The latest edition of the Ethiopic text of the Gospels is that by Thomas Pell Platt, M.A. London, 1826.

VII. THE OLDER PERSIC VERSIONS.

IF, as Eusebius tells us was the tradition in his day, St. Thomas the Apostle laboured in Parthia,* there might have been, even in the earliest days of the faith, some communication of the gospel to the Persians, who then formed a part of that empire. A fragment of Bardesanes, preserved in the "Evangelic Preparation" of Eusebius, mentions the spreading of Christianity at that time, about A.D. 190, in Parthia, Media, Persia, and Bactria. We know that in the time of Manes, and when, under the Sassanides, the Persian empire had regained its independence, the churches of that land were neither few nor inconsiderable. They became subject to the presidency of the metropolitan bishop of Seleucia and Ctesiphon; and, in the endurance of successive and severe persecutions, attested an invincible fidelity to the truth once delivered to the saints. After the Nestorian troubles in the fifth century, the Persian Christians, who had always a strong affinity both in doctrine and discipline with the Syrian communion, separated, in common with the latter, from the Byzantine hierarchy.

That the scriptures, or considerable portions of them, were soon translated into Persian, seems evident from the references of Chrysostom and Theodoret to such a version in their day. And Maimonides speaks of a Persian Pentateuch which had been made several centuries before Mahomet. But no vestige of these primitive versions remains.

1. There is a translation of the Pentateuch into Per

*Historia Ecclesiastica, lib. iii. cap. 1.

sian, which is thought to have been executed in, or soon after, the eighth century, and which was first printed, together with the Hebrew text, the Chaldee Targum of Onkelos, and the Arabic Pentateuch of Saadia, at Constantinople in 1546.* This edition was in Hebrew characters. But Walton inserted it in the fourth volume of his Polyglot in the proper Persian letter; a task which was accomplished by Hyde, who interfered with the text by supplying the chasms, though between brackets. This is the case also in the eleventh chapter of Leviticus, where the names of such birds and animals as were, perhaps, unknown to the versionist, were omitted. The author of this work was Jacob ben Joseph, surnamed Tavvossus, or Tusi. The meaning of this cognomen has been disputed; but it is commonly considered to refer to Tus, a town of Persia, where, in former times, there was a Jewish college of some reputation. The translation was made from the Hebrew, many parts of which are rendered with great ability. He applies the prophecy of Shiloh, Genesis xlix. to the Messiah.

2. Of the Psalms there are two Persic metaphrases mentioned by Walton, (Proleg. xvi. sect. 6—8,) both by Romanist Priests, and made on the Latin Vulgate. These have not been edited.

3. And of the Proverbs, another, in manuscript, in one of the public libraries of Paris. Described by Hassler, Studien und Kritiken, 1829, p. 469.

4. There are two ancient Persic translations of the GOSPELS, of which the most valuable is printed in the fifth volume of the London Polyglot, with a Latin rendering by Samuel Clarke. The Persian here is from the Peschito Syriac, as even the very words of the Syriac are sometimes retained, with a Persic gloss. This work is

*WALTON, Prol. xvi., says 1551,

attributed to Simon ibn Yusef ibn Abraheem al Tabreezy, in the middle of the fifteenth century. Though the translation is loose, and not free from a certain Romanistic tendency, it is, nevertheless, well worthy of study. The diction is very commendable.*

The other translation was begun to be printed by Professor Wheeloc in 1652; (Quatuor Evangeliorum Domini nostri Jesu Christi Versio Persica, ad Numerum Situmque Verborum Latine data;) but he did not live to complete it. This was accomplished in 1657, by Pierson, who, in a new title-page, describes it as, Quatuor Evangeliorum D. N. J. C. Versio Persica, Syriacam et Arabicam suavissime redolens, ad verba et mentem Græci Textús fideliter et venuste concinnata. Londini. 1657. It was printed from a manuscript in the Bodleian, with occasional readings from two others,—that formerly in the possession of Dr. Pococke, and a second in the University of Cambridge. The two editors were not agreed as to the text rendered by the Persian translator; but there is good evidence to conclude that he merely followed the Latin Vulgate.

