The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-07-14
DISCOVERY OF AN ANCIENT BIBLI-
CAL MANUSCRIPT.
From lie Lien.

/
deeply interested in the remarkable discovery
| Of Professor Tischendorf, we'll known by his
/ critical works upon the New Testament, and
Who recently made scientific journey in the
East, at the expense Of the Governments of
Saxony and Russia. The discovery is nothing
less than an elder brother of the famous Vati-
can MS, found, In a marvellous state of pres
ervation, in an Egyptian convent. NJ Tischen-
dorf himself was scarcely able to believe in the
reality of his discovery, and he decided not to
mention it until he had satisfied himself that
1t combined all the marks laid down by paleog-
raPhers as determining the age of An ancient
Mo. But now there is no longer any doubt the
parchment, the characters, the punctuation, the
Initials, the inscriptions and subscriptions, the
INK, &C., all prove, in the clearest way, that we
possess an Alexandrine MS. of the fourth GEN.
tury, of the age of Constantine and Eusebius of
Cesarea, containing the New Testament entire,
and which will henceforth be the first and most
august witness of the text of the New Tesla
ment.
| NJ. 1ischendorf has communicated his dis
covery to the Minister of the King of Saxony,
IN letter dated Cairo, 18th of March, and
which the scientific supplement of the Leipzig
Gazette republished on the 18th of April The
Vatican MS. has hitherto been regarded as
containing the most ancient copy of the Books
OF the New Testament. Its existence has been
known since the sixteenth century. Long con-
cealed from the public by Papal jealousy, it was
brought to Paris under the First Empire. where
it was examined very cursorily by the theolo-
gian, Hug, and then returned to its former place
alter the Restoration. 1t had acquired so great
a notorlety, that it had become impossible to
withdraw it entirely from public curiosity. The
Papal authority, however, did not permit any
examination but on conditions that rendered it
almost impossible. The annals of biblical crit.
| icism are filed with lamentations of unhappy
critics, who have wished in vain to copy at
length this precious MS. In 1928, the Roman
Government engaged to prepare an edition,
and the learned Cardinal Mai was commits,
stoned to undertake the publication. 1t was
| proceeded with, however, with so much slow
ness, that 1t was only last year, thirty years after
the promise, when the Cardinal had been dead
more than four years, that the expected edition
appeared; and it contained so many faults and
imperfections, that its value was considerably
diminished
| From the communications of M. Tischendorf
we learn that the MS. recently discovered consists
OF three hundred and forty-six pages of parch
ment OF large size. 1t must have required, he
says, whole gazelle skin to make two of these
pages The writing is divided upon each page
into four columns 1t is generally very well
preserved. The learned professor believes that
1t has received some retouches of a later period,
as IS customary with ancient MSS From the
internal evidence he regards it as certain that
the Ms. dates from the fourth century, and
those who are acquainted with the works of
this prince of biblical critics know that every
confidence can be reposed in his positive state
ments, This codes, then, is contemporaneous
with the Vatican MS, and with Ms. of the
| x1o<
| specimens of copies of the Holy Scriptures
which exist in Europe. The most ancient
MSS. of the New Testament, after that at
Rome, are the MS. of the British Museum,
which dates from the middle of the fifth CEN
7 ;6ror1 &c pa.r;ss IL 90. the Imperial
Library or farls, which goes Dach -
date. The most ancient after these are Of the
| sixth century.
But what gives the newly discovered Ms. a
veritable primary is, that it contains the New
Testament entire. That at Paris contains only
fragments of the sacred volume. The London
MS. is not complete; almost all the First Cos
| pei and almost all the Second Epistle to the
Corinthians wanting. The Vatican MS.
has lost the Apocalypse, four Epistles of Paul.
and the third part of the Epistle to the Hebrews.
The new codex, on the contrary, which con-
tains many of the canonical and apocryphal
books of the Old Testament almost all the
Prophets. Psalms, Job, the Book of Sirach,
Wisdom, &c.,) includes all the books of New
| Testament and it is this which renders the work
of inappreciable value. Sill more, it contains,
joined to the Apocalypse, the Epistle attributed
to Barnabas, very important document of the
end of the first century or the beginning of the
second, and, in fine, the first part of the Shep-
herd of Hermas, which dates from the first
| half of the second century. This confirms what
the history of the canon has already induced
| us to believe, that in Christian antiquity, in
many churches, these two works were regarded
as forming part of the Sacred Scriptures.
The celebrated critic concludes his letter
with these words: =" The existence of the Vati-
can MS. was known for r. rec hundred years
before it was finally decided to comply with the
general desire for its publication. | hope that,
instead of three centuries, three years will be
sufficient to enable me to enrich Christian litera
ture with one of its most precious monuments"