Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1897-07-23
NEW SAYINGS OF CHRIST :
Translation of the Logia Just Found in
Eyrpt-The Date of the Document is
Relieved to be Not Later Than 200

Eyrpt-The Date of the Document is
BsI,eved to be Not Later Than 200
A.D.
Among the discoveries made at
Behnesch by Messrs. Grenfell and
Hunt of the Egyptian Explora-
ton fund is a small page 5A inches
by 39l inches, containing eight say
ings of Christ. The logia consist of
detached quotations, each begin.
ming "Jesus saith.
The first saying is: "And then
thou shalt see clearly to cast out
the mote that is in thy brothers
eye.
The second saying is startling and
entirely new. 1t reads: "Jesus
saith except ye fast to the world ye
shall in no wise find the kingdom of
God and except ye keep the Sabbath
We shall not see the Father. "
This being at variance with the
accepted teachings of Christ, it is
suggested that it is perhaps a Jewish
forgery, committed with view to
supporting the Jewish Sabbath.
Perhaps it is an erroneous report.
The third saying is similar to that
contained in John L., but the form
is different Christ describes Him
self as standing in the midst of the
world, finding all men drunken and
none athirst. "And My soul griev-
eth over the sons of men because
they are blind in their hearts.
The fourth saying has perished,
only one word remaining. This is
the Greek word for beggary. AS
this was not used by Christ in any
gospel, the logion is considered to
have been new.
The fifth saying, which contains
certain gaps, is of ordinary interest.
1t reads: Jesus saith, wherever
there are there occurs gapl and
there is one [gapl alone / am with
him. Raise the stone and there thou
shalt find Me cleave the wood and
there l am"
The latter part is entirely new,
and it is expected that it will arouse
controversy. 1t seems to indicate
pantheistic philosophy, and, per-
haps, is reflection of the mystical
occultism of the gnostics in the early
Christian centuries.
The sixth saying comedies in part
with, ~, pa: "No prophet is ac-
cepted in his own country neither
doth a physician work cures upon
them that know him.
This is considered to prove that
Luke had the same original records
as the logia, because the Greek for
accepted, here dektos, was used by
Luke only and was hitherto sup
posed to be one of his mere literary
changes on Matthew'S collection,
The seventh saying is familiar to
Matthew ", IA, but is incomplete.
The eighth saying is undeciphera-
BILE.
1t is suggested that the date of the
document must be from the year
150 to the year 300 A. d., probably
not later than 200 A. d.
This is all, but the editors add a
short general statement pointing in
explanation that we have only here
another instance of free citation
from the gospels be considered salts
factory, while "of the peculiar
tenets of developed gnosticism we
have here not a vestige. Even if
the prevailing Judgment of these
sayings should be that they were
preserved in gnostic circles, and do
themselves show some trace of ten
denotes out of which gnosticism de-
veloped, it does not follow they are
therefore inventions and whether
free or not from gnostic influence
the genuine ring ofswhat is new in
this fragment and the primitive cast
of the whole are all in favor of its
Independence of our gospels in their
present shape" "