CONCORDANCE, a verbal index to the Bible. The
earliest work of the kind is the Concordantia Morales of
Antony of Padua, who lived A.D. 1195 to 1231. It was
formed from the Vulgate translation, and was the basis of
the larger compilation of Cardinal Hugo de Santo Caro.
The first Hebrew concordance was produced by Rabbi
Mordecai Nathan (Venice 1523), and was entitled The
light of the way. An improved edition was afterwards pub-
lished by Cassio, a Franciscan friar (Rome, 1621). This
was followed by the masterly work of the elder Buxtorf,
based on the Masoretic divisions of the Old Testament.
An edition adapted to the use of the English reader soon
afterwards appeared from the pen of Dr Taylor of Norwich.
These earlier works, however, have been almost entirely
superseded by the Hebrew and Chaldee concordance of
Dr Julius Fürst. To the Septuagint, the best concor-
dance is that of Trommius, 2 vols. fol., Amst. 1718. Of
Greek concordances to the New Testament, the most valu-
able is that of Erasmus Schmid, Vetemb. 1638, an abridged
edition of which has been published by Messrs Bagster
in their Polymetric Series. A greatly improved edition
of the entire work has been edited by C. H. Bruder. To
students acquainted only with the vernacular, the Eng-
lishman's Concordance to the Old and New Testaments
presents invaluable exegetical aid, and is highly useful in
giving a combined view of the different English renderings
of the same Greek and Hebrew vocabularies. Of English
concordances, that of Alexander Cruden stands unrivalled.