Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-06-30
soRmrUREs MORE FOUND.

! BIBLICAL scholars are nl pIestht III
terested IN the alleged discovery Of
fragments Of a Gospel, supposed to be
the lost Gospel by Peter to the Egyp-
tians. The discovery was announced
some time ago in the New York Jour
nal
According to the account some moldy
paDyrus manuscripts were purchased
IN Cairo FOR the library OF the strasburg
University and among these were
found two leaves written in the Coptic
language. Professor spiegelberg, Of the
strasburg diversity declphered the
text. and Dr. X. Schmidt pronounced
the leaves to be fragments Of hlther-
20 unknown Gospel
Upon further examination II was
found, that the writing belonged to the
fifth century. and that the translation
was from a Greek text belonging 10
the second century, antedating the ear
Hest extant manuscripts Of the New
Testament, about two centuries.
From a consideration OF all the facts
It was concluded that the fragments
found were part Of Peters Gospel 10
the Egyptians. Il has not been posi-
Bile so far to locate the place where
the leaves came from. but an effort Is
being made 10 find out with a view
II possible, 10 recover more Of the In
terestlng manuscript,
II further investigation should prove
the correctness Of the theory set forth,
with regard TO these writings and 9TH
ers found IN recent years the Protest
ant contention against the revelations
Of God In this age, that the Bible is
complete and can neither be taken
from" or added to, must be modified.
For II additional genuine writings Of
the Apostles are being found, the sacred
volume has evidently been taken
from" and must be added to. as the
genuineness Of the discoveries 10 es-
tabllshed. The Protestant position Is
this. that when II is shown that a book
is written by an inspired author, the
evidence Of its canonlcity Is complete
There may be doubt, as there has been,
and is, as TO the authorship Of some OF
the books but there can be no doubt
Of the authority OF a writing known
to be 81 apostolic origin. The conclu-
sion is unavoidable. that any book that
may be found, Of which the inspired
origin can be proved, must be added
TO" the sacred volume as the word Of
God.
But this is direct confederation Of the
well known Mormon" article OF faith;
1--WE believe all that God has revealed,
all that He does now reveal, and we
believe that He will yet reveal many
great and important things pertaining
10 the kingdom Of God" Revelation
cannot be considered ended. as long as
the possibility OF discovering lost
channels OF revelation is admitted
Theology cannot claim to be complete
for who knows what research still may
bring 10 light in the way Of material for
further theological knowledge?
The American scholar Professor
Clifton Tarby Levy, speaking Of the
alleged find OF the Gospel Of Peter is
quoted as follows:
THE discovery Of genuine fragments
Of a lost gospel Is OF great moment, es-
pecially when they are portions OF one
referred TO by early Christian writer's Of
~.
and DR.. Schmidt support the fragments
by the weight OF their scholarship and
acumen, they must be accepted as real
portions Of the Egyptian Gospel. Small
though the portions are, they stlll add
much to our knowledge Of the person.
ality Of Jesus, and help 20 complete the
picture OF the Founder Of Christianity.
At the same time these fragments serve
TO supplement the account given by the
accepted Gospels, and furnish addition
al information about the development of
Christian thought. II is 70 be hoped
that other parts Of this book will now
be brought TO light, so that they may
be compared with existing accounts Of
the events In Jesus's life. The portion
dealing with the scene in Gethsemane,
furnishing several notifications OF the
speech Of Jesus on that occasion, is an
instance Of what may be expected wheh
the other parts OF the Gospel are found"
Impartial scholarship, then conf
IDENTIFY expects further knowledge and
development Of Christian thought. That
is the advanced ground on which the
Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day
Saints stands. with this difference. that
the members Of that Church receive
such further information, not only from
ancient books, but also from the In
spired utterances OF the living servants
Of the Almighty. Is that not In fun ac-
cord both with revelation and reason? !