tradictions. The Emperor Justinian in his 14th Novel; Lewis the Saint, King of France in the year 1240.; Philip IV., King of Spain; the Popes Gregory IX.; Innocent IV.; Honorius IV.; John XXII.; Clement VI.; Julius III.; Paul IV.; Pius V.; Gregory XIII.; Clement VIII.; &c., forbade the reading of it. The Cardinal Inquisitors at Rome, by a decree made in the year 1563; and confirmed afterwards, in the year 1627, ordered all the copies of it to be burnt. In consequence of which, the famous library of the Jews at Cremona was, in the year 1569, plundered, and about 12,000 copies, as well of the Talmud, as of other Rabbinical books, committed to the flames." (Pref. p. 27.)*

Towards the close of the tenth or the commencement of the eleventh century, the Talmud was translated into Arabic by order of Haschim II., Caliph of Cordova, who committed the translation to R. Joseph, the disciple of R. Moses, usually called Moses clad with a sack, from having been thus meanly clothed when his great learning and talents were first discovered.

2. THE TARGUMS.

THE Chaldee word Targum means translation or interpretation, but is chiefly appropriated to the versions or translations of the Scriptures into the East-Aramæan or Chaldee dialect. For, after the Babylonish captivity, it was the practice of the Jews, that when the Law was "read in the synagogue every Sabbath-day," in pure Hebrew, an explanation was subjoined to it in Chaldee, in order to render it intelligible to the people, who had but an imperfect knowledge of the Biblical Hebrew.-There are ten Targums or Paraphrases still extant, on different parts of the Old Testament: These are,

See also "Illustrations of Biblical Literature," vol. i. p. 184; ii. pp. 179, 479; iii. p. 20.

1. The Targum of Onkelos; which was probably executed about the time of the Christian era, or a few years previously, as Onkelos, who was a Jew by birth and highly esteemed for his learning and probity, is said to have died eighteen years before the destruction of Jerusalem. "It is a strictly literal version, word for word, of the original text" of the Hebrew Pentateuch, into pure Chaldee. It was printed with the Pentateuch, in folio, 1482, Bonon.-The best edition will be found in Buxtorf's Hebrew Bible, 2 vols, Basil, 1620; or in the London Polyglott, vol. i. taken from the above, London, 1657, 6 vols. folio.

2 The Targum of Jonathan Ben Uzziel, on the Prophets; that is, on Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings, called by the Jews the former Prophets;-and Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the twelve minor Prophets, called the latter Prophets." This Targum is a paraphrase rather than a version, and contains many of the writer's own glosses on the text; besides which, several stories are inserted which discredit the work."-The author, Jonathan the son of Uzziel, who was nearly contemporary with Onkelos, is Isaid to have been educated in the school of Rabbi Hillel, grandfather to Gamaliel, at whose feet the Apostle Paul was "brought up."-To attach the greater authority to this Targum, the Jews assert, that, whilst its author was composing it, there was an earthquake for forty leagues around him; and, that if a bird happened to pass over him, or a fly to alight on his paper whilst writing, it was immediately consumed by fire from heaven, without any injury being sustained either in the Rabbi's person or his paper! The earliest printed edition of part of this Targum was that published with the PROPHETE PRIORES, folio, Leira, 1494; but the whole was published by Buxtorf in his Hebrew Bible, folio, 2 vols., 1620. This, and the London Polyglott, contain the best editions of this Targum.

3. The Targum of the Pseudo-Jonathan, so called from being falsely ascribed to Jonathan Ben Uzziel, from whose

paraphrase of the Prophets it differs so exceedingly both in style and diction, as well as in the frequent introduction of legendary stories, and occurrences long subsequent to the time of Jonathan, as to place its pseudo character beyond a doubt.—It is a diffuse and paraphrastic version of the Pentateuch, and was first printed at Venice, and afterwards at Basle. Since then it has been printed at Hanover, 1614, and at Amsterdam, with the Targums of Onkelos and Jerusalem and the Commentary of R. Solomon Jarchi:— It was translated into Latin, in the sixteenth century, by Anthony Ralph de Chevalier.

