OF CHRISTIAN VERSIONS.
IT remains to speak of Versions of Christian origin.
§ 1. The Syriac.
The ancient Syriac was one of the languages akin to Hebrew, and is the more interesting because it would seem to have come very near to the dialect employed by our Lord and the Apostles, the Hebrew dialect' or Palestinian Aramaic, which very possibly was, as Professor Roberts amongst others thinks, a mixture of Chaldee and Syriac; some accordingly call it Syro-Chaldaic.'
The Peshito Version of the second century is that of principal value. When independent of the LXX, as being literal, it is useful. It is one of the parallel versions in Walton. The Syriac may be studied by the help of Bagster's Reading Lessons'; and if any reader advance so far in the language as to require a lexicon, he will find the Thesaurus of Dr. Payne Smith the best book to use. But we would refer to what has been said under Arabic.'
§ 2. The Latin, and Douay.
Of the Latin versions, that called Old Latin by Pope Gregory (styled the Great), follows the LXX (Vat.), and hence it is, as ancient, very useful in restoring the more ancient reading of that version. It appears to have been called Itala,' from a reading of. Augustine's ‘Christian Doctrine,' 2:2, 15: 'In ipsis autem interpretationibus Itala ceteris praeferatur,' where usitata' is now read by some. The version was in fact no more in the usual Italian than in the African Latin. The late Dr. Wiseman's theory of an African origin for this version probably goes too far. We possess only fragments of the halo,: For most material, see the Benedictine edition by Sabatier (1749). The Old Latin has held its ground in ecclesiastical use in Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, and the books of the Maccabees. It was called Vulgata ' by Jerome.
The Latin version made from the Hebrew by Jerome (fourth century) gradually supplanted the Old Latin in ecclesiastical use. It is of value just as he is a witness for the Hebrew Text of his own day. He did a similar work for the Latin to Origen's for the Greek, but himself was the more learned. The Codex Amiatinus (sixth century) is the oldest copy we have of his version. Heyse and Tischendorf have used it for their edition of the Latin Bible (1873). Jerome's version of the Psalms never came into public use: it may be seen in the edition of the Psalter by Tischendorf, Baer and Delitzsch (1874). Much interesting information upon Jerome's work as a translator will be found in Cutts's book before cited.
The Vulgate is Jerome's version, called by this name from the days of Gregory (the Great), zoo years after its author. Cutts well says: ' The Latin Bible which passed gradually into use under the name of Jerome was a strangely composite work. The Books of the Old Testament, with one exceptions, were certainly taken from his version from the Hebrew; but this had not only been variously corrupted, but was in many particulars, especially in the Pentateuch, at variance with his later judgment.' It has been altered from time to time down to the end of the sixteenth century, when the Clementine Vulgate, which is the authorized' edition, first appeared. It is to this edition De Rossi refers when speaking of the Vulgate in the body of his book.—The Concordance of Dutripon would be of service in the use of the Vulgate.
The authorized' edition contains the Tridentine Canon, Jerome's Prefaces, Index of proper names and their meanings, &c.
After the Book of Nehemiah come Tobit and Judith, then Esther, &c.; after the Canticles, Wisdom, followed by Ecclesiasticus; next Isaiah; Baruch follows Lamentations; and after Malachi come the books of the Maccabees; finally, at the end of the New Testament, the Prayer of Manasseh, with 2 and 3 Esdras, as a supplement, reference being made to their exclusion from the Tridentine Canon.—The Preface to the Clementine edition was written by the celebrated Bellarmine.
It will be best in this place to speak of the Douay Version, Version, in use amongst our Roman Catholic countrymen. The Douay Old Testament was taken from the Vulgate; and has very much, from the time of its first publication, served as an accompaniment to the Rhemes (or Rheims) Version of the New Testament. A modern representative of the two combined is the following book: The Holy Bible, translated from the Latin Vulgate ; diligently compared with the Hebrew, Greek, and other Editions, in divers Languages. The Old Testament, first published by the English College at Douay, A. D. 1609 ; and the New Testament, first published by the English College at Rheims, A. D. 1582, with annotations, &c. The whole revised and diligently compared with the Latin Vulgate.' The 'Approbation' of the authorities, dated 4th May, 1857, comes on the second page. This work is published in Dublin and London (Duffy). As will have appeared earlier in these pages, the notes of the original editions are toned down. There is much one is thankful to see in this book; several renderings in the Old Testament of which the student can avail himself ; much besides to deplore.