The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1885-04-01
A Divine Book

Rufus III. Bartlett, NJ. D., writes
the following letter to the Chicago
Inter Ocean. which will no doubt
prove of great interest to all Bible
students. ministers of the Gospel,
and photographers generally. If
the remarkable book which he refers
TO can be authenticated twill prove
a valuable addition TO Biblical his
tory. and will 20 far toward disturb
ing and correcting the many false
theories and distortions OF the Bible
now affected by infidels and athe-
istic lecturers who have unfortunate
ly gained too great prominence be-
fore the public OF late years. The
letter is as follows T;
TO the Editor Of The Inter- Ocean:
Some time ago was called to see
a sick Persian who, when recovered,
gave TO me as a very choice gift a
look at very interesting old book.
Its heavy covers of rotten and hon.
-combed wood, its leaves OF an
cient parchment, all very worn and
stained. some portions written with
ink of one color, and some with an
other, which is in many places en-
tirely faded out, all go to show that
il is of a very ancient origin. Com
parisons were made with specimens
of early writings in the works OF
John Kitto. which indicate that it
must have been written between the
first and sixth centuries. There
were few testaments written in the
apostolic age by the early fathers,
most of which remain until to-day.
One is in Berlin, one in st. Peters
burg. one or two copies are found in
the libraries of Rome, Paris, and the
British museum. Mr.. George Mem
or. of Asia Minor, who was educated
Mt SMYRNA in one of the best Greek
schools, and who has seen two or
three OF these testaments, gives 1t as
his opinion that this book is of much
earlier date, the writings OF which
he is unable TO decipher. 1t is be-
lieved to he the first written reports
of Christ's sermons, and to be a
copy of the original letters by St.
Paul to the different churches. In
a letter written to Bishop Titus, St.
Paul addresses him as Ny Child |
Titty," and when writing to limo
thv he addresses him as Ny Child
Timothy " always. In all his letters
to the different churches he uses al
ways the expression =" My brethren"
which is not found, SO far as ! know,
in our Bibles of to-day. Further
comparisons show that translators
have succeeded in making some very
plain things very difficult and hard
to understand. Proper names are
changed. and even the Lords prayer
loses much OF its force and beauty |
by being wrongly and unnaturally
translated: hence infidels and athe-
lists have found opportunity to deny |
the truth of more. As l studied |
this good old book and thought of
its journeyings and the number of
owners it must have had, | thought
of its having been present at the
birth and death of cities and ma
tions, and then, centuries later, cross
in safety the wide seas to this new
world, direct to our own Chicago,
and then lay for months in obscuri-
ty, unknown except to two or three,
so valued by its present owner that
no money would tempt him to part
with it, and loved as a friend, moth
er. wife, and yet kept in a small
room liable at any hour tc be de-
stroyed by Ere. La view of all this,
and its great worth, | insisted that
he let me at least make the book
known, to let me describe it to my
friends, to the Christian people of
this city and this country. The
Secretary of the Propaganda at
Rome being asked for his most in
teresting and most valuable works,
answered by showing the Oldest and
earliest written papers and books,
saying To these We give the
greatest protection and care, for
should they be destroyed we could
never replace them. They are val
ued beyond price" In the British
Museum, in a room where but few
visitors are permitted to enter, is
stone tablet, whose written charac-
tiers prove it to be very old, weighing
perhaps nearly quarter OF ton,
yet carefully enclosed in a glass case
and guarded by an armed watchman.
If other peoples attach such value to
these works, ought we not take steps
to preserve this witness of many
centuries 1? Let us then, ere it be too
late, prepare safe home for this in
spired book-the mother of Bibles.
Let us place it where the rich and
poor, Christians and unbelievers, all
may see it, and learn that God and
Christianity is not a myth. Give
this book to the cook ministers of
this country, and it would furnish
them such foundation, such inspi-
ration, as to fill up the long-empty
pews with earnest worshipers. Give
it to the people, and Ingersollism
would find present lectures in need
of new version.
And so may good come with this
new study of an old book, to help
even our best to become better, and
make us as Christlike rs our city is
destined to become great.
RuFUs II. BARTLETT, NJ. D.,
n. 50. West Madison ST.