INDIAN COPY OF THE HEBREW PENTATEUCH,

DISCOVERED BY THE REV. CLAUDIUS BUCHANAN, D. D.

[Communicated by the Rev. Abiel Holmes, D. D., LL. D.]

To the Editor of the American Quarterly Register,—

SIR, The works of Dr. Buchanan, pertaining to India, have been republished in America, and extensively circulated; but the collation of his manuscript Indian copy of the Hebrew Pentateuch by Mr. Yeates seems almost unknown. Having recently had occasion to consult this work at the college library, it occurred to me that it deserved more attention than it had received, and that some account of it might be acceptable. My first intention was, to give merely an abridgment of Yeates's collation; but, on a recollection of the interest that had been taken in the subject of oriental inquiries on our side of the Atlantic, I thought it might be gratifying to your biblical readers to have some account of what preceded the discovery of the manuscript Pentateuch. It was perceived that names, which might otherwise be omitted, would be of use to authenticate facts, and that it were false modesty to withhold them; the inclosed account is therefore respectfully submitted to you by

Cambridge, May 12, 1836.

Yours with regard,

A. HOLMES.

AN oriental copy of the Hebrew Pentateuch has long been a desideratum. A discrepancy in the chronology of the early ages of the world, between the Hebrew, Ethiopic, Samaritan, and Greek copies of the Pentateuch, induced literary theologians to desire such a copy, for the purpose of comparison, to ascertain, if possible, whether the Hebrew copy, used by the translators of our English Bible, be correct. Among these inquirers was a distinguished Hebrew scholar of our own. The late Dr. Stiles, at an early period of his ministry at Newport, R. I., wrote to Syria, to obtain information of every thing interesting relative to the Jews, their dispersions, locations, rites and usages, and copies of the Law used in their synagogues or places of worship. A few years afterward he wrote to J. Z. Holwell, Esq. author of Historical Events relating to the Empire of Hindoostan, to obtain information in oriental history; particularly, to ascertain, whether the Jews of Cochin and at Patna were in possession of a Hebrew Pentateuch-an inquiry which continued to engage his attention to the close of life. The institution of the Asiatic Society, with the learned Sir William Jones at its head, gave him great delight, and rekindled his zeal in the oriental cause, in the very evening of his days. In recent histories of Hindoostan he had found a new account of a colony of Jews at Cochin, on the coast of Malabar. Having procured and read the Dissertations of Sir William Jones, it occurred to his mind that this eminent orientalist would undertake the inquiries which he wished to be made; and he accordingly wrote to him a letter, dated 18 January, 1794, the year preceding his death. This letter, consisting of more than seventy quarto pages, he sent to Calcutta, directed to the care of the Hon. Suetonius Heatly, chief judge of appeals at Decca, Bengal, with whom in early life he was acquainted; but before it reached India, Mr. Heatly and Sir

William Jones had deceased. A. Lambert, Esq. the administrator of Mr. Heatly's estate, a member of the Asiatic Society, forwarded the letter to the President of the Society, who caused it to be read at the first meeting after its reception. Mr. Lambert wrote a letter to Dr. Stiles, informing him that the letter would be answered by Sir John Shore, President of the Society, as soon as he should receive replies to the inquiries which he had directed to be made at Cochin and Cranganore, respecting the points which his" commendable zeal wished to have ascertained."

Connected with the desire of a search for an oriental copy of the Hebrew Law, Dr. Stiles expressed a wish to have a very extensive territory in the East, especially from the Caspian eastward, and north of India and Tibet, "travelled by some persons of Hebrew literature, and of sagacious discernment of national character, who may discover such rational distinguishing traits, as you, Sir, have in the Afghans, who, from your account, I doubt not, are of Hebrew original, and of the Ten tribes. Your situation, in the oriental countries, gives you an advantage for the prosecution of this research; and I hope for more fruits of your inquiries on this subject." In this letter he expresses a great desire to see a copy of the patriarchal ages and chronology, as found in the Pentateuch of Cochin; and respectfully asks Sir William's offices in obtaining for him this gratification. Though Cochin is at some distance from Bengal, yet, by the assistance of some of his learned connections, visiting that coast, he judged that the desired object might be attained. Having pointed out what particular parts of the Pentateuch he wished to be copied, he expressed a desire to have them in the very character in which they are found in the manuscripts, whether the present Hebrew letter, or of another oriental paleography; and to know whether their copy was obtained from the modern Jews, or whether they have been possessed of it in another line of derivation from the days of Nebuchadnezzar. He wished also for "a list of any and all other books of the Old Testament, in their possession, of this original derivation. St. Thomas found a Hebrew damsel singing Hebrew Psalms at the court of an Indian prince at Cranganore, near Cochin."

