd the greater Sixth. See Sixth.

It confifts'of four Tones, and a major and minor Semi- tone; whence the Name Pentatonon, q. d. five Tones.

PENTECOST, Whitsuntide, a folemn Feaft of the Church, held in Commemoration of the Defcent of the Holy Ghoffc on the A pottles; as defcribed in the Acts. See Feast.

It has its Name from the Greek rrsvlwKOTls, gunquagefwius 50th, becaufe held on the fiftieth Day after Eafter. See Easter

In the ancient Church, Pentecoftfa;§(\& the Pafchal Time, or J5ty?<?r-Seafon; wherein, as Tertullian, St. Jerom, £fc. obferve, Hallelujah was fung every where, the Omxe cele- brated ftanding, no Fatting allowed, &C.

The Jews likewife had a Featt, they call'd pentecoft, or guinqiiagefimus; folemnized in Memory of the Laws being given to Mofes 50 Days after their Departure out of Egypt.

PENTECOSTALS, antiently, were pious Oblations made at the Feaft of Pentecoft, by the Parifhioners, to their Parifh Prieft; and fometimes by inferior Churches or Parifhes, to the principal Mother Church. See Oblation.

Thefe Parifh Pentecofials were alfo call'd Whitftn-Far- things; and their Sum was divided into four Pans, of which one went to the Prieft, one to the Poor, one towards the Re-

pair of the Parifh Church, and one to the Bifliop. See

Whitson-Far THINGS.

PENTECONTORE, a Veffel with fifty Oars.

PENTESYRINGUS, in Antiquity, a Sort cf Pillory* with five Holes; wherein were fattened the Legs, Arms;, and Heads of Criminals, to prevent their ftirring.

PENTHEMIMER1S, in the Greek and Latin Poetry, part of a Verfe confifting of two Feet, and a long Syllable.

The Word is Greek -Tnv^^ifj.i^,

PENULT1MA, or PENULTIMATE, in Grammar, &c. a Syllable, or Foot, immediately before the laft.

Hence Antepenultimate is that before the Penultimate, or the laft but two;

The Word is form'd from the Latin, Pene £3? altimus, al- moft laft.

Penultimate, in Mufic. M. Brojfard will have it the fame with what the Greeks call'd Paranete^ tho* others won't allow the Paranete to be the penultimate Chord, but the next thereto.

The Penultimate of the fteparate, Paranete Diezeugmenon, is a Name the Ancients gave to one of the Chords of their Lyre or Syftem; correfponding to the 2), la, re, of the tnird Octave of the modern Syftem.

Penultimate of the Acute, Or paranete Hyperboleon,^ a Chord of the ancient Syftem, anfwering to the G, re, fol, of ' the third Octave of the modern Syttem.

PENUMBRA, in Affronomy, a faint or partial Shade, obferv'd between the perfect Shadow and the full Light, in an Eclipfe. See Shadow.

The Penumbra arifes from the Magnitude of the Sun's Body : were he only a luminous Point, the Shadow wou'd be all perfect; but by reafon of the Diameter of the Sun, it happens that a Place which is not illuminated by the whole Body of the Sun, docs yet receive Rays from a Part thereof.

Thus fuppofe S the Sun (Tab Aftronomy Fig.4.7.^ and ^"the Moon, and the Shadow of the latter to be projected on a Plane as G H. The true proper Shadow of T, vm. G H, will be incompafs'd with an imperfect Shadow or Penumbra H L and G E, each Portion whereof is illuminated by an entire Hemifphere of the Sun.

The Degree of Light or Shadow of the Penumbra will be different in different Parts, as thofe Parts lye open to the Rays of a greater or lelTer Part of the Sun's Body: Thus from X. to H, and from E to G the Light continually dimi- nifhes; and in the Confines of G and H, the penumbra becomes loft and confounded with the total Shade; as, near E and Xj it is confounded with the total Light.

The Penumbra muft be found in all Eclipfes, whether of the Sun, the Moon, or the other Planets, primary, of fecundary; but it is moft considerable with us in Eclipfes of the Sun; as in the Cafe here refcrr'd to.

In Eclipfes of the Moon, the Earth is incompafs'd indeed with a Penumbra; but 'tis only fenfible to us on the Earth. near the total Shadow: An Obferver placed on a Plane, whereon the Shadow falls, might obferve the whole Pemimbra, as in Eclipfes of the Sun. Thus an Eye placed at lot F, will only fee the Semi-diameter of the Sun; the reft being hid behind the Moon. Going from I towards H, the more and more of the Sun is hid, till it be loft in the Shadow itfelf, &c.

Hence we have Eclipfes of the Sun when the Shadow ne- ver touches the Earth, provided the Penumbra doth but reach it; and hence there is a Difference obferv'd in Eclipfes of the Sun, as the Shadow itfelf, or a greater or left Degree of the Penumbra, pafles over a Place. See Sun.

But Eclipfes of the Moon appear the fame in all Places where they are vifible. See Moon.

When the Shadow itfelf falls on the Earth, the Eclipfe is faid to be Total or Central; when only the 'pemimbra falls on it, the Eclipfe is faid to be partial. See Eclipse.

The Penumbra extends infinitely in length, inafmuch as to each point of the Diameter of the Sun, there anfwers a fpace infinite in length into which no Rays enter from that Point, tho' there do from others. Two Rays drawn from the two Extremities of the Earth's Diameter, and which proceed ftill diverging, make the two Edges of the Pemimbra; which, of Confequence, is continually growing in Width, and is infi-- nite, alfo in this Senfe.

All that infinite Space is the P>e?iumbra, except the Trian- gle of the Shadow included in it.

The Figure of this Space comprehending the Shadow, is a Trapezium, one of whofe Sides is the Diameter of the Earth; the oppofite Side parallel thereto is an infinite Line, i. e. tho Width of 'the Penumbra projected to infinity, and the^ two other Sides the two Rays drawn from the two Extremities of the Diameter of the Sun, by thofe of the Diameter of the Earth, and which prolono'd back beyond the Sun, will inter- fect in a certain Point, making an Angle equal to the apparent Diameter of the Sun; which Angle may be call'd the Angle of the Penumbra,

Now the Pemmibra will be the greater as this Angle, or,

which is the fame Thing, as the Star is greater, the Planet re-

S> N maining