The Hebrew Letters of Prester John by Prester John; Edward Ullendorff; C. F.

Beckingham
Review by: James Barr
Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, No. 2 (1983), pp. 286-288
Published by: Cambridge University Press
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286

REVIEWS OF BOOKS

From
in the ancient
the finds as well as from the
synagogue.
together
the Scrolls of the Law were deposited,
it appears
that the Ark,
in which
a fixed
structure
but had the form of a portable
in the earliest
chest,
period,
area whenever
for the reading of the Torah. We
it was required
into the central
brought
was not only a building
in which
also learn that the ancient
prayers were recited.
synagogue
as a school for adults and children,
it was a repository
for com
In addition
to its function
sacred meals were held, a law court, a general assembly
munal
hall,
funds, a place in which
women

Rabbinic
was not,

worshipped
literature

a hostel
for Jewish
and a residence
travellers,
tool for the student of
will be an indispensable

for synagogue
officials.
the Jewish past.

This

LOUIS

MODERN
Oxford,

AN
INTRODUCTORY
HEBREW:
University
Press, 1982.
etc., Oxford

COURSE.

By D.

work

enriching

J. KAMHI.

JACOBS.

pp.

[x],

156.

?9.50.

in London,
and his textbook
teacher of Hebrew
late Dr. Kamhi was a much-loved
The
to
he taught. The course
is intended
with which
his own material
comprises
presumably
an elementary
of Modern
"to acquire
enable
the student
knowledge
grammatical
quickly
or
are two sections:
the exercises
be covered
There
in 10 weeks.
and should
Hebrew"
come first.
and the lessons, unusually,
and the grammar;
lessons, 30 in number,
is that it may well have worked
into this work
One's main
excellently
feeling on dipping
the text
to the student and to supplement
as long as the author was there to give guidance
that
of more advanced matter
and with
indications
with pronunciations,
with
explanations,
to
a beginner
leave until later. For general use, or for the person hoping
should probably
a teacher,
one is more
Modern
Hebrew
doubtful.
without
learn Hebrew
presents
peculiar
for those without
for any elementary
any previous
knowledge
grammar
designed
problems
if traditional
reason for this is that detailed
of the language. A major
reading and writing,
and other
are followed,
the use of pointing,
methods
daghesh,
signs: but these
require
state of the language
that is now archaic
to a phonological
and morphological
signs belong
as one would
or indeed of written
Hebrew
and does not fit the realities of spoken Hebrew,
the words
overcome
see it in a newspaper.
One might
this, in a more novel way, by writing
in romanized
the pronunciation
as they would
be written
script. But this
today and adding
so that the student
has to learn
in these respects,
to a very traditional
method
these are not func
of the interrogative
the various
ha-, although
pointings
the course forces
To a surprising
in Modern
Hebrew.
extent,
therefore,
tionally
important
of
is virtually
Biblical
to enter into minutiae
of what
many
the student
Hebrew,
although
he is not introduced
are not relevant
for actual modern
these minutiae
usage. Conversely,
The gram
be common
in modern
would
to some of the plene
publications.
spellings which
terms
like "con
for example,
is very old-fashioned
matical
throughout:
terminology
are offered,
and these often
are used. Very
full paradigms
and "declension"
jugation"
or
ever be heard
in modern
would
forms which
include
speech
scarcely
out-of-the-way
it is unfortunate
must
be so emphasized,
if pointing
in poetry.
read except
Furthermore,
should not have daghesh
thus 'ugdh "cake"
that not all cases are correct:
(pp. 27, 40). Of
occurred.
the mistake
is just why
course it does not matter
for Modern
Hebrew, which
the lines of the
sum up, then, a rather
To
following
grammar,
hardly
idiosyncratic
in
too much
detailed
and surely giving much
grammar
latest ideas about
teaching,
language
Dr. Kamhi
made
it very
Yet doubtless
material.
of exercise
to the quantity
relation
as a teacher.
in his own experience
effective
book

sticks

(for

instance)

JAMES

THE

HEBREW

BECKINGHAM.

LETTERS
pp. xiii,

JOHN.
OF PRESTER
252. Oxford,
etc., Oxford

ULLENDORFF
By EDWARD
University
Press, 1982. ?12.

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BARR.

and C. F.

