CONTENTS OF No. XI.-VOL. VI. CONTENTS OF No. XII.-VOL. VI. CORRESPONDENCE:—. Dr. Tregelles's Letters from the Con- THE JOURNAL OF SACRED LITERATURE. NO. XI.-JULY, 1850. HISTORY OF THE EARLY STUDY OF HEBREW IN ENGLAND. THE destruction of the Western Empire by the incursion of northern barbarians tended, for ages, to repress the spirit of literary inquiry. In the East, however, which was less exposed to attack, attention was still paid to learning, and by none more than by the Jews, whose schools flourished in the darkest period of the history of Europe. Circumstances having greatly changed in the course of time, many descendants of Abraham sought that security in the West which was denied them on the eastern continent. The rising sun of grammatical learning,' says the celebrated philologist Delitzsch, which appeared in Persia, passed over in its course to Africa and to Spain; and, illuminating with its radiance the remotest countries of the earth, penetrated even to Germany.' 6 By the aid of these teachers, scholars in Italy, Spain, France, and England were enabled to form some acquaintance with the Hebrew language. It was during the Saxon period that Jews first made their way into Britain. The Canonical Exceptions' of Ecgbrith, Archbishop of York, A.D. 740, forbad any Christian being present at Jewish feasts. Still later, in the Charter of Witzlaff, King of Mercia, granted to the monks of Croyland, A.D. 833, all lands bestowed by Christians and Jews were confirmed to them.a In the laws of Edward the Confessor the VOL. VI.NO. XI. a Ingulph., Hist. p. 9. B following following language occurs, which is regarded as genuine by Spelman--Judæi, et omnia sua, Regis sunt.' It was, doubtless, primarily through these Jews that the few Anglo-Saxon scholars acquainted with Hebrew, obtained their knowledge of that language. From them was also procured the Hebrew manuscript mentioned by Aleuin, as being among the literary treasures in the library of York.b The first Hebrew scholar among the Anglo-Saxons, of whom any record remains, was Bede, born A.D. 673. In his writings he very frequently refers to the Hebrew verity;' and in almost innumerable instances explains the meaning of Hebrew words. When charged with heresy for writing his De Temporibus,' he justified himself, in his letters to Plegwin, by asserting that he followed the Hebrew text, not the Septuagint. Still, however, a careful comparison of these passages with Jerome's writings, proves that he was almost entirely indebted to that learned father for his emendations and explanations. Nor, indeed, does he refrain from frankly expressing his obligation; nos qui per beati interpretis Hieronymi industriam puro Hebraicæ veritatis fonte potamur.'-Opusc. Sc. c. lxvii. Alcuin, another Anglo-Saxon scholar, born at York A.D. 735, and brought up by Bishop Egbert, was taught Latin, Greek, and Hebrew in that city-a city, let it be remembered, where Ecgbrith's canon was passed, and where there were, doubtless, at the time many Jews. The extent of Alcuin's knowledge of Hebrew it is perhaps impossible to discover, since in his extant writings he, like Bede, borrows almost entirely from Jerome, as Vallarsius long ago proved. Still it is sufficiently evident that he had some knowledge of that language, since the statements of his pupil Joseph are such as to show that the study of Hebrew was not neglected in his school. The disturbed state of England during the incursions of the Danes, and the banishment of the Jews by Canute, proved destructive to the interest of Hebrew study for very many years. At length under William I. Jews again found their way into England from Rouen. By the powerful protection of the Norman princes they flourished greatly, and spread themselves throughout b In his poem De Pontif. et Sanct. Ecc. Eborac. the passage occurs : 'Hebraicus vel quod populus bibit imbre superno.' As Bede's knowledge of Hebrew has been too highly esteemed, two other quotations from his works are given, which prove his expressed indebtedness to Jerome: -Cæterum cunctis in commune suademus, ut sive quis ex Hebraica veritate, quæ ad nos per memoratum interpretem pura pervenisse etiam hostibus Judæis in professo est; sive,' &c. (Opusc. Scient., c. 67.) Apud Hebræos, Hieronymo teste, luna, quam jare nominant mensibus nomen dedit.' (Opusc. Sc., c. 11.) a The Quest. in Gen., Com. in Eccles., Interp. of the names of the Hebrew progenitors of Christ, contained in Alcuin's works, are not his, but Jerome's. the |