Ancient Manuscripts of the New Testament.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 66, 17 August 1885, Page 4

Ancient Manuscripts of the New Testament.

Tim style <>f writing iniliciUv* the AS;e. «if uianijscrtjtis liuceiit \y ciM-lain nianiHCiipts ivooveiyil from the ruin-* of HeroniJuuMun. lij,tye been uurrtlled and doei|)li«ro'l yr'ith tlie litinosl cure, unil fifteen' folio -volumes of them have lieen ]>u.l«lishßi|; Niw.wh know that llefouiiineum and P.unpuii w«re overwhelmed ii; tha; yo-.iv a.d. 79 by '■■aa enijjtion «»f Vesuvius? he »c« there c>in:he no 'Jis,»iito m rotjunlto the ■«■»« of the niaiiu-iO -i(->i.s '•re-'ciu'd trom tlve^jK nuns. Tliey qj.ust b<i more than 1800 years" old. J3ufc th«.*e..manuscripts are writteh m ".imctiitl" letters, very nearly voseinblin;; the letters used hi thoseiuanvHci'ipt copies of the New v .re*tauieut which Imvo been 1 univerasllv e.st<uuiiod tli'vmo>t uncitmt. Th,i* style of letters h.ts riot been used for., centuries, hence the antiquity of thn.we manuscripts is proved buywnd a possibility of dispute. '•■■ x^nion*! the '* unclil" manuscripts five are generally distinguished from th«» rest as of primary importance. ; Of these, the Alexandrian known as Codex ■ Af was originally discovered at Alexandria, and was 'ne,nt to King Qhur.les 1., m 1G23, seventeen yen re after King J a rues' version was printed. It is how m the British Museum. The style of the letters indicatft that this manuscript is, of great anliquify, and its date; is fixed, by c»iii<w «t abi'ut.A.b. 45(). It is much mutilated — -twenty lour chapter?* of 'he first ' Gospel/ two of the fom th, find ei^ht of one of * the Epistles being '■ririssirij?. Codex B. m the Vatican Library at Rome, supposed to have beun wiittsn a.d. 300 and a.d. 400 is said to be ih<» oldest vellum manuscript lcn;»wn. This was not allowed to be copied till 1868, when an edition was issued m fac-sraile type, representing- it line for line and tetter for letter. The condition ot this is much more per-, feet. A manuscript is m the National Library at Pans, whither it w,i« brought by Catherine de Medici. This is called a " palimpsest," from a Greek word which signifies to rub or scrape atrain —applied to a parch- 5 i; merit from which one writing had been erased to make" room for another. This manuscript :|known as* the " Codex Epnfsßnii." "PjiVclnment hoi ng y.seai'ce and valuable; m; 'tjie'.tweh'rh . C6ntaryi )^ I 'the^''o^inal/*^rilin«;. was sponged off, ancl some productions of ; : Ephtßeiu SyruH written. in its stead. Nptliwith|tanding this, by tlie: careful ..application of chemicals, th« earlier . \yriting,has Wen brought out again, sojiliat the original manuscript has hbwjjieeri decijiherod, Thii uiiimi?Bcript is;assigned to the early part of .the fifth; century. ' , The foiVrth'-'Miahuscript is podox Bezre, m die Pu|»lic Library of: the of Oainbridj»<', it having been presented by Theodore l-'eza- m 1581. This is the least valuable, as it is quite incomplete. It belongs to , 4>luv f<ixtb century. The Codex Aleph, found February 4tb, 1879,-in tlie Convent of St. Catharine, .near Mjmnt Sinai, l'»y Tiscl^nVlorf, and ptiViiislied by him m 1862, is tlie mdstya)nable ; in the five, as; it contains the " New Testament , complete This U jutlgod to have been written, between a.d.' 200 and \.d.400; and hundred ,of corrections whbhyoriucsV'a'' iprevio'nsly , 'maile m the text l»y comparing other manuscripts have been conliri.ned by this ancient HtujJ, iml<'qen<len,t wir.ness, which hatf lain for ages m. tho library m that extern monastery,, .;.-,. V; !To;t)i6se niay be>dde<l,na specially yafuable, Codex CJaromontnnu.s, , of tfte 1 sixth .century,; wlvi-h cpntatus the Epistles- of Pn'til. This was n«ed by Bern m 1582, and is deposited m the National Eibrary at 'Paris'. •',''•■ ' These manuscripts cavry,-hs bnck very near the apostles-c lays; for th««y ; migjit eawlv have been enpieaV from or from manuscript;* thaVhaye been copied from tliem; and by, coniiKiring -those wjth tliehnmlredß of other mnnuscripts, legionaries, quotations, and ancient translations, ; it is not difficult to 'asieftniti the New Testament JBoolf;8. haye been jsefipusly. cor ru ptedin bejng.handed flow^rt -to pur time*. , Offponr**^ any corfupUoris -'or mix- : takes, which I 'Jiave\ ocqurred duiing ] jbhetlAst ljsoo years are excluded at i tlm 'lontseb by the fact that we have .manuscripts that date back a« far. as ■that; and if these manuscripts, otd ns 1 tt»ey are, have errors, they nlsp .may ri^ rare 'instances be corrected from ji9^|t)anhscripts, which .may hay's been copied from inianuacrints older than any which are yet discovered. — Christian Age. "