between the two nations, so frequently mentioned or alluded to in the New Testament. The Samaritans (who still exist but are greatly reduced in numbers) reject all the sacred books of the Jews except the PENTATEUCH, or five books of Moses, of which they preserve copies in the antient Hebrew characters: these agree in all material points with our present copies, which were those of the Jews, and thus prove that the important books of Moses have been transmitted to us uncorrupted, in any thing material.

II. The few differences that actually exist between the Samaritan and Hebrew Pentateuchs, may be satisfactorily accounted for by the usual sources of various readings, viz. the negligence of copyists, the confounding of similar letters, transposition of letters, &c. The Samaritan Pentateuch is of great importance in establishing correct readings. Two versions of it are

extant.

1. The Samaritan Version, made in the Aramæan dialect (which is intermediate between the Chaldee and the Syriac languages), by an unknown author in Samaritan characters before the schism took place between the Jews and Samaritans. It is close, and faithful to the original.

2. An Arabic Version, in Samaritan Characters, which was made by Abu Said in A. D. 1070, to supplant the Arabic translation of the Jewish Rabbi, Saadia Gaon, which had till that time been in use among the Samaritans.

SECTION II.-On the Greek Language.

I. The Septuagint Version of the Old Testament was executed in the Greek language; and as every Jew, who read Greek at all, would read the Greek

Bible, the style of this operated in forming the style of the Greek Testament, to which, as well as to the Old Testament, the Septuagint is an important source of interpretation.

II. The New Testament was written in Greek, because it was the language best understood both by writers and readers, being spoken and written, read, and understood throughout the Roman Empire. Its style is characterised by the prevalence of Hebrew phraseology, the language of the New Testament being formed by a mixture of oriental idioms and expressions, with those which are properly Greek. Hence it has been termed Hebraic Greek: and, from the circumstance of the Jews having acquired the Greek language rather by practice than by grammar from the Greeks, among whom they resided, it has also being termed the Hellenistic-Greek. A large proportion of the phrases and constructions of the New Testament, however, is pure Greek, that is, of the same degree of purity as the Greek spoken in Macedonia, and that in which Polybius wrote his Roman History: whence the language of the New Testament will derive considerable illustration from consulting the works of classic authors, and particularly from the Septuagint Version of the Old Testament.

III. The 'popular Greek dialect was not spoken and written by the Jews, without some intermixtures of a foreign kind: in particular, they intermixed many idioms and the general complexion of their vernacular language. These peculiar idioms are termed Hebraisms; and their nature and classes have been treated at considerable length by various writers. A few examples will suffice to show the nature of these Hebraisms. Thus :

1. To be called, to arise, and to be found, are the same as to be. See Isa. lxi. 3. Matt. v. 9. 1 John iii. 1. Esth. iv. 14. Luke xxiv. 38. Dan. v. 12. Luke xvii. 18.

2. Verbs, expressive of a person's doing an action, are often used to signify his supposing the thing or discovering and acknowledging the fact, or his declaring and foretelling the event. Matt. x. 39. 1 Cor. iii. 18. Isa. vi. 9, 10. Acts x. 15. 3. Negative verbs are often put for a strong positive affirmation. Psal. lxxxiv. 11. Rom, iv. 19. John xiv. 8.

4. The privileges of the first born among the Jews being very great, the chief or most eminent thing of any kind is called the first born. Job. xviii. 13. The first born of death is the most fatal and cruel death.

5 The words son, and children, have various peculiar significations: as, Sons of Belial, wicked men; Children of disobedience (Eph, ii.) are disobedient persons, &c.

6. Name is frequently synonymous with Persons. John i. 12. iii. 18. Rev. iii. 4.

7. The Jews, having but few adjectives and no superlatives, in their language, had recourse to substantives to supply their place. Thus kingdom and glory denote a glorious kingdom, 1. Thess. ii. 12.; glory of his power denotes glorious power, 2 Thess. i. 9.; Mountains of God are exceeding high mountains, Psal. xxxvi. 7, &c.

8. According to the Hebrew idiom, a sword has a mouth; or, the edge of a sword is called a mouth. Luke xxi. 24. Heb. xi. 34.

9. The verb to know frequently denotes to approve; as in Psal. i. 6. Matt. vii. 23.

10. To hear denotes to understand, to attend to, and to regard what is said, Deut. xviii. 15. with Acts iii. 23. Matt. xvii. 5. Luke viii. 8.

Besides these Hebraisms there are found in the New Testament various Syriac, Chaldee, Latin, and other idioms and words, which are respectively denominated Syriasms, Persisms, Latinisms, &c. &c.

1. Syriasms are the idioms peculiar to the Syriac or WestAramæan dialect; and Chaldaisms are those peculiar to the

Chaldee or East-Aramæan dialect. Instances of these idioms occur in Rom. viii. 15. Matt. xxvii. 46. Mark v. 41. vii, 34. 2. Latinisms are those Latin words and phrases, which occur in the New Testament, in consequence of the intercourse of the Jews with the Romans, after Judæa had been reduced into a Roman province. See Matt. x. 29. John ii. 15. Acts. vi. 9, &c.

3. The number of words used by St. Paul in peculiar senses, as well as words not ordinarily occurring in Greek writers, are considered to be provincial idioms at that time used in Cilicia; whence they have been termed Cilicisms,

SECTION I. On the Hebrew Manuscripts of the Old Testament.

I. Hebrew Manuscripts are divided into two classes, viz. autographs, or those actually written by the inspired penmen, and apographs, or copies made from the ori

ginals, and multiplied by repeated transcription. The manuscripts still extant are of two descriptions; viz.

1. The Rolled Manuscripts used in the synagogues, which are transcribed with great care, and under various minute regulations designed to secure the purity of the sacred text. The form of one of these rolled manuscripts (from the original among the Harleian MSS. in the British Museum, No. 7619.) is given in the vignette at the head of this section. It is a large double roll, containing the Hebrew Pentateuch; written with very great care on forty brown African skins. These skins are of different breadths, some containing more columns than others. The columns are one hundred and fiftythree in number, each of which contains about sixtythree lines, is about twenty-two inches deep, and generally more than five inches broad. The letters have no points, apices, or flourishes about them. The initial words are not larger than the rest; and a space equal to about four lines, is left between every two books. Altogether, this is one of the finest specimens of the synagogue-rolls that has been preserved to the present time.

2. The Square Manuscripts, which are in private use among the Jews, are written, after the manner of our printed books, on vellum, parchment, or paper of various sizes.

II. Among the Jews, five exemplars, or standard copies, have been particularly celebrated for their correctness; and from them all subsequent copies have been made. These are,

1. The Codex of Hillel, a manuscript seen by Rabbi Kimchi, in the 12th century, at Toledo.

2, 3. The Codices of Aaron Ben Asher, President of the Jewish Academy at Tiberias, and of Jacob Ben Naphtali, President of the Jewish Academy at Babylon;