4 The Jerusalem Targum; so denominated from being written in the dialect of Jerusalem, or that which was spoken by the Jews after their return from the Babylonish Captivity. The author and date of it are unknown, but it does not appear to have been written earlier than the seventh century, and some have thought not till the seventh or eighth, or even the ninth century. This Targum is not a continued paraphrase of the entire Pentateuch, on which it is written, but of certain parts only, occasionally omitting whole verses or chapters, and sometimes offering explanations of single words or sentences; it has therefore been supposed, by several learned philologers and critics, to have been compiled by various authors, and formed from extracts and collections. It was translated into Latin by Chevalier, and by Francis Taylor.-This Targum was published by Buxtorf in his Great Rabbinical Bible, Venice, 1547, folio, and by Walton in the London Polyglott, 1657, with an improved Latin translation. A Latin version was printed at London, 1649.

5. The Targum of Rabbi Joseph, surnamed the Blind, ruler of an academy in Syria, who flourished in the fourth century. It is a paraphrase on the books of Chronicles written in the Jerusalem dialect. The best edition of this Targum, is that published by David Wilkins, from a

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manuscript in the University library at Cambridge, Amstel. 1715, 4to.

6. The Targum on certain books of the Cetubim, or Hagiographa or Holy Writings,* viz. The Psalms, Proverbs, and Job; is ascribed by some Jewish writers to Rabbi Joseph the Blind, though others affirm the author to be unknown. The style of it is barbarous and unequal, and intermixed with Syriac, and Greek, and Latin words, so that none but the most skilful even of the Jews can read it.-It has been published in Latin by Arias Montanus and others.

7. The Targum on the Megilloth, or books of Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations of Jeremiah, and Esther. The dialect is that of Jerusalem, and appears not to have been written earlier than the sixth century. The author of it is unknown.

8,9,10. Targums on the book of Esther.-Of these three Targums, the first has been printed in the Antwerp Polyglott, the second in the London Polyglott, and a Latin version of the third by Francis Taylor, London, 1655.— The first is said to be the least diffuse, and the least corrupted by legendary fables and traditions. They are all of late date, and their authors uncertain.

3.-DIGESTS OF HEBREW JURISPRUDENCE.

Or this kind are the Compendiums and Abridgments of the Mishna or Talmuds. Notices of the titles and authors of most of these will be found in Buxtorf's Bibliotheca Rabbinica, connected with his work De Abbreviaturis Hebraicis. Franeq. 1696, 8vo. Among these are,- Alphesi, compiled by R. Isaac Ben Reuben, who died A. D. 1103, and printed at Cracow, 1597, in folio, with the Commen

The books of Scripture denominated Cetubim by the Jews, and Hagiographa by the Greeks, include the Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations of Jeremiah, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles.

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taries of RR. Solomon Jarchi, Jonas and Nissim;-w Asheri, composed by R. Asher, who died at Toledo, A. D. 1328;-and пw Mishneh Torah, by Joseph Karro, printed at Venice, 1577, in folio, a work in great repute among the Jews.-But the digest most esteemed both by Jews and Christians, is the great work of Maimonides, entitled pin Yad Chazakah, or The Strong Hand, in which the whole Talmud is compendiously and systematically abbreviated and explained in elegant and easy Hebrew. It was printed at Venice in 4 vols. folio, 1574; and again at Amsterdam, 4 vols. folio, 1702. A list of the titles or sections of each volume, pointing out those that have been translated into Latin, with the names of the translators, is given by Dr. Wotton in his "Miscellaneous Discourses relating to the traditions and usages of the Scribes and Pharisees," &c.-Vol. ii. pp. 273-277, London, 1718, 8vo.

Towards the close of the seventeenth century, M. Colbert, the great patron of letters under Lewis XIV. King of France, engaged M. Lewis de Compiegne de Veil, a learned converted Jew, to translate the whole of this work into Latin. In 1678, he printed nine titles or sections, in Latin, at Paris, in a quarto volume, under the title of Majemonidis Tractatus de Cultu Divino; reprinted in CRENII Fasciculi-Fascic. 6. 7. Rotterdam, 1696, 8vo.-with the addition of three other titles or sections by the same translator. Having embraced Protestantism, M. De Veil came to England about the year 1680, and proceeding with his work, published six new titles or sections, which he entitled Majemonides de Sacrificiis, London, 1683, 4to. to which he subjoined the title or section of Consecration of New Moons and Intercalations, printed fourteen years before at Paris. He also translated and published Abarbanel's Preface to his Commentary on Leviticus, and other works