558 OLD TESTAMENT 



it has been translated into the language of all Christian peoples, 

 where it has gained a new life deeply influenced by the peculiar 

 nature of such new homes. By means of these translations, most of 

 all through the Latin, the Old Testament has during all succeeding 

 centuries influenced and fructified the development of civilization 

 among all the Christian nations, and this, moreover, not only in the 

 religious field, but throughout its whole extent and compass. The lit- 

 erature and the art of the Middle Ages show at every stage deeply im- 

 pressed traces of this influence, which become the more intricate and 

 the more complicated because of the venerable antiquity and mys- 

 terious heterogeneousness of the Old Testament to those who searched 

 it. So the Old Testament gains a new life, a second existence; its 

 original being is doubled by translation and exegesis, by the whole 

 wide field of tradition. That here, too, obligations rest upon us is not 

 in the least to be denied, for only one who is master of the original 

 meaning will be in a position fully to disclose the maze through which 

 thought and imagination have wandered with these texts. Often 

 I have stood ashamed that I could give no satisfaction to philo- 

 logists, historians, and students of the history of art who turned in 

 all confidence to me with burning questions from the field of tradi- 

 tion. One needs a particular talent to be able to cultivate this field 

 with success; a taste for miscellaneous peripheral investigation, com- 

 prehensive learning based on a tenacious memory, a liking for 

 psychological labyrinths and for turning up forgotten old trash. 

 I have in mind to-day one learned man in particular who possesses 

 this equipment in abundance, and gives many valuable proofs of 

 it; but he should be able to devote to it all his time and have many 

 assistants in order to cover this need. It is not necessary that all 

 should be of us, but all must have gone out from us. Thorough 

 Old Testament study would furnish a worthy equipment for close 

 research in nearly all fields of the Middle Ages. On the other hand, 

 for this task, far from fruitless in itself, the majority of Old Testa- 

 ment specialists must admit their incapacity. 



In returning to the central point, whence we followed a longi- 

 tudinal section through the ages, we find that there lies in the breadth 

 of our territory on all sides such an enormous amount of work to be 

 done that upon it we unquestionably need to concentrate our ener- 

 gies. Of neighbors no, of co-workers beyond the borders of 

 theological science we have an unusual number. 



The Old Testament worker is, first of all, a linguist; as such he 

 represents an independent branch of the Semitic linguistic stock, 

 the Hebrew, in particular the old Hebrew, language. This is not 

 the place to speak of its relation to other branches of the same family. 

 It need hardly be said, however, that to make a thorough study of 

 these tongues is the duty of the Old Testament worker, in order to 



