The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-10-27
THE NEW GOSPELS
Which are Older Than Those in
Present Use.
DISCOVERED BY TWO WOMEN
The Kodak the Means Used-TheO-
logians Startled by These Dis
cOveries on Mt. Sinai.
DISCOVERED BY TWO WOMEN
(New York WoKd.l

(New York WoEd)
A manuscript of the Four Gospels in
The native tongue Of Jesus has at last
been found-the greatest Biblical treas
ure That has been discovered in CEN
turtles.
Tais is probably the Oldest authentic
record OF the dodnge and sayings of the
Savior. 1t was written within so years
OF the Death Of the last of the Apostles
as near to the time of Christ as we to-
day are to the time of Washington.
The Gospels Of the Bible are from the
Greek manuscripts. Christ, however,
addressed the multitude and talked with
His Disciples in Syriac, the native
tongue He learned at HIS mothers knee.
And here, for the first time. the Chris
tian word has The history of the Savior
told in the very words lie used-the in
fection, the speiiDg, tlhe precise shades
Of meaning Written in the native Ian
guage of Palestine, This aged manuscript
is more valuable than the Greek trans
cations, which are the accepted gospels
of Christianity.
| 1t is not strange, therefore, that stu
! dents of the Bible. Greek and Syriac
scholars and historians have turned
with fevefish excitement to this totlAy
unexpected treasure of sacred history.
But almost as remarkable as the flscov-
cry of the manuscript is the eXtraordi-
nary story of how II was unearthed.
The details of the visit of two English
| women to the Lonely monastery Of St.
Catherine on the summit of Mount SINAI,
| and the accident which revealed the
| Syrian GOsDelS are told beiOw.
| Christ, as we know, was master OF sew
otal languages, but II is certain that
Syriac was THE one lie learned as an
| infant.
In moments of great mental excitement
1t wIags this languages -Syriac-tlsat .eaped
naturally to His lips, and when He cried
out in anguish upon the cross He spoke
in Syr'lac words Which our Greek Gospel
has to translate, but which in this newly
discovered gcepel stand in their proper
Place with no need of translation.
These gospels give, for instance, an en-
tirery now reading of the proper names
From this 1t appears that there was no
such person as Judas Iscariot, but that
he who betrayed his Master with kiss
was Juda Scar.ota, that Peters name
was Cepha, and that the correct name
for the Mount OF Olives was Beth Zaita.
l1lNA AL hEN
But above and beyond such technical
differences as these are the new and
unexpected readings of the gocpels which
this ancient manuscript disc.oees upon
dogmatfc questions of the first import
ance. Written, as is admitted, 80 near
to Iyile death of John, and coudhed in the
language watch was native of Palestine,
this, the oldest OF authentic records OF
HIS life and mission, must take Sits
place in the very front among histori-
cal documents.
And right here 1t may be said that
this ancient document which has been
found in the very place where Moses
received 'Uhe commandments, while 1t CO.
incldes with the transactions of the gos-
pels accepted up to the present day, yet
differs from them.
This difference is of Itself regarded
as procf CT its originality and genuine
ness.
In doctrinal matters there are differ
erces tEnt have already aroused the
theo.oglans. Thus is the entire question
of the Immaculate Conception thrown
open to controversy by this Syrlac manu-
script. It's readings on that question are
unorc,l1odoX.
1t is here distinctly stated that Jesus
nnnuscrlTt which has now been found
Is alone in this new reading No other
Cl,ri5orica, document of the kind makes
any such assertion.
The exact worlds used are these: 90
serh (to whom was betrothed the Virgin
Marry begIt Jesus, who is called
Christ"
Here is a distinct affirmation that Jo-
s,.rl was the natural father of the Sa-
vlcc. THIS Syriac manuscript, the Oldest
authentic record of the gospels, here
makes a statement contained in none OF
the other and later documents
FOUND BY TWO WOMEN.
The story of the finding of this ancient
manuscript by two women with a kodak
Is one CT the most marverous in the his
ite.v of Biblical literature. Nowhere
has 1t counterpart.
In lJAe remote and almost inaccessible
monastery of st. Catherine, which the
emperor Justin.an caused to be erected
in the sixth century upon the site OF
some of the most astounding miracles,
'bwo nineteen1A-century women with a
sHap-sr.cT cane.u, asked for a look at
the musty documents with W,icl 'he |
cCiar Is stored. The monks can scarce
ly believe TIER senses when they learn
that these women made the hazardous
Journey across the desert on dromedaries
to inspect their musty tones
They are loath to disturb their parch- |
ments and papyri in their s eep of CEN
turtles for two such casual tourists un-
til the latter present credentials from the
of the Greek Church, which |
at once open the vaults. the hidden cells
aud the ancient chests. Then an end |
hess array ct parchments is unearthed
for their inspection.
Ancient scrolls. leaves of parchnents
Wt,loh no human eye has seen for
years. and sheets of rapyrl
written over and rewritten over are placed
bdsore them in the ancient library.
Whore uhe sunlight is hardly strong
enough to ena1.e them to take their
With the latest prodeic-
tiors OF this nineteenth-century era, ko-
da'Ss. sensitive films and developers"
these two women from Cambridge uni
versity worked hour by hour on Mount
Sinai among parchmenes written during
the first century,
HAD BEEN WRITTEN OVER.
1t wus thus that they discovered the
pairmQSest Of the gospels, A palimp-
seSe Is an ancient parchment or other
document whose original writing had
been erased TO make room for a later
record. Generai;y a good deal of the
cctsinal writing can be deciphered in
suoA documents. many of which hive been
written over two or more times in this
manner.
The Syriac gospels whicA have now
turned up had so been written over. In
order to make use OF the original sheets
/ second time some monk who attached
. 4
N',th knife CT puCnice stone the first writ
ng. He then wrote over it the lives
u some OF the saints. The gospel
writing was that which was underneath.
Upon second journey made TO the
by these two new women. one
4 them, Mrs. LOWS. armed herself with
our bottles OF fou,-sme.ling liquid. with
yfItcfl she washed the sa,rst lelves,
hus. as she claims reviying the original