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CRITICAL NOTICES 349
CWNI, is a very useful book, and may often be applied to the
Halaehah. It deserves to be widely known, and it is to be hoped
that the editing of the second part will be entrusted to abler hands.
Jerusalem, December, 1897.
L. Gbunhut.
DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE.
Edited by James Hastings, M.A., D.D. (T. & T. Clark.)
It was high time for the production of a new dictionary of the Bible.
Smith's Dictionary in the later parts represents the state of biblical
science as it was thirty years ago, and those thirty years have seen a
greater change in point of view and accumulation of material than the
three preceding centuries. Assyriology and Egyptology have become
exact sciences in the interim ; the whole of biblical geography and
archaeology has been placed upon a firm footing by actual survey
and excavation ; Semitic philology has come to the aid of Hebrew
grammar and dictionary, while the new sciences of institutional
archaeology and history of religion, though still in the stage of guess-
work, have valuable suggestions to make, at least as regards method.
Besides all this, English biblical scholarship has assimilated during
the past quarter of a century all that is best in German work, and
it may be anticipated henceforth that England will before long
commence to pay back some of her debts to Germany. Indeed, the
works of Cheyne, Driver, and Robertson-Smith have not been without
their influence on recent German scholarship.
The new dictionary published by Messrs. Clark shows in many
directions the influence of these new aids to biblical research. The
physical archaeology and the geographical details show on all sides
the vast strides made in these directions during the past quarter of a
century, though it is but fair to add that Sir George Grove's con-
tributions to Smith's Dictionary left little to be desired in the latter
regard. The illustrations of archaeological objects are scattered
rather sparsely, and even when they occur are not so clear as might
be desired, and it was somewhat doubtful policy inserting them in
such a form. One wonders rather what will be the appearance of the
block on page 304 after a few thousand impressions have been taken
from it. Indeed, throughout, what are technically known as " half-
tone " blocks are very unsatisfactory. The illustrations contrast very
B b 2
350 THE JEWISH QUARTERLY REVIEW
unfavourably with those accompanying the English edition of the
Polychrome Bible. If it was not intended to include in the new
dictionary a tolerably complete atlas of Bible antiquities, it was
scarcely worth while introducing these somewhat inelegant extracts
from such an atlas. On the other hand, the three maps included in
the present volume are admirably clear, and fully up to date. Thus
much advantage would have been gained by a few sketch-maps of
important localities, as Damascus, and the like. A notable feature
of the new dictionary is the attention paid to the obsolete words of
the A. V., which are mostly treated with great care by the editor
himself. Here, again, the principle of competing with the ordinary
Bible Word-books may be called into question. The subject generally
has its interests more from the point of view of philology than from
biblical antiquities ; excellent word-lists already exist, and there is
not much object in multiplying parallel examples from Elizabethan
writers. If, however, the task was to have been attempted of in-
cluding a Bible Word-book in the Bible Dictionary, the list of
selected words might have been made tolerably complete. A cursory
comparison shows at once an absence of all explanation of the curious
form " all to break " (Judges ix. 53) ; then the word " beaten," as used
of oil in Exod. xxvii. 20, also deserves note, if anything like complete-
ness in this connexion is aimed at. But why only English words ?
There are numerous Hebrew and Greek words on which one would
like to have monographs in a Bible Dictionary, if words are to be
attended to at all. Words like ali>v or noon are as interesting to the
biblical student as any obsolete form of Elizabethan English.
Another reason for objecting to the insertion of this Word-book is
the fact that so much of the matter elsewhere in the book is of a
highly special character, seemingly intended only for specialist
students of the Bible. Much of it might indeed be described not
inappropriately as " minced manual." The elaborate division of
the sources under the headings of Exodus and Deuteronomy, for
example, seem to have wandered away from some technical Intro-
duction to the Old Testament, and can be but disconcerting to a
reader who requires to be informed of the exact meaning of " daub."
If these sections were intended for the use of biblical students in the
special sense of the word, they are too short and general ; if for the
general reader, they are too long and special. What the editor has
probably aimed at has been to cater for both classes, and one cannot
help thinking that he is in the proverbial state of unstable equili-
brium which a seat upon two stools confers.
