POLYGLOT (ML. polyglottus, from Gk. run 724.171.0c, /Jo /ygto t tos, 570%15Y2.4)GG0c, polyglosso.s, speaking many tongues, from 70.ic, polys, much, many ± 7X6rra, glOtta, 7;+.6cca, glossa, tongue, language). A book containing the same subject matter in more than one language, generally ar ranged for convenience in parallel columns. Of such books editions of the Bible are most com mon, and are generally meant by the term polyglot. Various versions of the Hebrew Old Testament (such as the Hexapla of Origen, q.v.) and the Greek New Testament were united for convenience at various times. Using the term strictly, there are four great polyglots: (1) The Complutensian Polyglot, in six folio volumes, be gun in 1502, printed from 1513 to 1517 at Alcalii de Henarez (the Roman Complutum. whence the name Complutensian), Spain, and published un der Papal permission in 1520. Famous Spanish scholars edited the work. which was under the genera] oversight of Cardinal Ximenes. This polyglot contains the Old Testament in Hebrew, the Targum of Onkelos on the Pentateuch, the Septuagint. the Vulgate. and the Greek New Testament. Six hundred copies were printed. (2) The Antwerp Polyglot, Riblia Regia, issued from the famous Plantin printing house in Ant werp. This was prepared under Spanish auspices also. Philip 11. bearing the cost and sending the scholar Arias Montanus to Antwerp to edit it. It is in eight folio volumes, appeared from 1569 to 1572. and the Hebrew and Greek of the Old Testament, the Targum of Onkelos. and other Aramaic paraphrases. the Vulgate, and the Greek and a Syriac version of the ,New Testa ment. It is of no special value for purposes of historical criticism, and is rare now owing to the (-arty loss of a great many copies by accident.
(3) The Paris Polyglot. in ten great folio vol umes. issued between 1628 and 1645 in Paris by Antoine Vitr6 at the expense of Guy le Jay. Its critical value is %cry slight. It presents t he Sa ma ritan Pentateuch. another Syriac, and an Arabic version of the Old Testament, in addition to the material contained in the Ant werp volumes. (4) The London or Milton's Polyglot, puldished in six folio volumes, 1654 to 1657. under the editorship-of Brian Wal ton. The first copies were dedicated to Oliver Cromwell, who had been personally interested in their publication and had allowed the paper on which they were printed to he imported without duty. The second set was dedicated to King Charles 11. and the former patron. Cromwell. is branded as 'the great Dragon.' It contains the entire Bible, or some portion of it, in Hebrew. Samaritan. Aramaic, Syriac, Arabic, Ethiopic, Persian. Greek (with a literal Latin translation of each), and Latin. This is the most valuable polyglot ever issued. The greatest scholars worked upon it, and Walton's Prolegomena is a very able work which has been republished (Canterbury, 1828). A dictionary of all the languages represented except the Greek and Latin, called Lexicon Ileptaglotton, was pub lished by Edmund Cartel) in 1669. Of minor polyglots mention may be made of Itagster's ( London, 1831), which contains the entire Bible in Hebrew, Greek, English, Latin, French. Ital ian. Spanish, and German, with a Sy ri a c version of the New Testament in addition. Consult Tregelles.,•tn account of the Printed Test of the Greek Neu- Testament (London. 1R541 .