The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1882-02-23
THE NEW TESTAMENT REVISION.
By DIR. j. M. WRIGHT.

We have seen that the text of the
Greek testament took a sort O
stereotype form very early. Beza':
testament of 1898, differing very
little from those that had preceded
became really the received text
But we have seen that it was hastily
formed from authorities, insufficient
in quantity and inferior in quality.
While the early editors of the Greek
testament were able to procure few
manuscripts, there were many
scattered through the church, east
and west. These began to make
their appearance, and falling into
the hands of scholarly men, gradu-
ally the science of textual criticism
sprang up.
Among the manuscripts that now
came to light were some of great
age, dating back to the middle of
the fourteenth century. These old
manuscripts are very peculiar docu
ments. They are written in capital
letters from one end to the other,
and without any spaces between the
words and with very few or even no
marks Of punctuation.
We will notice a few of these
venerable old documents. In 1874
Tischendorf, the greatest Greek
testament critic that the nineteenth
century has produced, was travelling
in the east. He was in the convent
of st. Catharine on Mt. Sinai, when,
in basket Of papers destined to
light the fires of the convent, he dis
covered forty three leaves of the old
testament In Greek. These he Sc
cured and afterwards published
He recognized their value and sus
pected that the entire bible might
be in the possession of the ignorant
monks, but they refused to inform
him. He made subsequent visit,
but with no better success. In 1859
he was employed by the Gar of
Russia to make q tour through the
east in search of manuscripts. He
made another visit to the convent
of St. Catharine and the monks now
brought forth the precious docu-
ment and presented it to him for the
Gar. Such was his joy that he
says it seemed to him that it would |
have been a crime to have that night |
slept. This important and valuable
document has taken a high place
among critics: 1t is one of the few
manuscripts that contain the entire
new testament. 1t is beautifully !
written in elegant capitals and on
antelope skins finely and delicately
Such has been the felt
md acknowledged influence of this
that it has impaired new
life and new confidence to textual
criticism. 1t was written in the
ourth century.
Critics have called these manu-
cripts by the letters Of the alphabet.
The one known as A is the Alex
ndrian manuscript; it is in the
British Museum. 1t was sent as a
resent in 1923 to Charles l. by
jyril Lucar, Patriarch of CONSTANT
ople. 1t contains most of the new
estament. 1t is written in capitals
Tithout any space between the
lords and only one mark of punctu-
ton, at the end of a SENTENCE
.arger capitals begin sections; but
section begin in the middle of a
ne, the line is completed in uni
orm capitals and the first letter of l
ne next line, though it be in the {
riddle of a word, is a capital, for l
lese capitals are only found on the {
largin of the page. This manu- {
cript is highly valued as helping I
luch to restore perfectly the text s
the new testament.
The manuscripts that perhaps c
lands first ia setting the text is r
lie Vatican manuscript, and is in r
lie Vatican Library at Rome b
here it was placed by Pope Mich s
as V. in 144S,. and it was long 4
osely guarded, and scholars could t
ot get access to it. Tregelles, who a
ut out a critical new testament, T.
ent to Rome in 1915 to examine 1t b
Id he reports that the pope allowed s
m to see the manuscript, but
ould not let him transcribe it or
deed any portion Of it. "They
ould not let me open it," he says, h
Without searching my pocket and Il
.priving me of pen, ink and paper.n 81
ne manuscript, however, is now d
fore the world and is priceless; in is
g character it bears in the critical OF
relies, it is second to none. is
These manuscripts are called al
cials because written in capitals. oI
Id now there are many others as 81
refully written in the hands of In
ltual critics. And besides these w
ere are hundreds of cursiFe manu- al
'ipts, or such as are written in a ia
ming hand. These are the helps II
W in the reach of christian IL
lolars to establish the text of the NC
v testament as it came from the 81
lds of the inspired penmen.- ell
tn these lights the errors in the ms
eived text have been pointed out tn
corrected with a unanimity that es'
precedent. The text of tr'
Greek testament is now settled. INT
enty-five manuscripts were used GU
the text before it fell into ag
hands of King James trans MI
,rs; now the church has nearly the
Thousand the
tat
IN