POLYGLOT (Greek, polys, many, and glotta, language), .a work which contains the same matter in several languages, especially a copy of the Holy Scriptures in two, three or more languages. The most important of such works is the Complutensian polyglot, prepared under the direction of Cardinal Ximenes. It was printed (1514-17), in six folio volumes, at Alcala de Henares, caned in Latin Complutum, whence the name of the work. It contains the Hebrew text of the Old Testament, with the Vulgate, the Septuagint, a literal Latin transla tion, a Chaldee paraphrase (which is also ac companied by a Latin translation). Next is the polyglot of Antwerp, called the Royal Bible, because Philip II of Spain bore part of the cost of publication. It was edited by the Spanish theologian Montanus, and appeared at Antwerp in eight folio volumes (1569-72), and, besides the Hebrew text, contains the Latin Vulgate, the Septuagint (with a literal Latin translation), several Chaldaic paraphrases (Targums), also accompanied by a Latin translation, and the New Testament in the original Greek, with the Latin Vulgate, and a Syriac translation in He brew and Syriac letters (also with a Latin trans lation). Still more celebrated is the Paris polyglot, executed principally under the direction of Gui Michel le Jay, who expended his whole fortune on the undertaking. It appeared in 1645, in 10 folio volumes, and contains, in ad dition to the contents of the Antwerp polyglot, a Syriac and an Arabic translation (with Latin), and also the Samaritan Pentateuch (a Samaritan text, with a translation), and like wise an Arabic translation of the New Testa ment, with a Latin translation of the same. The
London or Walton's polyglot, in 10 languages, appeared in six volumes folio, with two sup plementary volumes (London 1654-57). It was conducted under the care of Bryan Walton, afterward bishop of Chester, and contains all that is in the Paris Polyglot, but with many ad ditions and improvements, including the original text according to several copies, with an Ethiopic and a Persian translation, and the Latin versions of each. Cromwell patronized the undertaking. Bagstei"s Polyglot (folio, London 1831, with later editions) gives eight versions of the Old Testament and nine of the New. The term HEXAPLA is applied particularly to Origen's work, an edition of the Scriptures having nomi nally six versions in parallel columns, though in places there were nine, viz.: (1) The Hebrew text in Hebrew characters; (2) the same text in Greek characters; (3) Aquila's version; (4) that of Symmachus•, (5) the Septuagint; (6) the version of Theodotion; (7,8, 9) Greek ver sions of unknown authorship. (Srigen had also a TETRAPLA, an edition of the Greek Testament in four parallel columns.