and Daniel, the former dating from the beginning of the fifth century before Christ and the latter from the time of the Maccabees, 160 B. C. For the Samaritan we have the Samaritan Pentateuch, which differs textually from the Hebrew in many points, but which has not much value, however, as a corrective of the Hebrew text, because the changes have a partisan and dogmatic origin. Then we have the Syriac translation called de, dating from the second century after Christ. We have also the Chaldee translation of the Old Testament of uncertain date, or rather of gradual growth. When the Jews returned from Babylon, it was the custom in the synagogues for the Reader[1] to read a Chapter of the Old Testament in the Hebrew, after which a regularly appointed translator rendered it into the vernacular Chaldee spoken by the people after the Captivity. These translations were in many cases far from literal, the translation giving often merely the sense of the Hebrew text. Passages which were too anthropomorphic for the then mental status of the people were softened down, or passages which implied an opprobrium upon David, or other personages whom it was in the sacerdotal interest to exalt, were slightly altered. Gradually these translation became as stereotyped as the original text which called them forth, and they were, from time to time, committed to writing. The chief of these translations is the Targum of Onkelos, corresponding to the Greek Akilas. Then the Targum of Jonathan, corresponding to the Greek Theodoteon (i. e. God given). Then the Jerusalem Targum. No one of the three embraces the entire Old Hebrew Scriptures, but the whole together cover the Canon of the Old Testament.
The sources of the third or Hebrew branch of the language are the Old Testament, the passage in Plantus in Phœnician, and
- ↑ Something similar is stated by Sale to have occurred with the Koran. The want of vowels in the Arabic character writing made Readers absolutely necessary. The differences in reading between these Readers occasioned variations in the later copies of the Koran as they came to be written with vowels.
