MSS.

mss., christian and mahommedan; (3) coptic, aethiopic, persian and turkish mss.; and (4) syrian and arabian mss. not distinctively theological; only the first part was completed, but extensive preparations were made for the others. there is a german abridgment by a.f. pfeiffer. 2. joseph aloysius, brother of joseph simon, and professor of oriental languages at rome. he died in 1782. besides aiding his brother in his literary labours, he published, in 1749-1760, _codex liturgicus ecclesiae universae in xv. libris_ (this is incomplete), and _comment. de catholicis sive patriarchis chaldaeorum et nestorianorum_ (rome, 1775). 3. stephen evodius, nephew of joseph simon and joseph aloysius, was the chief assistant of his uncle joseph simon in his work in the vatican library. he was titular archbishop of apamea in syria, and held several rich prebends in italy. his literary labours were very extensive. his two most important works were a description of certain valuable mss. in his _bibliotheae mediceo-laurentianae et palatinae codd. manuscr. orientalium catalogus_ (flor. 1742), fol., and his _acta ss. martyrum orientalium._ he made several translations from the syrian, and in conjunction with his uncle he began the _bibliothecae apostol. vatic. codd. manusc. catal., in tres partes distributus._ only three vols. were published, and the fire in the vatican library in 1768 consumed the manuscript collections which had been prepared for the continuation of the work. 4. simon, grandnephew of joseph simon, was born at tripoli in 1752, and was professor of oriental languages in padua. he died in 1820. he is best known by his masterly detection of the literary imposture of vella, which claimed to be a history of the saracens in syria.