New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-04-16
RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE.

MENT.-The issue of the Revised New 1esta-
| mCnt has directed fresh attention to the history
OF the text Of the New Testament, and particu-
| larly to the manuscript copies OF 1t. The two
most important and ancient of these in the
| Greek language are the COdeX Siniaticus and
COdex Vaticanus. The COdex NHhcanus, or
Vatican MS, is in the Vatican library at Rome,
where it was probably placed by Pope Nicholas
| ", about the time of the foundation OF the
! library in 1913. This Ms" Inc Sunday
school World SAYS, consists of 7J9 leaves OF
! thin vellum of which 142 belong to the New
! Testament. 1t has three columns on page
! Except in the poeucal books OF the ga esIa-
ment, where it has two cOlumns), and f0rty-tW0
| lines to each column, with no spaces between
] the words except at the end OF sentence or
/ paragraph. Each line has from sixteen to
| eighteen letters. The MS. indicates that when
! the cOpyist began n book his plan was to pro-
ceed continuously TO the end without break.
! At the end of each book he usually broke OH
! from the column he was writing, and began the
next book upon the next column. The Vatican
! Ms. omitS the last twelve verses of Marks
gospel, and there the copyist leaves part of n
column and the whole Of 'he next column
blank, and begins Luke's gospel upon the
second instead of upon the first column ncXS 10
where he left off copying Marks gospel. ms
! unusual gap in this Ms. is held to imply that
! the cOpyIst was conscious OF an omission OF
| matter belonging to Mark. The ornament ana
! the kdtd mdrkOn,' according TO Mark ut the
end Of the last column, are not by the original
| cOpylst, but were probably added by a later
! hand This makes the unusual blank space
more significant, and gives stronger indca-
! ton that the original scribe was conscious that
he had not reached the end of the book.
! The Vatican volume is bound in red morocco,
| is 1Olo inches long, 10 wide, and 4l2 inches
thick. The original Ms. breaks of in the
middle of word, kGthd--(IIebrc *, IA ;
| the rest Of the Epistle to the Hebrews, the pas
tOral EpistleS and Revelation, being added by
a comparatively recent hand Ia his recent
n Il Mr. =
that this Ms. has never been accessible TO
scholars generally :; while The Ner- York In
| dependent, in a notice of the Commentary,
holds that the Ms. has not been IA inaccessible
as that language would imply, and adds, mot
only have they (scholars) been permitted to
consult 1t, but now we have the magnificent
reproduction Of Cardinal Mai The history of
! the futile attempts to colate the Vatican MS,
if written, would prove, as Seryener truly
imperfect collation. of the Ms. was made about
| 1850. Certain it is says Scrlvener, that
| since BIchs day no one not IN the confidence
of the Papal Court has had fair access to tins
| document In 1913 Professor IlschendOrf,
after months Of waiting, was allowed to see
the Ms. for six hours. In 1914 Muralt was
| permitted TO look at it for nine hours. In
1915 Trcgeilcs. armed with strong letters
from Cardinal Wiscman, went to Rome Tor me
special purpose OF examining 1t. They would
not allow him to look at it without first search
ing his pockets 10 deprive him of pen, ink and
| paper; if he looked too long at a passage, the
book was snatched fi0m his hand. In 1866
1ischendorf boldly asked Pope Plus IL. for
permission to edit it as he had the COdeX SIM
aticus. This was denied, but he was allowed
to consult it Oh points presenting special diiei-
enccS. lie attempted to copy some pages,
when, after eight days, the Ms was abruptly
taken from him but NelcellOnc, OF the Papal
Court procured permission for hun 80 exam
inc it for six more days, the Italian be-
ing present all the time watching his exami-
nation. From this examination llschendOrt
WAS enabled to put forth his quaTtO edition OF
the Ms. in 1867. I'm regard to Cardinal Mails
magnificent TeprOductlOn,' it appeared some
years after Mails death On lSJD. and of its
merit Scriycncr. one OF the foremost teXtual
critics, says: 'The plan of the work exhibits
all the faults such IA performance well can
have: nor is the execution at all less obJec-
tiOnabe' TischendOrfs criticism Of II Is
scarcely less severe. Professor L. L. Mitchell
(and presumably Professor Abbot, as he care
fully revised this part of Professor Mitchells
work. pronounces 1t unsatisfactory, Another
and later reproduction, by Nercellone ana
COMA, was begun III 1865 but Nercellone
, died in 1869, leaving the completion to other
hands. Five volumes have been Issued; the
sixth, the most important in many respects,
and which is to contain the notes on the altera-
tons made by various scnbes, Is soon to APP
pear. This edition was also severely criticised
by Tischcndorf. Scriyener credits its general
accuracy in contrast with that of Cardinal
MATS which he unqualItedly pronounced
Enthusiastically but IN Nercclone and Coma
edition later readings are claimed 10 be mixed
with the ORIGINAL text, with no distinguishing
marks, impalrng the accuracy OF the work;
These facts lead to the inference that critical
scholars still need to examine the MS. ltSelt on
points of doubtful or disputed reading, 10 IN
sure accuracy. Writing for Protestant readers
and of Protestant scholars, IN view OF these
facts. it would seem that NJ. Rice understatcd
rather than OvcrStatCd the lnacccSSb1lty OF
the Vatican Ms. to critical scholars
PRESIDENT ROBINSON ON FREDERICK W. ROB-
ERTSON.-'Ihis is President RoblnSOns estimate
of Frederick W. Robertson, as given III one or Ills
recent lectures before the Theological Depart
mrnt of Yale College: Bred among the evan
gelical portion of the Anglican Church, he en-
tered its ministry with the most deNoUt OF IN
, tcntionS ana began rs the most orthodox OF
Drpachcrs He was an earnest and faithful
preacher, dcvOut and dIngent pastor, at
Winchester, ut Cheltenham and at oxford ana
with very small results. Nothing could he
saddor than the agony of doubt INTO which he
fond himself plunged when the foundations
gave way from beneath him, and he saw the
beliefs in which he had been educated, and
which he had been preaching vanish IKE TIM
mist III the air. lie lound that ne hau Oeeh
laboriously preaching what he only knew b.
hearsly When aftcrward, with few broken
truths which he had ciutched with all the
energy of drowning man, ne went before an
audience at Brighton, he dlsc0ursed on these
with "A freshness, and force, and JUNCTION, that
compelled the attention of all classes and con-
ditions of men. And whence this new power
Certainly not because he now preached truth,
and had previously preached bction; but
sImply because his preaching was now level TO
his experience Every word that came from
his bps was like molten lava from the mouth
OF a volcano His whole inner being was fused
TO a white heat. And through every successive
year OF the ministry that renamed 10 MN
before death called him, there was a steady and
manifest regrcss toward the sentiments from
which he had seemed so wholly to revolt. BE
assured that it is not orthodoxy that will make
Gusks of ruth instead of its kernels will do it,
ii YOU will have RObertS0n's power, let the