author should proceed with judgment and deliberation. The manner in which he introduces the inquiry will hardly fail to prepossess the reader in his favour. "But this after all is no question of probabilities; it must be decided by an experimental appeal to facts; and facts bearing on the subject are neither difficult to be found nor hard to be stated. It has been for many years my first literary object, to search the Scriptures of the New Testament, for facts of the nature alluded to, for passages, namely, which bear evident marks of intentional conformity to the Hebrew parallelism; a selection of those passages I have examined with all the attention in my power; and the result of my examination I propose to give in the following pages of this work. It remains for me, however, before closing this last of my preliminary sections, to address a few words to the indulgent reader. The subject on which I am about to enter is confessedly new as such, it demands the production of original matter, and a new method of arranging, exhibiting, and examining matter which is not original. In such an undertaking it were presumptuous to expect exemptions from oversights and errors; but it is my hope, and it shall be my effort, that no unpardonable oversight, and no gross error may disgrace these pages, and if I succeed thus far, I feel confident in the humanity and equity of those who are to pass judgment on my labours, that offences of a slighter nature will not be severely dealt with. authorities, is all that I can pretend or afford to give in my text; a few extracts from and references to the authors from whom they are derived, shall be added in the notes. "It is certain then in the first place, that the New Testament is not written in a purely Greek style; that there is a marked difference between its manner, and that of the writers called classical; that this difference is by no means confined to single words or combinations of words, but pervades the whole structure of the composition, and that in frequent instances a poetical manner is observable, which not only is not known, but would not be tolerated, in any modern production purporting to be prose. In the next place it is to be observed, that certain writers have noticed in the New Testament an arrangement of the periods corresponding with the Hebrew verses; not indeed in their opinion those of Hebrew poetry, but such as are found in the historical books; while other critics and commentators have in a few instances detached and described unquestionable specimens of Hebrew parallelism, which it will be recollected is the grand characteristic of Hebrew poetry, in the Gospels of Saint Matthew and Saint Luke, and have admitted their occurrence in the Revelation of Saint John. Further than this, any writers, with whose works I am acquainted, have not gone. It remains to be inquired with due caution indeed, but at the same time, with proper freedom and independence of mind, whether facts do not warrant us to go considerably further. "I will only express my hope, that in several of those examples from the New Testament, which I am about to produce, an identity of manner with the Old Tes tament poetry will be discoverable at the first glance: and while I admit, that in other examples, a closer scrutiny may be demanded, I must mention once for all, that if in any particular case, the resemblance may not appear to be satisfactorily made out, that example may be dismissed from the reader's mind, without any prejudice to the general argument." P. 79. "In an inquiry like the present, it cannot be expected that at this, or indeed at any subsequent stage of it, I am or can be largely prepared with authorities, corroborative of my leading views; facts for the most part are my sole authorities. There is, however, no lack, if I may use the expression, of preparative authorities: that is, matured opinions of learned and able men, legitimately deduced from facts well ascertained, which though they do not go the length of ascertaining, or even intimating the frequent occurrence of Hebrew parallelism, in the New Testament, yet The method which Mr. Jebb may, and in my judgment ought to produce pursues in connecting the style of some expectation, that such frequent oc- the Old Testament with that of the currence may be proved; and consequent- New, and in assigning to both a ly may and ought to prepare intelligent common cast and character, is markreaders for the patient, candid, and unpre-ed by singular caution and discrejudiced reception of such proofs of that frequency as I have been able to collect, and am about to submit for public consi deration. “A brief sketch of those preparative tion. Before he interferes with the original style of the writers of the New Testament, he produces in the three first sections of what we have ventured to call the Second Part of his work, various instances of their mode of quoting from the Old Testament. These quotations are of three kinds, and to each kind a separate section is devoted. 1. Simple and direct quotations of single passages. 2. Quotations of a more complex kind, when fragments are combined from different parts of the poetical Scriptures, and wrought up into a connected whole. 