5. The Codex Rescriptus discovered in the library of the University of Dublin, and published with fac simile engravings, in 1801. It contains the Gospel of Matthew, but not free from mutilations. The learned discoverer and editor, Dr. Barrett, adjudges it to the sixth century. 6. The Clermont, in the King's library at Paris; containing the Epistles of Paul. Only two leaves and a part have been lost. The Epistle to the Hebrews is in a less ancient hand. Probably of the seventh century. 7. The Augiensis, in the library of Trinity College, Cambridge; containing the Epistles of Paul, except that the beginning of the Epistle to the Romans, and the whole of that to the Hebrews, are wanting. Attributed to the ninth or tenth century. 8. The Stephani octavús, No. 62, in the King's library at Paris; containing the Four Gospels, with some mutilations. Of the eighth or ninth century. 202 9. The Coislinianus No. 2; existing thirty years ago in the Benedictine library at St. Germain. It contains only fragments of the Pauline epistles, and is of the sixth or seventh century. Besides these, there are about 460 manuscripts known to exist, and scattered in the different public libraries of Europe. They are of various ages, from the ninth to the fifteenth century. Some were originally copies of the whole, or nearly the whole, Greek Testament, but more usually they are portions, such as the Gospels, the Epistles of Paul, &c. 1. The Syriac. THE ANCIENT VERSIONS. (1) The Peshito, that is right or correct. It certainly existed in the fourth century, and may not improbably be ascribed to the third or even the second. It is pure in diction, very accurate and faithful, and of great utility in criticism and interpretation. (2) The Philoxenian; made by Polycarp, under the patronage of Philoxenus, bishop of Hierapolis, in 508. It is literal to servility; but the translator was not well acquainted with Greek. (3) The Jerusalem Syriac, in the Chaldaic dialect; existing in manuscript in the Vatican library, written at Antioch in 1030. 2. The Coptic. (1) The Memphitic, published by Wilkins, Oxford, 1716. There is reason to believe that its antiquity is very great, probably reaching to the third century. It is said to express the text of the best and most ancient Greek manuscripts. (2) The Sahidic, existing only in manuscript, except a part of the Gospel of John, which was published at Rome, 1789. Woide thinks it may be even of the second century. 3. The Æthiopic; ascribed to the fourth century. It has never been duly collated, and copies are said to be almost incredibly scarce in Abyssinia. 4. The Armenian; made by Miesrob about 410, said to be faithful, and often called the Queen of Versions. But the copies made since the middle of the thirteenth century, are supposed to have been interpolated from the Vulgate. 5. The Arabic. Several versions exist, of the whole, or of parts of the N. T. but all of them are supposed to be later than the seventh century, and are not of high authority. 6. The Persic; made from the Syriac, and containing only. the Gospels. Other versions exist, but none of them are of much value in criticism. 7. The Latin. (1) Versions before the time of Jerome. These were various, and going back to a very high antiquity. It is probable that the different books, or small collections of them, were translated by different persons. Among these one called the Old Italic is said to have been the most distinguished; but our information is obscure. (2) The Vulgate; not a new version, but a selection, revision, and careful correction, by Jerome, A. D. 384. It possessed great merit as a very close translation and generally following the best and oldest Greek copies but it was not generally received till the eighth century. It has also been considerably altered since, by revisions and the intermixing of the former Latin versions. 8. The Gothic, or ancient German; by Ulphilas, bishop of the Gothic tribes in Wallachia, about the middle of the fourth century, and said to be a very excellent version. The Gospels only were known to be extant, till, in 1818, the Abbate Angelo Maio discovered manuscripts containing the Thirteen Epistles of Paul, in the Ambrosian library at Milan. The publication of this much desired part of this venerable version is eagerly expected by the lovers of sacred literature. 9. The Slavonic, or ancient. Russian; by Methodius and Cyril, in the ninth century. 10. The Anglo-Saxon, made probably in the eighth century. The Gospels only, and some fragments besides, have been published. It is said to exhibit chiefly the readings of the Old Italic. 11. In 1817, a manuscript of a version of the whole Old and New Testament in the Georgian language was discovered in the Georgian monastery at Mount Athos. It is said to be the actual autograph of the translator, Euphemius, who lived in the eighth century. It is to be hoped that measures will be taken to procure an unaltered impression, or at least an exact collation of this new accession to the materials of Biblical literature, |