Egypt Exploration Fund [Editor]: Archaeological report: comprising the work of the Egypt Exploration Fund and the progress of egyptology during the year ... (1910-1911)

Chbistian Egypt.

61

C.-CHRISTIAN EGYPT.*

1. Biblical.—J. Schleifer now publishes 1 the rest (v. last Report, 55)
of the biblical texts which he copied in the British Museum in 1905 ;
they represent Gen. xiv, 17-20, xxix, 6-18; Ex. ii, 24; Num. v, 8-24,
x, 33-xi, 8, xxvi, 58-xxvii, 7, xxvii, 18-23, xxxi, 47-49, xxxii, 4-7; Deut.
i, 23-30; Josh, i, 1-5, xxiv, 2-11; II Sam. vii, 12-13 ; I Kings viii, 41-
48, xix, 3-9; II Kings ii, 14-15; Job xl, 7-xli, 9; Prov. xx, 6-10, xxii,
28-xxiii, 4; Is. xxv, 1, xlix, 5-7, lviii, 2-7; Hos. xiv, 4-8 ; Mic. i, 2-5 ;
Joel i, 13-16; Jonah iii, 5-10; Hab. iii, 9-13; Zech. viii, 18-22; and
Tobit vi, 12—vii, 1. Comparatively little of this is entirely new.; but
several small gaps are usefully filled up, and the publication will be
invaluable when the critical edition of the Sa'idic Old Testament comes to
be made. The previous instalment mentioned above is briefly noticed 2 by
Wreszinski.

The valuable Akhnrimic texts (Ex. i, 1-ii, 19; iv, 2-25; v, 22—vii, 4;
Ecclus. xxii, 17-xxiii, 6; and II Mace, v, 27-vi, 21) rather carelessly
published, Mem. Miss. Franc, i. 242, by Bouriant, are now re-edited3 by
Lacau, who adds a leaf (also in Paris) containing Luke i, 29-68 in Sa'idic
with Akhmimic tendencies. He supplies a most valuable index of the
Akhmimic words, and the plates show admirably the character of the
writing.

Only second in importance to the Sa'idic New Testament mentioned
below is the edition 4 by Sir Herbert Thompson of a British Museum
palimpsest, from which he has rescued no less than Jos. i, 1-ii, 14; iii, 6-
x, 25 ; x, 36-xvii, 16 ; xviii, 7-xix, 50 ; xxi, 7-xxii, 14 ; xxii, 20-xxiv, 33 ;
Jud. i, 1-vii, 1 ; vii, 7-14 ; vii, 20-viii, 10 ; viii, 20-27 ; ix, 9-x, 6 ; x, 15-
xvi, 18; xvii, 2-xviii, 7; xviii, 22-xix, 7 ; xix, 16-xx, 15; xx, 24-47;
xxi, 7-14; Bath i, 4-iv, 2 ; iv, 10-22 ; Judith i, 1-ii, 5 ; iv, 6-v, 5 ; v, 15-
22; vi, 4-vii, 1; vii, 8-17; vii, 22-xvi, 6 ; xvi, 17-25; Esther xi, 2-11;
i, 12—ii, 9; ii, 16-iii, 12; xiii, 5-7 ; iii, 14-iv, 12 ; xiii, 14-xv, 11 ; vi, 6-
viii, 1 ; xvi, 7-16; viii, 13-xi, 1. Any one who knows the MS., or
Hyvernat's facsimile of it, will realise the extraordinary difficulty of the
task, and the success with which it has been carried out is more than
remarkable. The book is provided with a short introduction and notes on

* I owe some references to the kindness of Mr. Crum and Marcus Siuiaika Bey.