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order, showing its author, time of writing, argument, scope, chronology, and division. He carefully points out those passages which are more particularly worthy of consideration, or more difficult; and under each book of the Old Testament he specifies the types and prophecies of Jesus Christ, and the citations from each book in the New Testament. The author has derived much assistance from the labours of Moldenhawer in the fourth volume of this work.

7. An Introduction to the Study and Knowledge of the New TesBy Edward Harwood, D. D. London, 1767, 1771. 2 vols.

tament.

8vo.

The learned author designed a third volume, which was to embrace the chief critical questions respecting the New Testament. This work contains a collection of dissertations, relative, partly to the characters of the sacred writers, partly to the Jewish History and Customs, and to such part of heathen antiquities as have reference to the New Testament. As these dissertations display great erudition and contain much information illustrative of the New Testament, Dr. Harwood's Introduction is certainly to be recommended to the Theological Student." (Bishop Marsh.) Another experienced divinity tutor (the late Rev. Dr. Williams) has also justly remarked that this work may be read with advantage, making allowance for the author's theological sentiments, (Christian Preacher, p. 417.) which were Arian. The writer of these pages has derived many useful illustrations from Dr. Harwood's labours in the third volume of this work.

8. Dictionnaire Historique, Chronologique, Geographique, et Litteral de la Bible. Par Augustin Calmet. Folio. 4 tomes. Paris, 1730.

A translation of this truly valuable work, with occasional remarks, was published in 1732, in three folio volumes; which having become extremely scarce, an edition was published in 1801, in two thick 4to. volumes, by Mr. Taylor, with a volume of additions from books of voyages and travels, &c. under the title of "Fragments." A new edition, (being the fourth) enlarged and greatly improved, was published in 1823, in five volumes 4to. The work is pleasingly illustrated with numerous engravings, which convey an accurate idea of Oriental manners and customs. Calmet's Dictionary is the basis of all other modern works of the like kind.

9. A Dictionary of the Holy Bible. By the Rev. John Brown, of Haddington. 2 vols. 8vo.

The author was a minister in the Secession-church of Scotland; and in his doctrinal views Calvinistic. Allowance being made for some of his sentiments, his work may be advantageously substituted for the preceding, the price of which necessarily places it above the reach of many persons. The best edition of Mr. Brown's dictionary is the fifth, which costs about eighteen shillings. A professed abridgment of this work was published in 1815, in two small volumes, 18mo. The Compendious Dictionary of the Holy Bible," first published by Mr. Button in 1796, and since reprinted with additions and corrections in 12mo. is a judicious abridgment of Brown's Dictionary. By means of a very small but clear type, a vast quantity of matter is comprised within the compass of this little volume. The book, without doubt, may be serviceable to many." (British Critic, Old Series, vol. x. p. 201.)

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10. A Theological, Biblical, and Ecclesiastical Dictionary; serving as a general note-book to illustrate the Old and New Testament, as a guide to the Practices and Opinions of all Sects and Religions, and as a Cyclopædia of Religious Knowledge. By John Robinson, D. D. London, 1815. 8vo.

It is no small commendation of this work that, within a few months after its publication, it was recommended by several dignitaries of the Anglican church to the attention of candidates for the ministerial office. It is very closely printed, and presents a valuable digest, with references to authorities at the end of each article, of almost all that has hitherto been written on biblical literature. Most cordially do we join in the following commendation of it in a modern critical journal. "It is clearly the work of a man of much industry in collecting, and of much judgment in arranging his matter. To every theological student, who has not access to an extensive library, this volume will prove a very useful subsidiary; to many, indeed, who have neither attainment nor abilities for research, it will become neces

sary." (Brit. Crit. N. S. vol. vii. p. 305.) We cannot however help expressing our regret that, on some topics, Dr. R. should have referred to writers, whose publications (though useful in some respects) are calculated to subvert the fundamental doctrines of the Gospel; and though we cannot but differ from the learned author in some of his positions, yet we have no hesitation in saying, that it is the most compendious Dictionary of the Bible extant in our language. The work is illustrated by several neatly engraved maps. It may be proper to add, that it is noticed with merited commendation in the Evangelical Magazine for 1817, vol. xxv. p. 456. and in the Antijacobin Review, vol. xlix. pp. 1–15.

11. The Biblical Cyclopædia; or, Dictionary of the Holy Scriptures, intended to facilitate an acquaintance with the inspired writings. By William Jones. 1816. 2 vols. 8vo.

