The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-07-17
new SAYINGS OF CHRIST.
Translation Of the Logla Just
Found in Egypt.

lnBou, or Sayings Of our Lord,n as dis.
covered and edited by Bernard p. Graen-
fell and Arthur s. Hunt, of Oxford Uni
versity. The document was found at OK
book.
ut wasfound; says the introductione
I'm mound" which produced great
number OF papyri, belonging to the first
three centuries OF our era, those in the
immediate vicinity of our fragments be.
longing to the second and third centu-
ries This fact, together with the evil
dence of the handwriting, which has
enthusiastically Roman aspect, fixes
with certainty 800 A. d. as the lowest
limit Of the date at which the papyrus
was written.
"The general probabilities of the case,
the presence of usual contractions found
in Biblical MSS, and the fact that the
papyrus was in the book, lot roll form,
put the first century out of the question,
and would make the first half of the Sec
old unlikely. The date, therefore, falls
within the period of $50 to 300 A. D.
More than that cannot be said with any
approach to certainty.
ANY attempt to distinguish between
the second and third century uncials is
in the present pauacity of dated material
extremely precarious, and we are less
inclined to enter upon it now, since we
anticipate the Oxrhynchus collection,
which contains large number of uncial
fragments, will eventually throw much
light upon the question, but in the mean
time we are of the opinion that the logia
fragment is far from belonging to the
latest type OF uncials used 300 A. D., and
that therefore the papyrus was probably
written not much later than the year 200.
The fragment measures 5 3 by 3 3-4
hY1f he 1,asfx H.
somewhat greater, rs it is unfortunately
broke at the bottom,
The sayings are as follows:
And then shalt thou see clearly tc
cast out the mote that is in thy brothers.
eye"
Luke 9th chapter. 42d verse, agrees ex.
actly with the wording of this passages
Jesus saith, except we fast to the
world, We shall in no wise find the king
dom of God, aud except we keep the Sab.
bath we shall not see the Father.''
This striking saying is of course new.
The idea of renouncing the world PLAYS
an important part in the gnostic writ
ings, though of course not in them alone.
The phrase, eye shall not find the
Kingdom Of GOd,i recalls Matthew 6, 33,
Seek We first the kingdom OF God, etc.
Jesus saith l stood in the midst of the
world and in the flesh I was seen of them.
and found all men drunken and none
found athirst among them; and my soul
grieveth over the sons of men because
they are blind in their heart"
The beginning of this was probably
suggested by Baruch I'LL, 3S, a passage
of which was applied by several of the
early fathers to Christ's sojourn upon
earth.
Logon W., consisting of one line is
undectpherable in the original Legion
W, also mutilated, Isl
"Jesus saith, wherever there are and
there is one alone am with him. Raise
the stone and there thou shall find me.
Cleave the wood and there am l."
The meaning constitutes the chief diff
Guilty. This fragment, it seeems fairly
certain, offers a parallel to Matthew 18,
"a: Where two OF three are gathered
together, etc. though with con-
siderable divergences the meaning may
be that wherever there are several believ-
ers, or even only one, Jesus is always
present No explanation can, however,
be considered satisfactory unless it ena-
bles the lucanae to be filled up.
"Jesus saith prophet is not accepta-
BILE in his own country, neither doth O.
physician work cures upon them that
know him."
Compare Luke, 4th chapter and Gath
verse; Matthew 18th chapter and 57th
verse, Mark 9th chapter aud 4th verse and
John 4th chapter and 44th verso. In
connection with the second part of the
Logon which is new, note the preceding
verse in st. Marks narrative, which says,
physician, heal thyself."
Jesus saith city built upon the ton
of hill and established can neither fall
nor be hid"
The idea in Matthew 5, ID, here ap
pears in an expanded form. The addi.
tionai matter suggests the parable Of the
house built upon the rock, but it is not
really admissible to suppose this legion
Is d mere confiation of two passages,
since there is no reference to the rock.
which is the essential point of the para
BILE.
Legion VIII, consisting of two lines.
the forty first and forty. second, and ap
parently new, is undecipherable. This is
al, but the editors add short general
statement pointing in explanation that
we have only here another instance of free
citation from the gospels be considered
satisfactory, while OF the peculiar tenets
OF developed gnosticism we have not a
vestige. Even If. the prevailing judg-
ment of these sayings shonld be that they
were preserved in gnostic circles, and do
themselves show some trace of tendencies
out OF which gnosticism developed it does
not follow that they are therefore inven-
tions, and whether free or not from gnos-
tic influence the genuine ring of what is
new in this fragment and the primitive
cast of the whole are all in favor of the
Independence OF our gos pels in their pres
ent shape.
A BRITISH OUTRAGE.
Toronto, Can July 16-A large Amer