A manual of Biblical bibliography : comprising a catalogue ... of the principal editions and versions of the Holy Scriptures; together with notices of the principal philologers, critics, and interpreters of the Bible / [Thomas Hartwell Horne].

  • Horne, Thomas Hartwell, 1780-1862
Date:
1839
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A manual of Biblical bibliography : comprising a catalogue ... of the principal editions and versions of the Holy Scriptures; together with notices of the principal philologers, critics, and interpreters of the Bible / [Thomas Hartwell Horne]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Oe 20 Greek. Testuments. [Part LY@Cheat, a common text, are the Cantabrigiensis in the Gospel and Acts, and the Claromontanus Ge Beth in the Epistles of St. Paul.” These Dr. Harwood considered as. approaching the nearest of any manuscripts now known in the world to the original text of the sacred records. “ It is not improbable that this edition contains more of the antient and genuine text of the Greek Testament than those which are in common use: but.as no single manuscript, however — antient and venerable, is entitled to such a preference as to exclude the rest, and no critic of the present age can adopt a new reading, unless the general evidence be produced, and the preponderancy in its favour distinctly shown, the learned and ingenious editor has in some % measure defeated his own object, and rendered his labours less applicable to the purposes of sacred criticism.” (Bishop Marsh’s Michaelis, vol. ii. part ii. pp. 884, 885.) At the end of the second volume there is a catalogue of the principal editions of the Greek Testament, and a list of the most esteemed.commentators and critics. The work is very neatly printed : and under the Greek text are short critical notes in English, chiefly relating to classical illustrations of Scripture. In the list of commentators and ‘critics, those are:most com- mended by Dr. Harwood who favour the Socinian scheme, to which he was strongly attached, and he therefore admitted or rejected a variety of readings, according as they favour or oppose the Socinian doctrine. 23. Novum Testamentum Grecum, @ Codice MS. Alexandrino, qui Londini in Bibliotheca Musei Britannici asservatur, descriptum a Carolo Godofredo Worpe. Londini, ex prelo Joannis Nichols, typis. Jacksonianis, 1786. folio. ; | This is an an elegant fac-simile edition of the Alexandrian Manuscript which is pre- served in the British Museum, and is described in Vol. II. Part I. pp. 94—99. Twelve copies were printed on vellum. The fac-simile itself fills two hundred and sixty pages: and the preface, comprising twenty-two pages, contains an accurate description of the Manuscript, illustrated by an engraving .representing the style of writing in warious manuscripts. To this is subjoined an exact list of all its:various readings, in eighty-nine pages; each reading is accompanied with a remark, giving an account.of what his predecessors Junius (i. e. Patrick Young,) Bishop Walton, Drs. Mill.and Grabe, and Wetstein, had per- ‘formed or neglected. The preface of-Woide, and his collection of various readings, were reprinted, with notes, by Professor Spohn, at-Leipsic, in 1790, in 8vo. Tocomplete this publi- cation there should be added the following: Appendix ad Editionem Novi Testamenti Graci é Codice Alexandrino descripti ad C. G. Woide. Oxonii: € Typographeo Clarendoniano. 1799. folio. This splendid work was edited by the Rev. Dr. Ford, who added many: useful notes. Long before Dr. Woide executed his fac-simile edition of the New Testament from the | Alexandrian Manuscript, it had been suggested to King Charles I., to cause a fac-simile of the entire MS. to.be engraved. But the importance and value of such an undertaking do not appear to have been understood—at least they were not duly appreciated—by that monarch: he therefore refused to have it done. The circumstance is thus related by the industrious antiquary Aubrey, in his inedited ‘“‘ Remaines of Gentilisime and Judaisme,”’ preserved among the Lansdowne MSS. in the British Museum, No. 231. folio 169. » Writing on the disputed clause in.1 John v. 7. Aubrey says.:— “ The last clause of this verse is not found in the antient MSS. copies, e. g. that in the Vatican Library, and y° Tecla MS. in S‘ James’s Library and others: as_it is not in an old MS. in Magdalen Coll: Library in Oxford. That at ‘St. James’s was sent asa Pre- sent to King Charles the First, from Cyrillus, Patriark of Constantinople: asa jewel of that antiquity not fit to be kept amongst. Infidels) .Mr..... Rosse (translator of -Statius) gott him the place [of ] was Tutor to y° D. of Monmouth, who made him Library-Keeper at St. James’s: he de- sired K. Cha. I. to’be-at y° chardge to have it engraven in copper plates: and told him it would cost but £200, but his Ma'Y would not yield to it. Mr. Ross sayd “ that it would appeare glorious in History, after his Ma‘Y* death.”’ <‘* Pish,”’ sayd he, -‘* I care not what ’ they say of me in History when I am dead.” H. Grotius, J. G. Vossius, Heinsius, &c. have made Journeys into England, purposely to. correct their Greeke Testaments by this Copy in St. James’s. S Chr. Wren sayd that he would rather have it engraved by an Engraver that could not understand or read: Greek, than by one that did.” In the reign of Charles II. the design of printing this manuscript was resumed ; and the editing of the fac-simile was to have been confided to the Rev. Dr. Smith, to whom the King promised a canonry of Windsor, or of Westminster, for his labour. But, from some circumstance or other which cannot now be ascertained, this design was abandoned. (Weeds Athenz Oxonienses, vol]. ii. col. 1020.) The value of such an undertaking has been better understood in our times: and the ‘ British Parliament nobly g apie. the expense of the Fac-simile Edition which was : executed under the editorship of the Rev. H. H. Baber. See an account of it, in No. 17. p- 47. infra. 24, Novum Testamentum Grecum, ad Codicem Vindobonensem Greece