The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-03-05
New Testament Manuscripts.

No fewer than 100 ancient manuscript
copies of the New Testament in whole
or in part exist, their abundance
markedly contrasting with the small
mum Der which have come down to our
own day of the classical writers. AS no
miracle has been wrought to preserve
copyists from error, the last century
added up 10000 various readings in the
New Testament manuscripts; and the
present one has increased the number to
100000 Only the merest fraction OF
them, however, are of any conseq uence;
and their number, and the fact that they
were made originally in different parts
of the world and from variety of
manuscripts, enable biblical students to
detect and eliminate the erorrs and APP
proximate to the original text more
closely than if the various readings"
were fewer. This tedious but necessary
work has been carried out with untiring
energy. ~
The New Testament manuscripts fall
into two divisions: "Uncials," written
in Greek capitals. with no distinction at
all between the different words, and
very little even between the different
lines; and "Cursives," in small Greek
letters, and with divisions of words and
lines. Prof. Roberts dates the change
between the two kinds of Greek writing
about the 10Th century.
Only five manuscripts of the New
Testament approaching to completeness
are more ancient than the dividing rate.
The first, numbered by biblical critics
A. is the Alexandrian manuscript.
Though brought to England by Cyril
Lucar, patriarch of Constantinople, as a
present to Chares Lit is believed that it
was written, not in that capital, but In
Alexandria; whence it's title. 1t is now
dated in the fifth century AID. The
second (known as b is the Vatican
manuscript. 1t has been in the Vatican
library from 1475 or an earlier period,
but not till A. D. 1850 was an edition of
it published, and that one, by Cardinal
Mai. when issued, was uncritical and of
little value, But in 1868 facsimile of
1T came forth. so that now 1T is fully
accessible to scholars.
The Vatican manuscript dates from
the middle of the fourth century, if not
even from an earlier period. The, G, or
the Ephraem manuscript, was SO called
because it was written over the writings
of Ephraem,a Syrian theological authors:
pracGlco very SoinAou III oh0 uoy .
when writing materials were scarce and
dear. 1t is believed that it belongs to
the fifth century, and perhaps slightly
earlier period Of it than the manuscript
A. The fourth, D, or the manuscript of
Reza, was so called because it belonged
TO the reformer Beza, who found it in
the monastery of st. Irenaeus at Lyons
in 1862 AID. 1t is imperfect. and is
dated in the sixth century. The fifth is
tha Sinaitic manuscript obtained in
1874 by Prot. Tisehendorf from the monks
belopging to the convent of ST. Gather
inc. on Mount Sinai. 1t contains the
whole New Testament. 1t is believed
that it was made in the fourth century,
and It's value to the biblical critic is
very great.
exist are only fragmentary. The "cur-
sive" manuscripts, though numerous,
are of too late date to stand on the same
level for critical purposes as the
"uncials." 1t is possible indirectly to
gain success in whole or in part to the
readings in manuscript which have
persisted. There were early versions of
the New Testament in different Ian
ouages, such as the Syriac etc. In many
cases these were made from manuscripts
not now existing, but the translation
shows what the original must have been.
Christians of the early ages, like those
now living, were accustomed formally to
quote or informally to allude to particu-
lar Scripture passages. When there is
reason to believe that it was done with
precision, it is easy to ascertain from
| their writing what the original reading
was in the manuscript of the New Tes-
| lament in their possession. IN. Y Home
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