Lexicons. — Castelli, Lexicon Heptaglotton (Lond. 1669 fol.) ; Young, Samaritan Root-hook (Edinburgh, s. a.). See also Kohn, Samuritanische Studien, and Zur Spruche der Sumaritaner, p. 206 sq. (B. P.)
Form.* 1
Name.
Hebrew.
Power. Numerical Value. |
A
^
Alaf
X
1
a
&,
Bith
:n
b,bh,v
2
^
^
Gam&n
5
g
3
s.
P^
Dalat
1,
d
4
H
^
I
n
-
5
*?
/<
Ba
1
u, w, b
6
^
A
Sen
T
z
7
•^
^
it
n
-
S
^
^
Tit
0
tt,t'
9
rrf
^
Jud
1
i,j
10 ,
^
^
Kaph
a
k, ch
20
Z
^
Labiid
b
1
30
^
H^
Mim
73
m
40
%
^
Nun
3
n
50
^
■^
Simcftt
tJ
s
60
V
^
In
S)
-
70
;^
^
Phi
s
f,P
SO
^
^
Sndi
iJ
ss, ts
90
?
^
Qoph
p
k
100
*\
\
Rish
n
r
200
jjjt
H<
Shan
-0
sh
300
A
Jt/
Tav
n
t,lh
400
* The form in the first column ia that of mauu8cripts Rud print, the sec- ond is that found on monuments.
SAMARITAN LITERATURE 289 SAMARITAN LITERATURE
SAMARITAN LITERATURE. Under this head we propose to enumerate the works known to European scholars, somewhat in distinction from those current with the Samaritans themselves, which will be I'ound under Samakitans, Modern.
1. Grammar and Lexicof/rap/it/. — In this department we have to mention three grammatical treatises, which were published from a MS. at Amsterdam, bj' Ncildeke, in the Goltinf/er iVachrichten, 18G2, p. 337, 385. They are built entirely on the philological views of Arabic grammarians, some sections (such as those on transitive and intransitive verbs) being copied word for word from their works. From the transcriptions of Hebrew words into Arabic, we may judge of the Samaritan pronuncia- tion of the eleventh century. As to the present system of pronunciation. Prof. Petermann, of Berlin, has tran- scribed the whole book of Genesis after the manner in which it is now read in the synagogue of Nablus, and from this transcription the present system of pronuncia- tion may be known, although it is difficult to decide whether the present sj'stem is due to genuine tradition, or whether it has become influenced by the Syriac and Arabic. According to Petermann's transcription, the first verse in Genesis would read thus : " Baraset bara eluwem it assamem wit aares." (Comp. AbhancUnnr/en fiir die Kunde des Morgenlandes d. D. M. G. 18G8, vol. v, No. 1.)
In the matter of lexicography there is little informa- tion to give ; of dictionaries proper none has as yet come to light. At Paris (Bibl. Nat. Anciens Fonds, 6, Peiresc) there is a concordance of forms occurring in the Scriptures with the corresponding Arabic and Samar- itan words in parallel columns, and a similar one is pre- served at Cambridge (Christ's College Library), in which, however, the Samaritan equivalent is omitted. Of late the Imperial Library at St. Petersburg has obtained fragments of grammatical works and of Hebrew-Arabic dictionaries, or " Tardeschemans" (interpreters), as they are termed by Samaritans and Arabs, which will be de- scribed in the catalogue to be issued by Mr. Harkavy.
2. Calendars. — In this branch there are some astro- nomical tables, two of which were published by Scali- ger, and one was edited with a translation by De Sacy (^Not. et Ectr. xii, 135, 153). Several more MSS. have found their way to Europe — one written A.D. 1750, another written 1G89, a third dated 1724 (see Jourii. Asiatique, 18G9, p. 4G7, 4(58). The Imperial Library of St. Petersburg also possesses several specimens.
3. Lef/emU. — The British Museum possesses a MS. (Add. MS. 19,657), a commentary on the " legends as- cribed to Moses." It has been translated by Dr. Leit- ner in Heidenheim's Vierteljahrsschrift, iv, 184 sq. It borrows largely from Jewish sources. Of a similar tj'pe is the Jewelled Necklace in Praise of the Lord of the Human Race, composed in 1537 by Ismail Ibn-Badr Ibn- Abu-1-Tzz Ibn-Rumaih (Brit. Mus. Add. MS. 19,021) in honor of Moses. It sets forth his divine nature, and extols the glories of his birth and miracles. With this may be classed a tract in which is contained a "com- plete explanation of the chapters on Balak" by Ghazal Ibn-ad-'Duwaik (MS. xxvii, Bibl. Acad. Reg. Scient. Amst. p. 2G5-289) ; and another small tract (ibid. p. 292, 293), by the famous Abu Said, explaining the cause of the fear felt by Jacob on his way to Egvpt (Gen. xlvi, 1, 3), and by Abraham after the conquest of the five kings (ibid, xv, 1), with a third (p. 294-296), by an unknown author, in which the fifteen occasions are quoted from Exodus and Numbers when the Israelites, by their complaints and aljuse of Moses and Aaron, tempted God, and the times are mentioned at which the divine glory appeared.
4. Comiuentaries. — Of great importance, especially for ascertaining the doctrinal views of the Samaritans, are their commentaries on the Pentateuch. The oldest extant is perhaps the one in the Bodleian Library (Add. MS. 4to, 99, and described by Neubauer in the Joia-n. Asiatique, 1873, p. 341 sq.), composed A.D. 1053 bv an
IX.— T
unknown Samaritan for the benefit of a certain Abu Said Levi. In this commentary we find quotations from the Pentateuch, the former and later prophets, Ne- hemiah, the Mishna, etc., but not from the Samaritan Targum. All anthropomorphisms are avoided.