The Fundamentals - 1917: Vol.1

The Mosaic A1dhorship of the Pentateuch 45 Samaritans early broke away from the Jews and began the t p r e a n n d s e m n i t ss l i i o n n e o w f h a ic H h e h b a r s ew co t n e t x in t u o e f d th d e ow P n en t t o ate t u h c e h p o r n ese a n n t in d d a e y . (3) Besides this three other Gi;eek versions were made long before the establishment of the Massoretic text. The most important of these was one by Aquila, who was so punctilious that he transliterated the word Jehovah in the old Hebrt!w c in h g ara L c o t r e d rs, as ins w te a a s d d o o f ne tr i a n ns t l h a e tin S g ep it tu b a y gi t n h t e . G ( r 4 e ) ek E w a o rl r y d S m y e r a ia n c material often provides much information concerning the original Hebrew text. (5) The translation into Latin known as the Vulgate preceded the Massoretic text by some centuries, and was made by Jerome, who was noted as a Hebrew scholar. But Augustine thought it sacrilegious not to be content with the Septuagint. All this material furnishes ample ground for correcting in minor particulars the current Hebrew text; and this can be done on well established scientific principles which largely eliminate conjectural emendations. This argument has been elaborated by a number of scholars, notably by Dahse, one of the most brilliant of Germany's younger scholars, first in the "Archiv fuer Religio11s-Wisse11schaft" for 1903, pp. 305- 319, and again in an article which will appear in the "Neue Kirchliche Zeitschrift" for this year; and he is following up his attack on the critical theories with an important book entitled, "Textkritische Materialien zur Hexateuchfrage,• which will shortly be published in Germany. Although so long a time has elapsed since the publication of his first article on the subject, and in spite of the fact that it attracted world-wide attention and has often been referred to since, no German critic has yet produced an answer to it. In England and America Dr. Redpath and Mr. Wiener have driven home t ic h i e sm a " rg , u a m nd en " t. Ori ( g S in ee o v f V t i h en e e P r's en " ta E t s e s u a c y h s ." i ) n Pentateuchal Crit­ On bringing the light of this evidence to bear upon the

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