SECT. I. The Authority of Manuscripts. 13. THERE are catalogues of the known MSS. of the Scriptures, fome of which, or one collected from them, it will be useful to have conftantly at hand. Simon, Hift. Crit. V. T. I, 1. c. 21, 22, 23. Houbigant, Kennicott, Diff. 2. and Diff. Gen. § 164. Mill. Prolegom. lim. Diff. Pfaff. ib. c. 4, 5. Roffi, Var. Lect. Prol. Clavis. 14. Of the New Teftament, there are several very ancient MSS.; but few MSS. of the Old Testament are of very great, antiquity. A Kennicott, Diff. 1. p. 305. Diff. 2. p. 465. Diff. Gen. § 49, 50, 162, 163. 15. The ages of MSS. are afcertained either by testimony, or by internal marks; with greatest certain ty by the latter; not however by any one mark fingly, but by the conjunction of feveral. Simon, Hist. V. T. 1. 1. c. 22, 23. Houbigant, Prol. p. 195. Kennicott, Diff. 1. p. 309, 312, 313. Pfaff. c. 3. § 1, 2. Wetstein, Prol. c. I. § 4, 11, 17. c. z. c. 3. c. 4. q. 5. Michaelis, 21, 22. De Rossi, ib. 16. The authority of a MS. depends very much on its antiquity; and, confequently, it is of importance to afcertain the ages of MSS. as exactly as poffible. 17. The principle on which antiquity gives authority to a MS. is, that the risk of falling into mistakes increases in proportion to the frequency of transcribing; and, therefore, other things being equal, the authority of a MS. is in proportion to its antiquity. Wettein, Proleg. c. 16. Kennicott, Diff. 2. p. 467. Walton, Proleg. 6. § 6. De Roffi, ib. can. 13-16. 18. But, from that very principle, there arifes an exception to this general rule; viz. that a MS. certainly copied from one very ancient, has greater authority than another written earlier, but copied from a MS. of no great antiquity. Houbigant, Proleg. p. 105, 106. Kennicott, Diff. 1. p. 307. 19. But, there are other circumftances, befides their ,ages, which likewife affect the authority of MSS. 20. MSS. of the Hebrew bible are of greater or lefs authority, according to the countries in which they were written, and the perfons for whofe use they were written. Simon, V. T. I. 1. C. 21, 22. Houbigant, Prol. p. 107. 21. Some MSS. fhow themselves to have been written by perfons ignorant of the language; and, on this very account, have great authority in favour of readings which could not have been introduced without knowledge of the language. Pfaff. c. 3. 4. Michaelis, § 88. Marfh's Michaelis, ch. 8. 22. Some MSS. bear plain marks of being written with care, and therefore have great authority; others, of of being written negligently, and these can claim no authority. Simon, N. T. c. 30. Michaelis, § 28. Walton, ib. Marfh's Michaelis, ib. De Roffi, ib. 23. MSS. which have been designedly rendered conformable to a particular copy or verfion, of which there are many instances, have no authority in cafes. wherein they agree with that copy or version. Mill, Prol. N° 1268, &c. Wet Simon, N. T. c. 30, 31. Michaelis, § 21, 22, 28. Marth's 24. A MS. transcribed from another, or MSS. tranf cribed from the fame original, or corrected by it,, can have no separate or independent authority. Simon, N. T. c. 31. Wetstein, Prol. c. 4. § 3. Michaelis, § 28. Marsh's Michaelis, ib. § 3. De Roffi, ib. 25. MSS. written fince the invention of printing, and copied from any printed edition, have no authority. Kennicott, Diff. 1. p. 305. Wetstein, Prol. c. 2. § 8. Michaelis, § 20. Marth's Michaelis, ib. SECT. II. The Use of Manuscripts, and the Manner of using them. 26. THE first and principal use of MSS. is, to show us all the different readings which have taken place, that we may be able to compare them, and to choose that which is best supported. Kennicott, Diff. paffim. B 4 27. If 27. If other confiderations be equal, that reading is to be preferred, which is found in the most ancient MSS. Pfaff, c. 12. can. 1. Walton, ib. 28. If other circumftances be equal, the reading of the greater number of MSS. is to be preferred to that of a lefs number. It is on this principle, that most of the received readings have been preferred. Pfaff, ib. Wetflein, c. 16. § 18. Michaelis, § 28. Walton, Rib. 29. Great regard is to be paid to a reading found in a MS. which is evidently written with accuracy. 30. In judging of the number of MSS. which fupport a reading, care must be taken, not to reckon for different MSS. one which has been called by different names. Wetstein, c. I. § 18. c. 4. § I. 31. It is neceffary to know, with refpect to every MS. whether it contains the whole of the Old, or of the New Testament, or only a part of them, and what part; and whether it be complete or defective, and what its defects are. Mill, Prol. N° 1156. Wetstein, c. 1. § 12, 13, 16. c. 4. § 3. Marfh's Michaelis, ib. § 4. 32. Befides the principal ufe which has been mentioned, MSS. answer indirectly feveral purposes fubordinate to that; particularly by indicating, in many ways, the the occafions of miftakes, and thus leading us to correct both thefe and fimilar mistakes. 33. MSS. fhew us the various forms of the characters used in different ages, and thus enable us to judge which of them were liable to be confounded.. Houbigant, Proleg. Kennicott, Diff. 1. p. 313. Simon, V. T. 1. 1. c. 23. Wetft. Prol. c. 1. § 4, 5, 7. c. 2, 3, 4, 5. 34. From MSS. we learn what abbreviations have been at any time used; and by knowing this, we are enabled to account for the introduction of many various readings. Kennicott, Diff. Gen. & 25, 26. Wetft. c. 1. § 7. Michaelis, 22. Ifa. li. 4. Lowth in loco. 35. From MSS. it appears that, both in the Hebrew and in the Greek Scriptures, numbers were expreffed, not only in words at length, but also by fingle numeral letters, and by figures; by which many corruptions have naturally been occafioned. Kennicott, Diff. 1. and 2. Diff. Gen. § 27. 36. MSS. are often written with black rules, which, by confounding letters otherwife eafily diftinguifhable, lead readers to mistake one of them for the other. 2, . Ifa. liii. 10. 7, 13. Id. Diff. 1. "he hath put him to grief." § 54, 122, 179. p. 83. note, p. 87. note. Ken. ib. c. 523. 2. Sam. v. 1. comp. 1 Chron. xi. I. ₺, 11. 2 Sam. xxiii. 26. comp. 1 Chron. xi. 27. D, . 1 Sam. xvii. 32. comp. 70. Ken. Diff. 1. 2, 4. Josh. vii. 18, &c. comp. 70. Vat. and v. 26, and 1 Chron. ii. 7. |