3. Quotations mingled with original matter, when one or more passages derived from the Hebrew Scriptures, are so connected and blended with original writing, that the compound forms one homogeneous whole; the sententious parallelism equally pervading all the component members, whether original or derived. If in these quotations from the Old Testament, the sacred writers had shewn themselves either ignorant or unmindful of the Hebrew parallel ism, it would have been very vanity to seek the traces of it in their original compositions: on the other hand, if in their various quotations, they may be justly thought to have paid a scrupulous and studious attention to it, then not only is the probability but the fact of its occurrence established and confirmed. Mr. Jebb has been very successful in proving, that the Apostles were scrupulously attentive to the construction of the Hebrew parallelism, as well in their more simple, as in their more mixed quotations from the Old Testament; and is justified in the assertion with which he enters upon this part of his inquiry. "Now in cases of quotation from poetical parts of the Old Testament, it appears to me after careful examination, that not only the sense is faithfully rendered, but the parallelism is beautifully preserved, by the New Testament writers; no trifling evidence, that they were skilled in Hebrew poetry, and no unreasonable ground of expectation, that on fit occasions their own original composition should afford good examples of poetical construction." P. 97. We have no room for any of the various quotations, on which Mr. Jebb establishes the point for which he contends; but we would recall his attention to the inference which he draws from a supposed parallelism in Acts iv. 24-30. This passage is arranged in the form of a hymn, and Mr. Jebb deduces from it in that form an argument in favour of the divinity of Christ; and of his identity with Jehovah. There can be little doubt, that between the Psalm recited in the 25th and 26th verses, and the terms of the comment in the following verse there is a certain parallelism; but is it indeed necessary for the completion of that parallelism to place in apposition the following lines? "Against the Lord and against his anointed : . "Against thine holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed : Or is it just to conclude from this apposition, that the holy child Jesus in the second line, is therefore the same with the Lord in the first line? Mr. Jebb insists upon this argument very plausibly, and with very considerable ingenuity. He succeeds in removing the objection, that under this view the Anointer and the Anointed were the same; but he does not appear to have considered another exception, that in the first line, Jehovah is distinguished from his Anointed by the pronoun HIS and the conjunction AND; but in the second line, the child Jesus is identified with the anointed by the relative WHOM. It is with reluctance that we state this difficulty, which is we fear insuperable; and the doctrine is happily, so incorporated with every part of the Scriptures, as to be rather injured than supported by any doubtful argument. Mr. Jebb having shewn, by nuthe writers of the New Testament merous examples, in what manner were accustomed to cite, to abridge, to amplify, and combine passages from the poetical parts of the Old Testament, and frequently to annex or intermingle with their citations, parallelisms by no means less per σπειρων επ And he who soweth bountifully, 2. The next examples to be adduced are examples of the triplet: that is, of those connected and correspondent lines, at least constructively parallel with each other, and forming within themselves a distinct sentence, or significant part of a sentence. σε Η ποιήσατε το δένδρον καλον, και τον καρπον αυτού καλον Η ποιήσατε το δενδρον σαπρον, και τον καρπον αυτού σαπρού Εκ γαρ το καρπού, το δένδρον γινωσ XETRI Matt. xii. 23." 3. Examples of the quatrain, i. e. of two parallel couplets so connected as to form one continued and distinct sentence, the pairs of lines being either directly, alternately, or inversely parallel; the sense, also, according to the nature of these parallels, is kept up directly from the first to the second, and the third to the fourth; or, alternately, from the first to the third, and the second to the fourth lines; or, inversely, novel theory, it is desirable that the examples should be liable to the illustrative instances are exhibited least possible exception. Many other by Mr. Jebb, and in commenting himself to the establishment of his upon these he by no means confines peculiar theory, but applies his large resources of ingenuity and learning ture, to the removal of objections, to the general illustration of Scripand to the reconciliation of supposed discrepances in the reports of the different evangelists. "(4.) The five lined stanza admits considerable varieties of structure, sometimes the odd line or member commences the stanza; frequently, in that case, laying down a truth to be illustrated in the remaining four lines: sometimes, on the contrary, after two distichs the odd line makes a full close; often containing some conclusion deducible from what preceded; sometimes the odd line forms a sort of middle term, or connective link between two couplets, and occasionally the five lined stanza begins and ends with parallel lines; a parallel triplet intervening." P. 193. Examples of each variety are given; the following instance is of the last kind. σε Κατανοήσατε τους κορακας" Ότι ου σπείρουσιν, ούτε θεριξουσιν" 2 "In the correspondent divisions of the second and third lines, there is a beautiful accuracy, they do not sow, nor have they any storehouse from whence to take seed for sowing; they do not reap, nor have they any barn, in which to lay up the prodace of harvest. The habit of observing such niceties is far from trifling; every thing is important which contributes to illustrate the organization of Scripture." P. 201. It might be added, that nothing is written in Scripture in vain or without meaning, although it may be an exercise of the highest and most cultivated faculties to discover its exact propriety. In the book of │revelation, as well as in the book of creation, every thing has its use and its importance. (5.) The