THE PENTATEUCH OF THE SAMAKITANS. 



165 



replaced by the former.* This, however, as I have observed, is 

 a minor point, and perhaps not worthy of mention. 



I will now ask Colonel Mackinlay to propose the vote of thanks 

 to Dr. Thomson for his noteworthy communication. 



Lieut. -Col. Mackinlay said : — I am sure we all heartily concur 

 in the statement of our Chairman that the paper we have just heard 

 is one of the most valuable, if not itself the most valuable, which 

 has ever been read before this Institute, and we sincerely thank the 

 learned author. 



His three lines of argument summarized on p. 1 52, based respec- 

 tively on human nature, the errors of copyists during the ages, 

 and the use of gutturals, all converge to the same result. They are 

 most systematic, topical and convincing. 



I have the greatest pleasure in proposing a hearty vote of thanks 

 to Dr. Thomson. 



(This was carried by acclamation.) 



Written Communications. 

 Mr. Harold M. Wiener writes : — I regret that I am unable to 

 endorse the main conclusions of Dr. Thomson's paper. The mass 

 of material available for its criticism is so large that all I can hope 

 to do in the limited time at my disposal is to select two or three 

 outstanding points and make them as short as possible. 



1. According to the Hebrew Pentateuch, there are ten com- 

 mandments. The Samaritan, however, has an eleventh, designed 

 to give dignity to Mount Gerizim, their religious capital. There are 

 also other alterations of the Pentateuchal text made with the same 

 object. I have never heard of anybody who regarded these as 

 original, and consequently I think it unnecessary to waste time in 

 showing from the history how impossible it is that the eleventh 

 commandment should be anything but a forgery. If, however, the 

 Samaritans in fact accepted a Pentateuch attributing to the direct 

 utterance of Grod Himself a command which was deliberately forged, 

 it seems to me impossible to place any reliance at all on a priori 

 arguments as to whether the Samaritans would or would not have 

 accepted Levitical ritual. 



2. From another side it is easy enough to show the relative worth- 

 lessness of the Samaritan Pentateuch. From a number of crucial 



* See, for example, W. Asia Insc, V., pi. 25, lines 41 cd and ab. 



