Page:Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius Pamphilus, 1842.djvu/63

31 i. e.  of  the  Jewish  nation,  ceasing,  by  a  natural  consequence,  the priesthood, which  had  descended  from  a  series  of  ancestors  in  the closest succession  of  kindred,  was  immediately  thrown  into  confusion. Of this,  you  have  the  evidence  of  Josephus;  who  shows  that when Herod  was  appointed  king  by  the  Romans,  he  no  longer  nominated the  chief  priests  from  the  ancient  lineage,  but  conferred the honour  upon  certain  obscure  individuals. A course  similar  to that  of  Herod,  in  the  appointment  of  the  high  priest,  was  pursued by  Aichelaus,  his  son;  and  next  by  the  Romans,  who, after him,  took  the  government  of  the  Jews  into  their  own hands. The same  Josephus  shows  that  Herod  was  the  first  that locked up  the  sacred  vesture  of  the  high  priest,  and  having  secured it  under  his  own  private  seal,  no  longer  permitted  the  high priests to  have  it  at  their  disposal. The same  thing  was  done  by Archelaus  his  successor,  as  also  by  the  Romans. It may  suffice then, to  have  said  thus  much,  in  proof  of  another  prophecy,  which has terminated  in  the  appearance  of  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ. Most clearly  indeed  does  the  book  of  Daniel,  expressly  embracing a number  of  certain  weeks,  until  the  government  of  Christ,  concerning which  we  have  treated  in  another  work,  predict  that  after the termination  of  these,  the  sacred  unction  amongst  the  Jews should be  totally  abolished. And this  is  evidently  proved  to  have been fulfilled  at  the  time  of  our  Saviour's  birth. Let this  be  sufficient, however,  as  a  necessary  preliminary,  to  establish  the  truth in reference  to  the  times.

As the  genealogy  of  Christ  is  differently  given  to  us  by  Matthew and  Luke,  and  they  are  supposed  by  the  generality  to  disagree in  their  statements;  and  as  every  believer,  for  want  of  knowing the  truth,  has  been  led  to  apply  some  investigation  to  explain the passages,  we  may  also  subjoin  the  account  which  has  come