ANNOTATIONIS SACRÆ; BEING A CRITICAL DIGEST AND SYNOPTICAL ARRANGEMENT OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ANNOTATIONS ON THE NEW TESTAMENT, CAREFULLY COLLECTED AND CONDENSED, FROM THE BEST COMMENTATORS, AND SO DIGESTED AS TO FORM ONE CONSISTENT BODY OF ANNOTATION, In which Each Portion is systematically attributed to its respective Author, AND THE FOREIGN MATTER TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH; The whole accompanied with A COPIOUS BODY OF ORIGINAL ANNOTATIONS. BY THE REV. S. T. BLOOMFIELD, M. A. OF SIDNEY COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE, VICAR OF BISBROOKE IN RUTLAND, AND RESIDENT Οὐ σοφισταὶ ἥκομεν, οὐδὲ ἀπιστεῖν ἕτοιμοι, θεαταὶ δε μόνον τῶν Philostr. Jun. Icon. 1. 24. Ὅπου οὐκ ἔστι πίστις, ἅπαντα νοσεῖ, καὶ οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἢ μάχαι τίκτονται VOL. IV. LONDON: Theophylact, from Chrysostom. C. AND J. RIVINGTON, 62, ST PAUL'S CHURCH-YARD; AND 3, WATERLOO-PLACE, PALL-MALL. MDCCCXXVIII. ADVERTISEMENT. IN thus, at length, ushering into the world the Second Part of the arduous Work which he has been enabled to accomplish, the Author feels it is due to the Public to preface it with a brief statement of the causes which occasioned so long a delay in publication, and especially the reasons which induced him to adopt some alterations (and, as he trusts, improvements,) in his plan. These had partly occurred to him from experience and mature reflection, and partly had been suggested by some distinguished personages, who kindly took an interest in the Work, and to whose opinions much deference was, on various accounts, justly due. Both combined to point out that, in consequence of the immense mass of annotatory matter to be digested and reviewed in this se cond Part (comprehending nearly three-fourths of the difficulties of the New Testament), and of the marvellous diversities, nay, contrarieties, of interpretation perpetually to be encountered, it would be impossible to make the Work answer the chief purpose in view, or, indeed, to do any tolerable justice to the subject, within the prescribed limits; which, indeed, the Author had rather hoped than expected would suffice. That, moreover, in this portion of Scripture the nature of the subjects treated of rendered it necessary to in troduce some alterations in his method of working up the materials, whether original, or otherwise; in fact, at once to enlarge, and yet contract his plan. Enlarge it by exploring the fountain heads of interpretation, as they are found in the Fathers of the first four centuries, and the Greek Commentators, Scholiasts, and Glossographers ;* and especially by perpetually interweaving his own critical and and explanatory remarks, and supplying, de suo, what seemed essential to complete the Corpus Annotationis; moulding, at the same time, the whole into a perpetual Commentary, in which every point of the least importance should be discussed, the true reading, in all doubtful and important cases, canvassed, the connexion traced, the course of reasoning indicated, all probable expositions detailed and reviewed, and the true interpretation, as far as possible, ascertained and determined. In consequence of such a material enlargement of the plan, it was necessary to devise every possible method of otherwise contracting it, especially by using the critical knife freely, by getting rid of heavy masses of unimportant or precarious matter, and bringing what * The use, though limited, which the Author had made, in the former Part, of the antient Fathers and Commentators, had shown him their great importance to the interpretation of Scripture, and how unmerited was the neglect into which they had so long fallen among Protestant Commentators. In this judgment he was confirmed by the opinion of some distinguished Scholars, and eminent Churchmen, whose encouragement determined him to regularly examine at least Chrysostom, Theophylact, Theodoret, Ecumenius, and the Greek Scholiasts, for the purpose of the present Work. By this course, as will be seen, the Editor has largely profited. |