six lined stanza sometimes consists of a quatrain, with a distich annexed; sometimes of two parallel couplets, with a third pair of parallel lines, so distributed that one occupies the centre, and the other the close; and occasionally of three couplets alternately parallel, the first, third, and fifth lines corresponding with one another, and in like manner the second, fourth, and sixth. The parallelism in this form of stanza is also frequently in troverted; a variety, which, for the most part, comes under the description of epanados." P. 201. « Ο πρωτος ανθρωπος, εκγης χοϊκος cuparov Οιος ο χοίκος, τοιουτοι και οἱ χοικοι This is one of many examples, in the citation of which the author again takes occasion to offer various illustrations and expositions of im portant passages of Scripture, to point out some "niceties of phraseology and construction," to place their meaning in a clear and strong light, and to exhibit the harmony Και οιος 8 επουράνιος, τοιουτοι οἱ and consistency of texts, which have Touganos Και καθώς εφορέσαμεν την είκονα του χαικού, Φαρεσομεν και την εικόνα του επουρα VIGU. "The first man from earth, earthy; been unjustly supposed to be irreconcileable and contradictory. Our limits are confined to a fair and full statement of the author's system, and we can only direct the attention of the reader to the copious illustration of Matt. vii. 24-27. compared with the corresponding passage of St. Luke, and to the remarks on Matt. xx. 25-28. x. 40-42. xi. 16—19. xv. 3--6. and to express our regret that we cannot reprint these useful and valuable commentaries. The author has been progressively lengthening his extracts, and he now produces another (the seventh) description of stanza, so connected as to form a section or paragraph. The examples are principally taken from the epistle of St. James, in which few readers can have overlooked the poetical force and fervour, although they may not have observed the parallelism which distinguishes the poetry of the Hebrews. These extracts, and the comments in which they are applied and explained, are too copious to be recited at length, and would be injured by abridgment. The exposition of the celebrated passage of James iii. 1-12. on the government of the tongue, presents a very favourable specimen of the sagacity, learning, and judgment of the au thor; and the reader who examines it will not fail of an adequate reward of his attention. Some notion of the varied nature of this commentary, and at the same time of the general elegance of the volume, and of the turn of the author's mind, may be formed from the language which he uses in concluding this commentary, and with it the second part of his work. In thus commenting on this passage of St. James, I am quite aware that I shall repel rather than attract a certain class of acute and intelligent minds. The truth however is, that after having read with much attention, and I hope with some profit, Mosheim's able dissertation against the practice of extensively illustrating the Scriptures from the classic writers, I am by no means a convert to his way of thinking. To examine the wider variations both of thought and of expression, when the same subject is discussed by writers of different ages and countries, or even of the same age and country is a valuable exercise of mind; it aids philosophical discrimination. But when sacred examination serves a higher purpose. It enables us to see that on the greatest without witness among the sages, and the moral questions, God hath not left himself men of letters of the Gentile world: and to ascertain how far those luminaries are obscured, and how far they reflect any unpolluted beams, proceeding originally from the Father and fountain of all spiritual light. It enables us also to establish, that in native energy of thought, in lucid clearness of expression, and in the sublimities and beauties of language and expression, the writers of the New Testament are equal and frequently superior to the noblest writers of classical antiquity.... "The parallelisms exhibited in these pages between twelve verses of St. James and various excellent productions of the earliest and latest periods of Gentile literature, might have been easily and considerably increased: but even this limited selection may place in a light somewhat new, the large extent of his mental acquisitions. It is the part of no vulgar intellect to concentrate within such narrow bounds, so many valuable thoughts and expressive illustrations, which elsewhere may be found, indeed divided and dispersed, here a little and there a little, but which in this passage are combined with the genius of an original thinker, and with the skill of a master in composition. of the most claborate writer of antiquity, I will conclude this section with the words the scrupulous polish of whose language has, perhaps, prevented many from justly appreciating the purity of his moral teaching......Isocrates ad Nicocl. p. 55. edit. Battie. We are not to seek novelties in discourses on the moral duties; for these will admit nothing paradoxical, nothing incredible, nothing beyond the common sense of mankind: and on such subjects he is the most agreeable writer who can accumulate the greatest number of the truths dispersed through the minds of other men; and who can express them in the aptest and most beautiful language.” P. 308. In the third part Mr. Jebb treats in separate sections of other modes or figures, peculiar to Hebrew po etry, which he exemplifies from the New Testament. These are, 1. the Cognati parallelism; 2. the Epanados or introverted parallelism; 3. the Euphemism; 4. Co-ordinate reasons for a common proposition, inScripture is concerned, the habit of suck dependently assigned; 5, a kind of |