The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-10-09
Addresses Made by TWO Great
Women Scholars.
THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
Mrs. Agnes Smith Lewis and Mrs. Mar
garet Dunlop Gibson Speak TO
Very Large Audiences-Roth
Bear Degrees.

garet Dunlop Gibson, of Cambridge, Emil
land known as the two greatest woman
scholars in the world, and the only
famous woman textual critics now living,
addressed large audience of representa-
tive Richmond people in the chapel OF
Union Theological Seminary last night.
The lectures related to their discovery
of the noted Syriac palimpsest III the
Convent Of st. Catherine on Mount
Sinai. and a stereopticon well illustrated
all the points of interest which We're
brought out.
These learned ladies, each bearing the
honorary degrees of LII. D. from the
Heidelberg and Edinburgh Universities.
by their remarkable scholarship, amazed
the large audience Of scholars to whom
they spoke. Greek, Hebrew, Chaldaic,
Syriac and Arabic, slipped volubly from
their tongues as they FASTENED through
the many ntricacies of teXtual criti-
csm and the vast circuit Of palimpsest
speculation. That women could be such
scholars seemed never to have entered
the minds of many who were present.
especially by the feminine element, who
are not given to textual criticism as
rule. And as the lecturers proceeded in
their learned discourscs the ladies pres
ent
"Gazed, and still the wonder grew,
That two small heads could carry all
they knew.
PRESENTED BY DIR. MOORE.
The lecturers were introduced by DR..
Walter w. Moore in his usual gracious
and eloquent, manner. He himself, one
Of the profoundest Hebrews scholars in
America wis entertained by. these ladies
In Cambridge, England, last summer
After two hours Of lecture and stereop-
ticon work In the Seminary chapel
magnificent reception was rendered the
visitors in Spence Library, where great
number of representative Richmond peo-
pie were presented to the famous woman
scholars.
Mrs. Lewis began her lecture with a
short history of the Aramaic language
a tongue akin to the Hebrew and. spoken
in Palestine during the period OF Christs
life, and for two hundred years before
that time She then proceeded to eX-
plain in mastery way the old palimp-
sests, recensions and original manu-
, script texts of the New Testament, and
advanced many points of great Interest
o>'''1-pN'
She explained many apparent IT, /, ,discrep-
ancies In the Gospels by attributing the
points OF difference or contradictions to
mistakes of the scribes in copying the
old manuscripts. She took up a series
of examples and showed how verses had
been transposcd and sentences misplaced
For instance, many passages had been
misplaced by scribes, who in copying
had left 'o,,t az sentence, and another
scribe, looking, over the work. had placed
| the correction. In tho margin. Ihls COR
rection was then included In another
column, and the entire sense OF the pas
sage perverted. In this way she con-
| tended. many apparent inconsistencies
| of the New Testament might be ex-
planned. ~ a.
| DEEP, LEARNING. ia,a
The speaker, by frequent reference to
the original languages OF the Scriptures,
showed her perfect acquaintance with
| Greek, Ararnalc, Syriac and Hebrew, and
her valuable and ready quotations from
each of these languages 20 establish her
points caused wonder and admiration
among the less sophisticated representa-
| tives of the fair sex In the large audi
ence.
Mrs. Lewis gave full account Of her
travels in the East with Mrs. Gibson,
telling of their conversations with the
| natives, their trips on camels' backs and
explorations She told In a graphic
manner their visit to the Convent Of ST.
Catharine. on Mount Sinai. where they
discovered the new Syriac manuscript OF
the Gospels, discovery which has made
their names famous In the world OF
scholars Her account OF their long
months Of labor in photographing this
palimpsests and finally bringing them tc
England and publishing them there was
Interesting and fascinatingly instructive
A I, HyJia lnr
which they (the monks) showed us
soon picked up a volume of one hun
dred and seventy-cight leaves, nearly al
Glued together with some greasy sub
stance. ! separated them, partly will
my fingers and partly with the steam o
a kettle. They had the more fascination
for me that no eye had evidently looked
in them for centuries, and l soon per
ceived that It was palimpsest, who's
upper or later writing contained the sto
ries of woman saints, while the unde
one was tho four gospels"
She told of how. they attempted to pho
tograph these IFS leaves, and returned
again from England with party at
later date and succeeded In getting TN
entire manuscript reproduced.
GOSPELS IN SYRIAc.
These gospels are In Syrlac, and ar
substantially tho gospels which we hay
|
dogmatic tendencies which will be sur
to arrest the interest of theologians @
, every school Of thought.
y, Maps Of the Sinaitic Peninsula an
: many pictures of the manuscripts, con
won't and Eastern scenes were the
. thrown on the canvas, and Mrs, Gibso
: explained all these things to the tho
rough enjoyment of the large audience
n After the speaking in the chapel
II beautiful reception was rendered the tw
!. distinguished lady scholars in the Spenc
. Library. The rooms of this building wer
!, brilliantly lighted, and distinguish
) company of representative Rcnmonder
k amidst flowers, music and refreshment
were introduced to the noted visitors, III
y ladies will be entertained to-day by d
e Walter w. Moore and Mrs. Jameson,
/, the Seminary community.
e At Cotton Convention.
NJ Apricnlture "