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of the Syriac verfions (fee Syriac) for introducing fome 

 ufeful obfervations on feveral pafiages, particularly Pfalm xl. 

 6, 7, 9, and 2 Kings viii. 16. ; in which lall paflage three 

 ivords are now inttrpolatcd in the Hebrew text, which, 

 though they are alfo tound in the Vatican and Alexandrian 

 MSS., are not in the Complutenfian and Aldine editions; nor 

 are they in an ancient MS. of Kings, nor in fome of the 

 bcft MSS. and earliell editions of the Vulgate. See Vul- 

 gate. From the year loco to 1450, the teftimonics of 

 Chritiians are ver)- few. Yet foon after the Jews fled from 

 tlie Eail into Europe, in 1040, the Hebrew language was 

 ftudied by feveral Chriftians, particularly by Lanfranc and 

 Anfelm, Grofthead and Roger Bacon ; and this lad learned 

 man, with his Franciiean brethren at Oxford, bought many 

 Hebrew MSS. when the Jews were expelled from England 

 in 1289. In the 13th centur\-, Raymund Martini accufed 

 the Jews of corrupting the Hebrew text ; and he fpeaks of 

 MSS. dilTering in Zech. xii. 10., with refpefk to which 

 Dr. Kennicott obferves, that forty copies have here the 

 reading expreffcd in John xix. ^7. Dr Kennicott alfo cites 

 Nic. Lyranus, Radulphus Armachanus, Tollatus, Perez de 

 Valentia, and Marfilius Ficinus. 



Under the lad period, from 1450 to 1780, Zuinglius 

 takes the lead ; and he extols the Greek verfion, and re- 

 marks the corrupt addition of Jer. chap. lii. Luther is alfo 

 mentioned ; and Bibliander is celebrated on account of his 

 excellent criticifm on Ezekiel xiii. 21. As it is very im- 

 probable that the news of the capture of Jerufalem fhould 

 be nearly eighteen months in reaching Babylon, it will be 

 fatisfaftory to know, on the authority of the Syriac verfion 

 and eight Hebrew MSS., that this period was not more 

 than fix months. Ha\nng defcribed the editions of Sixtus and 

 Clement, Dr. Kennicott obferves, that the prefent Englilh 

 verfion frequently expreffes, not what the tranflators found in 

 their Hebrew text, but what they tiiought (hould have been 

 there ; and that the 14th pfalm, inferted in the liturgy of 

 the Church of England, contains three verfes not found at 

 prefent in the Hebrew text of that pfalm, but which are 

 probably genuine. We have already mentioned Capellus's 

 opinion on this fubjccl ; and yet, though he proved the 

 corruDtion of the Hebrew text by every argument, except 

 that of MSS., Buxtorf, the fon, following his father, who 

 afiertcd the abfolute agreement of all the ancient MSS., af- 

 firmed that no Hebrew MS. in the world contained any 

 various reading wiiich agreed with either of the ancient ver- 

 fjons. It is needlefs to recite the opinions of Mede, Mori- 

 uus, Beveridge, Walton, Hammond, Bochart, Huetius, 

 Pocock, Le Clerc, &c. on this fubjecl. We fliall here 

 only obferve, with Dr. Kennicott, that Jablonfl<i was the 

 firft editor of an Hebrew bible who fpoke of any Hebrew 

 MSS. ; and he names four, by the help of which he made 

 a few correftions. Neverthclefs, he omitted the two necef- 

 fary verfes in Jofhua, chap. 21., though Dr. Kennicott has 

 ellablifhed them, in confcquence of the examination of 149 

 copies. Opitius declares that he, in his edition, obeyed tlie 

 Mafora, in defiance of all the MSS. and editions of the 

 world united. Vitringa has fhewn, according to Dr. Ken- 

 nicott, how a miilake m one MS. may afterwards have been 

 introduced into many, from the praftice of corredling many 

 MSS. by one as their ftandard. The conjeftural emenda- 

 tion made by this eminent biblical critic, in 2 Chron. xxvi. 

 r., is confirmed by fifty copies ; and his reading of Ifaiah 

 xix. 18. is eftablifhed by the Talmud and fixteen Hebrew 

 copies. J. H. Michaehs, although he p ■bliflied fome va- 

 nous readings, omitted many variations of great moment, 

 probably from an undue deference to the advocates of the 

 integrity of the Hebrew text. Among thele advocates we. 



may reckon Wolfiu?, who maintained that midakes might 

 exill in fome MS. copies, but not in all ; becaufe fome one 

 MS., or fome one edition, always had the true reading. 

