trlderable knowledge of the original, is that of De Pineda 1 (A.D.1597-1600), which contains a reswme of all that is most valuable in tho labours of hie Roman Catholic predecessors. Among the early Reformers, Bnoer,1 CEcolampe.dius,1 and Calvin' produced works on Job, which have some merit, the 'Conciones' of Calvin having an especial value. These publi- cations were followed by the very elaborate commentary of Mercer O in 1575, and by the paraphrase and commentary of Theodore Beza O in 1583. Nothing further of much importance was published on the continent by divines of the Reformed communions until the translation, commentary, a.nd paraphrase of Le Clerc' (A.D. 1731), which was followed in 1737 by the great work of A. Schultens,6 to which the present writer begs to acknow- ledge his grea.t obligations. Rosenmiiller sa.ys, in his notice of this work, "Schultens surpasses all the commentators who have preceded him in an exact and refined knowledge of the Hebrew tongue, and also of the Arabic, as well as in varied erudition and acuteness of judgment. His chief faults a.re prolixity in the statement and examination of the views of others, and an indnlgenoe in etymological fancies which have no solid foundation."• In England., the earliest work on Job of any importance was that of Samuel Wesley,10 published in 1736, almost simultaneously with the magnum opus of Schultens. This book was not one of much value, bu't it was followed, in 1742, by the scholarly production of Dr. Richard Grey,11 in which the Latin version of Schultens, and e. large number of Schultens's notes, were reproduced for the benefit of his own countrymen, while the text e.lso was placed before them, both in Hebrew type, and in'Roman characters. Attention having been thus drawn in England to the labours of foreign scholars on the Book of Job, several other works on the subject were published by Englishmen in rapid succession, e.e especially the follow- ing: 'A Dissertation on the Book of Job, its Nature, Argument, Age, and Author,' by John Garnett, B.D. (London, 1751); 'The Book of Job, with 11, Paraphrase from the third verse of the third chapter, where it is supposed 1 • Commeute.riormn in Librum Job Libri xiii., adjunct& llingulis oapitib11& sue. Para.phre.sl,'
Jtlatriti, 1597-1601. ' 'Comment.aria in Librum Job,' Straabnrg, 1528. • • Exegemate. in Job et in Da.nielem,' Basle, 1632. • • Conci0Il811 in Jobum,' Geneva, 1669. • 'Commeutarii in Librnm Job,' Geneva, 1576. • • Jobll8, Comment.aria et Pe.raphrasi Illuetrat11&,'·Geneva., 1383. • • Veteria Testamenti Libri Hagiographi, Jobus, Da.vidis Psa.lmi, Balomouis Proverbio., onciouatrix, et Ca.nticum Ca.nticorum ex tra.uslatione Joh. Clerioi, cum ejusdem Oom- meut&rio phllologico in 01unes memora.tos libroa, et pa.ra.phl'&ld in Jobum et Psa.Imos,' Amsterdam, 1731. • • Liber Jobi, cum Nova. Vemione ad Hebl'Slum Fontem, et Oommeute.rio Perpetuo,' Leyden, 1737. • • Elenchue loterpretum Jobi' (prefixed to hill • Bcholia in Jobum '), p. nxvi. 11 • Disaert&tionea..et Conjecture in Librum Jobi,' Loudon, 1786. 11 'Liber Jobi, in Venrieuloa metrice Divieue, cum Venione Latina A. Bohultona, notilque ex ejna Oommenia.rio excerptie,' London, 1742, THE BOOK OF JOB. xxi
the metre begins, to the seventh verse of the forty-second chapter, where it ends,' by Leonard Cbappelow, B.D., Arabic Professor (Cambridge and London, 1752); o.nd 'An Essay towards a. new English Version of the Book of Job, from the original Hebrew, with a. Commentary,' by Thomas Heath (London, 1755). It cannot be said that these books were of any great importance, or advanced much either the critical knowledge of the text of Job or a. correct and judicious exegesis. No great progress was made in either of these two respects until the commencement of .the present century. Then, in 1806, Rosenmiiller published the firs~ edition of his remar.kable work,1 which he afterwards, in. 1824, republished in an enlarged form, in his ' Scholia in V etns Testam.entum,' pars qninta. This was a great advance on all previous iifforts; and it .was shortly followed by the even more striking production of Ew:ald, 'Das Buch Ijob' (Gottingen, 1836)-~ work exhibiting profound learning and great originality of genius, but disfigured by many wild spect1;lations, and .involving a.n entire denial of the inspiration of Scripture. Comments by Umbreit, Hahn, 2 Hirzel,8 and Dillmann' have since issued fyom the German press, which are generally characterized by diligence and ingenuity, but lack the gezµus of Ewald, while they avoid, however, some of .his eccentricities. The latest German comment of importance is that of Mer:x, a well~known Orientalist, which contains a Hebrew text, a. new tl'.ans}ation, arid an iilt:r;oquctiqn, together with critical notes. Thie work exhibit~ muc;:h learning,)ut a. singular lack of judgment.8 • M. Rena~'s 'Livre de Job' (Paris, 1859) is the last word of French scholarehip on the subject before us. lt has all his merits, but also all his defects. The style. is clear, eloquent, brilliant; the appreciation of the literary excellences of Job, keen; the scholarship advanced, if not faultless; but the exegesis leaves much to be desired. 'In England, during the present century, the most important work which has appeared, dealing exclusively with Joh, is that of Dr. Lee. 8 Published in the year 1837, after the second edition of Rosenmiiller had seen the light, but before the great work of Ewald, this volume is deserving of the attentive consideration of all students. It is the composition of an advanced Hebraist, and of one well versed, besides, in other Oriental studies. It exhibits much critical acumen, and great independence of thought and jndgment. No subsequent commentary wholly supersedes it ; and it will probably long retain a specie.I value on account of its copious illustrations
• • JobllB: Latina Vertit et Annotatione Perpetna illustmvit,' E. T. C. Bosenmiiller, Leipsic, 1806. 1 Published in 1850.
• Published in the • Kurz-Gefasstes Exegetisohes Handbuoh zum Alten Testament,' Leipsio, 1849 and 1852 (1st and 2nd edit.). • Published iu the third edition of the s11me. • Published in 1871. • 'The Book of the Pe.triaroh Job, tronslated from the Original Hebrew, with an Intro- duction and e. Commentary,' by Samuel Lee, D.D., London, 1887. JOB. 10;.ii INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF JOB.