Another proverbial expression occurs in Matt xxiii, 24 : ** Strain at {fivKilw) a gnat and swallow a camel." Dr. Adam Clarke proves that "at" has been substi- tuted for ** out," by a typographical error in the edi- tion of 1611, in our version, " out" occurring in Arch- bishop Paricer's of 1568. The reference is to a cus- tom the Jews had of filtering their wine, fbr fear of swallowing any insect fbrbidden by the law as un- clean. The expression is, therefore, to be taken hy« perbolicaUy, and, to make the antithesis as strong as possible, two things are selected, the smallest insect and the largest animal. The proverb is applied to those who are superstitiously anxious to avoid small faults, and yet do not scruple to commit the greatest sins.
CAinELs* Hair (jpixti Kafir\Kov\ a materiiQ of clothing. John the Baptist was habited in raiment of camels' hair (Matt iii, 4 ; Mark i, 6), and Chardin states that such garments are worn by the modem dervishes. There is a coarse cloth made of camels* hair in the East, which is used for manufacturing the coats of shepherds and camel-drivers, and also for the covering of tents (Harmar, Ohe, ii, 487 ; comp. .£lian, NaJt, Hist, zvii, 84). It was doubtless this coarse kind which was adopted by John. By this he was distin- guished fh>m those residents in royal palaces who wore 9oft raiment El^ah is said in the Englbh Bible to have been *'a hairy man" (2 Kings i, 8); but it may mean "a man dressed in hair" — ^that is, camels* hair. In Zech. xiii, 4, " a rough garment" — ^that is, a garment of a hairy manufacture — b characteristic of a prophet. (See Mamifacturte of ike A ncienU, N. T. 1848^. 812 sq. ; Hackett*s JUwtra, (f Script, p. 96.)
Cameleon. See CHAxsLEoif.
Cameraritui, Joachim, one of the most scholar- ly men of the sixteenth century, was bom at Bam- berg, April 12, 1500. The original name of his fami- ly was Liebhard, which was changed into the Latin Camerarius (Chamberlain) because his ancestors had been chamberlains at the court of the bishops of Bamberg. He was sent to the University of Leip- zic, where he studied Greek under Richard Crolce
CAMERO
54
CAMERON
and Peter Mosellanas. He evinced an extraordinary passion for that language, and in 1524 put forth his first work, a Latin translation of one of the Orations of Demosthenes. He was at that period at Witten- berg, whither he had been drawn by the fkme of Lu- ther and Melancthon. In 1526 he went into Prus- sia, and in the year following was nominated by Melancthon to fill the office of Greek and Latin pro- fessor in the new college at Nuremberg. The senate of Nuremberg deputed him, in 1580, to attend the diet of Augsburg, where he aided Melancthon in the dis- putes, and in preparing the material afterward uaed in the Apologia Confestionis, See Confessions. In 1585 the Duke of WOrtemberg gave him the direction of the new University of TCibingen. In 1641 he was charged by Henry of Saxony with reforming the Uni- versity of Leipzic, of wliich he was afterward appoint- ed rector. Here he laboured zealously for the Ref- ormation, and at the same time was one of the most laborious classical and theological teachers of the age. With his friend Melancthon he took an active part in the negotiations concerning the Interim, and for hv9 willingness to make concessions was severely censured by the opponents of the Interim. In 1554 he was a deputy to the Diet of Naumburg, and in 1555 to the Diet of Augsburg, from where he went to Nuremberg to aid in^ adjusting the Osiandrian controversy. In 1568 the Emperor Maximilian, who had called him to Vienna to consult him about some important state affiiirs, wished to retain him as his councillor, but Camerarius declined the offer on account of his infirm- ities. He died at Leipzic in April, 1574. Camerarius was grave and reserved even toward his own chil- dren. He hated nothing so much as untruthfulness, and did not even tolerate it in jests. The extent of Mb knowledge, the purity of his morals, the energy of his character, his sweet and persuasive eloquence, obtained for him the esteem of all those who knew him. He left five sons, all of whom distinguished them- selves as scholars or in other high positions. A list of his numerous writings will be found in Niceron, M^- moires, t, xix. Among his works in theology and ex- egesis are, 1. Synodicaf i. e. de Niccsnd Synodo (Leipz. 1548, 4to) : — ^2. DigpukUio depOi et cathoUds cUq. ortko' doxia predbut et intfoccUiombuB iVtcmmw Dirnm (Ar- gentor. 1560, 8vo): — 8. Chrtmoiogia tectmdum Graco- mm raUonem, temporibut exposing, autore Nicephoro ArekUp, Constantino, conversa in linguam LaL (Basle, 1561, fol. ; Leipz. 1574 and 1583, 4to) :--4. Hisioria de Jesu ChriUi ad mortem pro genere humaeno accetsume, etc (Leipz. 1563) : — 5. Narrai, de P. Meianctkonis or^ tu, vita, etc., which contains an entire history of the Beformation (1566; best ed. by Sbrobel, Halle, 1777, 8vo) : — 6. NoUjUo figwrarum sermoms in iv Ubris Evan- geUonan, etc. : Notatio in Apostotids scriptis et in Ubrwn Actuum et Apocalypieos (these two works were pub- lished together at Cambridge in 1642, under the title Coimnmtarius in Novum Foedus; and at Frankfort in 1712, with the title Exegesis Nov. Test,) :— 7. HomiUm (Leipz. 1578) : — 8. Eistorica narrcUio de Fratrum or- thodoxorum eccUsiit in Bohemia, Moravia et Polonia (Heidelb. 1605, 8vo). He also published a collection of the letters of Melancthon (Leipz. 1569), which con- tain much valuable information of the times of the Beformation. — Hoefer, Nouv. Bicg. G^nirale, viii, 819 ; Landon, Ecd, Dictionary, ii, 506.