Matkuials for run Restoration op ffi.—
The materials for the restoration of (5 are, as can be gathered from the preceding history, (1) manu- scripts, (2) versions, (3) quotations.
(1) Manuscripts. — The M.SS used for the work of Holmes-P.arsons arecountcil at the end of vol. v. as 311 ; I. -XIII., being uncial MSS, are designated by Roman, the rest, being cursives, by Arabic figures. Tliere are some mistakes in this list : 23, for instance, the Codex Venetus, is an uncial codex ; others, counted under diH'erent numbers, have turned out to be parts of one and the same MS. Another system of designation, used by Lagarde and in the Cambridge Septuagint, is to denote the uncial MSS by the capital letters of the Latin (and Greek) alphabet ; for a particular class of MSS Lagarde used small letters of the Roman, Cornill (in Ezekiel) of the tJreek alphabet. It will be tlie task of the large Cambridge Septuagint to introduce a system of notation that will be generally accepted ; meanwhile it is best to adhere for the uncials to the system of Lagarde-Swete, for the cursives to Holmes- Parsons, always keeping in mind that the sharp distinctiim between uncials and cursives is in no way justified.
Ab to the contents, the MSS may be divided into those which contain the whole Bible (OT) or parts of it, the Octateuch,* the Historical, Poetical, and Prophetical books. Most frequent are MSS of the Psalms. The arrangement of these groups, and of the books within each group, varies greatly (see Sw. pp. 195-230 : ' Titles, Grouping, Number, and Order of the Books ').
The books of Moses seem to stand at the head with no exception, and in all MSS the order seems to be the usual one, the inverted order, Nu. Lev. being atte.sted only by Melito (Ens. HE iv. 26; Sw. p. 203), in the list published by Mommsen (Sw. p. 212), and by Leontius of Byzantium (Sw. p. 207). In Latin the tliird book is sometimes called Leviticurn, the fifth Deuteronomi««. Philo's designation of the latter, t) 'ETrii/o^/s, is taken from the book of Plato so inscribed ; Judges he calls il Twv Kpi/xaTuv ^(/SXos. The counting of four books of Kings or rather Kingdoms (liaffiXfiui') has been retained by the Latin Bible, partially also the name llapaXeiTrdfiefa for Chronicles. The form napa\ttirifx(yai occurs not only in Gregory of Nazianzns and Leontius (see Sw. [ip. 205, 207), but also in Origen (now Berlin edition, iii. 74, 1. 15 ; not decisive io tj irpon-j ISeurlpq.] tQv n., i. 341, ii. 374). On the other books and their names see Sw. p. 216 ; but note that the last books are gener- ally called ri, JIoKxa/SaiVd, books treating of (Judas) Macc.aba'us ; the extension of the name to the whole family, now generally in use, the M,accabe&» (plural), is not original. On the groupin" of the books (Historical, mcluding Pentateucli, Poetical, Prophetical) see Sw. p. 218 ; on their number, Sw. p. 219; art. CANON in vol. i. p. 348 ff. ; on the internal order, Sw. p. 226. The statement of J. M. Fuller [Upcaker's Commentary on the Aporryphii, i. 308), that the MSS ordered by Constantino From Euscbius were ' the first comtilete Greek Bible,' and that it contained apparently the books of the Ilelirew Canon and the Alexandrian version of the Apocrypha added as an Appendix, does not seem to restx)n sure foundation. When Eu.sebius writes that he sent off the books iy rro\vTe\ui 7}ffKr]fi4voii Tfi'-x^^i Tptaaa Kal TtTpoao-o, the most probable explanation of the much disputed closing words seems to be, that each Bible consisted of three or four volumes. In a note at the end of Esther in the Codex Sinaiticus it is stated that it
• Orwli MSS moRtIv count Oen.-Ruth u booVn 1-8, u Jitr»-
Tiyx« ; the Latin Msf> (Icn.-Jtidgcn an IIrptate\ir/in8 ; ttu' word
Hexat«iirh, now ho tinich In unc tliat It Iioh an ortirir' dcvot«d
to it in the preueut worlc, •eemi to be An Ixuiovation of t^e late
I 19tb century.
448
SEPTUAGIXT
SEPTUAGINT
was compared witli a MS beloiij,nng to Paniphilus, which dpxv^ M^** f^X^** ^'^^ "^^s vpjrnjs tujv UacrtXeiutVj el! 5i TTji/ 'E(r8rip SXriyev. From this it is [irobable that it was an-anged, not like B, wliicli inserts the seven Poetical books (the five Canonical + Wisdom and Sirach) between Ezra and Esther, nor like A, in which the Prophets follow Chronicles, and after them Esther, but like S and N, in which Ezra and Esther follow in\mediately upon Chronicles. This would give a Bible of four volumes (Octateuch, Historical books, Prophetical books, Poetical books).
As regards their age, the MSS range from the 3rd to the 16th cent. To the 3rd cent, is ascribed a scrap of papyrus in the British Museum, yield- ing the text of Gn 14" (Pap. ccxii. ; see Sw. p. 146) and the fragment of a Psalter (cont. Ps 12''-15^), ' the oldest Bible MS in any language in the British Museum and one of the oldest in existence aiij'where' (see Facsimiles of Biblical Manuscripts in the British Museum, edited by Fred. G. Kenyon, 19U0, pi. i. Pap. ccxxx.).
It is impossible to give here a list of the MSS of (K, or even of the uncials ; some of them have been treated under separate articles ; see the letter.s AsBCL ; we must refer to Sw. p. 122 If. and tile literature quoted there ; only some supple- mentary remarks may be ottered —