Antique Representations of the Kativity.
Manne, Diss, on the Birth of Christ ; Lardner, Credihil- itij, i, 1; ii, 79G, 9()3; Gill, "/)'<;(/// i>/ Jiirinit//, on Incnr- niition ; Bishop Law, Thinri/ of Hiliij'om : Newton, Jie- rii ir iif I'.rrli siii^iticdl //istiiri/ ; Dr. liiilicri soil, Sertuon on iIh sitiniih.u nfih, Wnr!,l</iC/>n:<rs.\/>j,u,n,mr; Buck- n)in>l(T. .S, nlinns ; F.dwanis, Hiilnnpthm. \^. .31.S, 316; liobiiison, Cliiude. i, 270, 317; .John l^dwards. Survey of all the Dispensations and Methods of Jlelir/ion, vol. i, ch. xiii; Bingliam, Antiquities of the Christian Church, ii, 111 sq. ; Juiyl. JiW. vi, 82 sq. See Anvf:NT, (J. H. W.)
Nativity, Gospel of. See Gospels, Spurious.
Natronai (II) p.en-IIii.ai, a very learned rabbi of bis time, whose opinion was regarded as an authority, nourished as gaon of the famous college in Sura after the middle of the !)th century (8oi)-8G9). His corre- spondence was a very large one; and even the Jewish congregations of Lucena, in Spain, asked him questions on matters of religion, which he answered in Arabic, contrary to his predecessors, who only understood the Hebrew and (^haldee. In answer to the question wheth- er it is lawful to put the points to the synagogal scrolls of the Pentateuch, he distinctly declared that points are not Sinaitic (i.e. sacred), having been invented by the sages, and put down as signs for the reader; and more- over, since it is prohii)ited to us to make any additions from our own cogitations, lest we transgress the com- man<l, "Ye shall not add." etc. (I)eut. iv, 2), we must not put the points to the scrolls of the Law. See Griitz, ilesch. d. Juden, v, 248; Fllrst, Bibl. Judaica, iii, 24;
Ginsburg,in Leorta's \fassoreth ha-Massoreih.x>.^ sq.; FUrst, Gesch. d. Karderthums, i, 114, 179. (B. P.)
Watta, Jacope, a Christian convert from Judaism, of whose history little or nothing is known, excepting that he flourished in the 17th century, and is the author of a treatise written in Italian, liayionamento della venuta del Messia contro la dureza ed ostinazione Ehraica, i. e. a dissertation on the advent of the Messiah against the hardness and pertinacity of the Jews (Venice, 1029; Milan, 1644). From his treatise we may assume that he was an Italian Jew by birth. See Wolf, Bibl. llebr. iii, 518; Jocher, Alh/emeines Gelthrten- /.ej-ikon, s. v. ; FUrst, Bibl. Jud. ii, 25 ; Kalkar, Israel u. d. Kirche, p. 83.
Natural is the rendering in the A. V. of the N. T. for two Greek words of somewhat kindred signification : 1, as opposed to artificial, (f>vaixo^, applied only to the animal nature of men (Rom. i, 26, 27 ; Jude x) or beasts (2 Pet. li, 12) ; 2, as opposed to spiritual, y\jv\iKi'c, ap- plied to inanimate objects (1 Cor. xv, 44, 46), and to men in their unconverted state (1 Cor. ii, 14), or as de- pj-aved (.James iii, 15 ; Jude xix). See Carnau
Natural Ability. See Inability.
Natural History of the Bible. This will be found discussed under the subdivisions Botany, Zool- ogy, etc. We add here a few general treatises on the subject: Scheuzer, Hist. Nat. Biblic(B (August. 1731-.^, 4 vols, fol.); Harris, Xat. Bist. of Bible (new ed. Lond, 1833, 12mo); ("arpenter, Sci-ipture Nat. Bist. (Lond. 1828, 8vo); Simson, Bierof/lyphica onimalium, etc. (Edinb. 1622-4, 4 pts. 4to); Franzius, Animalium Hist. Sacra (Amst. 1643) ; Bochart, Ilierozoicon (L. Bat 1714, 2 vols, fol.) ; Yallcsius, Sacra philosophia (Lugd. 1588, 8vo) ; Irsiiuis. .1 rhoretum Biblicum (Norimb. 1699, 2 vols. 8voi: Ilill.r. Ilierophyticon (Traj. 1725, 4to); Celsius, Bi<n,l>nf,iN;rni, (Amst. 1748, 2 vols. 8vo); Ko- senmliller, Bibl. Botany and Mineralogy (transl. from German) (Edinb. 1840, 12mo); Schwarz, Nat. Hist, of Palest, (in Heb. 'f'^'^'^ ^"'t?"'P1. Jerusalem, 1845, 8vo); Fletcher, Scripture Nat. II hi. (Lond. n. d. 2 vols. 16mo) ; Morris, Bible Nat. Bist. (Lond. 1852, 16mo); Young, Scripture Nat. Hist, (new ed. Lond. 1851, 12mo) ; Duns, Bible Nat. Science (Ix)nd. 1863-5, 2 vols. 8vo) ; Tristram, Nat. Hist, of Bible (Lond. 1868, 12mo); "Nat. Hist, of Bible," in Lond. Quarterly, July, 1863 ; " Biblical Bot- any," in Brit, and For. Evany. liev. Jan. 1864.
Natural La-ws. See Nature, Laws of.
Natural Religion. See Kehgion.
Natural Theology is that departtncnt of study which treats of the existence and attributes of (Jod as revealed to us in the natural world. Since no book can be accepted by us as coming from any being until we have proof of the existence of such a being, natural theology is to us the foundation of all revealed religion. Even if we infer the existence of the being and his character from the character of the book itself, the proc- ess is the s,ime in kind as inferring his existence and character from any other work, so that the proof which we have from the Bible of the existence of (iod cannot be higher in kind ihaw that which we have from nature.
1. Method of Proof. — Natural theology sets out with the assumption that every event must liave a cause, and that there may be such relations between causes and effects — such combinations of matter and foice in producing specific results, that the existence of a De- signer may be inferred, and his attributes and character may thus be revealed. Until tliese positions are grant- ed, no step can be taken in this science. If they are not to be accepted, then a science of natural theology is impossible. Tiie truth of these assumptions is found in the intuitive beliefs of the human mind.