The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1911-02-04
LOCKING Up BIBLES PAST
Bears Marks of Authenticity Stronger
Than Works Of Homer and
All Classics.

10 us bearing marks Of authenticity
immeasurably stronger than the work,
ct Homer, Horace. Aeschylus. Thucy-
Gldes-almoSt all the classics OF the
ancient world. Let us first consider
the older book To the preservation
nj this we are, of course, indebted to
the Jews But they have not merely
preserved 1t: such is their scrupuious
regard for it that they have preserved
II intact. There are no alternate rem
aer,n2s In the Hebrew scriptures
Since the third century. at latest.
most minute rules have existed for
the guidance OF the scrlbes who
copied them. and every letter or dia-
critical mark has been faithfully rem
dered. The earliest extant Ms. of the
Hebrew Old Testament is a copy OF
he Pentateuch, now in the British
museum. and assigned to the ninth
century The earliest Ms hearing a
orectse date is copy Of the Prophets
at St Petersburg. dated A. y. 916. Be.
'ween the text Of these copies and
hat of the Hebrew l3ible as it is
Known today there is no essential diff
terence
The Hebrew Pentateuch was re-
garded as the verbally inspired com.
nunicatiCn from God to man; its text
Vas preserved with the most sedulous
are. The books of the New Tesla.
nent, however. were not regarded as
being anything more than the nara
ives of various authors; in conse-
4uence a vast variety Of manuscripts
vas written, which, while tracing back
he New Testament to date not very
'emote from that of the first Chris
ians. afford a great divergence ir
ext.
Discoveries of these early docu.
nents-"s sayings Of Christ" and COS.
)els of Peter-continue to be made du-
ing every decade. The epistles of ST.
Paul are paralleled by numbers Of
lmilar communications that have been
ound of recent years In Egypt, and
hese, incidentally by their structure
GEAR witness to the genuine charac-
er of st, Paufs writings. 1t was only
turing the course of the second CEN
ury that the gospels Of the New Tes.
ament began to be singled out from
among these numerous records, to-
gether with the remaining books, and |
o receive recognition as the authentic |
'ecords of the life of Christ on earth |
ind OF the earliest history Of the |
Fleischmann in Han
oer's Weekly
Great Man Of the Average Class.
1t is one OF the first things to be /
laid about Macaulay, that he was in
exact accord with the common average |
sentiment of his day on every subject |
IN WHICH he spoke His superiority
vas not of that highest kind which
!eads man to march in thought on
he outside margin of the crowd, watch.
pg them, sympathizing with them. hop.
ng for them. but apart. Macaulay
vas one of the middle class crowd in
lis heart, and only rose above it by
plendid attachments and extraordinary
gifts Of expression. He had none of
hat ambition which inflames some
hardy men, to make new beliefs and
lew passions enter the minds of their
leighbors; his ascendancy is due to lit.
.rary pomp, not to fecundity of spirit
John Morley.
Plans Wonderful Trip.
Around the Earth IN five TO Seven
DAVIS" is the headline of circular let
,, cont broadcast nv a man in EcCIiO- /