The "unashamed workman", in the title of this series, is, of course, a reference to

II Tim. 2: 15, and the "tools" are, therefore, those belonging to the study rather than to

the workshop. In the series entitled "The Volume of the Book" (Volumes XX to XXV)

we sought to give some idea of the composition and growth of the inspired Volume. In

the series "With all thy getting, get understanding" (Volumes XXII to XXVII) we

sought to give a word of guidance on the use of argument. In the present series we deal

rather with those aids to understanding and research that God in His providence has

supplied for our use--beginning with that most useful of "tools", the Concordance.

We do not know who it was that devised the first Concordance to the Scriptures, but

the first of which we have authentic record was that published by Anthony of Padua

(A.D.1195-1231). His work was entitled Concordiantiæ Morales, and was founded upon

the Vulgate. Cardinal Hugo, who died about 1262, followed Anthony, and compiled a

Concordance to the Scriptures, in which he employed the labours of no less than 500 of

his brethren. The reader has probably never seen a single sheet of this work, and possibly

has never even heard the name of the compiler. Nevertheless from this man's work have

sprung the many and improved Concordances that have since seen the light. Conrad of

Halberstadt in A.D.1290, and John of Segovia in the following century improved upon

Hugo's Latin Concordance, while in A.D.1438 Rabbi Mordecai Nathan commenced his

Hebrew Concordance--a work which involved ten years of strenuous labour for himself

and his assistants. This Hebrew Concordance was printed in Venice, Basle and Rome,

and in 1556 was translated into Latin by Reuchlin. In A.D.1621 Calasio, a Franciscan

friar, corrected many errors in Rabbi Nathan's work, and remedied certain other

deficiencies. He entitled his work, which was in four folio volumes, Concordantiæ Sacr.

Bibl. Hebr. Et Latin. Another Hebrew Concordance, based upon Rabbi Nathan's, but of

greater accuracy and more satisfactorily arranged, was prepared by John Buxtorf, and

published in Basle by his son in 1632. Leaving out several further modifications of this

work published on the Continent, we come next to 1754, when John Taylor, D.D.,

published in London his Hebrew Concordance, adapted to the English Bible,

disposed after the manner of Buxtorf. Another important name in this connection is that

of  Dr. Julius Furst, of Leipzig, who improved upon Buxtorf's concordance, using

Vanderhoogt's corrected text, and incorporating Rabbinical significations, explanations

in Latin, references to the LXX and other helpful features. This Concordance is a work

of very great value.

Of Concordances to the LXX (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) two

ancient, and one modern, must be mentioned. In 1602 Conrad Kircher of Augsburg,

published his Greek Concordance of the Old Testament, containing Hebrew words in

their alphabetical order. In 1718, a minister of Groningen, Abraham Trommius by name,

published in his 84th year his Greek Concordance to the 70: In this work the Greek