VIII. HOLY SCRIPTURE IN GOTHIC.

THE Mæso-Goths, a people of Scandinavian origin, had first settled in Dacia, or Wallachia, from beyond the Borysthenes. They appear to have received the gospel in the latter part of the third century, as among the signatures of the fathers present at the council of Nice, in 325, is that of "Theophilus, bishop of the Goths." At the time when Arianism was in the ascendant, they were

*The REV. HENRY MARTYN, then writing at Shiraz, says on this point, "To my surprise, the old despised Polyglot version was not only spoken of as superior to the rest, that is, the two by Sabat, but it was asked, 'What fault is found in this? This is the language we speak.""" Journals," vol. ii. p. 368.

induced to adopt the prevailing error. The eminent Ulfila, who became their chief pastor in 348, and on whom, according to Theodoret,* rests much of the blame of their perversion, exhibited, nevertheless, great activity for their general improvement. He first reduced their language to a written form, and then translated into it the holy scriptures. This was about A.D. 360. His text was the Septuagint for the Old Testament, and the Greek for the New, though not without reference to the early Latin versions. He has the reputation of having been an upright as well as able translator.† Large portions of this work are extant. Of the Old Testament only a fragment has been printed, a part of Nehemiah. The manuscript copy of the four Gospels at Upsal is well known by the name of the Codex Argenteus, from having been written in silver letters. It has been edited successively, at Dort in 1665, 4to. with a Glossary, and at Oxford in 1750. Fragments, also, of the Epistles have been printed by Knittel and Mai. But the most complete edition is, ULFILAS: Veteris et Novi Testamenti Versionis Gothica Fragmenta quæ supersunt, edd. H. C. DE GABELENTZ ET DR. J. Loebe. Altenburgi et Lips. 2 vols. 4to. 1836, 1843. Some interesting notices of this version, and of the silver-lettered manuscript of Upsal, may be found in MARSH'S Michaëlis, vol. ii. cap. 7.

* Historia Ecclesiastica, lib. iv. p. 33.

Ulfila is said to have been descended from Christian parents who had been taken captives by the Goths, in one of their incursions into Cappadocia, and carried away into Thrace. When it is affirmed that his doctrinal sentiments do not influence his biblical translation, it ought to be remembered that we are not in possession of the full means of determining, as the most important texts which bear upon the subject (as John i. and Romans ix. 5) in the Gothic version have not been preserved.

IX. THE ARMENIAN BIBLE.

As Ulfila was the founder of the literature of his people, so Miesrop, about sixty years later, introduced the art of writing among the Armenians. He invented their alphabet, and consecrated it to the service of religion, by making it the vehicle for a translation of the scriptures. A Christian church had been formed in Armenia so early as the third century, as we gather from the circumstance mentioned by Eusebius,* that Dionysius of Alexandria, A.D. 247, "wrote concerning penitence, to the brethren in Armenia, over whom Merouzanes was bishop." But in the reign of Tiridates, who himself became a convert, the gospel, through the agency of Gregory, surnamed Lusaworitsch, "the Illuminator," had well-nigh pervaded the land. The priesthood and partisans of the old Zendism, however, obtained a renewal of political power, when, in 428, Armenia became subject to the Persians; and the Christians found themselves exposed to the most decisive tests of fidelity, in the determined opposition of powerful enemies. A conflict of fifty years' duration sufficiently proved the implacable hatred of the one party to the gospel, and the steadfastness of the other in maintaining it. At length, in the year 485, the free exercise of Christian worship was accorded them.

It is probable that the Bible used among these primitive congregations was the Syrian Peschito. Yet from one place in the History of Moses of Chorene, it would appear that their liturgical service was performed in the Greek language. Such forms may have been introduced by Gregory from the church of Cæsarea in Cappadocia, with which he had been connected; and in their present Liturgy there are prayers attributed to Basil and Athanasius. Whether Miesrop translated from the Greek text

* Historia Ecclesiastica, lib. vi. p. 46.