New-York tribune., 1897-07-25
THE "SIYTNGS OF JESUS"

|
versity contributes to "The Independent" an in
tcrestng article in regard TO the L0gia or
Sayings of Jesus. recently unearthed by Messrs.
Bernard =. Grenfel and Arthur S. Hunt in the
ruins of the ancient Egyptian city of Oxyryn-
chus The Logia wee found on n single sheet
of papyrus measuring J&i by 3ai inches, and
numbered III, indicating that it page
from book From external and internal evi-
| dence the date is estimated at not later than
| POO A. ID. The sayings are in Greek. and the
| following is given as translation Of them by
| Grenfell and Hunt
1. land then shalt thou see clearly to
cast out the mote that is in thy brothers eye
Matthew VIII >; Luke vi II.
.. Jesus saith. Except ye fast to the world,
"ye shall in no wise find the kingdom Of God;
"and except ye keep the Sabbath, ye shall not
see the Father
3. Jesus saith. stood in the midst Of the
world. and in the flesh was | Of them.
land l found all men drunken and none found
II athirst among them and my soul grieveth
over the sons OF men because they are blind
"in their heart"
!. Jesus saith. Wherever there are
land there is one . . alone, | am with him.
Raise the stone. and there thou shalt find me.
"Cleave the wood and there am l."
6. Jesus saith. prophet is not acceptable in
"his own country, neither doth physician work
cures upon them that know him."--ln part
Luke iv, "a; Matthew xiii 81; Mark w. 4; John
iv. a.
I. Jesus saith. A city built upon the top OF
high hill and established can neither fall nor
"be hid."-Similar to Matthew V, IA.
This fra ement Is exceedingly interesting for
many reasons 1t is probably the earliest known
manuscript containing any utterances Of Christ,
the oldest Of the great manuscripts of the New
Testament dating no further back than the
fourth century. Professor Bacon speaks with
some reserve concerning the value Of these
sayings. Before any judgment on that point
can be pronounced their authenticity must be
settled, and something more must be known
concerning their actual date, the probable pur
pose of the compilation Of which they formed a
part and the religious views and literary stand
ing Of the person or persons who compiled them.
Papias Q45-16O A. d. declares, on the authority
of John the Presbyter of Ephesus (circa 100
A. d., that the Apostle Matthew compiled the
'loga Of the Lord In the Hebrew tongue, and
every man translated it as he was able" No
copy of this Hebrew Gospel Of Matthew. If such
work existed. has ever been found. But many
modern critics accept the statement Of Papias
that 1t was written, and some of them believe
that it was the source from which the writer's Of
the three synoptc gospels obtained much Of
their material Be that as 1t may, il has long
been the hope of Biblical scholars either that
this supposed Hebrew Gospel Of Matthew
might be found or that some other manuscript
might he unearthed that would throw light on
its existence. Whether these sayings were
transcribed from this work. or were merely the
collection of some eclectic dilettane Of the sec
ond century, who revised the current sayings
of Christ to suit himself, is a question that has
yet to be determined.
1t will be noticed that while some Of the say
ings are identical with similar uterances in the
New Testament others are different. Con-
cerning these latter some have found traces i'm
them of both Eblonite and Gnostlc views. If
that were true it would prove that the compa
ton was not made to bolster up any particular
hercsy. for the Ebionites and GnOstcs were at
swords points. The former were Judaizng
Christians, who taught tho universal obligation
of the Mosaic law, while the Gnosics wholly
rejected the literal Interpretation Of the Script
urcS and attempted to harmOnize Christianity
with the spccuaions of Greek and Oriental
philosophy. Until further evidence is forth
coming it will be safe TO assume that no spe
cal doctrna significance attaches to the say
ings. 1t must be remembered that at the time
this compilation was made books were scarce
and few able to possess them. Doubtless
therefore. many Christians who could not obtain
n copy of the Gospels made a practice OF col
lectng for their own use such sayings Of Jesus
as they valued most. They might copy such
sayings from a manuscript Of the Gospels. or
take them down from oral tradition. But in
either case we must not expect to find that
careful verbal accuracy which distinguishes
literary methods to-day. Their object was not
so much to hand down the exact form of
document or tradition as to give what they
considered to be its import, and what that i'm
port was they determined largely by their own
particular views.
From all this. however, it must not be sup
posed that the discovery Of this fragment is Of
little Importance. Aside from its intrinsic value
whatever that may be, it deserves notice as
indicating that either in Oxyrynchus or else
where in the East may yet be discovered an
cent Christian manuscripts that will throw
muchneedcd light on the doctrines and prac-
ticcs Of the early Church.