INTRODUCTION.

line 8. ܝܗܘܕܝܬܐ Judith is Ἰουδὶθ in the Greek text of Tischendorf.

f. 95 b. I am indebted to the text edited by Dr Sachau for the true place of the words ܠܡ ܝܠܕ ܐאנܐ that I bear [a child] which are misplaced in Codex Harris.

Dr Nestle has pointed out to me that ܡܛܠ ܕܐܣܟܪ ܡܪܝܐ ܪܚܡܐ ܕܝܠܗ̇ because the Lord hath closed her womb might by a very slight change be made to agree with Tischendorf's καθότι κύριος ἀπέκλεισε τὴν μήτραν σου because the Lord hath closed thy womb.

Page ܝܐ 11 l. 1 we have ܠܡܝܬܪܘܬ ܐܡܝ ܣܐܪܐ the excellence of my mother Sarah τὴν μητέρα μου Σάρραν my mother Sarah instead of Tischendorf's τὴν μήτραν Σάρρας the womb of Sarah.

On page ܝܒ 12 col. b, l. 13 some light is thrown on Tischendorf's Greek text by the occurrence of the word ܟܒܪܢܝܬܐ sieve. The scribe of the MS. which he edited has evidently misread κόκκινον scarlet for κόσκινον the sieve which Elizabeth held in her hand. Sachau's text has also ܟܒܪܢܝܬܐ.

Page ܝܓ 13 col. b, l. 2, for ܕܫܡܥܐ ܢܝܚܐ of the quiet/soft wax Dr Harris' MS. has ܢܝܚܐ ܕܫܡܥܐ the quiet/soft of wax.

In ll. 16, 17 the angel of the Lord says to Joseph ܘܬܠܕ ܠܟ ܒܪܐ and she shall bear to thee a son. This must surely either be a loose mode of expression, or more probably it may be explained by the ancient Semitic custom of reckoning the children of a woman by her first husband to her second1. The phrase, as it occurs in the Old Syriac version of the canonical Gospels, does not therefore possess the importance which some have attached to it.

On page ܝܚ 18 col. a, l. 15 it is gratifying to find the corroboration of one of Dr Wright's emendations ܥܠܝܡܐ young man/youth instead of ܬܢܝܢܐ dragon. On col. b, ll. 8, 9 my text says that there was a tumult in Bethlehem of Judaea, where Dr Wright's has in Jerusalem of Judaea ; both MSS. being ancient ones.

On page ܟܓ 23 col. b, ll. 4, 5 we find the expression ܥܠ ܓܢܒ ܣܩܘܦܬܐ ܕܗܝܟܠܐ beside the porch of the temple, as the place where Zacharia was slain. Other Syriac texts have ܥܠ ܓܢܒ ܣܩܘܦܬܐ ܕܡܕܒܚܐ beside the porch of the altar, and ܒܝܢܝ ܣܩܘܦܬܐ ܘܠܡܕܒܚܐ between the porch and the altar. Tischendorf's text has παρὰ τὸ θυσιαστήριον beside the altar.

In one of the Greek MSS. used by Tischendorf, it is the φατνώματα panels/coffers,

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1: See Dr Robertson Smith's Kinship and Marriage in Early Arabia, pp. 109—115.