seems inclined to paraphrase them, giving them a moral or spiritual meaning. Such passages, for instance, as describe God as possessed of human attributes, or acting from human feelings, as repenting, grieving, hating, being angry, etc., are rendered into expressions more in accordance with the rational ideas which the writer entertained concerning the Heavenly Father. The words in GEN. viii. 21, “And Jehovah smelled a sweet savor;" are rendered in the Targum, "And Jehovah received the sacrifice with favor." GEN. xi. 5, "Jehovah went down to see," is rendered "Jehovah revealed Himself." While these are interesting as indicating the author's sentiments, and his endeavors to get at the higher meaning, still, as unauthorized changes in the letter of the Divine Word, they are not to be followed or commended. When Onkelos lived, is uncertain. The common Jewish tradition places him about the time of the destruction of the second temple. The Babylonian Talmud makes him a disciple of Hillel, who died 60 B.C. This Hillel was the grandfather of Gamaliel, instructor of the Apostle Paul. Some modern scholars have maintained that this Targum must have been written as late as A.D. 125 to 175; but proof of this is wanting. (b) The next in age and in value is number four, the Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel on the Prophets. The accounts of this author's life are obscure. It is generally said that he was the most distinguished of Hillel's eighty disciples, and colleague of Simon the Just, thus living not a long time before the birth of Christ. In the historical books, Joshua to Kings, this Targum is quite literal; but in the prophets it is more paraphrastic and allegorical. The work is a useful help in studying the history of the Hebrew text. We (c) The Jerusalem Targum and that of Pseudo-Jonathan on the Pentateuch. have placed these two together, as later criticism goes to show that they are essentially only different copies of one original text, with some variations. The original was also sometimes called the Targum of Palestine. It is written in the later dialect of the Jews who settled at Jerusalem, and in literary and critical value is below that of the other two. Its author is unknown, but it is understood to have been written sometime after the commencement of the Christian era. (d) There are five other Targums, of more or less repute among the Jews; but all of later date and inferior value. They are on the Kethubim or Hagiographa, three of them on the Book of Esther, and none of them on the Word. 5. The Samaritan Version of the Pentateuch. This is a translation of the Samar itan copy of the old Hebrew Pentateuch, into the more modern language in use by the Samaritans about the beginning of the Christian Age. It follows the ancient text word for word, and possesses much interest for scholars. It has many coincidences with the Targum of Onkelos. The present copies possessed in Europe are supposed to have some slight alterations, having passed through a variety of hands. This version is printed in the Paris Polyglot, and a later, corrected edition in the London Polyglot. XXVIII. - Manner of Preserving the AT what period the oral transmission of Divine revelation ceased and writing began, is uncertain. It must, however, have been very early. Different nations would naturally reach the change in different ages. Among some peoples the oral method of transmitting literature has continued into historic times. The first writings appeared probably on the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates, and contiguous countries, including Palestine. The earliest writings, undoubtedly, as expressed by Job (xix. 24), "were graven with a pen of iron," at first on tablets of clay, and afterwards on slabs of stone. Some of these, made it is supposed nearly three thousand years B. C., are still preserved, and can be deciphered and read. For the public or national records, large slabs of stone or baked clay tablets were used; while for private purposes and large collections, like libraries, a series of clay tablets or thin tiles was employed, like successive pages of a book. The series relating to one subject were numbered, and placed in order together, practically fulfiling the office of a modern volume or book. The writings of the ancient Chaldeans and Assyrians were frequently as fine as the largest type in our modern books, and would contain as much on a page. One of these ancient libraries, collected on the banks of the Tigris by one of the most powerful of Assyrian monarchs nine hundred years before the Christian era, having been recovered, is now in the British Museum, and many students are engaged in learning its contents. There can be no doubt that, as this was the usage of the nations of the Ancient Church, the Ancient Word was preserved in this manner, as also the other sacred writings or religious books of that time. Another mode which came in very early was that invented in Egypt. This consisted in employing leaves of the papyrus plant, laid together and compacted into a substance not unlike our coarsest and strongest paper. It was cut into broad strips and put on rollers, from which it was gradually unrolled when wanted for use. This afforded a very durable material, and for many ages, in that early time, was exported from Egypt to various countries, and used very widely for literary purposes. A number of books written on this substance two thousand five hundred years before the Christian era, or one thousand years before the time of Moses, are still preserved in some of the museums of Europe, and retain a good degree of legibility. No doubt many of the books of the Ancient Church were preserved and circulated in this form. Probably the ancient manuscripts quoted and made use of by Moses were of this kind, he having been educated in the country and according to the manner of the Egyptians. With the Jewish Church another method came to be employed. The problem was to have the books in a portable form, to be easily carried about and stored; and at the same time, being documents of the utmost value and importance, to have them protected against destruction and decay. For this purpose a very tough and durable material had to be provided; and this was found in the skins of animals, so dried and prepared as to constitute a kind of rude but flexible leather. We learn from the Book of Exodus, in the preparations for the |