Ben Levi Askenoth, in the first half of the 17th century, which adheres closely to the Hebrew text, is preserved in the British Museum, Cod. No. 5503. Comp. DOEDERLEIN in EICHHORN, Repert. II. Th S. 153. ff. A translation of the Psalms in the Bodleian Library, marked 281 Pocock, was found by Schnurrer; and he has published Psalms xvi. xl. and cx. in Hebrew characters, in EICHHORNS Alig. Biblioth. III. Th. S. 425-438. A translation of the Pentateuch from the Hebræo-Samaritan text by Abu Said, who died in 1257, is found in two MSS. in the Barberini Library at Rome, in two MSS. in the National Library at Paris, and in two also in the Bodleian Library at Oxford. Comp. PAULUS Commentat. exhibens e Biblioth. Oxon. Bodl. speciinina VII versionum Arab. 1789: DE SACY in EICHHORN, Allg. Biblioth. X. B. S. 1-176., and Memoire sur la version Arabe de livres de Moise a l'usage des Samaritains, Paris, 1809.

[a) On the subject of this and the following section, see HORNE, Vol. II. p. 90. CARPZ. P. II. Cap. v. § 3. p. 640-664. EICHH. § 275 -302. BAUER, 87-91. SIMON, L. II. c. xvi. Tr.]

§ 54. Mediate Arabic Versions.

From the Syriac Peshito: 1) an Arabic version of Job, printed in the Paris and London Polyglots: 2) a version of the Psalter, printed in 1610, in the monastery of S. Anthony in the diocese of Tripoli in Syria 3) another version of the Psalter preserved in manuscript in the British Museum, No. 5469. Comp. DOEDERLEIN in EICHHORNS Repert. II. Th. S. 170. ff.

From the Alexandrine version: 1) according to the Hesychian recension; the Arabic version of all the books of the Old Testament, except the Pentateuch and Job, printed in the Paris and London Polyglots: 2) according to the recension of Lucian; the Arabic version of the Psalms in the Octaplar Psalter of Justinian, published 1516; another by Gabriel Sionita and Victor Scialak, published at Rome, in 4to, 1614; and a version of the seven penitential Psalms, published at Paris, 1679: 3) according to the Melchite recension; a translation of the Psalter printed first at Aleppo, in 1706, then at 'Padua in 1709, and often since in Syria: it is found also in a manuscript in the National Library at Paris, extracts of which have been given by STARK, in his Prolegomena to the Psalter. Comp. DOEDERLEIN in EICHHORNS Rep. II. Th. S. 175–181.

The Arabic translation of the Bible published for the use of the Oriental Christians, by the Propaganda at Rome, in 1671, and reprinted in

1752, was indeed printed from four MSS. but has been altered from the Vulgate, so that it can be of no use in criticism. The edition published by Rutilius without mention of place, and not completed, was taken from this. Comp. EICHHORN's Rep. X. Th. S. 154-165. ROSENMUELLER, Handbuch für die Literatur der Bibl. Krit. und Exeg. III. Th. S. 56-64.

Jacob ben Joseph, a native of Thus in Persia, translated the Pentateuch from the Hebrew into Persian, not before the commencement of the 9th century; for in Gen. x. 10, for Babel he substitutes Bagdad, which city was founded in 762. Like Aquila he is exceedingly literal; he retains the more difficult words in his version, and generally agrees with Onkelos. He follows our masoretic text. This version was published in the London Polyglot, from the Constantinopolitan edition of 1546, the defects of which were indeed supplied by Hyde, the supplementary parts being carefully included in brackets. Comp. E. F. C. ROSENMUELLER de Versione Persica, 1813.

[a) On this section, Comp. HORNE Vol. II. pp. 191. ss. DE WETTE Einleit. 68. EICHH. 317. Tr.]

§ 56. Egyptian Versions.[a]

The Old Testament was translated, probably in the 2d or 3d century, from the Alexandrine version into the modern dialects of Egypt, which arose from the combination of the ancient Egyptian language with the Greek introduced by the Ptolemies. The versions which have hitherto become known to us, are: 1) The Coptic version of the Pentateuch, published from three MSS. by Wilkins, at London, in 1731 2) A Coptic Psalter, published with an Arabic translation, by the Propaganda at Rome, in 1744 and 1749: 3) The Memphite and Sahidic translation of the ninth chapter of Daniel from the version of Theodotion, published by Münster, in 1786, at Rome: and 4) a portion of Jeremiah from c. ix. 17. to c. xiii., published by MINGARELLI in his Reliquiæ Ægyptiorum codicum in Bibl. Naniana asservatæ, 1785, Bologna. Other books lie yet unedited in libraries. Comp. QUATREMERE Recherches sur la langue et literature d' Egypte.

p. 116-140. MICHAELIS Neue Oriental. Biblioth. IV. Th. S. 74.

ff. VII. Th. S. 25. ff.

ROSENMUELLER Handb. für die Lit. der krit.

u. Exeg. III. Th. S. 74–77.

[a) Comp. HORNE II. 192-195. EICHH. § 312–316. DE WETTE Einleit. 51. Tr.]