A war with the natives of India caused a delay of the expedition for research; and before it was accomplished, Sir John Shore had returned to England. How far the letter of Dr. Stiles may have had influence in the selection of the places of research, or in the discovery of the manuscript before us, we know not. The facts, that the zeal of the writer was commended at Cochin; that his desired inquiries were directed to be made; and that, when replies should be received, Sir John Shore was to have answered the letter; and that Dr. Buchanan takes distinct notice of it, render it probable, that there was such an influence.

In the MEMOIR, dated at Calcutta, 12 March, 1805, Appendix K. entitled "Jewish Scriptures at Cochin," Dr. Buchanan observes: “There is reason to believe that scriptural records, older than the apostolical, exist on the coast of Malabar. At Cochin there is a colony of Jews, who retain the tradition that they arrived in India soon after the Babylonian captivity. There are in that province two classes of Jews, the white and the black Jews. The black Jews are those who are supposed to have arrived at that early period. The white Jews emigrated from Europe in later ages. What seems to countenance the tradition of the black Jews is, that they have copies of those books of the Old Testament that were written previously to the captivity, but none of those whose dates are subsequent to that

event.

"Some years ago, the President of Yale College, in America, an emi

nent archaiologist, addressed a letter to Sir William Jones, on the subject of these manuscripts, proposing that an inquiry should be instituted by the Asiatic Society; but Sir William died before the letter arrived. His object was to obtain the whole of the fifth chapter of Genesis, and a collation of certain other passages in the Old Testament; and also to ascertain whether the manuscripts at Cochin were written in the present Hebrew character, or in another oriental paleography."

In 1806, the year after the date of the Memoir, Dr. Buchanan, under the auspices of the marquis Wellesley, commenced his travels, and was attentive to the investigation of the History and Literature of the Christians and Jews of these parts of the East. He travelled from Calcutta to Cape Comorin by land, and made excursions in the interior of that extensive peninsula, where he met with Jewish colonies. Here he found a copy of the Hebrew Law, which was one special object of research.-By his Researches it appears: That the Black Jews colonized on the coast of India long before the Christian era; that the very imperfect resemblance of their countenance to the Jews of Europe indicates that they have been detached from the parent stock in Judea many ages before the race of Jews in the West; and that they are descendants from those ancient dispersions recorded in the Sacred History; that corroborative of this is the fact, that certain of these tribes do not call themselves Jews, but BeniIsrael, or Israelites; that in the record chests of the synagogues of the Black Jews of Cochin have been discovered old copies of the Law, some of which are complete, and for the most part legible; that at the remote synagogues of the same description of Jews, situated at Tritooa, Paroor, Chenotta and Malch, have been found many old writings, among which are some of great length in Rabbinical Hebrew, but in so ancient and uncommon a character, as to require much time and labor to ascertain their contents; that they have, in most places, the book of the Law, the book of Job, and the Psalms, but know little of the Prophets; that some of them have even lost the book of the Law, and only know that they are Israelites from Tradition, and from their observance of peculiar rites; and that in a coffer of a synagogue of the Black Jews, in the interior of Malayala, there has been found an old copy of the Law, written on a roll of leather, about 50 feet long, composed of skins sewed together, so worn out, in some places, as to be patched with pieces of parchment.

Such is an historical sketch of the result of Dr. Buchanan's Jewish researches in this part of India. The "old copy of the Law," last mentioned, claims our particular attention. It is precisely what the antiquarian and biblical inquirer was solicitous to find; and it furnishes an important confirmation of the correctness of the Hebrew copies of the Old Testament used by the best translators, including the copy used for the Version of our own English Bible.—Of this manuscript an account will now be given.

Indian Copy of the Hebrew Pentateuch.

This Roll, with several other oriental manuscripts, was carried by Dr. Buchanan to England, and given, with the other manuscripts to the University of Cambridge. It was regarded as of sufficient importance to engage the careful examination of those who were competent to estimate its value. The learned Thomas Yeates, late of the University of Oxford, was designated for this service; which he soon after performed, to the high approbation and grateful acceptance of the public. After taking an exact copy of the manuscript, he proceeded to compare it with other manuscripts

and printed copies of the Law; and his Collation was printed at Cambridge, by the Syndics of the University, in 1812. It is entitled,

"COLLATION OF AN INDIAN COPY

OF

THE HEBREW PENTATEUCH,

WITH

PRELIMINARY REMARKS:

Containing an exact Description of the Manuscript, and a Notice of some
others, (Hebrew and Syriac,)

COLLECTED BY

The Rev. CLAUDIUS BUCHANAN, D. D.

In the year 1806,

And now deposited in the Public Library, Cambridge.”

By THOMAS YEATES,

Late of the University of Oxford.

