The Jesuits mention the existence of the sacred books, but were not suffered to copy or even to inspect them; but the Chinese Christians encountered no such scruples; so that, besides taking copies of inscriptions on the stone tablets, they were enabled to bring away eight Hebrew manuscripts, six of them containing portions of the Old Testament, and two of the Hebrew liturgy. The correspondent of the North China Herald states that—
"The portions of Scripture are from the 1st to the 6th chapters of Exodus, from the 38th to the 40th chapters of the same book, Leviticus 19th and 20th chapters, Numbers 13th, 14th, and 15th chapters, Deuteronomy from the 11th to the 16th chapters, with the 32nd chapter of that book. Various portions of the Pentateuch, Psalms, and Hagiographa occur in the books of prayers, which have not yet been definitely fixed. The character in which these portions are written is an antique form of the Hebrew, with points.[2] They are written on thick paper, evidently by means of a style, and the material employed, as well as the silk in which the books are bound, exhibit marks of a foreign origin. Two Israelitish gentlemen, to whom they have been shown in Shanghae, say that they have seen such books in Aden; and the occurrence here and there of Persian words, written with Hebrew letters, in the notes appended, seem to indicate that the books in question came originally from the western part of Asia, perhaps Persia or Arabia. There is no trace whatever of the Chinese character about them, and they must have been manufactured entirely by foreigners residing in China, or who have come from a foreign country. Regarding their age, it would be difficult to hazard even a conjecture."
[2] The Jesuits state expressly that the Hebrew was without points.
The result of this mission has been such that it cannot be doubted another will be sent, and we trust the attempt at least will be made by some discreet foreigner—a Jew, or at all events a Hebrew scholar—to penetrate to Kai-fung-fú; for although the proofs brought away on the present occasion are so far satisfactory, yet in the account given, on the authority of the Chinese emissaries, we presume, there are several things that might otherwise excite incredulity.
SALOPIAN.
[The Jewish Intelligencer for May, 1851, contains a long article on the "Present State of the Jews at Kai-fung-fú;" also a fac-simile of the Hebrew MS. found in the synagogue at that place, and a map of the eastern coast of China.]
THE DUTCH MARTYROLOGY.
Wall, in his History of Infant Baptism, frequently mentions a book called The Dutch Martyrology as quoted by Danvers. He appears never to have seen it, and if I mistake not (although I cannot just now find the passage) he somewhere throws out a hint that no such book ever existed. Archdeacon Cotton, in his valuable edition of Wall's book, says (vol. ii. p. 131. note m.):
"Danvers cites this work as 'The Dutch Martyrology called The bloody Theatre; a most elaborate and worthy collection: written in Dutch, by M. J. Van Braght.' I have never seen it."
A very fine copy of this curious and very important work is in the Fagel collection in the library of Trinity College, Dublin. It is on large paper, with the exception of some few leaves in different parts of the volume, which have been mounted to match the rest. It is full of beautiful engravings by Jan Luyken, representing the sufferings of the martyrs; some of them, indeed all, possessing very great artistic merit. The first in the volume, a crucifixion, representing Our Lord in the very act of being nailed to the cross, is a most striking picture: and I may also mention another, at p. 385., representing a party in a boat reading the Bible, having put out to sea to escape observation.