Dr. W. Belck has continued his 'Beiträge zur alten Geographie und Ge

schichte Vorderasiens', among which we may mention an article on the mountains of Nipur and a paper on the province of Alznik. A number of interesting notes on certain passages of the celebrated stele of Nabonidus concludes the second instalment of this useful work. (See p. 39).

Lovers of Arabic poetry will find much to interest them in the Dîwân of Tarafa. The text is accompanied by the commentary of al-A'lam, and the editor, M. Max Seligsohn, has not only collected many hitherto unpublished fragments but has given us a translation with explanatory notes, as well as an admirable account, from very scanty materials, of the poet's life, character, and religion. There can be no doubt that Tarafa was a thorough pagan, who saw nothing beyond the grave, and therefore enjoyed the pleasures of this world with all his might. It would be possible to point out many striking features in which he resembles François Villon. Apart from the excellence of his poetry, he is a singularly attractive figure, and it is to be hoped that this scholarly edition will introduce him to a larger circle of readers than he has obtained in the past. (See Vol. XII, p. 267).

A contribution towards the highly important study of the dialectology of South Arabia has appeared from the pen of the well-known Oriental scholar, Count Landberg, under the title 'Études sur les Dialectes de l'Arabie Méridionale', the first instalment of which is given in the present volume. It deals in particular with the dialect of Hadramut, which was already the subject of Arabica III by the same author. The study of the different dialects of the Arabic language, which had been so long neglected by European scholars and which for a long time was cultivated only by that old, incomparable master of Arabic, the late Professor Heischer, has during the last ten years been taken up with great vigour and energy particularly in Germany, by a goodly array of Oriental scholars, of whom I only mention Hartmann, Sachan, Socin, Stumme, Volkers, Seybold, Fischer, Kampffmeyer, etc. It is certainly not too much to say that the gratifying revival of this study is in a marked degree due to the labour of Count Landberg, who availing himself of the exceptional opportunities afforded him by his diplomatic position and unfettered by petty monetary troubles, threw all his energy and unquestionable talent on the study of the different dialects of Arabic and showed in his first comprehensive work "Proverbes et dictions du peuple Arabe❞ how the theoretical and practical side of the study of those modern dialects are to be combined in order to get a full insight into the character of the language. There can be no doubt that the work and books of this great pioneer in the field of Arabic dialectology have done much towards awakening the interest in and promoting the study of this branch of Arabian science and the present volume more than sustains the author's reputation as one of the first authorities on modern Arabic dialects A perusal of this portly volume of 775 pp., the outcome of a most accurate and careful workmanship, affords unmistakable proofs of the great care and labour that have been

bestowed upon its composition. The methods are the same as in the author's previous works: first the Arabic text with minute transcription and literal translation and then a very full Commentary. It is particularly in the Commentary, where Landberg brings to the fullest display his mastery of the Arabic language, both classic and modern. The texts themselves were gathered by the author in the course of five years during his stay in South Arabia. At Aden, where the Count generally passes his wintermonths, he applies himself to fixing, translating and commenting on the texts, surrounded by a motley crowd of natives, Hadramites, Datinois, ‘Anlagites, ‘Anazis and other Beduins, by some of whom he is generally accompanied when he leaves Arabia for his beautiful castle on the shore of the Starnberg lake. So most of the Kasidahs are furnished by Sa'idal-Mutril and Mansur d'el-Rurfa. whom the count brought to Germany, as well as the slave Salmin and the original Fad al-Maysori of Datina, who stayed with the count for four years. The nicest of those Kasidahs is that of Ahmed Sa'id-Wahidi of the town of alKhoreybah, the capital of the province of Do'an. Great interest also attaches to the collection of Zwāmil (pp. 141–198) and the Marājīz (pp. 199—228), both of which are greatly in vogue in South Arabia. Very useful is also the description of the different handicrafts (pp. 240-431), which affords rich material for the dictionary and is followed by a glossary of all the dialectic words occurring both in this volume and in the third part of the author's series "Arabica", which equally deals with the dialect of Hadramut. We look forward with great interest to the continuation of this series, which will be complete in four volumes. The second will deal with the dialects of Datīna, the countries of the Wahidi and 'Awaliq, Banyar, er-Roṣās, Harīb-Bryhan, The third will contain the geography and ethnography of the countries between 'Oman and the Yemen, and the series will be concluded by a dictionary of the dialects of South-Arabia. (See p. 44).

etc.

the seven

As the third and last instalment of Professor Nöldeke's work on Mo‘allakāt, the translation and commentary of Zuhair's poem has now appeared, which is noted for its clear and concise mode of expression and for the eulogies in which the excellent poet indulges. Arabic scholars will be interested in the perusal of the work. (See Vol. XII, p. 265).

