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III. 



ON PROFESSOR ROSSI'S PUBLICATION OF SOUTH-COPTIC 

 TEXTS. By ROBERT ATKINSON, LL.D. 



[Read May 8, 1893.] 



It is admitted on aU hands that the ancient versions of the LXX 

 are likely to be of great service in the reconstitntion of the Greek 

 Biblical text, and therefore the publication of Coptic texts, properly- 

 edited, is a most laudable employment, every scrap of new matter 

 being a possible aid. 



But, obviously, if they are to be of real service, the texts must 

 be properly edited, and an accompanying version must have the merit 

 of being correct and faithful. 



Professor Rossi has been, for some time past, engaged in pub- 

 lishing South-Coptic texts from the Egyptian Museum in Turin. 

 The first fasciculus was published in 1883, comprising the Gospel 

 of Nicodemus, and a sermon of Theophilos; and, since that period, 

 Prof. Rossi has exhibited very considerable activity in pubLishing the 

 succeeding fasciculi. 



His transcriptions are industriously made, up to the extent of his 

 knowledge of South- Coptic; but that knowledge is inadequate, and 

 has involved him in such a mass of errors, that I have thought it 

 desirable to direct the attention of Biblical students who may make 

 use of these texts of Prof. Rossi, to the sort of mistake which they 

 must be prepared to allow for, in any inferences they may be inclined 

 to make therefrom. 



I will here give one example to illustrate the lengths to which 

 this sort of error can be carried — an example which will be more 

 instructive than any mere statement to the effect that strange 

 mistakes do occur. The passage is found in the fourth Fasciculus 

 of the first volume of these Texts, at p. [41 /? 11] : 



ebolje kata petseh Ma, secondo la sentenza di Crista 



mn com nwpolis ehdp che non si piio nascondere una cittd 



eske ehrai ejS wtow posta sopra un monte, 



wde meuje whebs ne una lampada 



nsekaaf ha wsi' (sic) nel cuor della notte. 



