We have received and beg to call attention to the following: A Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews. By W. Gouge, D.D. Vol. II. Edinburgh: James Nichol. Nicolaus von Basel. Leben und Ausgewählte Schriften, von Charles Schmidt. Liber Judicum secundum LXX. interpretes Triplicem textus conformationem recensuit Lectionis varietates enotavit interpretationis veteris Latinæ fragmenta adjecit O. F. Fritzsch. 1867. Was ist die Wahrheit von Jesu? Zeitfrage und Bekenntnits von Heinrich Koenig. Leipzig. 1867. Das Mûnz-mass und Gewichtswesen in Vorderasien bis auf Alexander den Grossen, von J. Brandis. Berlin. 1866. Das Opfer nach Lehre der heiligen Schrift alten und Neuen Testaments. Eine apologetische Darstellung des biblisch-kirchlichen Opferbegriffs von Dr. Wangemann. Two Vols. 8vo. Berlin. 1866. David der König von Israel. Ein biblisches Lebensbild mit fortgehenden Beziehungen auf die Davidischen Psalmen, von Dr. F. W. Krummacher. 8vo. Berlin. 1867. Theologischen Jahresbericht Unter Mitwirking namhafter Theologen herausgegeben, von W. Hauckerster Jahrgang Erstes Quartalheft. 8vo. Wiesbaden. 1866. Neue Bibelstudien, von H. G. Hoelemann. 8vo. Leipzig. 1866. Paulus nach der Apostelgeschichte. Historischen Werth dieser Berichte. Eine Wörtenbuch der Neutestamentlichen Gräcität von Le Signe de la Croix avant le Christianisme. Par Gabriel de Morbillet. 8vo. Paris. 1866. Das Judenthum in Palästina zur Zeit Christi. Ein Beitrag zur Offenbarungs und Religious-Geschichte als Einletung in die Theologie des Neuen Testaments. 8vo. Freiburg. 1866. Altægyptische Kalenderinschriften in den Jahren 1863-1865. An ort ùnd Stelle Gesammelt und mit Erlaütern dem Text Herausgegeben von Johannes Duemichen. (120 plates.) 4to. Leipzig. 1866. Christenthum und Kirche im Einklange mir der Culturentwiklung. Zwanzig Betrachtungen von Dr. Daniel Schenkel. Erste Abtheilung. und Bibel. 8vo. Wiebaden. 1867. Religion Ulrich Zwingli nach den urkundlichen Quellen. Von J. C. Mörikofer. Erster Theil. 8vo. Leipzig. 1867. Eusebii Chronicorum Canonum quæ supersunt edidit A. Schoene. 4to. Berlin. 1866. NEW SERIES.-VOL. X., NO. XX. K K MISCELLANIES. The Palestine Exploration Fund.-The society raising the Palestine Exploration Fund has published a pamphlet containing all the papers as yet published in connection with their scheme. The most interesting portion for us was the "Statement of Progress," in which we met with the following passage :- "The most interesting remains are those of the ancient synagogues at Tel Hum, Irbid, Kefr Birim, etc. To these attention has been called by Dr. Robinson in his Later Biblical Researches. But the present expedition has furnished the first complete account of their arrangement and construction. They all lie north and south, have three gateways in the southern end, the interior divided into five aisles by four rows of columns, and the two northern corners formed by double engaged columns. The style of decoration does not always appear to have been the same. At Tel Hum (the strongest claimant for the site of Capernaum) and Kerazeh (Chorazin), Corinthian capitals were found; at Irbid a mixture of Corinthian and Ionic; whilst Kefr Birim, Meiron, and Um el-Amud have capitals of a peculiar character. The faces of the lintels over the gateways are usually ornamented with some device; at Nebartein there is an inscription and representation of the sevenbranched candlestick; at Kefr Birim the ornament appears to have been intended for the Paschal Lamb; and at Tel Hum there are the pot of manna and lamb. A scroll of vine leaves with bunches of grapes is one of the most frequent ornaments."-Can any one explain why all these synagogues should lie north and south? In the letters by Captain Wilson, who conducts the exploring operations, we find some details in reference to the discovery of these synagogues. Of that of Tel Hum he wrote:-"We are now at Khan Minyeh, and have to-day been digging in the mounds. I was very sorry to leave Tel Hum; there is much to be done there yet, but excavating is very expensive work, and we have a great number of places to visit; we can only call what we are doing scratching; it would take £150 or £200 to do Tel Hum properly. We have found out the plan of the white building,four rows of seven columns each, the favourite Jewish number, surrounded by a blank wall ornamented outside with pilasters, and apparently a heavy cornice of late date; the longest side is north and south, but what puzzles me is that the entrance was on the south side, which does not seem to be usual in synagogues. Plans and measured drawings of architectural details have been made. The synagogue was surrounded by another building of later date, also well built and ornamented; we opened one portion of this; the remainder would have cost too much to have done at present. The confusion caused by the mixture of the ruins of the two buildings, and the loss of a great portion of both from stones having been taken away to Tiberias, makes the whole very puzzling. Tel Hum was Capernaum, they certainly took the old synagogue for Peter's house, and built the church round it." Of that of Nebartein, he states:-" From Tiberias we turned north again, to complete the exami If nation of the Jarmuk district, and at some ruins called Nebartein discovered an old synagogue, on the lintel of which was an inscription in Hebrew, and over it a representation of the candlestick with seven branches, similar to the well-known one of Titus's arch at Rome-a squeeze was taken of the inscription."-The most precious relic that could be discovered by the Exploration Society would be some truly ancient scroll of the law or prophets, such as, undoubtedly, existed in every synagogue. And if manuscripts from Pompeii and Herculanum are in our days being brought to light, why should we despair of meeting with a similar treasure in one of these synagogues, which have so long been hidden in the bowels of the earth ?