The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-08-18
RELIGIOUS
INTELLIGENCE
The Supposed Gospel Of
St. Peter.
MISSIONARIES IN CHINA
Religion Of American Indians Growing
Power Of High Church Party..-
Poetry Of Decalog.

Peter" lately announced through the
press by Prof. ]. w. Spiegelberg, a we'll
known Psychologist. and Prof. K
and early Christian literature both of the
University of Strassburg (see The Liter
airy Digest, June 23). The results of this
discovery are now published in a book by
Prof. Adolf Jacoby, of the same univer-
sity, entitled Elm Neues Evangelienfrag-
ment' GA New Gospel Fragment'o. s
which is reviewed in The Athenaeum
Ucndon, June 20. The Athenaeum does
not take so favorable a view of the gen.
as does DR.. Jacoby. Commenting on the
words given upon the reverse side of the
first fragment reproduced by us in the
article above mentioned), the writer in
The Athenaeum remarks that even after
this short passage it is clear that the un-
known writer drew his material from the
canonical gospels or from some record
closely connected with them, although he
does not follow them infinitely" The
new text, he says, is certainly later than
the canonical gospels, although DIR. Jaco-
by boldly puts it at some time in the sec
ond century. The writer continues:
unfortunately, DR.. Jacoby falls into
the common error Common especially in
Germany of trying to extract more def
mite results than his materials admit of.
His main thesis is that the newly discov-
cred text belongs to the Gospel of the
Egyptians, an apocryphal work of the
second century, well known by name, bat
almost wholly lost. His method of argu-
mont is of the sketchiest description. He
begins by assuming that the unidentified
Quotations in the second Clementine epis-
tie, and also the Logia recently discov-
cred at Oxyrhynchus, are derived from
the Egyptian gospel-two very uncertain
propositions; thence he deduces that the
Egyptian gospel was based mainly on the
sy noptists, but also contained Johannean
matter, and thereupon argues that the
new fragments must belong to the Egyp-
Itian gospel because they, too, show some
knowledge of the synoptists and some
thing of the tone of ST. john A similar
line of argument might have been used
to show that the port. Ion of the Gospel of
Peter discovered at Aknmim in 1892 was
from the Egyptian gospel, If the few
verses which connect it with the name of
Peter had happened not to be included
in 1t. DR.. Jacoby draws other arguments
from the Christology of the Coptic frag-
ments and that of supposed remains
of the Egyptian gospel, but they are
equally slight in substance. and rest
equally upon questionable assumptions
1t is, no doubt possible that his conclu-
sion is right, and there is always a GER
tain amount of priorf probability that
! an apocryphal gospel found in Egypt
should be the Gospel of the Egyptians;
} but in presence of the large number Of
: other apocryphal gospels which We know
: to have existed the presumption can not
) be strong. On the other hand, there is no
: reason to suppose that the Egyptian gos-
mol 10 he ,x-o aOSf1
: in the first person, as this fragment is;
. and for ourselves we are not convinced
!, that the tone of the fragment suits SO
early a date the middle of the second
e century. In a case like this it would be
: mere scientific to confess that the evil
1 derce available does not admit of any
r conclusion which can claim to be more
i than conjecture"
$ DISTRIBUTION AND WORK OF THE
MISSIONARIES IN CHINA.
: The most recent and trustworthy sta
tistcs at present obtainable report the
. number of missionary societies of all de
= nominations operating in China as A
= &C uprising a force of 1924 European ant
. American missionaries, and 4,149 nativ,
= agents. These figures, however, We're no
= prepared this year, and are probably
considerable underestimate of the actua
Christian missionary force in China a
W the outbreak of the anti-foregn fever
l. An article in The Congregationalist Gu
5, ly 81 gives the following outline of tn
& various Protestant missions:
& 1.-THE American Presbyterians at pres
l. ent have the largest force of any singl
$ denomination, with the exception of tn
d China Inland Mission. In SO vast a terri
II terry there is little temptation to invasio
" of ground already occupied, though a
We certain great centers the different demon
d Iinations would naturally take pains to es
taIN1 Itch t.a.t r-s.,Y,
have done good work in Shantung. Iris
and Scotch Presbyterians were the frs
," to enter Manchuria, while the Churc
Missionary Society and Baptist organize
- items have pressed on toward the wester
u pre- vinces. Shanghai may perhaI
We be considered the Protestant cenre
II, where nine denominations are represent
III ed and where the great missionary cor
~ ference of 1890, attended by 400 worker
" from almost every province Of the en-
Si pire, was held. Emphasis has been lai
50 upon educational agencies, as the wor
We of DIR. Martin at Picking and DR.. Happt
3, at Canton indicates. Good use, too, hs
IA been made of the printing press, and
Isl no mission field has medical work bee
Oh carried on more successfully. Some
" the names that shine in the history
CT missions in China are Morrison, Min
p Bridgman, S. Wells Williams. Peter Pa
ker, the father of medical missions, JOB
hpSS, JAMES 1liinOTe, 10 say nothing
ne the living heroes and herones In
country has there been such sign
manifestation during the last few yea
N of the Holy Spirits blessing upon Il
work of the missionaries, and this u
heaval comes at moment when, to d
VS., human appearances, the missionary
were on the eve of their greatest II
umphs."
The following account of the Roma
Catholic missions is taken from the Ne
: York Sun July 81:
THE constitution of the church in CT
ma is much like it was in England in L
earlier part of the century and in t
Western States more recently There a
no regularly constituted dioceses, b
certain priests 60 have the power of a
ministering confirmation and are know
as Wears apostolic. Or If some be bishoI
they take no title from their Chinese re
idence, but enjoy the titular office of sor
extinct see. Forty such Wears and TO
who rank as archbishops govern t
church through the orders to which ca
belongs The few secular priests are n
of much Importance, and the superior
the order is the vicar. The Catholics 10
ago adopted plan of dividing the empi