re complete and
systematic use of these ancient authorities in reference to the current
text of the Old Testament. At present the texts implied in them have, I
believe, never yet been so closely analysed as to enable us to form any
just estimate of their real critical value. They have been used by
editors, as in the case of Houbigant, but only in a limited and partial
manner. Lists, I believe, are accessible of all the more important
readings suggested or implied by the Versions; but what is needed is far
more than this. In the first place we require much more trustworthy
texts of the Versions themselves than are at present at our disposal. In
the case of the Septuagint we may very shortly look forward to a
thoroughly revised text; and a similar remark may probably be made in
reference to the Vulgate, but I am not aware that much has been done in
the case of the Syriac {53}, and of other versions to which reference
would have to be made in any great critical attempt, such as a revision
of the _textus receptus_ of the Old Testament.

If, however, a first need is trustworthy editions of the Versions, a
second need appears to be a fuller knowledge of the Hebrew material, late
in regard of antiquity though it may be, than was, at any rate, available
till very recently. The new edition of the text of the Hebrew Bible by
Dr. Ginsburg, with its learned and voluminous introduction, may, and
probably does, supply this fuller knowledge; but as in regard of these
matters I can speak only as a novice, I can only reproduce the statement
commonly made by those who have a right to speak on such subjects, that
the collation of the Hebrew manuscripts that we already possess has been
far from complete. There appears to have been the feeling that they all
lead up to the Massoretic text, and that any particular variations from
it need not be treated over-seriously; and yet surely we must regard it
as possible that some of these negligible variations might concur with,
and by their concurrence add weight to, readings already rendered
probable by the suggestive testimony of the Ancient Versions. It may be
right for me to add that the whole question was raised in 1886 by Dr.
Green and Dr. Schaff in a circular letter addressed to distinguished
Hebrews in Germany and elsewhere. The answers are returned in German
{55}, and are translated. They are most of them interesting, though not
very encouraging. The best of them seems to be the a