REVIEWS OF BOOKS 287

John were a sort of science
fiction of the Middle
Ages, and his
legends of Prester
will be
in a variety
of languages.
Hebraists
to popes
exist
and other
potentates
some of the texts are in Hebrew,
of
other
students
while
in the subject because
interested
which
the Hebrew materials,
it will be served by this volume,
along with
together
brings
The

letters

some
and Ullendorff
Professors
and a translation.
discussion
Beckingham
comparative
are uniquely
The three
to carry out the task which
well qualified
they have undertaken.
and there are intro
are suitably
notes
set out, with
and facing
main
letters
translation,
as a whole,
to the Hebrew
and to the actual
letters in particular,
to the subject
ductions
Hebrew
sources.
version and a short excursus
To these
is added a fourth and fragmentary
of the
on the narrative
shares in some of the matter
which
of Eldad
the Danite,
certainly
an index of the principal
motifs
and themes and another
John cycle. There
follow
Prester
of part or whole
and a series of facsimiles
of foreign words
in Hebrew
guise, a bibliography,
in European
and Italian in full,
of some of the main versions
(Latin, Old French,
languages
the volume.
index to the whole
concludes
others with specimen
pages only). Another
of the problems
is necessarily
The discussion
brief, and the editors do not seek to reach
between
of relations
the complexity
any sort of definitiveness;
rather,
they emphasize
in the connections
Eldad
between
interest
show a particular
versions.
the various
They
a stimulus
to the
stories formed
the Danite
Is it possible
that Eldad's
and the letters.
texts in origin preceded
the European?
John legends,
and therefore
Prester
that the Hebrew
seem clearly to betoken
to many
of the present
features
letters which
Yet the editors point
of actual
Italian or transcriptions
translation
from Romance,
e.g. obvious
upon
caiques
in one direction
the reader a solution
is made
to press upon
Italian words.
But no attempt
or in the other. One would
to guess that much
of the material
is indeed trans
be inclined
that often results).
(hence the pretty awful Hebrew
lation, and often very literal translation
so that no docu
It may well, however,
be translation
from a text that no longer survives,
two other
exists. This
in any case not preclude
of the precise
should
mentation
Vorlage
some
in with
of translation
the process
free Hebrew
mixed
firstly,
things:
composition
a veritable
And
Jewish
of the material.
this is,
for some elements
and, secondly,
origin
seem to have in mind.
the distinguished
editors themselves
roughly
speaking, what
be added
to the discussion
in this respect. As the introduction
One or two points might
in principle
"an aggressively
the letters form
Christian
document",
though
rightly notes,
like kumar for "priest" or "iniquity
the Hebrew
tones this down by inserting dysphemisms
of Christianity
in place of "St Thomas".
the outward
institutions
of Thomas"
But, although
are well known
the tonsure,
the military
and much mentioned
abbots,
cardinals,
priests,
- there is
to sexual abstinence
the importance
little sign of
attached
confession,
orders,
inner familiarity
with Christian
of the teaching
language. Thus there is little or no quotation
on the other
of Jesus or other parts of the New Testament,
while
side the actual
religious
the women
that of Judaism:
"with devotion",
say their prayers
language used is very often
there are many
echoes of the Hebrew Old Testament,
p. 144, 1. 191. Moreover,
kawwanah,
at which
of the letters
the Hebrew
rises considerably
its cus
and these are points
from
at p. 90, 1. 133, is
low level. For instance,
h?marim
hPmarim
tomary
"heaps and heaps"
an unmistakable
not
to the Hebrew
of Exod.
allusion
diction
viii, 10, and one that would
to any Gentile
been accessible
writer
of the time. These
would
tendencies
be a Jewish
the editors'
that there may
basis for the entire
support
feeling
or alternatively
that the Hebrew
had done a lot of free composition
"translator"
tradition,
which
he intermingled
with
translation
literal
of the
just as we find in the tradition
probably
seem
to

have

Targums.
one might
at a few points
of the letters here printed,
As for the translation
suggest
that an alternative
be considered,
since the book will be much
rendering might
especially
as "tortoise".
of Hebrew.
used by readers without
On p. 90 sab is rendered
any knowledge
seems
to be a modern
and it is very likely that the beast was a
This, however,
meaning,
lizard of some kind, as in the Bible
It is associated
with
and
(cf. Arabic dabb).
serpents,
in question
in the ground;
the animal
seeks to escape by hiding
in another
letter (p. 54)
Thus
is of serpents
and scorpions.
the combination
the lizard seems more
likely, especially
in view of the great
of the letters
in worms
and salamanders.
Another
interest
animal
is
as 'yylym:
this had been read several
times as 'elim "rams", but the double
that written