The compiler of this work is advantageously known to the public as the auther of a valuable "History of the Waldenses." The plan of his Biblical Cyclopedie is less extensive than that of Dr. Robinson's Dictionary, before which some parts of it appeared, though it bears date one year later than the latter work.

12. Thesaurus Ecclesiasticus, e Patribus Græcis, ordine alphabe tico exhibens quæcunque Phrases, Ritus, Dogmata, Hæreses, et kujusmodi alia huc spectant, à Johanne Casparo Suicero. Folio. 2 vols. Amsterdam, 1728.

This is the best edition of a most valuable work; which, though indispensably necessary for understanding the writings of the Greek fathers, incidentally contains many illustrations of Scripture. It is said to have cost the learned author twenty years' labour; the first edition appeared at Amsterdam in 1682, in twe volumes, folio.

It may be proper to add, that most of the questions relative to the history, geography, &c. of the Bible are noticed in Schleusner's valuable Lexicon to the Septuagint version, and also in his Greek and Latin, and in Mr. Parkhurst's Greek and English Lexicons to the New Testament; where they are illustrated with equal learning and accuracy.

No. VI.

A LIST OF THE PRINCIPAL COMMENTATORS

And Biblical Critics of Eminence; with Bibliographical and Critical Notices, extracted from authentic Sources.

[Referred to in page 566. of this Volume.]

A COMPLETE History of Commentators would require a volume of no ordinary dimensions. The present list is therefore necessarily restricted to an account of the Principal Commentaries and Critical Works illustrating the Holy Scriptures. The reader who may be desirous of prosecuting this subject more at length, will find much interesting information relative to the early commentators in Rosenmüller's Historia Interpretationis Librorum Sacrorum in Ecclesia Christiana, inde ab Apostolorum Ætate usque ad Originem, published in detached fasciculi at Leipsic, between the years 1795—1814, and forming five tomes usually bound in two vols. 8vo. This elaborate work treats exclusively on the early commentators. Father Simon's Histoire Critique du Vieux Testament, 4to. 1680 (liv. iii. pp. 416– 466), and his Histoire Critique des Principaux Commentateurs du Nou veau Testament, 4to. Rotterdam, 1689, contain many valuable strictures on the Expositors of the Old and New Testaments, up to his own time. In 1674 was published at Frankfort, in two large folio

volumes, Joh. Georg. Dorschei Biblia Numerata, seu Index Specialis in Vetus Testamentum ad singula omnium Librorum Capita, et Commata. It contains a list of Commentators (four hundred and ninety-one in number), who had illustrated any book, chapter or verse of the Scriptures, with references to the books, chapters and pages of their several works. The merits and demerits of commentators are likewise discussed in Walchius's Bibliotheca Theologica Selecta, vol. iv. pp. 369-931.; in Ernesti's Institutio Interpretis Novi Testamenti, pars iii. cap. ix. pp. 278-311.; and in Morus's Acroases Academica, vol. ii. pp. 204-340. Rambach, in his Institutiones Hermeneuticæ, pp. 663-726.; Professor Keil, in his Elementa Hermeneutices Novi Testamenti (8vo. Leipsic, 1811), pp. 159. et seq. and Professor Beck, in his Monogrammata Hermeneutices Librorum Novi Fœderis (8vo. Lipsiæ, 1803), part i. pp. 168. et seq. respectively notice the principal expositors of the Scriptures, particularly those written in the German Language, which being understood by few biblical students in this country, all commentaries in that tongue are necessarily omitted in the following bibliographical notices of commentators.

SECTION I.

SCHOLIA ON THE ENTIRE BIBLE, OR THE GREATER PART THEREOF.

1. JOANNIS MARIANE Scholia in Vetus et Novum Testamentum. Paris, 1620. folio.

2. HUGONIS GROTII Annotationes ad Vetus et Novum Testamen

tum.

