The Greek word iiaayiiayi], in the sense of an hvtro- diiction to a science, occurs only in later (ireek, and was first used, to denote an introduction to the right under- standing of the Bible, by Adrian, a Greek who probablv lived in the 6th century after Christ, 'Ai^piai'ov eirra- ywyi) Trie ypatpijc is a small book, the object of which is to assist readers who are unacquainted with Biblicil phraseology in rightly understandinfj peculiar words
INTRODUCTION
631
INTRODUCTION
and expressions. It was first edited bj' David Hiischel, under the title of Adrian! Isitnoijr in tSacrcwi ticripturuiit Grwce cum iScka/iig (Augusta' Mndobonaj, 1602, 4t()), and was reprinted in the Crilivi <SVf(/i (London ed. vol. viii ; Frankfort, edit. vol. vi). Before Adrian, the want of similar works had already been lelt, and books of a corresponding tendency were in circidation, but they did not bear the title of titraywyi^. Melito of Sardis, who lived in the latter half of the 2d century, wrote a book under the title >/ k\(Ic, being a kci/ both to the Old and to the New Testament. The so-called AiKne, which were written at a later period, are books of a similar de- scrijjtion. Some of these At^eig have been printed in Mattlu^i's Novum Testmrmitum Greece, and in Boisson- ade's Anecdoia Graca (vol. iii, Parisiis, 1831). These are merely linguistic introductions ; but there v.-as soon felt the want of works which might solve other ques- tions, such as, for instance, what are the principles which fliduld lAuidc us in r.ililical iiiiuprctati.m V The Dcinatist I'i.-diiiiis wn.tc. aboul llic yv.iv :;;•(<, l:,<iiil,v ad inrffti<jiiiiiliii,i (I 'i,ir<im 11(1(1111 lutill'uind'uu.i Svrlpiiira- rum Scptcm. 8t. Augustine, in his work iJe Ductrinu Christiana (iii, 302), says conceniing these seven rules that the author's intention was by means of them to open the secret sense of Holy Writ, " as if by a key." There arose also a question concerning the extent of Holy Writ — that is to say, what belonged, and what did not belong to Holy Writ; and also respecting the con- tents of the separate Biblical books, and the order in which they should follow each other, etc. About A.D. 550, Cassiodorus wrote his Institutioncs Divinw. He mentions in this work, imder the name of Jniroductores Divime Scripturcf, five authors who had been engaged in Biblical investigations, and in his tenth chapter speaks of them thus : " Let us eagerly return to the guides to Holy A^'rit; that is to say, to the Donatist Ticonius, to 8t. Augustine on Christian doctrine, to Adri- an, Eucherius, and Junillus, whom I have sedulously collected, in order that works of a similar puqoort might be combined in one volume." Hencefonvard the title Introductio in Scriptiiram. Sacrum was established, and remained current for all works in which were solved questions introductory to the study of the Bible. In the Western or Latin Church, during a thousand years, scarcely any addition was made to the collection of Cas- siodorus, while in the Eastern or Greek Church only two works written during this long period deserve to be mentioned, both bearing the title 2?;j'oi//(c ri;e GtiaQ ypa^i'jQ. One of these works is falsely ascribed to Athanasius, and the other as falsely to Chrj'sostom.
The Dominican friar Sautes Pagninus, with the in- tention of reviewing the Biblical knowledge of Jerome and St. Augustine, published his Isagofje ad Sacras Lit- eras, liber unicus (Colonia?, 1540, fol.), a work which, con- sidering the time of its appearance, was a great step in advance.
The work of the Dominican friar Sixtus of Sienna, Bihliotheca Sancta ex pracipiiis CuthoUcm Ecclesioe avc- toribus colkcia, et in octo libros dif/esta (Venetiis, 150(5; frequently reprinted), is of greater imjiortance, although it is manifestly written under the inlluence of the In- quisition, which had just been restored, and is percepti- bly sliacklfd by the decrees of the Council of Trent; but Sixtus furnished also a list of books to be used by a tnie Catholic Christian for the right understanding of Holy Writ, as well as the principles which should guide a Eo- man Catholic in criticism and interpretation. The de- crees of the Council of Trent prevented the Itoman Cath- olics from moving freely in the field of Biljlical investi- gation, while the Protestants zealously carried out their researches in various directions. The Illyrian, iMatthias Flacius, in his Claris Sci-ipturm Sacra, sm de Scrmone Saa-urum Literarum (Basle, 1567, in folio), furnished an excellent ^vork on Biblical Hermeneutics ; but it was surpassed by the Prolegomena of Brian Walton, which belong to his celebrated Biblia Sacra ro/i/ff!ntfa (Lond. 1657, six vols. fol.). These Prolegomena contain much
that will always lie accomited valuable and necessary ior the true criticism of the sacred text. They have been published separately, with notes, by archdeacon Wrangham (1528, 2 vols. 8vo). Thus we have seen that excellent works were produced on isolated portions of Biblical introduction, but they were not equalled in merit by the works in which it was attempted to fur- nish a whole system of Biblical introduction. The fol- lowing Biblical introductions are among the best of those which were published about that period : Eivetus (1627) ; Michaelis Waltheri Ojficina Eiblica novifer ada- perta, etc. (Lipsiffi, first pubhshed in 1636); Abrahami Calovii Cridcns Sacc-r Biblicus, etc. (Vitemberga?, 1643) ; Hottinger, Thesaur. Philolof/itvs, stu Claris Script. Sac. (Tiguri, 1649); Heidegger. Enchiridion Bihlicum tepo- fivrifxoviKvi' (Tiguri, 1081) ; IxumIi ii, a Dutchman, pub- lished a work entitled /7, i/<il,>,,i,.f 11, l„a ua, etc. (Utrecht, 1656) ; and Philolor/us lhljr.-(, nn >is (iuurcdis (Utrecht, 1670); Pfeiffer (U'ltraj. 1704V, Van Til (1720-22); Du Phi (1701); Calraet (1720); Moldenhauer (1744); Bor- I'.cr (1753) ; Goldhagcn (1705-8) ; Wagner (1795), Most of these works have frequently been repruited.