In the preliminary remarks, Mr. Yeates observes, "The derivation of the manuscript is announced in the printed label affixed to it:-'This Manuscript, on a roll of Goat-skins dyed red, was found in the Record Chest of one of the Synagogues of the Black Jews, in the interior of Malayala in India, by the Rev. Claudius Buchanan, in the year 1806.' Those Jews, on being asked certain questions about it, could give no precise account of it: some replied, that it came originally from Senna in Arabia; others of them said, it was brought from Cashmir. The Cabul Jews, who travel annually into the interior of China, remarked, that in some synagogues the Law is still found written on a roll of leather; not on vellum, but on a soft flexible leather, made of goat-skins, and dyed red, which agrees with the foregoing description of Dr. Buchanan's roll.

"We know very well that the Jews, in the time of Moses, had the art of preparing and dying skins; for rams'-skins dyed red, made a part of the covering for the tabernacle (Exod. xxvi. 14,); and it is exceedingly probable, that the very autograph of the Law, written by the hand of Moses, was written on skins so prepared. The ancient rules prescribed to the Jewish scribes direct, that the Law be so written, provided it be done on the skins of clean animals, such as sheep, goat, or calf-skins: therefore this manuscript and many others in the hands of the Jews, agree in the same as an ancient practice. The Cabul Jews, as aforesaid, show that copies of the Law, written on leather skins, are to be found among their people in India and China; and hence we have no doubt, that such are copies of very ancient manuscripts."

"Description of the Cambridge Roll,

Malabaric, from It consists of strong

"Or, Indian Copy, which also may be denominated that part of India in whose vicinity it was found. leather skins, thirty-four in number, and sewed together. The text occupies one hundred and seventeen columns, and the length of the roll, in its present condition, measures nearly fifty feet, by about two feet broad. The columns contain fifty lines, and are about a palm, or four inches in breadth. It contains the fragments of three different rolls; and the skins are of two qualities, partly red, and partly brown. Some of them are in very good

preservation; others much impaired by time, and flawed in many places; but the writing is nevertheless clear and legible, it having sunk into the substance of the skin. Some few places are defaced from accident, perhaps from its conveyance from so great a distance. The old skins have been strengthened by patches of parchment on the back; and in one place four words have been renewed by the same supply. The text is written in the square character, and without the vowel points and accents; and the margin of the columns is every where plain, and free from writing of any sort. It has all the spaces and minutiae of the most correct Masoretic copies, and some few peculiarities not common in those of the Western Jews. Several of the skins have the ornamental writing or Coronæ, formerly belonging to a most superb and highly finished copy. The text of Genesis occupies fifty-seven columns, and concludes the last with a space equal to four lines.

"As the roll is found to consist of fragments of copies purely Oriental, and seemingly unconnected with the Western Jewish copies, we may now conclude the same to be ample specimens of copies in those parts of the world. It is true indeed that a great part of the text is wanting, and the whole book of Leviticus; yet, notwithstanding the large deficiencies of the manuscript, it ought to be a satisfaction to know, that herein are ample specimens of at least three ancient copies of the Pentateuch, whose testimony is found to unite in the integrity and pure conservation of the Sacred Text, acknowledged by Christians and Jews in these parts of the world. The following Collation confirms the truth of this remark; and if such specimens, furnished by this manuscript, are allowed their proper weight and importance, we can have little room to doubt of the general purity of the entire copies; so that we now have no reason to expect, from Hebrew manuscripts obtained from the Oriental Jews, any new or extraordinary emendation of the Hebrew text of the Pentateuch.

"Dr. Kennicott conjectures, that a considerable change had taken place in the state of the Hebrew text," during a remote period. "Admitting," says Mr. Yeates, "that such conjecture is founded in fact, and that such an important change of the Hebrew copies then extant took place by general revision, or rather corruption, by the Jews in the West, or in some countries; yet it by no means proves, that such supposed reformation of the text by designing Jews was universal, and extended to the coast of Malabar. The integrity of that part of the Hebrew text in the Cambridge Roll, compared with the most esteemed and genuine printed text, is a direct evidence to the contrary.

"But again; the integrity and immutability of the Hebrew text is an article of that importance to the whole Christian world, that its defence must be supported against the dangerous consequences of uncertain and unfounded conjecture. The printed text of the Hebrew Scriptures throughout Europe, extant in the several popular and most esteemed editions, both among Christians and Jews, is attested by the manuscript under consideration; and it proves that our Western copies do still exist in their ancient form and purity, without having suffered any change or material corruption. The testimony of this Malabaric copy is found so truly important in this point, that after having once most carefully collated it with the text of Vander Hooght, I resumed my labor of a second collation with a copy of Athias's Bible, printed at Amsterdam, 1661: the sameness and identity of the text in the three copies demonstrates their fidelity as having one common origin, and of consequence the genuineness of our printed text. The learned defenders of the Sacred Scriptures will doubtless take up the argument in an improved form, to the advantage of Revelation."