"WHEN IN DEATH I SHALL CALMLY, RECLINE," in Persian. When in death I shall calmly recline, Oh, bear my heart to my mistress dear: When the light of my song is o'er, To her he adores shall fill to its brim, Chu miram āsūdeh va mi khābam past Tā in tuhfah beshūyid az sūbh tā beh shām. Chun nūr-i-navāyam tamām rasid QUARTERLY REPORT ON SEMITIC STUDIES AND ORIENTALISM. BY PROF. DR. EDWARD MONTET. GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. SINCE Our last Report, the fifteenth part of the "Dictionnaire de la Bible" has been published under the direction of Abbé Vigouroux.* It begins with the word esturgeon and ends at fontaine. The most valuable articles are on the Ethiopian language, the Ethiopian version of the Bible, and the Apocryphal Gospels. The celebrated Egyptologist Maspero has commenced the publication of the third volume of his "Histoire ancienne des Peuples d'Orient," the first numbers of which are now on sale. We shall wait till it is fully published before we review it. We have to note several works on the science and history of religions, which are so closely related to Orientalism that it is sometimes difficult to distinguish them. The first is the German translation of the Introduction to the science of religion by Tielet (Gifford Lectures). It is scarcely necessary to mention it to the British public, as Tiele's work has appeared in English, both in the form of lectures and in book form. The German translation, which only reproduces the first part of the original, treats of generalities on the science of religion, evolution of religion, naturalistic religions, ethical religions, laws of religious development, etc. The writings of the eminent professor of Leiden require neither recommendation nor praise. Their own merit will secure the attention of the learned public. The second is an original and interesting inquiry on religions from the sociological point of view, by R. de la Grasserie. § In this work the author treats religion from a social point of view. All beings in the universe, from this principle, are united by a superior bond of unity. The science of this principle is the science of religion, hence the author calls it a "Cosmo-sociological science." M. R. de la Grasserie's work is devoted to the investigation of all questions relating to religion looked at from this standpoint. A social cosmical bond (God with man, and man with God), worship, naturism, animism, constitution and evolution of religious opinions, relations between religions and civil society, are some of the important points that are touched upon in this work. We have to make a single observation on the work of the old and esteemed missionary, Dr. Murray Mitchell, translated into French by * Paris, Letouzey et Ané, 1899. † Paris, Hachette et Cie., 1899. + Einleitung in die Religionswissenschaft." I. Theil. Gotha, F. A. Perthes, 1899. 8 "Des Religions comparées au point de vue sociologique." Paris, Giard et Brière, 1899. * C. de Faye. It refers to all religions outside Christianity. He notices successively Animism, Hinduism, Zoroastrism, Buddhism, the religions of China, Japan, and Muhammadanism. The information given is, on the whole, exact and judicious; but—and this is what we find fault with—the field is so vast there are occasional gaps and imperfections. Some examples may be noted: In the chapter on Hinduism we would expect to find a short account of the real tendencies of Brahminic origin, Sivaism, etc. The author has devoted the main part of this chapter only to Brahmo-Somaj. In referring to Buddhism, he makes allusion to its want of vitality. In this connection we would refer to the work of Colonel Olcott on the revival of Buddhism. We observe, finally, that the author is insufficiently informed as to the progress of Muhammadanism in Africa, India, and China. In India in 1885 the Musulmans numbered 50,000,000. In 1891 (the latest statistics) there were 57,321,000. We have often, both here and elsewhere, pointed out the great progress made by Islamism, and take again the opportunity of correcting inaccurate information presented by this work to the British public. HISTORY OF THE RELIGION OF ISRAEL. THE OLD TESTAMENT. In the field of the religious history of Israel, we notice two works. The first, that of E. Stave, which treats of the influence exercised by Parsism on Judaism,t a subject referred to in the Revue de l'Histoire des Religions and elsewhere. The conclusions the Professor of Upsala arrives at coincide with my own. Under the influence of Mazdeism the ideas of legal purity and impurity acquired more importance in Israel. The Persian belief in a universal resurrection, annihilating death and re-establishing in its integrity the work of Ahura Mazda, the creator of life, prepared the introduction into the Jewish religion of the belief in individual resurrec tion. The Mazdean eschatology presents such a close relationship to the Jewish eschatology that, necessarily, the former has influenced the latter. The second work is by A. van Hoonacker on "The Levitical Priesthood in the Law and History of the Hebrews."§ This is divided into five parts: the Clergy in the Sacerdotal Code, the place of worship; the Priests and Levites (according to the Chronicles, the documents prior to the Exile, and Ezekiel); the Hereditary Character of the Priestly Functions; the High Priest; the Endowment of the Tribe of Levi. The argument of the Louvain Professor is based on a very conservative point of view. The distinctions which he makes between Biblical documents, according to the modern critic, should not delude us, any more than the scientific apparatus he uses in refuting in each page the arguments of Wellhausen, and of other representatives of the science of the Old Testa* "Coup d'œil sur les religions en dehors du Christianisme." Geneva, Ch. Eggimann, 1899. + “Ueber den Einfluss des Parsismus auf das Judentum." Haarlem, 1898. This is what we expressed almost in the same terms (Revue de l'Histoire des Religions. 