itself. Such a spirit as this does not seem entitled to much courtesy ; for it springs directly from this assumption, That the Bible is not from God, or, That there is something greater than

TRUTH.

The grand object, which now engages the attention of the Jewish Institution is a Translation of the New Testament into the Hebrew Language. To assist them in this important work, a copy of the Manuscript found in Malabar, now commonly called the Travancore Testament, has been presented to them.* The volume has been fairly described by Mr. Yeates, of Cambridge, in the square Hebrew character, and forms three volumes, quarto. The question now under consideration by the Society is, whether it shall be received as the basis for the general translation. The first sheet of the intended version has already been printed off, for the purpose of being submitted as a specimen to the best Hebrew scholars in the kingdom, both Jews and Christians; in order that it may go forth in as perfect a form as may be. So that it is possible, that before the end of the present year, the Four Gospels will be published,

* See p. 207.

and copies sent to the Jews in the East, as the FIRST-FRUITS of the Jewish Institution. It is very remarkable, that this should be the very year which was calculated long ago, by a learned man, as that in which " the times of happiness to Israel" should begin. In the year 1677, Mr. Samuel Lee, a scholar of enlarged views, who had studied the prophetical writings with great attention, published a small volume, entitled, "Israel Redux, or The Restauration of " Israel." He calculates the event from the prophecies of Daniel and of St. John, and commences the great period of 1260 years, not from A. D. 608, which we think correct, but from a. D. 476, which brings it to 1736. He then adds, "After the great conflicts with the Papal powers "in the West, will begin the stirs and commo"tions about the Jews and Israel in the East. "If then to 1736 we add 30 more, they reach "to 1766; but the times of perplexity are de

termined (by Daniel) to last 45 years longer. "If then we conjoin those 45 years more to "1766, it produces one thousand eight hundred "and ELEVEN, for those times of happiness to << Israel."*

* See " Israel Redux," page 122, printed in Cornhill, London, 1677.

VERSIONS OF THE SCRIPTURES

FOR THE JEWS.

IN THE ORIENTAL LANGUAGES.

SINCE writing the above, the Author has received the following communication from the Rev. David Brown, dated Calcutta, March 15, 1810:

"Dr. Leyden, of the College of Fort William, in a letter communicated to me yesterday, has offered to conduct Translations of the Scriptures in the following Languages; viz."

"The Jaghatai is the original Turcoman Language, as spoken in the central districts of Asia. The Bugis is the language of the Celebes. The Macassar is spoken at Macassar, in the Celebes, and in the great island of BORNEO.

"Dr. Leyden is assisted, as you know, by learned natives in the compilation of Grammars and Vocabularies in the above languages, and entertains no doubt that he shall be able to effect correct versions of the Scriptures in them all."

Thus, sooner than could have been expected, are we likely to have the Bible translated into the language of the CELEBES.* But who can estimate the importance of a translation of the Scriptures into the languages of Affghana and Cashmire, those Jewish regions?

The Jaghatai or Zagathai, is the language of Great Bucharia, which was called Zagathai, from a son of Zenghis Khan. It is an auspicious circumstance for Dr. Leyden's translation of the Jaghatai, that Prince Zagathai himself embraced Christianity, and made a public profession of the Gospel in his capital of Samarchand. There were at that period above a hundred Christian Churches in the province; and some of them remain to this day. We are also informed, both by the Nestorian and Romish writers, that there was a version of the New Testament and Psalms, in a Tartar Language. Dr. Leyden will soon discover whether this was the Jaghatai. That language is spoken in Bochara, Balk, and Samarchand, and in other cities of Usbeck, and Independent Tartary. This is the country which

* See p. 86 for an account of the importance of this lan guage.

+ See Mosheim's Eccl. Tartar History, p. 40.

Dr. Giles Fletcher, who was Envoy of Queen Elizabeth, at the Court of the Czar of Muscovy, has assigned as the principal residence of the descendants of the Ten Tribes. He argues from their place, from the name of their cities, from their language, which contains Hebrew and Chaldaic words, and from their peculiar rites which are Jewish. Their principal city Samarchand is pronounced Samarchian, which Dr. Fletcher thinks, might be a name given by the Israelites after their own Samaria in Palestine. (See Israel Redux, p. 12.). Benjamin of Tudela, who travelled into this country, in the twelfth century, and afterwards published his Itinerary, says, "In Samarchand, the city of Tamerlane, "there are 50,000 Jews under the presidency of "Rabbi Obadiah: and in the mountains and cities "of Nisbor, there are four tribes of Israel resi"dent, viz. Dan, Zabulon Asher, and Naphhali."* It is remarkable that the people of Zagathai should be constantly called Ephthalites and Nephthalites by the Byzantine writers, who alone had any information concerning them.f The fact seems to be, that, if from Babylon as a

*See Benjamini Itinerarium, p. 97. ↑ Theophanes, p. 79.