We would draw the attention of our readers to the "Festschrift" published by various members of the Strasburg University on the occasion of the "Philologenversammlung" lately held in that city. Prof. Nöldeke therein deals with certain acts of the Edessene martyrs, while Professor Hubschmann devotes an article to the etymologies of a number of Armenian words. The numerals in the Shah-nahme are dealt with by Professor Horn, who gives a specimen of the vast amount of material collected by him from this famous work for the study of the Sassanian period, while Professor Schwally discusses the Mosque of 'Amr in ancient Cairo, and Prof. Spiegelberg explains the Egyptian word for phoenix. (See p. 41).

A short sketch of the Persian and Arabic literatures has, for a long time past, been a want deeply felt by both the Oriental scholar and the student of the comparative history of general literature. Our readers will therefore warmly welcome an excellent text-book containing historical sketches of these important Eastern literatures compiled by Professors Horn of Strasburg and Brockelmann of Breslau respectively. It is almost needless to say that both scholars have done their work well and that they have produced not only a reliable compilation of the vast amount of material gathered from the original Oriental sources, but at the same time a hand-book which will prove attractive to the general reader. (See Vol. XII, pp. 261 and 262).

A new Volume (Vol. V.) of Professor Chauvin's excellent Bibliography of Arabic works has just left the press, in which the learned author continues the publication of his large collection of literary material concerning the Arabian Nights which appeared during the last century. The contents of this famous collection of fairy-tales are therein arranged alphabetically in the order of their titles, and the present volume contains the stories from "Abbas", the chief guardian at the court of al-Mansur, down to those of the "Favorite" female slave of the khalif Ma'mun, making a total of 180 separate tales. Under each heading are indicated the manuscripts in which the story is preserved, the Arabic texts available in printed books, their translation into other Eastern or into European tongues, and finally similar stories from other literatures.

Another pamphlet from the pen of Professor Chauvin deals with the life and works of the celebrated Belgian Oriental scholar, historian and theologian Jean-Noël Paquot, 1722-1803, who is reported to have been the first bibliographer to compile such a vast amount of material with the scrupulous accuracy required in modern bibliographical collections. The number of his works, described in detail by Dr. Chauvin, amounts to the number of 45, and they chiefly consist of catalogues and historical compendiums.

The Professor of Hebrew at the Bradfort Independent College, Dr. Archibald Duff, has published a small Hebrew Grammar, which is the product of a series of notes dictated to the students of the College. The elements of the language are treated in a rather novel manner, the idea of the method being that the Biblical text should commence to be used from the beginning of the study of Hebrew. The book contains also a few chapters upon Syntax and Versification, the whole being based upon the latest results of Hebrew philology. (See p. 34).

The writings of Rabbi J. D. Wijnkoop of Amsterdam upon the study of the Hebrew language are well known for their clearness of expression and masterly exposition of the subject. He has now published in Dutch his Hebrew Syntax, which has already appeared as the second Volume of Luzac's Oriental Grammars Series. (See p. 50).

The second and concluding part of Professor Sievers' 'Studien zur hebräischen Metrik' has just left the press, and we can only repeat our wish expressed

in Nos. 5-6 of this Volume, p. 105, that the Old Testament students may carefully study and examine the new theory brought forward by so great an expert in metrical systems. The large number of transcribed Hebrew texts, accompanied by the original text, a general Index to the whole book, and a list of the Scripture passages discussed will greatly facilitate the use of this interesting work.

Dr. Moritz Friedlaender has published a highly interesting work in German entitled, "The Antichrist in pre-Christian Jewish writings.' The subject of the existence of various forms of heresy among the Jews prior to the Christian epoch is exhaustively treated, with continual reference to contemporary works. The author further deals with the origin of Christian Gnosticism and the development of the idea of an Antichrist in the early Church, The whole of the Patriotic literature, no less than Talmudic, is laid under contribution, Dr. Friedlander being equally at home in Christian and Jewish writings. The result is the production of a scholarly treatise that can be heartily commended to the notice of all students of the origins of Christian theology. (See Vol. XII, p. 261).

