28 JULY 1928, Page 19

Of all our learned periodicals, the Bulletin of the John

Rylands Library is perhaps the most astonishing, whether for its variety or for its cheapness—at half-a-crown for three hundred pages. The July issue begins with a delightful article on Jane Austen by Professor Alexander, and ends with two new apocryphal documents, " The Lament of the Virgin " and " The Martyrdom of Pilate," the Syriac-Arabic text of which fills a hundred pages and is accompanied by Dr. Mingana's translation and Dr. Bendel Harris's intro- duction. Pilate is a saint in the Coptic Church, and the long and involved " Martyrdom " accounts for this seeming paradox on the ground that Pilate repented of his injustice, became a believer, and was crucified not once, but twice.