, 1875-06-27
THE CODEX S!NAlTlCuS,
l CHAPrKR II THE HISTORY or TIE xEY uvr


! NEST.
| 70 tie Editor of 1hs CHICAGO Tribune:
| CHICAGO, June 26.-There is chapter ta Ii
history Of the New Testament with which man
! Of your readers may not be familiar.
The Codex 8inaiticus. which was considered
the most complete, abe most ancient. md Ii.
best manuscript copy OF the entire New Teeta
nent as yet known, Was discovered, sixteen yeart
sgo, under the following circumstances: III 1874.
Dr.. Ttschendorh, who wAs then engaged in re,
searches pertaining to Biblical science, ana wss
I travelling under the patronage Of the King o1
sa1ony, visited the Convent Of st. Cathazine, on
Mount Sinai. Whlle tnere, he discovered in 4
basket Of rubbish, which had been brought in
| to kindte hts fire, forty-th1ee beautiful psrch
ment leaves, belonging to manuscript Of the
septuag1nt, till then unknown On his return
TO Europe they were published
On the 4th Of February, 1858, being, for tha
third time, at the aame convent: oue Of the
saenss brought to Tim the other leaves Of that
same manuscript, loosely tied in = naptin. They
consisted Of tho remaining PORTIONS Of tbs Sep
tuagint, aad the enti1a New Testament with tia
Epistle OF Darnabas, and portions Of the Shen-
herd Of Hermaa- DF: T;schendorn, delighted
with his discovery. obtained permission Of the
monks to take tho manuscript With him to Cairo
and aftaz"ard to St. Petersburg, aa present to
the Russian Emperor, Alexander II.
The New Testament part OF this manuscript,
NTH Barnabas and Hefmas, consisted OF 1475511
leaves Of excellent parchment, four columns On
page, forty-eight ines IN each column, and, on
40 average, fifteen letters in line, IN lnee
plain, square letter (uncial, 50 called)
clearly and aynmetricauy formed As
originally written, there WAS no punctuation.
no diviaion Of sentences or words, no acceots,
much caro- and great antiquity. It vas tho unly
ancient manuscript that had heen discovered
which contained the Greek text OF the NeH Tea-
lament entire without the Loss OF leaf.
Tho E:npero. Alexander hAd 200 copies OF m
exact fac smile prepared, and presented them
10 different learned institutions throughoot
Christcndom; and Dr.. Tischondorn, in 1861 pub
ished At Leipsic, in common Greek tvpo< An
accurate reprint, copy OF which, no doubt, sov
one curious in these mat,ers could easil3
procure.
1t becomes Of some importance to know eome-
thing mo77 about the e1traneons portion
Of this mauuscnpt; that part DOT found in
our Bibles and Testaments. Barnabaa waa
tho felIow-miss1onasy Of Paul. and Herrnaa
H.s s PsFssn xss sad 4s1;a. n@aas ~
cozdlng 70 ClsneDt Of Alexandra Was one of
The seventy Disciples He was the companion Of
Pa4 a Antioch, and On his first misalonarv
journey. Aftorword he went with Narx tn Cv-
pr,ls, preachinE the Gospel His epistle il quito
celebrated and has beeu often published. Anonf-
The ancients, the authorship OF tho Ep;stla of
Barnahas vas never questioned. it, eeuu;ae-
oess bas oeen doubled By sone uodortls bGk il
u difficult to SEQ upon what ground, unless b.
:ausa it waa not fortunate enough to be selected
among the nnhoge which Hcra heuceforth to bo
inspired.
Her1nas has not been mora foxtunste. His
celebrated "ahepherd" has been, BY modern
aeo4oglans, Inscribed to namesake Of his who
wed at Rome three-quartern Of century after
.aqi: but VIC have. upon this subject, tho rery