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Trinitarian Bible Society – Quarterly RecordItalian, was able to study old Scripturemanuscripts with competence and widelyacknowledged authority. As to the Arabicscholarship of his day, he was able, by anoutstanding provision of Almighty God,to gather to himself a ‘fellowship’ of nativeArabic language scholars who had becomeChristians of the Reformed faith.Even whilst this work was in its very earlystages, Eli Smith was considering therequirement for its production in print.Existing Christian works in Arabic left muchto be desired in presentation. Calligraphywas handmaid to the Qur’an, continuallyreproduced in manuscript. How couldprinting avoid the crudeness which wasso offensive to Muhammadans? Thenecessary type fonts did not exist. Smithset about producing what he felt wouldsatisfy the need. With a reed pen he copiedthe best Arabic models to serve as thebasis of the type. Every Arabic consonantchanges its form according to its placein a word and then has to be suppliedwith vowel signs, so that one practicalfont of Arabic type needed around 1,800individual characters.The design complete, Smith took all toSmyrna to oversee the cutting of thetypeface. In a solemnising similarity toother Bible translation pioneers, Dr Elimet with shipwreck and had to beginthe whole task again, collecting morespecimens of fine writing and making anew set of models to replace those at thebottom of the Mediterranean Sea. Steelpunches were, at last, cut at Smyrna (whereJohn Burgon had been born in 1813), to becast in Leipzig in 1838 by Tauchnitz, underSmith’s direct supervision, so excellentlyreflecting the sweeping swell and taperof Arabic as to bear scrutiny of the mostfastidious judge. By 1841 the MissionPress at Beirut at last had Arabic type, trulybeyond compare throughout the printingoffices of the world, and this ‘Beirut Type’became the universal model of printedArabic.In 1842, to his great distress, Eli Smith’swife died. His labours were intense, forhis translation and print responsibilitieswere only part of the ongoing caresof a missionary situation—preaching,teaching, lecturing, training, pastoral care,and church visitation. Small wonder thathis health, too, was now seriously affected,and furlough needed.Returning from furlough in 1847, with hisnew wife, Henrietta, and with renewedenergies, his overriding task was tocomplete, print and publish the ArabicBible. Printed proofs of the book of Genesiswere shared out in 1850 and over the nextsix years Dr Smith completed translation ofthe New Testament and much of the Old.In early 1857, knowing that his departurewas near, he forbade the use of his ownname in connection with any part ofthe future Bible publication other thanGenesis, Exodus and Matthew 1–12, whichalone had been brought fully to readinessfor publication under his hand. When hedied on the morning of the Lord’s Day,11 January 1857, all elsehad to be considered asunfinished, awaiting anew hand.Cornelius van Alen vanDyck was not reallya new hand, but hadbeen in the area andan Arabist since 1840.Van Dyck was bornat Kinderhook,New York, in1818, educatedat JeffersonMedical College,Cornelius van Alen van Dyck28