The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1868-12-06
ANCIENT MANUSCRIPTS.

The origin of the art of writing,
in it's various shapes and forms, is of
such everyday use amongst all civilized
nations, that we can hardly imagine time
when it was totally unknown.
The early Christians-especially st. Cle-.
ment of Alexandria, and st. Augustine, held
that the knowledge of alphabetical char
acters were revealed by God himself to
Moses when the Ten Commandments were
given on Mount Sinai. Many no less erndite
authors have vigorously combated this the
DRY.
In the Book of Job, which work itself is
generally considered to have been written
before the time of Moses, there are many
illusions to writing, which would imply it's
being tolerably familiar-as, for instance,
when Job xix. 23) exclaims: !" Oh that my
words were now written That they were
craven with an iron pen !" &C.; and also in
Exodus xvii. IA, before the delivery of the
Law from Mount Sinai, when Moses was
commanded to write the narrative of the
journey from Egypt. From these and other
to have much earlier origin than the time
of the great Israelitish lawgiver.
" tTTtUvCr nI!Iy have been the origin of
alphab characters, the Hebrew, Sam
aritan, the Syriac, and after these the Greek,
seem to have had but one author, their let
tiers following nearly the SAME order, hav-
ing the same numerals as well as vocal
powers, and being called by similar names.
OF these, the Samaritan is considered the
Oldest the Ten Commandments were prob
ably written in this language, and the Sa-
cred Name embossed on the mitre of the
high priests. Under the name of PhGni-
elan, Samaritan is the parent stock of most
of the alphabets now in use, if not of all of
them. The Jews used it till the time of
Ezra, when the Chaldee or present Hebrew
supplanted it, and the separation between
the Samaritans and the Jews became COM
plete.
The first writings of which we have any
certain knowledge are the Ten Command
ments, delivered to Moses on Mount Sinai
these were inscribed on slabs of stone.
The nearest approach to modern paper
used in very ancient times was the texture
formed from the Egyptian reed papyrus,
from which our word paper is derived.
swampy ground and in the stagnant pools
formed by the foundations of the Nile.
The next stage in the manufacture of pa
per is the Chdrta Bombycina, or cotton pa
per, which Casiri states to have been invent
ed by the Arab Joseph Amru, in 7O6, and
first made in Bucharia.
Our present linen paper is generally sup
posed to be an Eastern invention, but the
exact date and the individual inventor are
matters of mere conjecture. One of the
earliest specimens is III the University Lii
brary of Rinteln, Germany it is document
Schaumburg, and sealed with his arms
Casiri the oriental scholar, says that in the
glorious but little explored library of the
Escurial, manuscripts written on linen paper
are preserved dating from the twelfth CEN
fury. 1t was early introduced into Eng
land.
The practice of illuminating manuscripts
witlrpaintings and other decorations is of
very remote antiquity. In the British Mu-
scum is n papyrus roll taken by Sir William
Hamilton from mummy at Thebes, hav-
ing drawing on each of the five columns,
representing objects Of Egyptian alteration;
and some of the Hebrew manuscripts of the
Law written before the Christian era were
Illuminated in gold and colors. But it was
during the early ages-of the Christian church
that some of the very finest Examinations
were produced. 81. jerome, in the fourth
century, mentions copies of the Scriptures
written on purple yellum, in the largest
gold and silver letters. In the Imperial Lii
brary of Vienna, there is famousFcepy of
st. Lukes Gospel, more than fourteen hun
dred and fifty years old, on purple vellum,
in letters of gold, consisting of twentysx
leaves, enriched with forty eight most elab
crate water-color pictures. Among the
Harleian Manuscripts in the British Museum
is a splendid copy of the four Gospels in
capital letters of gold, dated in the eighth
century, every page divided into two col
umns, enclosed in magnificent border.
The pictures of the Evangelists with their
emblems, are exquisitely painted in the
front of their respective Gospels; the initial
letter of each is richly illuminated, and oc-
cupies one ertire page. The time and
patience bestowed on these glorious
specimens of art are astonishing-ffty years
were sometimes given to one single volume.
At the sale of Sir w. Burrell's library in
1896, was manuscript Bible on vellum,
richly decorated, which had taken the
writer, Guido de Jars, more than half a
century, as appears by his n;ntSgrap 1t the
and had completed his ninetieth year (l294
A. d. before the book was finished.
The Irish abbot of Enniskillen, Dagsaus,
who died in 5S7, was celebrated for his skill
in binding books in covers of geld ana-pre-
ciOus stones. In these prOsaic ages. we have