The laws and customs of modern Jews have always been replete with interest to the general public, and but few works in English have hitherto presented a comprehensive view of the subject. In a book, entitled "Jewish Laws and Customs", Mr. A. Kingsley Glover of U. S. A. has compiled an accurate account of the regulations that govern the religious practice of the orthodox Israelite, and supplements this information by comments of his own, that are the result of an intimate knowledge of the subject. Mr. Glover appears to have been moved to write his book by a perusal of the works of that wellknown Ghetto novelist, Mr. 1. Zangwill, and certainly all the Rabbinical ceremonies of Judaism alluded to in Mr. Zangwill's writings find a clear exposition in Mr. Glover's volume. (See p. 56).

The euphemistic appendixes which occur in the Hebrew text of the Psalms and the Prophets have been made the subject of an exhaustive treatise by Dr. K. J. Grimm of the Johns Hopkins University, which will be highly appreciated by Old Testament students. After acquainting the reader generally with the fact that in some Biblical books the last verse but one was repeated in order to avoid an unpleasant conclusion of the passage, the author deals with the evil omens derived from the use of certain words among the Greeks and Romans as well as among the Arabs and other Semitic nations. His investigation is devoted to the interpretation of some 80 Bible passages with regard to the euphemistic "liturgical" appendices which they contain. Numerous notes enhance the value of the ably written book,

The ever-absorbing study of the composition of the Book of Genesis is the subject of a booklet written by Professor H. Gunkel of Berlin. This is a reprint of the series of articles that appeared in Nowack's "Handkommentar zum Alten Testament", under the title Die Sagen der Genesis. Professor Gunkel

belongs to the most advanced school of Biblical critics and his treatment of the narratives in the Book of Genesis is in the highest degree radical and vigorous. (See Vol. XII, p. 261).

Students of the Old Testament will welcome the publication of a scholarly edition of the Book of Job by Professor Friedrich Delitzsch. A new German translation is given of the text of the book that Professor Delitzsch styles the "Great Poem of Pessimism", whilst valuable textual notes are added explanatory of the editor's views upon the subject. The excellent arrangement of the lines of the poem in rhythmic form renders the reading of the translation a very light task. (See p. 41).

Professor Jahn of Königsberg has published an edition of the Book of Esther, that will arouse the curiosity and the criticism of Biblical students. Starting from the thesis that the text of this book as given in the Septuagint is superior to the Masoretic version. Professor Jahn gives a translation of the Septuagint text back into Hebrew, together with a German rendering, and supports his novel theory by elaborate footnotes. Whatever one may think of the views enunciated in the book, there can be little doubt but that Professor Jahn has produced a highly interesting contribution to the study of the text of the Bible. (See p. 43).

Professor Marti's "Kurzer Hand-Commentar" to the Old Testament is rapidly approaching its completion. We have before us part 16 of this useful work, containing Dr. Holzinger's commentary on Joshua, and are glad to state that it is a worthy sequel to the same scholar's explanation of Exodus, already referred to in this List. The many geographical problems in this part are conscientiously dealt with, and the synopsis of the sources of the book of Joshua on p. XVII ff. will prove useful for exegetical purposes.. (See Vol. XII, p. 262).

The first part of Vol. VII of the series Texts and Studies, edited by Dr. J. Armitage Robinson, is contributed by Mr. J F. Bethune-Baker, and is entitled "The meaning of Homoousios it the Constantinopolitan Creed". The author points out that some thirty-five years ago it was suggested by Dr. Zahn that, though the word Homoousios was adopted into the creed at Nicaea, it was afterwards, at the council of Constantinople, accepted in the sense of Homoiousios; and that in consequence of Dr. Harnack espousing this suggestion in this well known "Dogmengeschichte", the view is widely adopted at the present day. In combating this opinion Mr. Bethune-Baker exhaustively examines all the available evidence that can be brought to bear upon the history and meaning of the word; and as a result he has compiled a learned and extremely interesting treatise. We can recommend it warmly to all those of our readers who are interested in the history of the Arian controversy. (See p. 38). The second part of Vol. VII of Texts and Studies consists of "S. Ephraim's Quotations from the Gospel", collected and arranged by Mr. F. C. Burkitt. The object of the work is to determine the nature of the Syriac Version of the Gospel used by Ephraem Syrus, and as St. Ephraem died about A.D. 373, to