1884. I., p. 322). § Louvain, Istas, 1899. ment. These are, indeed, the main results which he arrives at, all the Biblical documents affirming the unique place of worship, the distinction between priests and Levites, and the unique office of the High Priest. It is, as one may perceive, the traditional interpretation established by a method which possesses only the appearance of being scientific. In the Old Testament and Jewish Apocryphal literature we draw attention to the sixth volume recently published, "Skizzen und Vorarbeiten," by Wellhausen,* a series of notes and remarks upon the Psalms, on Islam, the expression ỏ vids Toû avoрúñоv, Apocalyptic literature, and several categories of irregular verbs in Hebrew. The Book of Jubilee has been made the subject of a remarkable inquiry by W. Singer, in which he advocates an erroneous thesis of the origin and anti-Paulinian tendency of this Apocalypse. The important publication of the German translation of the Apocrypha and the Pseudepigraphy of the Old Testament, by Kautzsch, will be of great service. The preface to each volume, its translation, and the copious notes elucidating the text with which each is accompanied, reminds one of that marvellous work, "The Translation of the Old Testament," by the same scholar, and which cannot be praised too highly.§ The Apocrypha which have, up to the present, appeared (the work is in course of publication) are: III. Esdras, I., II., and III. Maccabees, Tobit, Judith, the Prayer of Manasseh, additions to Daniel, additions to Esther, Baruch, Epistle to Jeremiah, and Ecclesiasticus. R. Basset continues the very interesting publication of his Ethiopian Apocryphas, the last one published (IX.) being the Apocalypse of Esdras.|| In the extremely good preface which precedes the translation of this volume, the learned Orientalist asserts that this Apocalypse was written about the year 97, at the accession of Nerva, and shows the influence which it exercised down to the Kuran, and even to Christopher Columbus. TALMUDISM AND RABBINISM. The translation of, by J. de Pavly and M. A. Neviasky, continues; Part IV. (clean and unclean animals, mixing meat and milk) has recently appeared.¶ F. Weichmann has published an interesting and well-conceived pamphlet on the ritual slaughtering of animals among the Jews, which commences with a preface by Professor Strack.** The authoritative edition and the German translation of the Talmud of Babylon, by Lazarus Goldschmidt, ft which we have already announced, are being continued, and make progress. In a few years hence, this pub* Berlin, G. Reimer, 1899. † "Das Buch der Jubiläen: I. Tendenz und Ursprung." Stuhlweissenburg (Ungarn), E. Singer, 1898. + "Die Apokryphen und Pseudepigraphen des A. T." Freiburg i. B., Mohr, 1898-99. 66 ¶ Orléans, Michau, 1899. ** "Das Schächten." Leipzig, Hinrichs, 1899. †† "Der Babylonische Talmud, n." Berlin, Calvary, 1897-99. lication will be a valuable help to those who interest themselves in Talmudic studies. The edition is excellent, so far as one can judge from a superficial examination; such a work deserves long and minute study. The following have appeared up to the present: Vol. I. (Berakhoth, Zeraim, Schabbath), Vol. III. (Sukkah, Beca, Rosch-haschanah, Tânith, Megilla, Moed Katan). The publication is announced to appear soon of an edition of the Talmud of Babylon. It will be a complete text, accompanied by Rashi's commentary, and a French synthetic translation, by J. de Pavly, whose works on Rabbinical literature we have on several occasions mentioned. In conclusion, we have to announce an important work on the Targum of the Samaritan Pentateuch, by P. Kahle.* SYRIAC, MANDÆAN. A new Syriac grammar has appeared, by C. Brockelmann,† the author of that excellent work, the "Lexicon Syriacum," which we have already recommended to our readers in former Reports. This grammar recommends itself by its clearness and preciseness. Having myself published short grammars of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Arabic, I know by experience how difficult it is to be clear when the theory of a language is reduced to a minimum. It also recommends itself by the choice and wealth of its chrestomathy, printed in three types-Jacobite, Estrangelo, Nestorian. The advantages of this new grammar appear to me sufficiently great to consider its introduction in University teaching a real progress. I for my part intend to make use of it for my own tuition. Mandæan studies are enriched by a publication, worthy of all praise, on "The Mandæan Inscriptions of Cups from Khouabir" (text, translation, and commentary), by Pognon.‡ Khouabir, on the right bank of the Euphrates, is situated about fifty-five kilometres to the north-west of Musejjib. The cups, covered with magical inscriptions, seem to date from the first century of the Hegira. ISLAM. Under the title of "Bulletin Bibliographique de l'Islam Maghribin,"§ Mr. E. Doutté, Professor at the College of Tlemcen (Algeria), has originated the publication of a very useful Islamic bibliography. The title of the work does not give a very exact idea of its contents, the scope of which extends very much beyond the region of the Maghrib. The author, in our opinion, would have done better by simply calling it "Bibliography of Islam." In it he reviews the general works upon Islam, books of dogmatics, history, science, Musulman laws, books, pamphlets, and articles on the Islamic propaganda, Arab morals, the folk-lore of Northern Africa, travels in Muhammadan countries, Arabic works written by Musulmans, the study of the Arabic and Berber languages and literatures, etc. "Textkritische und lexikalische Bemerkungen zum Samaritanischen Pentateuchtargum." Leipzig, Harrassowitz, 1898. + "Syrische Grammatik." Berlin, Reuther und Reichard, 1899. Paris, Welter, 1898. § Oran, Fouque, 1899. |