§ 57. Ethiopic Version.[a]

The Ethiopic or Abyssinian version with which we are at present acquainted seems to be the same which is mentioned by Chrysostom Hom. II. in Joh., and was made from the Alexandrine version. The following parts have been printed: 1) The Psalter and Canticles in 1513 at Rome, in 1518 at Cologne, and in the London Polyglot. The Psalter was also published at Frankfort on the Maine by Ludolph, in 1701, and Canticles at Leyden by Nissel in 1656. 2) The book of Jonah and the first four chapters of Genesis, by Peträus, at Leyden, in 1660. Jonah was also published at Frankfort on the Maine by Staudrach in 1706. 3) Joel, Malachi and Isaiah Ivi. I— 7. by Peträus at Leyden, in 1661. 4) Zephaniah and Ruth, by Nissel, at Leyden in 1660. 5) Some fragments, by C. A. Bode, at Helmstadt, in 1755, and by Hasse in his Lectionaria Syro-ArabicoSamaritano-Ethiopica, Regiomont. 1788, 8vo.-The version of the whole Bible, brought by Bruce from Abyssinia, is preserved in the British Museum.

[a) Comp. HORNE, II. 192-195. CARFZ. P. II. C. V. 4. EICHH 309-311. Tr.]

§ 58. Armenian Version.[a]

The Armenian version was made from the Alexandrine version by Miesrob, the inventor of the Armenian alphabet, but has since been altered not only from the Syriac Peshito, but also from the Latin Vulgate. That this was not done by king Haithon or Haitho in the 13th century, as has been commonly thought, is proved by the Armenian Baghinanti in ALTER's Miscellany 1799, p. 140. ss. It was the work of Yushkanor Uskan the Armenian bishop, who published it in 1655 at Amsterdam. Comp. EICHHORN Bibliothek. IV. Th. S.

623-652. The edition published at Constantinople in 1705 was collated for Holmes by Bredenkamp.

(a) See HORNE, II. 196. 308. Tr.]

DE WETTE, ❘ 52. EICHH. 306

§ 59.

Slavonic Version.[a]

In the 9th century Cyril of Thessalonica, the inventor of the Slavonic alphabet, who with his brother Methodius preached the gospel to the Bulgarians and Moravians translated the Alexandrine version into the Slavonic language. The first edition, at least of the Pentateuch, appeared at Prague in 1519, and that of all the books, at Prague in 1570. The first edition in Russia was printed at Ostrog in 1581, and has served as the basis of all others.

[a) HORNE, II. 196. DE WETTE, 54. EICHн. § 318, a. For an account of the Georgian version, see § 318, b. and DE WETTE, § 53. Tr.]

§ 60. Augustin, De Doct. Christ. L. II. c. 11, expressly asserts that several Latin translations of the Old Testament made from the Alexandrine version, had appeared in the earlier period of Christianity, and he adds, c. 15, that the Italic (Itala) surpassed the others in fidelity and perspicuity. This last is called by Jerome, Comm. in Jer. xiv. & xlix. VULGATAM, the vulgate, and COMMUNIS, the common, and by Gregory I. Ep. ad Leandr. VETUS, the old, translation.

Latin Versions before the time of Jerome.[a]

Sabatier, in his Praefatio ad Bibliorum versiones Latinas Antiquas, 1743, Rheims, has opposed the opinion that a number of ancient Latin versions existed. But without effect for when Augustin, in an epistle to Jerome tells him that he would confer a great benefit on the church by adding to the Latin verity, the Scripture as translated by the seventy,'* he certainly did not mean by Latin verity' one version, but the Latin Bible; for which reason he immediately adds, that this Latin verity' (or Latin Bible) is so various in different copies as to be hardly tolerable, and is so much suspected of differing

* "Si eam Scripturam quam septuaginta interpretatì sunt, Latinae veritati addiderit."

from the Greek, that one must hesitate to make quotations from it.'* Jerome also, in his preface to the book of Joshua, points out not one version, but many, when he says that there are among the Latins 'tot exemplaria, quot codices,' as many copies as there are manuscripts, for the antithesis between 'exemplaria' and codices' shows that 'exemplaria' must signify different versions; and when he adds, 'every one has at pleasure added or omitted according to his own judgment,' he only points out another source of variations, in addition to the multiplicity of translations already mentioned; just as in his Preface to the Gospels, he repeats the same words with reference to the Latin text of the gospels, in which case there can be no doubt of the existence of several versions.

The portions of the bible in the Missals, are taken from the ancient version known as the Vulgate, the common translation, or the Itala. FLAMINIUS NOBILIUS collected many other fragments of the same version, and from them composed his translation of the Septuagint after the Vatican manuscript, and published it at Rome in 1588. This translation is printed in the London Polyglot, but can be of no use to the critic, since Flaminius selected only those parts of the ancient version which agreed with the Septuagint text, and supplied the rest from the modern Vulgate or by a translation of his own. Nevertheless, the extracts of Nobilius from the fathers, are of great importance in the criticism of the Alexandrine version. The ancient Latin version of the Psalms, is given in the Psalterium Quintuplex, published by FABER STAPULENSIS, in 1599, at Paris, and afterwards frequently reprinted; and in the Psalterium Duplex, together with the songs of Moses, Hezekiah, the three children, Zachariah, Simeon, and Mary, according to the Vulgate, the Septuagint, and the old Latin Itala, in the second part of the Vindiciae Canonic. Script. Vulg. Lat. of BLANCHINI, 1740, Rome. All these and several other fragments are collected by SABATIER in his Bibliorum Latinæ versiones antiquæ, published at Rheims, in 1743, in 3 vols. folio.

[a) With this and the remaining sections, Compare HORNE II. pp. 196 -202. CARPZ. P. II. Cap. vi. EICHH. & 319-337. BAUER, 98, 99, p. 336-340. SIMON, L. II. c. xi-xiv. DE WETTE, Einleit. § 69 -72. Tr.]

* In diversis codicibus ita variam est, ut tolerari vix possit, et ita suspectam ne in Graeco aliud inveniatur, ut inde aliquid proferri dubitetur.'

"Unumquemque pro arbitrio suo vel addiderit vel subtraxerit quod ei visum est.”

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