The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-07-17
BISHOPS SAY POOH, POOH!
Recent Discoveries of Christ's Say
ings Can Have No Value.
Especial Gable to- New York Journal

Especial Gable to- New York Journal
London, July 1.-THE publication of
1.-The Sayings of Our Lord does not
seem to have aroused much interest in
Episcopal church are to be considered to
represent Christianity. Reporters to-
day interviewed numerous ecclesiastical
dignitarieS of England and America
who are gathered in London for the
Pan-Anglican conference. The arch
bishop of Canterbury said he had moth
ing to say in the matter. The bishop of
London told a reporter that he had not
yet seen the Sayings of Our Lord"
and would not have time to devote to
it until the conference was over. Many
other bishops said the same thing.
Bishop Doane of Albany did not even
know that the newly discovered papy-
rus had been translated by such COM
petent scholars as Bernard P. Grenfell,
NJ. A, and Arthur S. Hunt, NJ. A, on
behalf OF the Egypt Exploration soci-
ETY..
Bradley, M A, D. D, Ii. D., dean of
Westminster. said: "All l know about
the manuscript recently found in Egypt
and said to contain what purpOrts to be
the words of Christ is what 1 have seen
in the papers. The discovery is an in
teresting one, but L fail to see that it
has any value other than arch
geological. From what I have read all
that is claimed for the manuscript is
that it dates back to the second or
third century. 1 suppose that it is
merely some early extracts from the
gospels or other religious work of that
day by some pious early Christian for
his use.
Such manuscripts were doubtless
quite common in those days, and prob
ably every Christian man and woman
who could read had one or more of them
for his or her personal use and medi-
tatiOn. From what have read about
it the manuscript does not seem to diff
fer materially from what we already
have of Christs sayings in the gos-
pels
This discovery can have no value as
help to an Interpretation of the scrip
lures. 1t is curious and interesting and
nothing more"
bany, said: "Our time is pretty fully
occupied with the business that has
brought US here, and we have had no
time to give to this matter. From the
little L have seen about this manu-
script in the papers, 1 am inclined to
doubt its value except as a curious relic
of the early ages of Christianity. 1t
cannot possibly have any other kind of
Importance"
The Rt. Rev. DR.. Satterlee, bishop of
Washington, said: Il have read some
tanned in manuscript found in an old
tomb in Egypt. 1t is said in what I
read about it to date from $50 to 800
A. D. That is long after the death
and resurrection of Christ, and it, there
fore, at best, can only be what some
pious early Christian copied from one
OF the gospels in use in those days of
the church. The holy gospels as we
have them in English are transla tons
from equally early, if not earlier, man
uscripts, which in their turn were cop
les. So. at least. we are bound to
believe, in the absence of proof to- the
contrary or of original gospels written
by the evangelists or their contempOr-
aries. This takes away all value from
the newly discovered manuscript as an
exegetical document. 1t is q curious
and most interesting relic of early
Christianity and nothing more.
Yes, We have talked about this dis
covery. None of the bishops L have
talked with about it seems inclined to
than do. After all, what does it pur-
port to be? Some fragmentary words
of Christ written out not earlier than
the second century, no one knows by
whom. There are six or eight sayings
of Christ in the manuscript. Two or
three are so fragmentary that they are
meaningless
The Very Rev. William Farrar, d. D.,
dean of Canterbury, said he had not
yet seen the translation of the manu-
script found in Egypt. He believed it
early Christianity and more than
a mere archaeological curiosity,
even though it would probably have
no eXegeticaI value. Such "agrapha
dogmata," or unwritten sayings of
Christ were quite numerous. They were
what had been handed down tradition
ally among the early Christians.
We have many such quite as DID,
said he. Perhaps this was the latest
discovery, which certainly was not
older than the second century, perhaps
n a a "a rim limo frff ~