DOI Artikel:
Kenyon, Frederic George: Progress of Egyptology: graeco-roman Egypt, 1907-8
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.12423#0062
52
Progress of Egyptology.
Byzantine period; and the fifth a magical incantation by a woman to
secure a man's love. M. Lefebvre" publishes (with a facsimile) a fine
(but unfortunately imperfect) inscription from Eshmunen, containing the
names of soldiers quartered at Hermopolis who had united in dedicating
an altar in honour of one of the Ptolemies. Finally, Dr. P. Maas
republishes 18 the two Byzantine hymns which were first printed in the third
volume of the British Museum Catalogue. The most important part of
his article lies in the postscript, in which he states that a Greek
theologian, Dr. A. Orphanides, has recognised both texts as still in use in
the Greek Church. This discovery makes it possible to restore the very
corrupt Greek of the papyri with certainty.
The publications of the year which deal with Graeco-Eoman Egypt and
its documents include several that are of considerable importance. The
fourth volume of M. Bouche-Leclercq's Histoire des Lagides19 completes
a work that will be of great use as a book of reference for some time to
come. The two main subjects of it are the army and the law, both of
them topics on which the papyri have thrown a good deal of light, but in
which there are still many points of obscurity and difficulty. Law is,
moreover, a very special subject, with which only experts can deal, though
Ptolemaic law is free from the additional complications introduced by the
appearance of Rome and Eoman law upon the scene. In addition there
are two appendices,—one dealing with the calendar, without, it is to be
feared, arriving at very satisfactory conclusions, and the other containing
corrections and additions to the previous volumes. It is significant of the
progressiveness of the subject that fifty pages of small print are required
to deal with the five years that have elapsed since the appearance of the
first volume. Under these circumstances, the life of such books as this
cannot be very long ; but so long as they are valid they are of the greatest
service to students as a summary of existing knowledge. M. Bouche-
Leclercq also gives copious references to his authorities, and thereby
enables students to examine the subject for themselves.
In another department of knowledge, Prof. Deissmann's new book 20
performs a similar service in summarising and extending existing know-
ledge. It incorporates much that has already appeared in the two courses
of lectures which Prof. Deissmann has recently delivered in England, and
it is addressed, like them, not only to experts, but to the general educated
public. Its theme, as in his previous writings, is the light thrown upon
the Bible by recent discoveries of papyri and the like; and the treatment
falls naturally into three sections, dealing respectively with the linguistic,
literary, and spiritual interpretation of the New Testament. It is
Progress of Egyptology.
Byzantine period; and the fifth a magical incantation by a woman to
secure a man's love. M. Lefebvre" publishes (with a facsimile) a fine
(but unfortunately imperfect) inscription from Eshmunen, containing the
names of soldiers quartered at Hermopolis who had united in dedicating
an altar in honour of one of the Ptolemies. Finally, Dr. P. Maas
republishes 18 the two Byzantine hymns which were first printed in the third
volume of the British Museum Catalogue. The most important part of
his article lies in the postscript, in which he states that a Greek
theologian, Dr. A. Orphanides, has recognised both texts as still in use in
the Greek Church. This discovery makes it possible to restore the very
corrupt Greek of the papyri with certainty.
The publications of the year which deal with Graeco-Eoman Egypt and
its documents include several that are of considerable importance. The
fourth volume of M. Bouche-Leclercq's Histoire des Lagides19 completes
a work that will be of great use as a book of reference for some time to
come. The two main subjects of it are the army and the law, both of
them topics on which the papyri have thrown a good deal of light, but in
which there are still many points of obscurity and difficulty. Law is,
moreover, a very special subject, with which only experts can deal, though
Ptolemaic law is free from the additional complications introduced by the
appearance of Rome and Eoman law upon the scene. In addition there
are two appendices,—one dealing with the calendar, without, it is to be
feared, arriving at very satisfactory conclusions, and the other containing
corrections and additions to the previous volumes. It is significant of the
progressiveness of the subject that fifty pages of small print are required
to deal with the five years that have elapsed since the appearance of the
first volume. Under these circumstances, the life of such books as this
cannot be very long ; but so long as they are valid they are of the greatest
service to students as a summary of existing knowledge. M. Bouche-
Leclercq also gives copious references to his authorities, and thereby
enables students to examine the subject for themselves.
In another department of knowledge, Prof. Deissmann's new book 20
performs a similar service in summarising and extending existing know-
ledge. It incorporates much that has already appeared in the two courses
of lectures which Prof. Deissmann has recently delivered in England, and
it is addressed, like them, not only to experts, but to the general educated
public. Its theme, as in his previous writings, is the light thrown upon
the Bible by recent discoveries of papyri and the like; and the treatment
falls naturally into three sections, dealing respectively with the linguistic,
literary, and spiritual interpretation of the New Testament. It is