February 12, 1886.] 



SCIENCE. 



153 



FACSIMILE OF THE ANTILEGOMENA. 



The Johns Hopkins publication agency an- 

 nounces a reproduction in phototype of seventeen 

 pages of a Sj'iiac manuscript containing the 

 epistles known as ' Antilegomena.' These are to 

 be published under the editorial supervision of 

 Prof. Isaac H. Hall, Ph.D., with brief descriptive 

 notes by the editor. This manuscript consists of 

 the Acts and Catholic epistles, and the Pauline 

 epistles, followed by Hebrews ; together with 

 tables to find Easter, etc. (arranged for the Seleu- 

 cid era), tables of ecclesiastical lessons, and a 

 poem at the end, giving a history of the genesis 

 of the manuscript. Its chief peculiarity consists 

 in its containing seven Catholic epistles, while 

 ordinary Syriac manuscripts have but three ; 2 

 Peter, 2 and 3 John, and Jude being commonly 

 rejected by the Syrians, and very rarely found 

 among them. The version is Peshitto, except for 

 these commonly rejected epistles, in which is 

 followed the version usually printed. Each book, 

 except the several Catholic epistles (and they as a 

 whole), has its proemium from Gregory Bar He- 

 braeus, and its title and subscription. The manu- 

 script is provided throughout with the Syrian 

 sections and church- lessons, and is dated at the 

 end. Grammatical and other annotations occur 

 frequently in the margins. The careful writing 

 and pointing, as well as the superior character of 

 the text, with the matters narrated in the poem 

 at the end, show the work to be that of a critical 

 Syrian scholar, and not of a mere copyist. Two 

 notes by the contemporary corrector appear on 

 leaves toward the end. The printed editions of 

 the rejected epistles all rest on one inferior Bod- 

 leian manuscript, and particularly upon its editio 

 princeps, published by Edward Pococke (Leyden, 

 Elzevir) in 1630. This has hitherto been varied in 

 later editions only by editorial conjecture. This 

 is the second manuscript of these epistles ever 

 given to the public, and doubles the available 

 critical material, though a few other manuscripts 

 of various ages are known to exist, some copied 

 from the printed editions. The selected pages 

 are : 1. A page containing the end of one of the 

 tables of lessons, with a contemporary Arabic 

 note respecting the origin and character of the 

 manuscript ; 2. The first page of Acts, with title 

 and proemium, showing the general appearance 

 and external characteristics of the manuscript : 3. 

 The leaves winch contain the Antilegomena mat- 

 ter, — 2 Peter, 2 and 3 John, and Jude (with 

 them, of course, the end of 1 Peter, 1 John, and 

 the beginning of Romans, with general proemium 

 to the Pauline epistles and that to Romans); 4. 

 The last page of the manuscript proper, end and 



subscription to Hebrews, and date of manuscript, 

 with note of contemporary corrector ; 5. Two 

 pages containing the poem above referred to ; in 

 all, seventeen phototype pages, each on a separate 

 leaf, besides additional pages containing appropri- 

 ate descriptive and explanatory matter. 



EDUCATIONAL BOOKS AND REPORTS, 



A batch of educational pamphlets has been 

 accumulating on our table, and we believe that a 

 reference to their contents will be of interest to 

 the readers of Science. 



In the beautifully printed parchment series of 

 Keagan Paul & Co., Lord Iddesleigh (Sir S. North- 

 cote) has given a complete report of the entertain- 

 ing lecture which he delivered as the first of a 

 series of addresses to the students of the University 

 of Edinburgh, Nov. 3, 1885. He discusses desultory 

 reading, its pleasures, dangers, and uses. The 

 theme is not new, but after Maurice, and Carlyle, 

 and Lowell, and Emerson, and many more who 

 have recorded their experience, these fresh state- 

 ments on ' the friendship of books ' are well worth 

 reading. They suggested to the London Spectator 

 of Jan. 2 a racy editorial, quite worth perusal. 



The former cabinet-minister, Rt. Hon. G. J. 

 Goschen, M.P., has collected seven of his addresses 

 on educational and economical themes. That 

 upon the cultivation of the imagination was re- 

 printed long ago in Littell. The second, on mental 

 training and useful knowledge, points out the 

 danger of science-teaching ; namely, that the 

 teachers will endeavor to impart facts rather than 

 to set the scholar thinking. The third, higher 

 education for workingmen, is an explanation of 

 the purposes of the London society for the exten- 

 sion of university teaching, and an endeavor to 

 awaken a love of study among bread-winners. 

 The lecture is most encouraging in its account of 

 the success of popular concerts and lectures in 

 London. The rest of the volume relates to eco- 

 nomics. 



The University of Cambridge has published the 

 report of a syndicate on popular lectures, written 

 by Rev. W. M. Ede of St. John's college. It re- 

 views the work of the university extension scheme, 

 and points out the obstacles which that work has 

 encountered, and the danger of its degenerating 

 into a mere lecturing scheme. The tone of the 

 report is encouraging, and its frank exhibition of 

 the conditions of failure and of success makes it 

 suggestive to Americans who are endeavoring by 

 like methods to carry instruction to those classes 

 in the community who are at hard work during 

 many hours each day. 



This is the period when most of the reports ap- 



