direct application of a Jewish phrase in allusion to a Jewish error, and will not bear the inferences so often extorted from it. According to the Jewish school no- tions, the person blaspheming the name of God could not be pardoned by sacrifice, nor even the day of atonement, but could only be absolved by death. In refutation of this tradition, our Lord used the phrase to imply that " blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven ; neither before death, nor, as you va in- ly dream, by means of death" (Ligbtfoot, Hor. Hebr. ad loc). It is difficult to discover the "sin unto death" noticed by the apostle John (1 John v, 1G), although it has been generally thought to coincide with the blas- phemy against the Holy Spirit; but the language of John does not afford data for pronouncing them one and the same. The first three Gospels alone describe the blasphemy which shall not be forgiven : from it the " sin unto death" stands apart. (See Liicke, Briefe d. Apostels Johannes, 2d ed. 305-317 ; Campbell, Prelim- inary Diss. Diss, ix, pt. ii ; Olshausen, Comm. pt. 453 sq. Am. ed. ; Watson, Theol. Diet. s. v. ; Princeton Rev. July, 184G, art. ii). See Unpardonable Sin.
Blast, as a noun (in the sense of current of air), is the rendering in the Auth. Vers, of Mtw), rushamah, (2. Sam. xxii, 1G ; Psa. xviii, 15), "breath," as else- where, or of n*H, ru'ach (Exod. xv, G ; Josh, vi, 5 ; 2 Kings xix, 7 ; Job iv, 9 ; Isa. xxv, 4 ; xxxvii, 7), "wind" or "spirit," as elsewhere; as a verb, etc. (in the sense of blighting), it represents the Heb. roots Cj'ld, shadaph', or D'TO, shad 'am' , always spoken of the blasting of crops (Deut. xxviii, 22 ; 1 Kings viii, 37 ; 2 Chron. vi, 28; Amos iv, 9; Hag. ii, 17), especially of grain (Gen. xii, 6, 23, 27), often sudden (2 Kings xix, 26; Isa. xxxvii, 27), apparently by a hot wind (Hackett, Illustra. of Script, p. 135).
Blastares, Matth.eus, a Basilian monk, who, in the year 1335, made a collection of ecclesiastical can- ons and constitutions, to which he added another of the civil law, and arranged them alphabetically under 303 heads ; he called the whole Syntagma. This work is given, Gr. and Lat., by Beveridge, in his PandectcB Canonum. Another work by him, De caussis seu qutcs- tionibus matrimonii, is printed in Leunclavius's Jus Graco-Romanum. — Hoefer, Biog. Genirale, vi, 218.
Blastus (BXaoroc), a man who was "chamber- lain" (cubicidarius, 6 t7r£ rov koitujvoq, i. e. chief eu- nuch) to King Herod Agrippa, or who had the charge of his bed-chamber (Acts xii, 20). A.D. 44. Suclj persons had usually great influence with their masters, and hence the importance attached to Blastus's favor- ing the peace with Tyre and Sidon.
Blatchford, Samuel, D.D., a Presbyterian cler- gyman, born in England in 1767, became a Non-con- formist minister in 1791, four years later emigrated to America, and settled at Bedford, N. Y. From here he removed successively to Greenfield, Conn., Strat- ficld, now Bridgeport, and Lansingburg, N. Y., where he resided from 1804 till his death in 182s, part of the time taking charge of the Lansingburg Academy. In 1808 he received the degree of D.D. from Williams College. Dr. Blatchford was the translator of Mom's Greek Grammar, to which he added various notes. "As a preacher, he was distinguished for ease and naturalness, for appropriate and useful thoughts, and an impressive and somewhat imposing manner." — Sprague, Annals, iv, 158.
Blau, Felix Antoine, professor of theology at Mentz, was born 1754. Though a Romanist, lie wrote a powerful work against the pretensions of Pome, enti- tled "A critical History of Ecclesiastical Infallibility" (Krit. Geschichte d. kirchl. Unfehlbarhit, Frankf. 1791, 8vo). He was imprisoned on account of the part he took at Mentz in 1793 in favor of the French Revo- lution, was released, and died Dec. 23, 1798, leaving
BLAUKER
832
BLESS
other hooks, especially on Worship.— Biog. Univ. iv, 575; Landon, Eecl. Diet, ii, 291.
Blaurer (or Blarer, Blaarer), Ambrosius, one of the Swiss Reformers, was born at Constance in 1492. He became a Benedictine at an early age, and prior of the monastery at Alpirsbach. In 1515 he began to teach the Lutheran doctrines in his monastery. In 1521 he left the monastery and renounced the monastic vows. lie labored with (Ecolampadius and Bucer in spreading the Gospel, and, in connection with them, organized Protestantism in Ulm. Under the protection of Duke Ulric of Wurtemberg, he was largely instrumental in establishing the Reformation in that country. In 1538 he removed to Constance, and made that city the cen- tre of his active and disinterested labors. In 1548 he removed to Winterthur, and labored as minister there, and in Biel and other places, until his death at Win- terthur, Dec. 6, 15G4. — Keim, A. Blarer, der schwiibische tor (Stuttg. 1860) ; Pressel, A. Blaurer 's, des schwabiscken Reformaiors, Lebm und Sehriften (Stuttg. 1860) ; Studienu. Kritiken, 1861, Heft. 2.
Blayney, Benjamin, D.D., an English divine and professor, was educated at Worcester College, Oxford. In 1787 he there took his degree of doctor in divinity, and became regius professor of Hebrew. He was ako canon of Christ's Church, and rector of Polshot in Wiltshire, where he died in 1801. Dr. Blayney was eminent as a Hebrew critic. He took great pains in editing the Oxford Bible (1769, 4to), and greatly im- proved the marginal references. Among his writings are A Dissertation by Way of Inquiry into Daniel's Sev- enty Weeks (Oxford, 1775, 4to): — Jeremiah and Lam- entations; a new Translation, with Notes (3d ed. Bond. 1836, 8vo) : — Zechariah ; a new Translation, with Notes, critical, phil logical, etc. (Oxford, 1797, 4to).