Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1898-01-13
PSALM FOR THE BIBLE,
POSSIBLE RESULT OF A DISCOVERY
IN AN EGYPTIAN RUIN.

"A new psalm may be auueu TO tne
Bible now in use in Christian
churches. 1t will be known as the
151st.
The new psalm has just been dis
covered as the result of explorations
made in Egypt. Two years ago, while
certain Egyptian peasants We're dig,
ging up und carrying away the light
soil which is so much valued fol
dressing, from the ruins of an ancient
Ceptic church, their tools struck
slab of stone. The slab was pried up,
and it was found to be the cover of
stone box. In the box were lot oi
books wrapped in coarse linen cloth.
The books were of papyrus, but
bound in linen covers.
Those who found the ancient papy.
rus books sold them to the British
Museum, where they have been the
subject Of close investigation. They
were found to contain copy OF the
Psalter written in Coptic, the language
spoken by the Egyptians during the
time of Christ Not only was the
Psalter complete, butit contained one
psalm which does not appear in the
King James version of the Bible. II
is known as the 151st psalm and reads
as follows:
1. was small among my brethren, and
youngest in my fathers house. tended
my fathers sheep.
2. My hands formed musical instru.
ment and my fingers tuned q psaltry.
8. And who shall tell my Lord? The
Lord Himself, He Himself hears.
A. He sent forth His angel and took me
from my fathers sheep, and He annointed
me with the oil of His amounting.
5. My brothers were handsome and tall;
but the Lord did not take pleasure in
them.
6. went forth to meet the Philistine;
and he cursed me by his idols.
7. But L drew his own sword and be-
headed him, and removed reproach from
the children of Israel.
This psalm is supposed to have been
written by David after his combat with
Goliath. Its beauty and vigorous
language resemble that of the others
in the Psalter.
If you will turn to your Bible you
will find that the Book of Psalms con.
tains only $50 of the Hebrew hymns.
The new psalm just discovered may
add another to the list Many bibli.
cal scholars have previously contended
that this 151st psalm should be in.
cluded in the version used in the
churches. Theologians in former
times had disputes upon the prints
and itwas finally agreed that it should
be treated as spurious.
Rnt fhia Jionpvaru rnou lad 10 n
general acceptance of its authenticity
by all who revere the Bible. For the
manuscript is the Oldest complete
manuscript of any biblical book known
to be in existence. Its exact date is
difficult of determination, but it is
certainly earlier than the seventh CEN
tury.
DR.. E. A. Wallis Bulge, keeper Of
the Egyptian and Assyrian antiqui.
ties, in the British Museum, has trans.
lated the Psalms from the ancient
Coptic, and is now preparing his.
tory or the manuscript which will be
published by Kegan Paul, French,
Trubner & Company, of London. DR..
Bulge, whose reputation as an Egyp-
tologist is worldwide, is confident OF
the authenticity and antiquity of the
book. In his preface he recounts the
history of the discovery and tells of
his reasons for belief in their truth.
'"That these volumes had lain in the
box for several hundred years." says
DIR: Bulge, ''there is no possibility of
doubling, but there is no way of as
N tho ,Nar,nI
were first placed in it. 1t is the opin-
ion | of some that the church and
monastery which once stood upon the
site where the books were found had
been in ruins for some centuries, and
the general appearance of the place
supports this view. There is no rea-
son for supposing that the books were
buried along with the body of any &C.
clesiastical official or monk, for it is
certain that they had been expressly
written for use in the church of the
monastery, and that they were not the
private property of any member of it.
1T would seem that at some period
of trouble or persecution an official of
the church carefully prepared the box
in the event of its ever being neces-
sary to hide books, and that when the
need arose he wrapped these volumes
in linen with the greatest care, and
laid them in it. Their wonderful state
of preservation testities to the wisdom
of the choice of hiding place and the
thoroughness with which he carried
out the self-appointed task.
"rhe matter of dating the Psoltar
lis one of considerable difficulty, for
we have no fixed points in Coptic
photography to serve for purposes of
comparison. The shape and size and
general appearance of the pages of the
older portion in every respect suggest
that the volume cannot have been
written after the end of the seventh
century If our era, but it seems to me
that the date when it was written lies
nearer the beginning than the end of
that century; it may, indeed, quite
wall ba ,,looa1 of tba an1 Sc H.