Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-05-29


A New York clergyman on Sunday gave
his congregation history of the mauu>
scripts from which our Bible is:compiled,
during which he state g these facts: The
manuscripts Of the New Testament are
divided into two classes, according to the
style the writing employed. The oldest
style was in very large capitals exclusively
and without punctuation except at the end
of sentences, but later running hand was
usual, sometimes like that now used. TIE
first was the more ancient of them. There
exist about one hundred and thirty, all
written probably bet aeen the f,urtl and
tenth centuries, while of the others there
are some fifteen huadred written after thu
tenth century. But of the very old and
very valuable manuscripts we hs only
about five. The first named is the A ex>
andrian manuscript or Cordex SO called
because the bishop of Constantinopla who
sent 1t as present to Charts l., of eng
land, broughtit from Alexandria 1t Is
now in the British museum Nothing Is
known of its origin, but it is probably L.
4Oo years old being usually assigned to the
10 the Vatican where it has been for @
years. In 1868 very fle and perfe t
fac-simile of it was issued 1t is retired
to the fourth century. The third gre
Ms, is preserved in the nation al Library
at Paris. 1t was br, ught to France by
Catherine de Medci. Ii is assigned to the
early part of the fifth Century and con-
tains about two-tbirds of the New Tesla
meut. Be-ides these there is the Cock
Bega, belongi to the class of manuscrip
of greatest weight once the properly IF the
great reformer whose name il bars IL was
presented by him to the University Of
Csmb idge, where it is still preserved 1t
is the least valuable of all the manuscripts
continuing only the e spells and the &C
Tin Greek and tim, many interpoiationS
and corruptions beng detected in it. Il is
ascrloed TO the sixth century.
Up to very recent period these four
were the oldest aud most reliable ma u
scripts of the New Testament known to
scholars, but few years ago discovery
was made of q treasure of This sort of more
esteem than all the rest. In 1874 Profess
or Ilschendorf, the great German crit C.
was travelling in the Z st and in the
convent OF st. Catherine on Mount Sinai
one day got hold Of few old vellum
leaves which were about to be used tor
lighting stove. He examined them, and
soon perceived that thy contained parts
ct Inc versions of the Old re lament, that
-, or the tran-latiOn of the Hebrew
Christ for the ben fit of the Greek sp ak
ing Jews in Egyp,
1t Is now in the [ nperial Library Of st
Petersburg, splendid edition Of the work
having been published in 1862 The ol l.
| IS, date assigned to this WORK is tn fourth
century. 1t being Supposed Nv some To b.
one OF the MSS prepared IN 33l under III
orier oftne Emperor COnsta tine f'r hts
new caUital, Constsntinople The Cod
IS cd il hnc ii
or older than the Vatican Nj s and has the
great advantage over all the other great
VI So. IN thatIL contains the New Te>ta
me complete There were scores { f
cursive manuscripts in existence whrn the
pre>ent version was made, aud diligently
consulted, no doubt. while the L,'i vul-
gate was always scc sslble tor whttever
light it might have shed i constructing
Trustworthy Greek text. Tn Re were v-ry
old versions Of the Nav Testament that
were translate into various larguage-.
Among them Syrian ver,i0n known AS
the Peshite or simp 9. 1t existed a. e4rlv
a the second CO. fury 1t would be of
high authority had it come down t. u, in
lis purity. 1t con'alus such interp | lions
rs the doxology to the Lord prayer A
version which has exercised a Vas, i, flu
enceiQ the religi US world, is t. g Lali"
We sioH made in Northern Af,ica ana as
eribed to the second century 1t VS. re-
vised by Jerome toward the close of The
fourth century, and hence the LATIN vul-
gaze SO dear to the Catholic Church. L.
must 6e borne in mind that it Was trans
iaLon made within very few yeas
probably, vi the death of st John. There
are several other ancient versions f the
scriptures also of great vslue, several
Egy ptian versions, q thic versio of tue
fourth century al Armenian version f
the fifth century, and another of the sixth
and sever til in the language current in
Aby ssinis.