So much by way of general comment on the method which has
been adopted in this new attempt to summarize modern knowledge
CRITICAL NOTICES 351
about the Bible. One would be indeed ungrateful if one did not
recognize what a large amount of new and accurate information has
been placed at our disposal in these pages. The mere list of con-
tributors is enough to indicate the high quality of the work. When
we have Prof. Hommel writing upon Assyria and Babylonia, Prof.
Flinders Petrie on the material remains of Semitic antiquity, Dr.
Isaac Taylor upon the alphabet, Mr. Buchanan Gray on many of the
proper names, Mr. Charles on Enoch, Prof. Jevons on divination,
Prof. Davidson on special theological terms of the Old Testament,
Colonel Conder on Palestinian Geography, and Prof. Ramsay on the
Geography of Asia Minor, one must own that every attempt has been
made to apply to the highest sources on most of the special topics.
But one must in these pages enter a protest against the entire
absence of Jewish names among the contributors to the dictionary.
There are so many sides to biblical science nowadays which are
strictly scientific, and therefore quite apart from any theological
preconceptions, that there would be no impropriety, and indeed one
would have thought special suitability, in allotting some subjects
to Jewish writers. They would, at any rate, be able to contribute
special information on the later development of biblical practice,
which to them is still in large measure a living thing. One might
mention the names of several in this country and in America, whose
co-operation would have been specially valuable. Merely as a sign
of the times, it would have been desirable to display in practice the
common desire of Jew and Christian to reach the truth about biblical
things.
After these preliminary remarks, I may perhaps indicate under a
few headings a number of additions or corrections, mainly as regards
the bibliographies attached to the more important articles.
Abraham. — Beer's book should have been referred to in connexion
with the rabbinic traditions about Abraham, instead of the much
over-rated Weber. Uncritical as Hamburger is, he also gives the
facts of rabbinic tradition in tolerable fullness.
Agriculture. — Vogelstein's treatise upon the agriculture of the Mishna
would have given some useful parallels closer than those from
Egypt and modern Syria.
Algum Trees. — As the name of the peacocks which accompanied these
from Ophir has been definitely traced to the Tamil, it seems
unnecessary scepticism to doubt the identity of these trees with
the Indian red sandalwood.
Alphabet. — Some notice might have been taken here of the ingenious
suggestion of the Rev. C. J. Ball that the true origin of the
352 THE JEWISH QUARTERLY REVIEW
alphabet is not from Egypt, as De Rouge suggested, but from
the Assyrian, the Archaic forms of which are at least as near the
palaeography of the Moabite stone as the Hieratic forms.
Altar.— The writer here is somewhat too ready to accept without
criticism Robertson-Smith's views, which, it must be confessed,
were very " viewy." The connexion of the altar with the blood
of sacrifice is not so universally made out as Smith's hypothesis
would require.
Amulets. — A reference might here be made to Brecher's treatise Das
Transcendentale im Talmud.
Anah. — I have pointed out in my Studies in Biblical Archaeology
that the evidence for the matriarchate among the Horites is very
slight.
Angel. — Reference might have been made here to M. Schwab's
elaborate list of names of angels and demons in later Jewish
mysticism. More attention might also have been given to the
elaborate lists in Enoch.
Anointing. — The relation between this and baptism might have been
adverted to. No savage ever washes without anointing, there
may therefore be some relation between the purification pro-
duced by contact with water according to all folklore, and the
subsequent operation of anointing. It would have been inter-
esting also to have discussed why extreme unction resolves itself
into unction of the extremities : tips of fingers, toes, &c.
Apes. — It should have been mentioned here that the Hebrew word is
identical with, and probably therefore derived from, the Sanskrit.
Apocrypha. — Reference should surely have been made here to the
important fact that Sirach has now been recovered in Hebrew,
and in any case Prof. Schechter's citation of the rabbinical extracts
from it should have been referred to rather than Zunz's.
Art.— The interesting fact noted by Prof. Flinders Petrie that the
bell and pomegranate design on the dress of the high priest was
really the Egyptian pattern of a lady's dress, should have been
further referred to under the former heading. At the same time
Prof. Petrie does not make it clear that his suggestion is at
present only a suggestion.
