VIII. GRIECO-VENETA. In a MS. belonging to St. Mark's Library at Venice, thcre is a Greek version of several O. T. books. Its internal cha racter proves that the translation was made directly from the Hebrew. It is more literal than any other ancient version, even that of Aquila, adher ing with slavish scrupulosity to the original words. In the Chaldee portions of Daniel, the Attic dialect is changed for the Doric. The style, however, is a singular compound. Attic elegancies occur along with barbarous expressions ; high-sounding words used by the best Greek writers, by the side of others contrary to the genius of the Greek language. The origin of the version cannot bc placed higher than the 9th century ; the MS. itself was written in the I4th. It is unccrtain whether the author was a Jew or a Christian. Michaelis supposes that he was a Jew. With Bertholdt, we believe that he was a Christian. It is probable that it was made at Byzantium for private use. The text seldom
differs front the Masoretic , and the translator consulted the Septuagint and other Greek ver sions, besides adhering, as lie generally does, to the current exegetical tradition of the Jews. Criti cism can never derive much use from this version. Extracts from it are given in Holmes's edition of the Septuagint. The Pentateuch was published by Ammon, in three volumes, at Erlangen, in the years 179o-91. Different parts of the Pentateuch had been previously published, along with Pro verbs, Ecclesiastes, Ruth, Lamentations, Daniel, and Canticles, by Villoism, at Strasburg, 1784. (Sec Eichhorn's Allgenz. BibBoth. p. 371, et seg.; v. p. 743, el ; yd. p. 193, et seq. ; Ani madversiones versionem Grayam Proverbb., Ar gentor. 1786 ; the Introductions of Eichhorn, I3er tholdt, De Wei te, and Havernick ; and Davidson's Treatise on Bib. Crit.)—S. D.