-Jewish Chronicle. IN MEMORIAM: DR. HINCKS. It is with undissembled sorrow that we record the setting of one of the brightest luminaries of learning in our islands. Intelligence has reached us that our old and honoured friend and contributor DR. HINCKS is gone to his rest. Not immature, not unhonoured, has he died; but we could have wished that his extraordinary merits and attainments had been recognized in a more substantial manner by the Church he adorned. Perhaps we do wrong to allude to this; but who shall say that he whom we have lost was unconscious of it? Never mind; he rests from his labours, and his works do follow him, and his memory will live and be resplendent. He has built himself a monument on earth, are perennius, and his Master has doubtless given him a high place among the children in the Great Father's house. Circumstances will prevent us from doing more, but we hastily snatch from the Daily Northern Whig of Dec. 5, a few brief mementoes for preservation by our readers, who know already his unusual learning and ability, and zeal for the elucidation of dark places in the sacred page. "It is our painful duty to announce the decease of this amiable and excellent man; one of the profoundest scholars whom Ireland has produced for many centuries; a gentleman in every sense of the word; a patriot of whom his country may justly be proud; and a clergyman of whom any Church might with reason boast. His death took place on Monday, the 3rd December. He was the son of Rev. Thomas Dix Hincks, LL.D., pastor of the Presbyterian congregation of Prince's Street, in the city of Cork; afterwards minister of Fermoy; and, in the latter years of his life, head-master of the classical school, and Professor of Hebrew and other Oriental languages in the Belfast Academical Institution. Dr. Edward Hincks was born in the month of August, 1792, and consequently was seventy-four years of age at the time of his decease. At a very early age he gave indications of no common powers of observation and comparison. Before he was able to speak, he had learned to put together a dissected map of Europe, and could point out every important country, river, mountain, and town on the terrestrial globe. His education, under his learned father, was so carefully superintended that he entered Trinity College, Dublin, at an unusually early age, taking the first place; and having "gone in" for a fellowship before the completion of his undergraduate course, he obtained it, being of all the candidates facile princeps. We have heard that his answering in the pure and mixed mathematics was the best that had ever, till that time, been made by any candidate for a fellowship. He soon afterwards took orders as a clergyman in the Church of England, and, at a considerable sacrifice of emolument, accepted the living of Ardtrea, which was in the gift of his college, and in which a vacancy had occurred. He was afterwards promoted to the rectory of Killyleagh, in the Diocese of Down, which is also in the gift of Trinity College; and there he spent the last forty-one years of his life, respected, honoured, and beloved by all who enjoyed the privilege of his acquaintance. "He early manifested a wonderful capacity for deciphering texts in characters and languages equally unknown to him. His first essay in this line was somewhat remarkable. A gentleman, desiring to test the power of learned men in acquiring a knowledge of truths locked up in the obscurity of dead languages and obsolete alphabets, published in a periodical work a passage from a foreign book which he had transcribed in a set of characters invented by himself, and totally differing from any known form of writing, and requested those who thought themselves skilled in such undertakings to send to the editor a transcript of it in the common type, and a translation in the English language. Dr. Hincks did both in twenty-four hours after the magazine came to his hands. The language, it may be observed, was Spanish, with which he had no previous acquaintance. This facility of analysis was of great use to himself, and to the learned world when he afterwards applied himself to the study of Egyptian Hieroglyphic and Demotic texts, and to the inscriptions in the Cuneiform character found in Persepolis, Nineveh, and other places in the ancient Empire of Assyria. His interpretations of these inscriptions were at first disputed by men of great experience and paramount ability; but we believe that at length his principal opponents and rivals-Rawlinson, Grotefend, and others—have admitted that his fundamental principle was right, and have acknowledged that all consistent and trustworthy interpretation of these texts must proceed on the principles which he was the first to discover and explain. He was no less learned as a theologian than as a philologist. He took part, in the year 1829, in a controversy on the comparative merits of the Roman Catholic and Established Churches, in which the vast stores of knowledge which he had at command, and the clearness as well as readiness with which they were produced, in reply to an able and most dexterous opponent, were conspicuous. The discussion was marked by good feeling and good temper on both sides; and, strange as it may appear, had the happy effect of allaying the heats and animosities of the contending parties. "Dr. Hincks lived and died—incomparably the most learned man in the Irish Church, and inferior to none in personal and moral qualifications-the Rector of Ardtrea and Killyleagh, who never owed one farthing to the favour, or patronage of the Crown, except a literary pension bestowed upon him not long since in acknowledgment of his labours as a scholar. He also had an Order of Knighthood conferred upon him by the King of Prussia on similar grounds. "Most of his publications appeared in the Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy, and other learned Societies, many of which had enrolled him among their members. We have been informed that an entire volume of the Transactions of the Academy consists of papers from his pen. He also read some interesting papers at the meetings of the British Association, and some which excited much attention at public meetings of the Natural History and Philosophical Society of Belfast." END OF VOL. X. (NEW SERIES). Mitchell and Hughes, Printers, 24 Wardour Street, W. |