, 1880-01-04
TIFF ENGLISH BIBLE.

HISTORY OF THE SACRED VoLrNE-kAhl.i
THAxsLAToNS TYPOGRAPHICAL BLUS~
pEES.
HF. Redddu in Ner Tork Tribune
When the Jews, by virtue Of the decree OF
Cyrus returned from the Babylonish cap
tiyity, about SIS B. c., King Ezra collected,
or caused to be collected, and arranged in
chronological order, all the sacred writings
then known to lin, dividing the whole into
three parts: the law, the Prophets, and the
lIasiosrapha. The first division embraced
the first five books Of Moses, otherwise called
the Pentateuch; the second contained the
boo.s of Joshua, Judges. and Ruth, Samuel
l. and Il, Kings /. and II, Chronicles Z and
IL, Daniel, Ezra, and Nehemiah,
Esther, Job, Isaiah, Ezekiel, jeremiah,
and Lamentations, and the, writings.
of the twelve minor prophets; the
Hagiograp6a I" sacred Wfitings'') included
the Psalms, Proverbs, Songs Of Solomon
End Ecclesiastes, making the number. Of
books correspond to the number Of letters in
the Hebrew lfabet,-twenty-two Jose
phus, the great historian Of the Jews, refers
rs follows to this arrangement, as well as to
the Divine authority and character Of the
books themselves: ave have not thousands
49, .s..,::- =, ~ vs. , navy oAts e"en,
ts-t"o WHICH compfehenu the history or ail
former ages, and are Justly regarded as Di--
vine. Five Of them proceed from Moses;
they include as we'll the laws as All account
Ut the creation Of man, extending to the time
Of his (Aloses) death. This period coinpre-
bends nearly 1000 years. From the death Of
Moses to that Of 4Artaxerxes, who was King
u Ieisla ai1er Aer2es, the prophets who sue
eteaeo Moses committed to writing thirteen
COOKS what was done in their days. The re-
naming four books contain hymns to God,
aud instructions Of life for man ,. This
treble division ~ +to cn-;.,t...a, ,.o.aa
n<r;saa or -. y. u'o oG1lp1utes WAS also ICY
osi'zeo oy Chrlsf, and expressly acknowl-
tdged by New Testament writer's before the
y u4ne OF Josephus. Tie earliest reference to
i is believed to be that of Aristobulus, who
LIVED III the second century before Christ.
between the completion OF the Old Tesla
ment by Malachi, and the commencement of
the New, there elapsed about $50 years.
7noout the time Of Christ translation Of the
guage With Which The he Jews @ IN their cant;vi- = M
t,es, had become familiar, and which, in
GA'lst's day, was the common tongue OF the
3ews, almost to the total exclusion Of He
brew. The cradle Of this Aramaic laneuage
was III the plains Of Babylonia and Ch1ldel.
eut by the course Of CONQUEST and other polit-
ieal events it had gradually spread from the
llgrfs to the Mediterranean. and in con-
l!ary direction from Arluenia to Arabia. At
ibis day, however, it survives as q living
tongue only among small tribe Of Christians
III the vicinity Of Mogul. Subseouently oti1er
portions Of the Scriptures we're translated
INTO this Ara,nRan tongue. sucl1 translatjons
etlng called Turgun,s, and being ten in num-
Der:
!, We now come to the most important Of all
ne versions Of the Old Testament.- Of
the Septuagint, in Greek. 50 called becanse
as the, story goes. seventy or seyentv-two
learned Jews we're engageI u,,en it for sew
enty-fwo days. This. 1lnon Whicl, our An
hurried Version is founded. Is iustlv ra-
garded as the most trustworthy Translation
o. the original Hebrew We have. 'The wnrl,
: said, By Aristeas. a corrtier at, A1eyan-
olla, to have been hepnn hy authority of
ftolelny Philadelplus. 1hout as0 r e whn
wishing to procure u correct copy Of the He. He-.
Drew Scriptures for the 1ihrary he Ind found-
Cd at Alexandria. sent tn jerusalem and Oh
tIalned the services of seyeniy.fwn learned
Jews, six from each Of the t,ynlya trihes
Skilled in Greek and Hphrev tn whom hn,
lntusted the comnilatjnn IT ali The is.vc nf
Their nation. These. scholars were sacinaed
II the Island Of Phoros ,vhera fhe i;hrar;e,,
of the King ttok jnun ti,a;r vnrc;n,, &c +l,o,.
rendered Il to him, arcnmn1ishinp the ,vnri. rE
Iii seyenty-two days Whptevpr tho t,;ffarN mH.n