The record-union., 1898-03-21
Lubin 6 Co., 4OO-4I2 n Street. Sacramento

composed in the second century, can
not be overestimated, in that it bears
upon the date and formation of the
canonical gospels, giving unequivocal
testimony to the early date of the Cos
pei of John.
Another surprise greeted the Chris
tian world, when, in 1889, Professor j.
Rendel Harris of Cambridge discOvere
in the library of the Convent OF St
Catherine on Mount Sinai the Syrian
version of the apology of Aristides. the
philosopher. Aristides and Quadra-
tus had been mentioned by the faith
ers as early apologists of the church.
and it had been stated that both had
presented apologies to the Emperor
Hadrian on his first visit TO Athens
Q25-133).
In 1873 the Armenian monks at Ven
ice published a Latin translation of an
Armenian fragment, which Renan pro-
nounced spurious because it contained
theological terms of a later date, but
this was found to be due to the trans
lator. About the same time that Pro-
fessor Harris discovered the Syrac
manuscript the Greek text came to
light, Professor Robinson editor If
the Cambridge Texts and Studies
showing that the Apology of Aristides
was incorporated with the early Chris
tan romance of Barlaam and Josaphat.
We have therefore now the transls.-
lions of both in to English, the Syriac
being the fuller. Heretofore Justin
Martyr has been considered the lead
ing apologist of the early church. This
discovery rlo Ar;c
Hest apologist The Internal evidence
indicates that it is of a very early
date AS it was presented to Hadrian
on visit to Athens it dates from Ia
to 1913. The type of Christian prac-
tice is that found in the Teaching 81
the Twelve Apostles" His apology
is therefore OF great value as giving a
picture of the lives of the early Chris
tians and the simplicity of their doc
trine
Still further, must we mention
number Of apoca,ypses and romances
from the carly church These arc
given to Us chiefly through the edi-
tors OF the Cambridge Texts and
Studies" and are from manuscript.
ranging from the eighth to the fiji
teenth centuries. They are largely
apocalyptic writings and early Chris
tian romances.
Among those recently discovered
additions to early Christian literature
are the vision of Paul, the apocalypse
OF the Virgin. the apocalypse of Sed-
fach the testament of Abraham. the
acts OF Aanthippe and Polyzena and
the narrative of Zosimus. We shall in
al PROBABILITY recover still more of this
literature, which must have been ex-
tensive.
1t is from these apoealypses that we
nave those pictorial representations of
heaven and hell which have had so
VIDE an influence Only one who read
the apocalypse of Peter or the apoc
alypse of the virgin could have painted
such a picture as Orcagnas Triumph
OF Death or could sculpture such
scene as Adam Kraft's Last Judg-
ment on the Church of the Virgin at
Nuremberg.
In TINS year of our Lord remarkable
discoveries on the Nile are astonishing
the CHRISTIAN world. The finding of the
Logla or Sayings of Jesus is fresh
IN our minds. while the news comes
that from that same great collection
OF papyrus rolls dug up at Benehsa a
page of the gospel of Matthew has
come TO hight. At this very hour compe-
tent scholars are patiently deciphering
these wonderful documents.
1hese are some of the finds of recent
years IN the field of Christian archaeoI-
ogy Dry and uninteresting NAV be
these details to the average mind. but