Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-09-13

church looks like a blank partition
wall of an ordinary brick building. 1t
is upholstered and implanted. In 1912.
when Edward ", Of England. and Phil
ip, of Burgundy, repaired the roof,
they erected the buttresses which now
prevent the wall from falling
THE INTERIOR.
The interior of the church Is more
attractive. II has a double row Of "a
monolithic columns with Corinthian
capitals. The upper part Is lighted by
windows. The Chapel of the Nativity
is reacher by Is stone steps downward.
This is the actual cave or grotto, where
it is believed that Christ was born. 1t
is 3S feet long, IL feet wide and 10
feet high. 1t is lighted by ~ lamps.
The floor Is of marble and the walls
are lined with marble. In deep recess
in the wall, sunk into the pavement, is
silver star, encircled by the inscrip-
ton, ''Hic de Virgine Maria Jesus
Christus Natus est" here Jesus Christ
was born of the Virgin Mary" Just
above the star are 10 lamps, kept per-
petually burning, SIX OF which pelong
TO the Greek Catholics, Ave to the
Armenians and four to the Roman
Catholics.
Descending three steps we come to
the Chapel of the Manager.
Manager which the Christ child was laid.
Tbe original manger was carried to
Rome by Queen Helena, and is now In
the cathedral of St. Maria Maggiore'
at Rome 1t is exposed Christmas
when the annual alteration Is onereo.
In place of the original manager Is one
of white and brown marble, surmount-
ed by a crude picture and NUMBER
of pendant lamps. AS we passed by TINS
small chapel L could not resist the
termination to step down into 1t, so as
70 observe more closely the manager.
A man was on his knees before the
manager with his gaze fixed devoutly
upon it. AS 1 stepped into the chapeI
he rose from his knees. L respected
his devotion and left at once. In the
Chapel of the Nativity is also the Chap-
al Of the Holy Innocents, where IL Is
said several children, who hao oeen
concealed here to escape the wrath OF
Herod, were found and killed. Ihe
Altar of the Alteration or the MAG
and father on the Altar and Tomb OF
Eusehius. the Tomb of Jerome and the
CHAPEL OF JEROME
In this chapel he lived for 30 years
studying and writing. Here ne wrote ms
commentaries and epistles. here ne
made his translation of the scriptures
into Latin, known as the NulsaIe' Vi
edition of the common people. This Is
EN- the authoritative Catholic edition OF
tbe Eible and is the basis for the transla-
ton of the Bible by Catholics into all
languages. 1t is a splendid piece OF Work
bevond doubt But everS scholar no"
knows that ii is very faulty. In the
vatican library at Rome is the famous
Greek manuscript known as b ms
is the basis of the text of Westcott ana
Hort's Greek Testament, probably the
hest Greek Testament in existence. Along
with "AIeph." the Greek manuscript dis
covered nv Tischendorff in the Sinaluc
nenins,,lar. and which is now in the libra
nv at at. Petersburg, "B'' is beyond ques-
zion the oldest Greek manuscript in ex-
istence. Both of them belong to the
fourth century. They are evidently OF
common origin, and putting the TWO To-
sether We get a text rs early as the thlro
century. Now why in the world rome
does not have a new translation OF the
New Testament made based upon this
admittedly ancient manuscript In her own
library, instead of continuing to use the
faulty translation of Jerome, cannot
understand. In the vatican at Rome
there is a picture representing Jerome
as taxing his last communion on his
death bed in this little chapel. which Is
considered very fine, and is ranked next
to Raphaers masterpiece, The Trans
iguration.'
INSTANCES OF JEALOUSY.
7 spoke of the jealousy between the
different sects in charge of the Church
of the Nativity. This jealousy has been
of long duration. Father Felix Fabri,
from whom I quoted in my article on
Joppa who came to Bethlehem in the nj
teenth century, tells US that the Greeks
held the choir. the -Latins the cave of
the Lords nativity and the Armenians
the place of the Three Kings Offerings.
This church at Bethlehem he said lis
profaned and desecrated ii stands like
a barn without hay an apothecary shop
without pots or library without books.
The precious pictures are dropping from
the walls because one priest will not let