The Scholia on the Old Testament were first published at Paris, in 1644: and those on the New Testament at the same place, in three volumes, in 1641, 1646, and 1650. They are also to be found in the fourth volume of his Opera Theolo gica (Basil, 1732, folio), as well as in the Critici Sacri, and in Calovius's Biblia Illustrata. They were republished in 4to., with numerous corrections by Vogel, vol. i. Hala, 1775; vol. ii. and vol. iii. were published in 1776 by Doederlein, who, in 1779, published an Aucturium, also in 4to., which was separately sold under the title of Scholia in Libros Pocticos Veteris Testamenti. An edition of them was published by Mr. Moody, in two vols. 4to., London, 1727; and his Scholia on the New Testament were reprinted at Erlang in 1755, and following years, in 4to. We have been thus minute in stating the editions of Grotius's Scholia, on account of their intrinsic value. Father Calmet has criticised many parts of them with great severity, particularly his preface to and explanation of the Canticles. "Grotius," says Dr. Doddridge," has done more to illustrate the Scriptures, by what is generally called profane learning, than perhaps almost all the other commentators put together; nevertheless, he too often gives up prophecies, which, in their original sense, relate to the Messiah. His notes on some texts are large and learned dissertations, which might have profitably been published by themselves." "His learning," says an eminent biblical critic of the present day, "was very extensive; his erudition profound; and his moderation on subjects of controversy highly praise-worthy. No man possessed a more extensive and accurate knowledge of the Greek and Latin writers; and no man has more successfully applied them to the illustration of the sacred writings. He is, perhaps justly, suspected of Socinian sentiments; and is, in general, so intent upon the literal meaning of the Scriptures, as to lose sight of the spiritual." (Dr. A. Clarke.) On the New

1 The references above, as well as in the following pages, to Drs. Doddridge and Adam Clarke, are, to the "Lectures on Preaching" of the former, inserted in the fifth volume of his detached works, printed at Leeds, 1804, pp. 471. et seq., and to the General Preface" of the latter, prefixed to vol. i. of his Commentary on the Bible, which is noticed in a subsequent page.

VOL. II.

93

Testament, Grotius is particularly valuable for understanding the history and He

braisms.

3. DIODATI (John) Annotations on the Bible, translated from the Italian. London, 1664. folio.

Diodati was an eminent Italian divine and reformer in the early part of the 17th century; his annotations are properly Scholia, rather practical than critical. but containing many useful hints; a considerable portion of them was introduced into the "Assembly's Annotations," noticed in a subsequent page.

4. Jo. CHRIST. FRID. SCHULZII et GEO. LAUR. BAUERI Scholia in Vetus Testamentum. Norimbergæ, 1783-1797. 10 vols. 8vo.

The three first volumes only of these learned Scholia were ostensibly written by Professor Schulze, who states in his preface, that, in imitation of Rosenmaller's Scholia on the New Testament, he undertook similar short notes on the Old Testament. For this purpose, he has made extracts from the best philological and critical Scholia, chiefly from German works which are not readily accessible or intelligible by foreigners; this is no small advantage; and, independently of it. Schulze has added numerous critical notes of his own, beside the contributions of his learned friends. (Maty's Review, vol. v. p. 406-412.) On the death of Schulze, Professor Bauer continued the work, and published the remaining seven volumes on the same plan.

5. ERNEST. FRID. CAR. ROSENMÜLLERI Scholia in Vetus Testamentum. Lipsiæ, 1795-1821. 18 vols. 8vo.

6. J. G. ROSENMÜLLERI Scholia in Novum Testamentum. Edit. Nova, Norimbergæ, 1801-1808. 5 vols. 8vo.

These Scholia have long had a very extensive circulation in Germany, but are now beginning to be known in this country, though their high price renders them accessible to comparatively few students. The Scholia on the Old Testament are written by Rosenmaller the son; and those on the New Testament by Rosenmaller the father. The latter is upon the whole a much safer and sounder critic than his son, whose Scholia in many passages are made conformable to the lax and (miscalled) rational system of interpretation, which for many years has been but too prevalent among the German Biblical Critics. In the improved editions above noticed of their very valuable Scholia, the two Rosenmullers have diligently availed themselves of every possible aid, which their own researches, or those of their friends, could procure for them. The author of the present work is indebted to these eminent critics for many valuable observations on the Analysis, &c. of the Sacred writings. A third edition of the younger Rosenmuller's Scholia on the book of Genesis (so much enlarged and corrected as almost to form a new work), and a second of those on the Psalms, was published at Leipsic in 1821, 8vo.

7. REEVES.-The Holy Bible, containing the Old Testament and the New, translated out of the original tongues, and with the former translations diligently compared and revised. London, printed for John Reeves, Esq., one of the Patentees of the office of King's Printer. 9 vols. royal 4to. 9 vols. royal 8vo. 9 or 10 vols. crown Sve.

