Charles Buck's Theological Dictionary

79 Polyglot

POLYGLOT

Having many languages. For the more commodious comparison of different versions of the Scriptures, they have been sometimes joined together, and called Polyglot Bibles. Origen arranged in different columns a Hebrew copy, both in Hebrew and Greek characters, with six different Greek versions. Elias Hutter, a German, about the end of the sixteenth century, published the New Testament in twelve languages, viz. Greek, Hebrew, Syriac, Latin, Italian, Spanish, French, German, Bohemian, English, Danish, Polish; and the whole Bible in Hebrew, Chaldaic, Greek, Latin, German, and a varied version. But the most esteemed collections are those in which the originals and ancient translations are conjoined; such as the Complutensian Bible, by cardinal Ximencs, a Spaniard; the king of Spain’s Bible, directed by Montamis, &c. the Paris Bible of Michael Jay, a French gentleman, in ten huge volumes, folio, copies of which were published in Holland under the name of pope Alexander the Seventh; and that of Brian Walton, afterwards bishop of Chester. The last is the most regular and valuable. It contains the Hebrew and Greek originals, with Montanus’s interlineary version; the Chaldee paraphrases, the Septuagint, the Samaritan Pentateuch, the Syrian and Arabic Bibles, the Persian Pentateuch and Gospels, the Ethiopian Psalms, Song of Solomon, and New Testament, with their respective Latin translations; together with the Latin Vulgate, and a large volume of various readings, to which is ordinarily joined Castel’s Heptaglot Lexicon.

Charles Buck (1771-1815) was an English Independent minister, best known for the publication of his “Theological Dictionary”. According to the “Dictionary of National Biography”, a Particular Baptist minister named John C. Ryland (1723-1792) assisted Buck by writing many of the articles for the aforementioned publication. One may conclude, based not only Buck’s admiration for his friend Ryland, but also on the entries in his Theological Dictionary, that he stood head and shoulders with the High-Calvinists of his day.

Charles Buck on the Biblical Covenants (Complete)
Charles Buck's Theological Dictionary