B I B 



370 



B I B 



school* wore transplanted to Jabne. Ziphoria, Lydda, 

 CiMarea Palestina, formerly railed Stralon s Tower, on the 

 ooaxt of the Mediterranean, Tiberius, and at a later period 

 .1, Pumpeditha, and Nahardea on the banks of tho 

 Euphrates. 



Oriijen, in composing the Hexapla, perused a Masorethi- 

 ral manuscript in the third century after Chrijt. and in the 

 fourth rentury Hieronymus employed Palestine teachers 

 and MSS. The present received text originate* from 

 line. Therefore tho interpretations nnd readings of 

 Hieronymus are nearly allied to tho present received text. 

 Many passage* indicate that Hieronymus employed an un- 

 pointed text. In hia Epistle. 125, he ohserves, 'The same 

 word written with the same letters has divers meanings.'for 

 instance pastoret, herdsmen, and anwtore/t, lovers, are 

 written with the same letters, Res, Ain. Jod, Mem (fflTV : 

 hut the word for herdsmen is pronounced roim, that which 

 signifies Imert, reim.' 



The Talmud contains precepts of biblical calligraphy 

 (Tr. Gittin, f. 45. c. 2.), mentions a comparison of manu- 

 scripts (Hieros. Tr. Taanith, f. 68, c. I. compare Tr. Sophe- 

 rim, vi. 4.), and refers to certain classes of biblical emen- 

 dations prior to the Talmud, called by Morinus ' fragmenta' 

 or 'vestigia rccensionum ;' by Eiclihoni, Recisiones. These 

 classes are 



! 0^3*10 T!i9J7. ablatio scribarutu, concerning the omis- 



sion of van 1 in Gen. xviii. 5 ; xxiv. 55 : Num. xii. 14 ; Ps. 

 Ixvjii. 26, xxxvi. 7. See Nedarira f. 37, c. 2. 



II. D'^S'lD Tljjn, r.orrectio scribarum, concerning six 



teen or eighteen erroneous passages, e. g. Gen. xviii. 22 ; 

 1 Sam. iii. 13. 



III. Puncta extraordinaria in fifteen words, e.g. Ps. 



xxvii. 13, N 1 ? $ Tr. Sophsrim, vi. 3. 



IV. 2Y13 tfS H[3, if there was any thing to be read 



which was not written, 2 Sam. viii. 3 ; xvi. 23. Nedarim 

 f. 37. c. 2. 



V. HJ? N'T! 2TG, if there was in reading to be orr.ittec 



what was written in the text, as in 2 Kings v. 1 8. 



VI. 3VD-1 "Hip, various readings, as Job siii. 5. Hagg. i 



18. 



After the conclusion of the Talmud in the sixth century 

 the Jewish scribes continued, especially in Tiberias, to pro 

 pagnte their critical traditions, at first orally, ufterwanls by 

 writings; these writings were afterwards placed in the 

 margin of the manuscripts. Subsequently those critica 

 remarks were improved and augmented by the so caller 

 miDO vj'2 ' the lords of the Masora,' who also countei 

 tho number of the verses, of the words, and of the conso- 

 nants in the biblical books. 



There exists also in the rabbinical bibles of Bombcrg an 

 Buxtorf, and in the sixth volume of the London Polyglott, 

 a list of various readings by Rabbi Aharon Ben Asher, am" 

 Rabbi Jacob Ben Naphthali, of the eleventh century. Th 

 readings of Ben Asher are preferred by the western, am 

 those of Ben Naphthuli by the eastern Jews. From the cir 

 rumstance that their observations regard exclusively th 

 vowels and accents, we conclude that the punctuation o 

 the text was already accomplished in their days, and tha 

 they employed punctuated manuscripts. 



After the origin of the Masora, the MSS. were probabl 

 often altered accordingly. But we have reason to thini 

 that no material change took place, because even tho com 

 plaint of Mcir Hallevi about the corruption of the manu 

 scripts refers especially to abbreviations which do not affec 

 the sense. The famous MSS. of the rabbins in the middl 

 RCS, as that of Hillel. Ben Asher, (called the Egyptian o 

 Hierosolymitan,) and that of Ben Naphthali and others 

 adhered to-lhc Masora. 



The earliest editions of the Hebrew bible were imitation 

 of antient manuscripts, and have therefore critical authority 

 The oldest Hebrew prints contain only parts of the Ol 

 Testament Tho oldest specimen of Hebrew typograph 

 contains tho Psalms with the commentary of Kiinchi, A.I 

 1177, probably printed at Bologna. A very old specimen o 

 Hebrew typography was presented by Dr. IVllri, in 173 

 to the library of Eton College, containing the Cethubim o 

 Hagiogrnpha, printed at Naples in 1487. This edition wa 



urnt by the Jew*, probably "on account of its rendimrs 

 requently differing from the Masora, which wns consid' 

 .ready at that period the standard of correctness. Tho 

 opy at Eton is printed on vellum, and i. considered tha 

 nly one that escaped the (lames. (See J. B. I K ]{- i, De 

 . Typographic Origine et Priraitiis, sive de anti- 

 uis et rarissimis Hebrnicorum Bibliorum cditionibus sn-culi 

 v., Parma), 1776, 4to., reprinted wiih a preface by Huf- 

 agcl, Erlangen, 1781, 8vo. l)e Rossi, De Typographic 

 lebr. Ferrariensi Comment. Hist., Pannm, 1780.: auot. e. 

 rsof. Hufnagcl, Erlang., 1781, 8vo. J. B. dc Rossi, An- 

 ales Typographic Ebr. Sabionetens. Appcndiec aucti ex 

 talicis Latin, fecit J. Fr. Roos, Erl., 1783, 8vo. : DC Rossi, 

 Je ignotis nonnullis antiquiss. Hebr. Textus Editionilms 

 t critico earum Usu. Accedit de cditionibus Hebr. BiM. 

