64 Oriental Literature. 



When Dr. Kennicot began bis celebrated work, 

 he entertained an opinion decidedly opposed to 

 the integrity of the common Hebrew text of the 

 Bible. Bat, though there is no reason to suppose 

 that he altered his opinion afterwards; yet his la- 

 bours certainly produced a conviction in the minds 

 of discerning and impartial men, entirely contrary 

 to what he expected. They confirmed rather than 

 destroyed the general confidence in the masoretical 

 reading; and instead of subserving the cause of 

 infidelity, or heresy, by unsettling the sacred text, 

 as the Hutchinsonians and some others had pre- 

 dicted, their influence was directly of an opposite 

 kind. 



Encouraged by the success of Dr. Kennicot, 

 and influenced, also, by the circumstance of his 

 having a convenient and easy access to the Ambro- 

 sian Library of Milan, John Bernard de Rossi, 

 Professor of Oriental Languages in the University 

 of Parma, undertook a similar work, which he 

 completed, and laid before the world in 1786/* 

 He collated many manuscripts which Kennicot 

 had never seen, and added many important read- 

 ings to the former treasure. His work may, there- 

 fore, be considered a very useful supplement to 

 that of his laborious predecessor. The same effect 

 resulted from this publication as from that of Ken- 

 nicot. It tended to confirm the masoretical text, 

 and disappointed the hopes of those who wished 

 to unsettle or dishonour it. ;i Drs. Doederlein and 



m Variae Lectiones Ceteris Test a mentis ex imtxer.sa JMSS. editorumque Codi- 

 tum congerie baustee, et ad Samar. Textum ad -vetustiss. versiones, ad accuraliorcs 

 S. Criticae fontes ac leges examinattz, opere ac studio JoHAN. Bern. DE Rossi, 

 S. T. P. et in R. Parmensi Acad. Ling. Ori. Prof, torn iv. The author 

 speaks thus of his work, " Producuntur hie varia Lcctiones V. T. ex immensa 

 JV1SS. editorumque codicum congerie, id est, ex mille quadringentis septuaginta et 

 amplius sacri Tcxius codicibus^ 



n Tt is well known that in the common Hebrew Bibles there are remarks, 

 or various readings in the margin, called Keii, to distinguish them from 

 the. reading in the test, culled Gbttil, The latter is, in many places, cb- 



