Dec.5] PROCEEDINGS. [1893.yielding a curious instance of the various effects of the same
arguments on different minds; for, influenced by Kayser's essay,
Ritschlheldnowthe Judaeo-Christian origin of the book (in fact
specifyingso far as to maintain the author to havebeena Nazarene),
and thought that Kayser had succeeded in rendering probablehis
viewsas to the interpolation."
" Kaysermaintainsthat the author of this writing was an Essene-
Ebionite,and brings forwardsomereasonsfor his view."
Sinker'sconclusionis, " that the idea of the book, its form, its
Christology,its ethics, displayunmistakablya Jewish hand. The
evidencewhichhas gone to prove the Judaeo-Christian authorship
of the Testaments pointsalso,not indeed withcertainty,but with
a fair degree of likelihood, to the sect whom Jerome knewas
the Nazarenes (the half orthodox Ebionites whom Irenaeus dis
tinguishesfromthosewhollyheretical),ratherthanto thoseof whom
he speaks underthe title of Ebionites."*
Thus far about the origin of the writing. Concerningnow the
language, Dillman, otherwise so cautious in his remarks, when
speakingof our writing, says : " Since the publication of Nitzsch's
study,all are agreed that the Book is not a translation, but was
originallywrittenin Greek."t
Much more decided and outspoken is Mr. Sinker on the
questionof the language in which the book was originally written.
" Not onlyis it of Judaeo-Christian origin, but also, as to the
questionof the language, littleneed be said. TheTestaments, in
theirpresentform,wereno doubt writtenin the Hellenistic Greek
in which we now possess them,presenting,as they do, none of the
peculiarmarkswhichcharacterisea version. Whethertherewerea
Hebrewworkon which the present was modelled, a supposition by
no means improbablein itself, we cannot tell, nor is it a matter of
much importance." And further on : " Everything points to the
conclusionthat the work in its present formis no mere translation,
thoughthoroughlyimbuedwiththe Hebrew tone of thought, and
no doubt writtenby one conversant withthe Hebrew of his day."};
We shall presently see how we stand aboutthe language, and
whetherit is a matter of much importanceor not.
* L.e., p. 26-27.
+ Herzog, RealEncyclopaedie,s.v. Pseudo-opigraphen, XII',p. 362.
J L.C., p. 31.
35