Astronomy and Assyriology, — Mr. Pinches' article on this subject is
practically devoted to the influence of Chaldea upon Jewish
astronomy, as is on the whole justified, but with regard to the
Zodiac, reference should have been made to the Egyptian views
which are fuller and present somewhat closer analogies.
CRITICAL NOTICES 353
Atonement, Day of. — Though a few additional items are given from
the Mishna, the Talmudic references are by no means adequately
taken into account in this article.
Azazel. — Many instructive parallels for the scape-goat are given in
Andree's Ethnographische Parallelen.
Baptism. — Here again is a case where Jewish sources are very in-
adequately dealt with. The altogether obsolete treatment of
Schneckenberger, 1829, is referred to as the leading authority on
Jewish baptism.
Benjamin. — It is possible that the late formation of this tribe may be
connected with the rise of the house of Saul, rather than that
the movement for a king should have arisen in the tribe.
Blood. — The work of Trumbull which should have been referred to is
The Blood Covenant, rather than his later work.
Bridegroom's friend. — Reference might here have been made to the
widespread custom of the " best man " as being a survival of
marriage by capture. Maclennan's classic treatise on marriage
affords numerous examples.
Chronicles. — Zunz's discussion of the sources in his Gottesdienstliehe
Vortr&ge should have been referred to as almost the earliest
critical treatment of the subject.
Chronology of the New Testament. — Reference should here have been
made to Mr.Torr's recent suggestion, confirmed by early Christian
iconographic art, that the earlier dates refer rather to John the
Baptist than to Jesus. This solves many difficulties.
Colours. — Delitzsch's treatment of this subject, in his work entitled
Iris, should have been referred to and used, while with regard
to the question raised by Mr. Gladstone as to the early colour
sense of the Hebrews, Mr. Grant Allen's discussion on this subject
in his work on The Colour Sense is of some importance.
Confession. — Here again reference to later Jewish practice might have
been included with advantage.
Day. — Some consideration should here have been given to the Hebraic
(? Semitic) conception of the beginning of the day at sunset.
Debt. — This was a case in which the very elaborate Talmudic legisla-
tion on the subject might have been compared with advantage.
It certainly would have been desirable to mention the curious
principle of the Prosbul, by which the debt enactments of the
Jubilee were evaded. The elaborate information given by the
Egibi tablets might also have been compared.
354 THE JEWISH QUARTERLY REVIEW
Decalogue.— In connexion with the so-called Jahwistic Decalogue, the
importance attributed by Jewish custom to the tenth command-
ment — " Thou shalt not seethe a kid in its mother's milk " — might
have been referred to, as well as the possibility that the second
commandment in the ordinary version was probably directed
against totemism.
Demon. — Here a section is devoted to the demonology of later
Judaism, but the only authority used is that of Weber, instead
of Brecher and Kohut.
Dragon. — This article is almost entirely philological. Some reference
should have been made to the Dragon Myths of Syria, and the
interesting discussion on them prefixed by Mr. Keane to the
translation of Bousset's Antichrist Legend.
Education. — This article deserves attention as being one of the few
in which Jewish research has been adequately utilized.
These somewhat miscellaneous jottings may perhaps indicate the
two chief directions in which the new Dictionary of the Bible is, in
the opinion of the present writer, most deficient. The light thrown
by later Jewish practice and research on biblical topics has not been
adequately consulted, and, notwithstanding the influence of Robertson-
Smith, the researches of comparative folklore have not been utilized
as much as they might have been. On the other hand, it must be
recognized that some of the contributors have used Jewish research, to
some extent, while others are aware of the large volume of illustrative
literature afforded by a study of savage practice and belief. It would,
however, have been desirable to have made use of these two lines of
research more consistently.
It is natural that in reviewing a book of this kind, attention is
concentrated upon those sides in which the reviewer can see faults.
The better polished facets offer no opportunity for comment, but it
would be unjust to part from the book without recognizing the very
high average merit of the articles, and the scrupulous fairness with
which all the writers have approached a subject crammed full of
difficulties, both subjective and objective ; the completeness of the
plan, which is at times almost excessively minute, and the general
success with which the plan has so far been carried out.
Joseph Jacobs.