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288

REVIEWS OF BOOKS

rams are meant

rather "deer",
uses
and where
the author
suggest
yod would
'ayyalim,
karim
that take the deer"
(p. 126, 1. 65). Thus one should read "wolves
(p. 78, 1. 31) and
"deer and gazelles
and red swine"
cases,
1. 225),
rather than "rams"
in both
(p. 102,
p. 120,1. 22, has "stags" correctly.
Another
animal
at p. 76, 1. 30, where we have a list beginning
with
appears
puzzle
we call dromedary
and panthers which
and white
camels and wild oxen"; bears,
"elephants
lions (of various
in the fairy-tale world
and wolves
later. Even
of Prester
colours),
appear
were
it really be stated
that panthers
I suspect
dromedaries?
that the word
John, could
referred not to the species of the beast but to its colour or, to be more
its spotted
exact,
ness.
as distinct
It meant
camels
ones which
from the white
or else more
spotted
follow,
the giraffe,
the right beast for Prester John's realm. The word camelopard
exactly
probably
was often
confused
with
the word
word
comment
is Hebrew
leopard. Another
deserving
as in hflluse saba'. This phrase
on p. 102, 1. 220, as "army pioneers",
halus
is rendered
and similarly
familiar
severai times as "vanguard,
vanguard
troops". But the sense "pioneer",
not
one of
in modern
was
is probably
intended
here. The meaning
the Biblical
usage,
which
of the European
with
the armati,
bene armati
(for war)",
"equipped
corresponds
versions; on p. 45,1. 41, this is rightly so taken: "fully equipped".
are very minor
as a whole
These
and the translation
however,
questions,
gives an
excellent
expresses

impression
itself with
entertainment
to examine

seeking
pretend
is a valuable

resource,

of the quality
of the documents.
The
of the editors
scholarship
a pleasant
to the reader
and the work may be commended
lightness,
as well as to the scholar of medieval
does not
legend. The volume
are wisely
all the questions
in detail
and its conclusions
It
tentative.
for which
the reading public will be grateful.
JAMES

ET
HISTOIRE
INSTITUTIONS
JEAN DAUVILLIER.
(Collected
Variorum
1983. ?26.
Reprints,

DES
^GLISES
Studies
Series,

ORIENTALES
173.)

pp.

AU
[viii],

MOYEN
iii,

[300].

BARR.

AGE.

By

London,

from his richly

The name of Jean Dauvillier
will perhaps be most
familiar to Orientalists
sur les
of papers
annotated
editions
left by his former
teacher Paul Pelliot
(e.g. Recherches
et d'extreme-orient,
to the more
Chretiens d'Asie
centrale
restricted
group of
Paris, 1973);
on Chaldean
he will be well
known
from his masterly
article
Syriac
scholars,
however,
canon
law in the Dictionnaire
de Droit
and for an extended
study
(included
Canonique
au Moyen
'de l'exterieur'
in this volume),
which
still
"Les provinces
chaldeennes
Age",
how
treatment
of this fascinating
remains
after 35 years
the most
authoritative
subject:
a metropolitan
see of the Church
of
that Peking was once
many
today are aware
people
of Dauvillier's
work has in fact been in the field of the history
the East? The main output
to the width
and depth of his other
that it
of canon
interests
law, and it is a fine tribute
to put together
of often
this collection
has been possible
very important
papers on various
of the Oriental
churches.
aspects of the history
of articles deal with
of the East and in particular
The majority
the "Chaldean"
Church
as well. Thus,
other Oriental
into Asia, but a few concern
churches
its expansion
eastwards
of the East
besides
the article
there are four short pieces on the Church
just mentioned,
a chapter
in Tibet
from M. Lalou's Les religions du Tibet),
(one in fact being a short extract
on William
of the East, four
of Rubruck,
two on aspects
of the canon
law of the Church
on the presence
on its art and architecture;
of the Syrian, Armenian,
then come chapters
two review articles,
churches
in Central
and East Asia,
and Greek Orthodox
together with
of J. Mecerian's
et institutions
Histoire
de l'?glise Armenienne,
and J. Richard's
LaPapaute
au Moyen
et les missions
d'Orient
Age.
that
and periodicals
of these articles
in Festschriften
Since many
originally
appeared
to come
to have them collected
hard
it is especially
into a single
often
useful
by,
a certain amount
and a few of the shorter articles
There
of overlap,
is inevitably
volume.
from the value of the collection
have been left aside without
much
could perhaps
detracting
are

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