1786, in folio, by Dr. Woide, Assistant Librarian at the British Museum; and a fac-simile edition of the Old Testament is now in progress, under the editorial care of the Rev. H. H. Baber, keeper of the printed books in that noble library. The following passage, rendered rather more literally than the idiom of our language will admit, will enable the reader to form a correct idea of the manner in which the original Greek is written. John 1-14.

INTHEBEGINNINGWASTHEWORDANDTHEWORDWAS

WITHGOD'ANDGODWASTHEWORD'

HEWASINTHEBEGINNINGWITHGOD

ALLWEREMADEBYHIMANDWITH

OUTHIMWASMADENOTONE THING

THATWASMADEINHIMLIFEWAS

ANDTHELIFEWASTHELIGHTOFMEN
ANDTHELIGHTINDARKNESSSHIN

ETHANDTHEDARKNESSDIDNOTITCOMPRE

HEND THEREWASAMANSE

NTFROMGODWHOSENAME WAS

JOHN THIS PERSONCAME

ASAWITNESSTHATHE MIGHTTESTI

FYCONCERNINGTHELIGHTTHATA
LLMIGHTBELIEVETHROUGHHIM.

2. The Codex Vaticanus, or VATICAN MANUSCRIPT, which is preserved in the Vatican Library at Rome, is also written on vellum in uncial characters, and most probably before the close of the fifth century, though some critics assign to it an earlier, and others, a later date. It wants, in the Old Testament, from Gen. i. to xlvi. and from Psalm cv. to cxxxvii. inclusive; and in the New Testament, from Hebrews, ch. ix. 14. to the end of that epistle, as well as St. Paul's other epistles to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon, and the entire book of the Revelations. This last book, however, has been added, as well as the latter part of the epistle to the

Hebrews, by a modern hand in the fifteenth century. In many places, the faded letters have been retouched by a modern but careful hand. Various defects, both in orthography and language, indicate that this MS. was written by an Egyptian copyist.

The following literal English version of the prophecy of Ezekiel, ch. i. ver. 1-3. will enable the reader to form a similarly correct idea of the manner in which the Codex Vaticanus was executed.

This manuscript has been repeatedly collated by various critics: the Roman edition of the Septuagint, published in 1587, professes to exhibit the text of this

manuscript, of which no fac-simile edition has ever been printed.

3. The CODEX CANTABRIGIENSIS was presented to the University of Cambridge by Theodore Beza, in 1531, after whom it is most commonly called the Codex Beza. It is a Greek-Latin manuscript; concerning its date, critics greatly differ; but it may most probably be referred to the fifth or sixth century. It contains the four Gospels and Acts of the Apostles: sixtysix leaves of it are much torn and mutilated, and ten have been supplied by a later transcriber. Notwithstanding its acknowledged antiquity, this MS. is deemed of comparatively little value, in consequence of the Greek text having been altered, and readings introduced from some Latin version, which were warranted by no Greek manuscript. An elegant fac-simile edition of it was printed at the expense of the university of Cambridge, under the editorial care of the Rev. Dr. Kipling, in 2 vols. folio, 1793.

CHAPTER III.

ON THE DIVISIONS AND MARKS OF DISTINCTION OCCURRING IN MANU

SCRIPTS AND PRINTED EDITIONS OF THE SCRIPTURES.

SECTION I.

- Divisions and Marks of Distinction occurring in the Old Testament.

I. Different APPELLATIONS given to the Scriptures.The collection of writings, which is regarded by Christians as the rule of their faith and practice, has been variously termed, the Scriptures, as being the most important of all Writings; the Holy or Sacred

Scriptures, because they were composed by divinely inspired persons; the Canonical Scriptures, either because they are the rule of our faith and practice, or to distinguish them from apocryphal writings (those of uncertain authority and of human origin); and, most frequently, the BIBLE, that is, THE BOOK, by way of eminence, as being the Book of Books, infinitely superior to every unassisted production of the human. mind.

II. The CANONICAL BOOKS are usually divided into two parts: 1. The Old Testament, containing the revelations of the divine will before the Birth of Christ; and 2. The New Testament, which comprises the inspired writings of the Evangelists and Apostles.

III. The Old Testament was divided into three portions or classes; viz.

1. The Law, including the Pentateuch or five Books of Moses.

2. The Prophets, containing the Books of Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, and 1 and 2 Kings: these were termed the Former Prophets; and also the prophetical Books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the twelve minor Prophets, who were called the Latter Prophets, with reference to the time when they flourished.

3. The Cetubim, or Hagiographa, that is, the Holy Writings, so called because the Jews affirm that they were written by holy men divinely inspired, but who had no public mission as prophets. This division comprehended the Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations of Jeremiah, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, and Nehemiah, and the two Books of Chronicles.

The Pentateuch is divided into fifty or fifty-four Paraschioth or larger sections, according as the Jewish year is simple or intercalary, one of which is read in the synagogues every Sabbath day: and these paraschioth are further subdivided into smaller sections

termed Siderim or orders. The reading of the law being prohibited during the persecution of Antiochus Epiphanes, the Jews substituted for it fifty-four Haphtoroth or sections from the prophets, which are further divided into pesukim or verses. After the restoration of the reading of the law, by the Maccabees, the section which had before been read from the law was used for the first, and that from the prophets for the second lesson.

IV. Origin and rise of the MASORA. The sacred text was, originally, written without any divisions into chapters or verses, or even into words. In the lapse of ages, various readings having arisen in consequence of successive transcriptions, the Jews had recourse to a canon, which they judged to be infallible, in order to fix the reading of the Hebrew text. This rule they called MASORA, or Tradition, pretending that it was at first given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai, when he taught him, first, its true reading, and, secondly, its true interpretation. The former is the subject of the Masora, the latter (or true interpretation) is that of the Misna, or Collection of Jewish Traditions and Expositions of Scripture Texts, and of the Gemara or Commentary thereon.

The Masoretic criticisms relate to the divisions of the books and sections of books, the number of verses, the notation of omissions, alterations, repetitions of words and verses, and other minutiæ. To this system also belong the marginal corrections found in Hebrew MSS. and printed editions of the Old Testament, termed Ketib, that is, written, and Keri, that is, read or reading, as if to intimate, "write in this manner," but "read in that manner:" for instance, instead of the sacred name JEHOVAII, the Jews substitute Adonai or Elohim. Learned men are greatly divided in senti