Mohave County miner., 1896-05-02
The Latest Treasure Discovered it the Famous Old Convent on
 Mount Sinai.

Biblical scholars in Europe have been excited by news of discovery recent, made in Asia Minor, of a beautiful copy of the gospels, dating back to the sixth century. It is not only complete in every page and line. but 1t Is as fresh and legible nov as if 1t were almost new and it is an example of rich embellish ment not surpassed by any other similar document on earth.
 This newly discovered copy of the gos. pels is marvel of exquisite workman. ship, and the sntiquarisns who have ex. amined 1t assert that it's manufacture must have occupied at least a quarter of a century of painstaking labor.
 Its pages are m sde of the thinnest of velIum. It is a qnsrto volume, and there are two columns on each written psge. The pages are dyed an exquisite royal purple, which is delicate but brilliant.
 l. is in the writing, however, that this precious volume is unique The letters are written in gold and silver. Every one of the proper names, including those of saints and holy places, is written al. together in gold. The abbreviaiions, of which there are many in the book, are likewise written in gold The rest of the text is altogether of silver.
 The precious metals used in this let. tenng are as bright and untsrnished to. day as when the original writing was done, a few hundred years after the death of the Saviour, by some devou, monk, who was an artist in his line.
 This volume was evidently made to withstand the effects of time, by one who well knew the best materials to use. The vellum of which the leaves are made was carefully chosen sheet by sheet. The binding was done with the strongest of thongs. Tbe covers are heavy and solid. The whole was we'll calculated to keep out dampness and to resist the attacks of moths, book worms or other insects.
 The author, working on his labor of love in some lonely monastery, and spending perhaps lifetime in the pro. duction of this exquisite manuscript, co we'll performed his task that his writings have come down to this nineteenth cen- tury clearer, more legible and better pre- served than any document in existence, written within six hundred years of the same time. Hidden away in the musty recesses Of an ancient convent, it has now turned up to excite the wonder of antiquarians and pique the curiosity of biblical scholars. The latter are locking forward to It's translation with eagerness.
 The old book is still in Asia Minor, and the news of its discovery in this splendid condition only reached Constantinople few weeks ago. It was stated at the same time that the precious manuscript had been secured by the Russian gov. ernment.
 It is a significant fact that Tischendorf discovered the Codex Sinaiticus in the identical convent in which this new and richer gospel manuscript has just been found. That is the celebrated convent of St. Catherine. on the summit of Mount Sinai.
 This convent, which is 400 years old. is veritsble mine of Biblical msnu. scriptss Professor Bensley and Mir. Rendell Harris, of Cam mbridge, told bo~ its vaults were stSred with scrolls, parch' ments and papyri tSat had not appar. ently been disturbed Cor a thousand years. They learned from the monks how the monastery, the strc ngest forti- fed holy building in Asia Minor, had re. ceived for safe keeping ,acred papers threatened by populsf disturbances early in the Christian ets.
 These manuscripts h.vve been left in the vaults and secret e Ills of the mon. astery and never cal I'd for. Neither Tischendorf nor the Cambridge proies- sors overhauled ,he convent's entire stock of manuscripts, which the monks seemed reluctant to disclose.
 Scientific men and sntiquarians were aroused by the discovery of the syriac manuscript there three years ago. Ex. petitions were organized to go to Mount Sinai rnd make thorough inventory of all the literary treasures of the building.
 It was one of these expeditions that unearthed the gospel manuscript whose discovery has just been announced. The convent is managed by monks of the Greek Church, over which the Russian government has authority, and in this way the manuscript fell into the hands