 .ppendix hist. crit. ad Bibliothecam Le-Longio Maselna- 

 nam, Erlang., 1782, 4to. ; De Rossi, Annales Hebr. '1 

 graphite, sec. xv., Parm., 1 79S, 4to. ; De Rossi, Annales 

 ypofrraph. ab an. 1501 ad 15-10, Parmas, 1799, 4to. ; O. G. 

 i'ychsen Krit. Beschreib. des Bonon. Pentateuchs vorn 

 Fahre 1482, in Eichhorn Report, vi. 65. seq. : Kenn 

 Diss. Gen. No. 255. seq. p. 436, seq. ed. Bruns.) 



I. The first complete edition of the Hebrew bible was 

 printed at Soncino, in the Cremonese territory in tho duke- 

 dom of Milan, A.D. 1488, small fol. Tho edition of Brescia, 



1494, 4t->., which Luther translated, generally follows tha 

 ext of this Editio Princeps. (See J. G. Palm de Codicibus 

 Veteris et N. T. quibus b. Lutherus in conficienda, inter- 

 iret. Germ, usus est, Hamb., 1753. B. W. D. Srhulc 

 vollst. Kritik ill), d. gcwiihnliehen Ansgalien d. Hebr. Bil>el 

 nebst einer Nachricht v. d. Hebr. Bibel welche Luther bei 

 s. Uebersctzung gebruucht, Berlin, 1766, 8vo.) To this 

 Irst edition of printed bibles belong also, Bibl. Rabbinica, 

 Bombergii ed. Felix Praicnsis, 1517, and the smaller edi- 

 tions printed by Bomberg in 1518, and in 1521, 4to. : the 

 edition of Robert Stephanus, 1539-1541, 4to. : and Bibl. 

 Hebraica stud. Seb. Miinsteri, Basilese, 1534, 1536, 4to., 

 two volumes. 



II. An independent text, which became the basis of 

 other editions, is contained in the Biblia Polyglotta Complu- 

 tensia, 1514-1517. Alvarez Gomez de Gestis Francisci 

 Ximenii (Compluti. 1569, fol. L. ii. p. 47.) says that there 

 were bought for 4000 aurei, seven Hebrew MS. copies from 

 various countries, and that these copies were preserved 

 at Complutum (Alcala). From this second edition pro- 

 ceeded Bibl. Polygl. Bertrami ex ofiic. Sanctandr. 15S6, lol. 

 (also ex offic. Commelin. 1599. 1616.) 



III. Bibl. Rabb. Bomberg. II. Cur. R. Jac. B. Chajim, 

 Vcnct. 15-J5-26,fol. Although Jacob Ben Chajim in tin- 

 tion followed the Masora more than the MSS., it inlluenced 

 strongly most of the subsequent editions, and the following 

 belong entirely to this third recension. Biblia Rabb. Bom- 

 berg. III., Venet. 1547-1549, fol. ; Bibl. Rabb. per Jo. do 

 Gara, Venet., 1568, fol.; Biblia Rabb. Bragadini, Venet., 

 1617-18, fol.; Bomberg's quarto editions of 1528, 1533, 

 and 1544; the edition by R. Steph., Paris, 1544-4G, in 

 It'.nio: some alterations were made in the Justinian edi- 

 tions, Venet., 1551, 4to.; 1552, 18mo. ; 1563, 4to. ; 1573, 

 4to. ; B. Hebr., Genev., 1618, in 4to., 8vo., and 18mo. ; 

 B. Hebr., per J. de Gara, Venet., 1566, 4to. ; 1568. Svo. ; 

 1682, 4to.; B. Hebr. typ. Bragadin., Venet, 1614-15, in 

 4to. and 12mo.. 1619, 4lo., 1628, 4to., 1707; Bibl. Hebr. 

 Chr. Plantin. Antv. 15G6, in 4to., 8vo., and IGnio. ; Biblia 

 Hebraica, Hartmanni Frcf. ad Viadr. 1595, in 4to., 



and 16mo. ; 1593, 4to. ; B. Hebr. Zach. Cratonis Viteb. 



1586, (1587.) 4to. 



IV. Uibl. Polyglott.. Antwerp, 1569-72. fol., represent a 

 text composed of the two last recensions. This polyglott ci:- 

 tains in the first four volumes the Old Testament with the 

 apiierypha interspersed. From this proceeded the Plantine 



,v and Latin, Ant., l:,71. f .1. ; 1584, fol.; L. B. 1673, 

 Svo. ; B. Hebr. Lat. Burg. Aurac. in Hisp., 1581, in fol.; 

 ]:. Hebr. Ixit.. Genev., If,l8,fol. ; flibl. Hebr. Lat. sumt. 

 IV. Kn.'cli Frcf. ad Mocn., 1CI8, fol.; Bibl. Ilebr. I.at., 

 \ lenn., 1743, Svo. ; Bibl. Polyglott. Par., 1645, fol.; Bibl. 

 P.iKglotta, Lond. ed. lirian \Valton, 1GJ7, fol.; B. S. qua- 

 drihnguia, iicciir. (.'brist Rcincccio, Lips., 1750, fol., and 

 the manual editions by Kcincccius, Lips., 1725, Svo. ; 1739, 

 Svo. and 4to. ; 1750, 1793, bvo. 



V. Uibl. Hebr. cura et studio Eliro Hutteri, Hamb., 



1587, fol. (1588, 1596, 1603), contains a text compounded 

 of the Venire, Paris, and Antwerp editions. Hutter s lev- 

 is repeated in Iluttor's Polyglolta, Nittnbcrg, 10'Jl, loi 