 Carpzovius contended, that the Hebrew ti.xt has defcended 

 to us in the fame ftate of purity in v.hich it was firft found ; 

 not indeed in all the copivt, but in thofe of the better fort ; 

 nor in thefe feparately, but in luch altogether : and he 

 thought it needlels to collccl thefe from every quarter of 

 the world, becaufe, in his opinion, thofc which are near at 

 hand will be fufficicnt : a conceffion which abolidies his 

 former doftrine. 'l"he learned Halict, in his Notes on the 

 Holy Scriptures, publifhed in 1729, alledges; as a reafon 

 why the quotations in the New Ttllament differ from thofe 

 of the Old, that the Hebrew copies have been altered fince 

 the days of the apoftles. Bidiop Hare, with whofe tefti- 

 monies Dr. Kennicott concludes his catalogue of Chriftian 

 writers, contends earneftly for admitting the corruption of the 

 Hebrew text. He rejcfts the titles of many of the pfalms,, 

 as not given by the authors of thefe pfalms. He condemns 

 the praflice of varnilhing over, inftead of correcting, the 

 corrupted readings ; and he laments that Hebrew MSS., the 

 chief fupport of criticifm, were wanting. 



Dr. Kennicott clofes his account of his laudable under- 

 taking, with evincing the great ufe to be derived from the 

 Hebrew MSS. and ancient verfions, for amending the 

 printed Hebrew text ; and with exhorting perfons in power 

 to render fuch correftions fubfervient to the public good, 

 by procuring a more correft and a more intelUgible Englifii 

 tranflation, or rather a revifal of the prefent Englifh tranf- 

 lation of the Old Tcftament. Thefe MSS., he fays» 

 ftrongly confirm the ar.cient verfions, and enable us to 

 afcend to the times of Jerom, of the Apoftles, and even o£ 

 Ptolemy Philadclphus : and he adds, it now remains to be 

 feen in what kingdom or country, through Europe, will be 

 manifefted the greater zeal, for correfting the modem tranl^ 

 lations of the Old Teftament. 



The work of which, for the gratification of our readers, 

 and with a view of recording and tranfmitting the honour 

 of our country, where it was undertaken, and of the age in 

 which we five, we have given a copious account, will ap- 

 pear in its pre-eminent importance and utility, whenever it 

 (hall be apphed to the defirable purpofe of aiding a public 

 and authoritative new tranfiation of the Bible, or, at leaft^ 

 an effeftual revifion of the common verfion. In the tranf- 

 lation of particular books of Scripture, by Bifliops Lowtlv 

 and Newcome, and by others of inferior rank in the church, 

 &c. we obferve the advantage refulting from Dr. Kenni- 

 cott's labours ; but their full benefit can only be enjoyed, 

 when the tranflation is complete, and authoritatively intro- 

 duced into common ufe. It has contributed eminently to 

 the honour of the king of Sweden, that he has been the 

 firft prince in Europe who has ilfued his royal commands 

 for executing a purpofe of this kind : and Dr. Kennicott 

 thinks, it would be criminal to fappofe that Great Britain, 

 which has enjoyed fuch diftinguifhcd bleflings of Providence^ 

 will be backward in fo pious a defign. No perfons, what- 

 ever be their rank either in the church or ftate, can more 

 laudably teftify their veneration for the Holy Scriptures, 

 and their concern for the information and benefit of the 

 world, than by adopting and accomplifhing a meafure of 

 this kind. It would ferve alfo to obviate many objedions 

 againll the taith and authority of divine revelation. It has 

 been urged by Lord Bolingbroke, and by other writers on 

 the fide of fcepticifm or infidelity, " that if the Scriptures 

 had been from God, they would always have been preferved 

 in their primitive purity." In oppofition to fuggeftions of 

 this kind, Dr. Kenuicott Ihews, that neither the wifdom nor. 



the 



