276 
with Talmudic rules, be corrected or removed. Such MSS., 
also, as had fallen into the hands of Christians or Pagans, were 
looked upon as having contracted an indelible stain of impu- 
rity, and were therefore buried with the dead. To this super- 
stition we probably owe the loss of many ancient and pre- 
cious MSS. 
The fragment exhibited to the Academy, Dr. Todd stated, 
coincided exactly with the Masoretic text. He had read and 
transcribed every word of it that was legible, and he did not 
find a single instance of deviation from the received text of the 
Masoretic Bible. It is therefore of no value whatsoever in a 
critical point of view, and is only to be regarded as a curious 
specimen of a leather MS., a class of MSS. which is every day 
becoming more rare. The modern Jewish Pentateuch rolls, 
that is to say, those of more recent date than the fifteenth 
century, are in general written upon parchment, and not on 
skin or leather. The Talmudic Tract called ODD Noon, 
which contains directions for the writing of these MSS., per- 
mits them to be written either on leather or parchment, and 
gives rules for preparing the material in both cases. If writ- 
ten on leather, the skin is to be first stripped of its hair, and 
hardened with salt, flour, galls, &c., or else it is split mto two, 
and prepared for writing in a similar way. If split, the thicker 
portion, which in the living animal was next the flesh, is called 
by the Jews DIWDIDP7T Docsostos (a corrupt Greek word, which 
is probably duyacrdc, from diyafw), and if this be used, 
the writing must be upon the side which was next the flesh ; 
but ifthe undivided skin be used (which they call 52), the 
writing must be on the side which was under the hair. The 
thinner membrane obtained after splitting the skin, they cail 
F2p, and in writing on this, the side next the flesh must be 
used. These are not superstitious rules; but are adopted to 
secure greater facility and perfection in the writing. ‘The 
skin of an animal which is (according to the ceremonial law) 
unclean, is not to be used in writing the law, nor unless it be 
