he prophets (Haphtaroth,
ch. 12. 6) and the Five Rolls--Canticles, Ruth, Lamentations,
Ecclesiastes, Esther (ch. 12. 4)--each on separate rolls. The private
manuscripts are written _with leaves_ in book form--folio, quarto,
octavo, and duodecimo; mostly on parchment, but some of the later on
paper. The poetical passages are generally arranged in hemistichs; the
rest is in columns which vary according to the size of the page. The
text and points were always written separately; the former with a
heavier, the latter with a lighter pen, and generally with different
ink. The square or Assyrian character is employed as a rule, but a few
are written in the rabbinic character. The Chaldee paraphrase (less
frequently some other version) may be added. The margin contains more or
less of the Masorah; sometimes prayers, psalms, rabbinical commentaries,
etc.

9. There is also a _Samaritan Pentateuch_; that is, a Hebrew Pentateuch
written in the ancient Samaritan characters, and first brought to light
in 1616, respecting the origin of which very different opinions are
held. Some suppose that the Samaritans received it as an inheritance
from the ten tribes; others that it was introduced at the time of the
founding of the Samaritan temple on Mount Gerizim; others that it was
brought by the Israelitish priest sent to instruct the Samaritans in the
knowledge of God, 2 Kings 17:27, 28. It is agreed among biblical
scholars that its text has been subjected to many alterations which
greatly impair its critical authority. These, however, are not
sufficient to account for its remarkable agreement with the Septuagint
version against the Masoretic text, in numerous readings, some of them
of importance. The explanation of this phenomenon must be the agreement
of the original Samaritan codex with the manuscripts from which the
Alexandrine version was executed. Probably both were of Egyptian origin.
See Alexander's Kitto, art. Samaritan Pentateuch.

In a brief compend, like the present work, it is not thought necessary
to notice particularly the _printed_ editions of the Hebrew Bible. The
reader will find an account of them in the "Bibliographical List"
appended to the fourth volume of Horne's Introduction, edition of 1860.
The text of Van der Hooght's Hebrew Bible, (Amsterdam and Utrecht,
1705,) which was chiefly based on the earlier text of Athias,
(Amsterdam, 1667,) is generally followed at the present day, and may be
regarded as the received