Although the beautiful editions of the Bible here noticed do not profess to be commentaries, yet as they are accompanied by short explanatory and Philological Scholia, it would be injustice towards Mr. Reeves's splendid and public-spirited efforts to render the Scriptures attractive to the higher classes, were we to pass them in silence. On this account Mr. Reeves's editions may justly claim a place

1 Jahn affirms that they were not written by Schulze himself, but by Schöder under his name; and he further adds, that, in general, on difficult passages, an antient and a modern interpretation is given, and the decision between them is left to the reader's judginent. (Jahn, Enchiridion Hermeneutica Generalis, p. 173) Whether Schöder or Schulze wrote the first three vols. is not material now to know; useful as the work unquestionably is, the reader should be informed that the author has adopted the fashionable hypothesis of many German divines, that Moses was a clever mythologue, who compiled his history from certain mythi or traditional narratives! This hypothesis is also adopted by Rosenmüller, and by Dathe. and it was embraced by the late Dr. Geddes in his version of the Bible. See a examined, and (we trust satisfactorily) refuted, infra, Vol. IV. pp. 6-9.

in the present list of Scholiasts on the Bible. His notes are selected with great judgment from the labours of Bishop Patrick, Lowth, Whitby, and others; and his mode of printing the text is admirable. The historical parts, which are in prose, are printed in continuous paragraphs; and the poetical parts are divided into verses. Each book is divided into sections, conformable to the natural divisions of the several subjects; and to facilitate reference, the chapters and verses are distinctly pointed out in the margin. There is a learned preface to all the editions. In our analysis of the different books of Scripture, particularly of the Old Testament, we have frequently adopted Mr. Reeves's sectional divisions, which are for the most part very judiciously made. It may be proper to add that the printing of Mr. Reeves's editions was executed by Messrs. Bulmer & Co., and by Mr. Bensley, and may safely challenge competition with the most beautiful specimens of British typography. There are some copies extant in four volumes, 8vo., without the Scholia.

SECTION II.

JEWISH COMMENTATORS.

A FEW only of the Jewish Rabbins have illustrated every individual book of the Old Testament: the following are those held in the highest estimation by the Jews.1

RABBI SOLOMON JARCHI, Ben Isaac, usually cited as RASCHI from the contraction of his names, was a native of Troyes in Champagne : he wrote commentaries on the entire Bible, as well as the chief part of the Talmud, and from his extensive learning is accounted one of the most learned Jewish expositors. His style, however, is so exceedingly obscure as to require an ample comment to make it intelligible. He died A. D. 1180. Many of his commentaries have been printed in Hebrew, and some have been translated into Latin by Christians; as that on Esther by Philip Daquin, that on Joel by Genebrard, and those on Obadiah, Jonah, and Zephaniah, by Pontac. A German version of his entire Commentary on the Pentateuch, and on some other books of the Old Testament, was published by Breithaupt, in 4to. at Gotha, in 1710.

2. Rabbi ABRAHAM ABEN EZRA was a native of Spain, and flourished in the twelfth century; his Commentaries on the Scriptures, written in an elegant style, are much esteemed both by Jews and Christians.

3. Rabbi DAVID KIMCHI was also a native of Spain, and flourished towards the close of the twelfth century; he wrote Commentaries on the Old Testament, which are highly valued, particularly that on the prophet Isaiah.

4. Rabbi LEVI BEN GERSHOM, a Spanish Jew, was contemporary with Kimchi: his Commentaries on the Scripture, especially on the Pentateuch, are much esteemed. He accounted for the miracles from natural causes.

5. Rabbi ISAAC ABARBANEL, or ABRAVANEL, (as he is sometimes called) a Portuguese Jew, flourished in the fifteenth century, and wrote Commentaries on the Pentateuch, the whole of the Prophets,

1 In this account of the Jewish Expositors, we have chiefly followed Carpzov, in his Introductio ad Libros Canonicos Veteris Testamenti, pp. 35. et seq. and De Rossi's scarce work, entitled Bibliotheca Judaica Antichristiana, quâ editi et inediti Judæorum Libri recensentur. Royal 8vo., Parma, 1800. Wolfius has also treated on the Jewish Commentators, in his Bibliotheca Hebræa, tom. ii. p. 368. et passim. For an account of the Chaldee Paraphrases, see Part I. pp. 157-163. of this vo. lume, supra.

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