HALLETT, IosEPH, a learned nonconformist minister born at Exeter in the year 1692. He was the son of Joseph Hallett, one of the pastors of the presbyterian congregation in Exeter, and was the grandson of another Joseph Hallett who was ejected from Chesleborough in Somersetshire by the Act of Uniformity. He was educated for the Christiai. ministry at a seminary conducted by his father and his father's colleague, J. Pierce ; and when, in the year 1719, Messrs. Hallett and Pierce were removed from their pastoral charge in consequence of the avowal of Arian opinions, young Hallett was ap pointed co-pastor with Pierce over the new congre gation assembling in what was called James's Meeting. He died in '744. In addition to some minor works on controversial topics, he published— '. Ina'ex Librorunt AfSS. Gracornm et Yersionum ant/quorum Novi Faderis, quos viri ermiitissimi .7. Millius et L. Kusterus C117/1 tertiaeditione Stephan/ea cant:derma, Loncl. 1728, Svc. This work was published as an aid to the use of Kuster's edition of Mill's New Testament, and contains an account of the seveml MSS. referred to by these editors. 2. A fire and impartial study of the Holy Scriptures ' recommended, being notes on some Peculiar Texts, with Discourses and Observations, etc., 3 vols.,
Lond. '729, 1732, 1736, 8vo. Besides the notes on various texts of Scripture, and some discussions on doctrinal and practical topics, these volumes contain dissertations on the quotations from the O. T. in the Apocrypha; on the Septuagint version ; on the errors in the present Hebrew copies of the O. T. ; on the original meaning of the ten com mandments, and on the Agapm or Love Feasts. 3. A Paraphrase, ana' notes on the three last Chap ters of the Epistle to the Hebrezvs, Lond. 1733, 4to. This was designed to be a supplement to Pierce's paraphrase and notes on this Epistle, a work which bad been published in an unfinished state in con sequence of the death of its author. Prefixed are two introductory dissertations, one on the author ship, and the other on the language, of the epistle. The former supports the Pauline authorship, and is still valuable for its trustvvorthy array of histoti cal testimonies, the author having, as he tells us, trusted to no second-hand quotations, but taken every passage immediately from the original authors themselves.' In the second dissertation he advo cates the opinion of a Hebrew or Syriac original, the translation into Greek being made probably by Luke.—S. N.