OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
AMEN HOUSE, E.C. 4
LONDON EDINBURGH GLASGOW
LEIPZIG NEW YORK TORONTO
MELBOURNE CAPETOWN BOMBAY
CALCUTTA MADRAS SHANGHAI
HUMPHREY MILFORD
PUBLISHER TO THE
UNIVERSITY
PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN
PREFACE
THE Lectures contained in this volume were delivered
in December, 1931, by the late Professor Kennett, and
the preparation of the MS. for the printers was far advanced
at the time of his regretted death last year. In fact, there was
only a small section (pp. 79-89) where the full notes were
wholly unrevised. The Perorationwasalsowhollyunwritten,
as it was taken from the late Mr. Austin Kennett’s descrip-
tion of an actual Ordeal by Fire.
The work required, when the papers were put into my
hands, was therefore little more than verifying the quota-
tions and correcting the proofs. The labour of making
the Indices I was able to entrust to the careful hands of
Mr. G. A. Yates, B.A, of St. John’s college, Cambridge,
who is the last of Dr. Kennett’s pupils. I was the first,
having begun to Ieam Hebrew from him in the summer
of 1886.
The many pupils who came in between Mr. Yates and
myself will recognize in this book the characteristics of
Kennett’s spoken voice, the amazing fullness of detail, so
easily and so lightly employed to illustrate and not to con-
fuse, and the happy mixture of critical boldness with
appreciation of what is preserved in the text. Kennett
was above all things what the Gospel calls an instructed
scribe, and in this book he brings forth out of his treasure
things new as well as old.
F. C. BURKITT.