Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-01-01
The Oldest of Bible Manuscripts.

met Jacob here at Nablous on the site OF old
sheehem within a stones throw of the well where
Christ talked with the Samaritan 1t is not
far from farm which Abraham owned, and about on
the spot where Joshua gathered the tribes OF Israel
together and read them the law of Moses.
Our conversation took place in the heart OF the
city in the synagogue of the Samaritahs had to go
through vaulted passageways and caveke streets to
reach it. / had an Interpreter with me, and
talked together the high priest showed the original
parchments OF the ave books of Moses as they were
written by Abou, the of Ben Hassan, the of
Eleazar who, you remember was one OF the two sons
of Aaron by Esheba, his wife, The high priest tells
that these i've manuscripts written only
twelve years after the Israelites into the Holy
Land, and that they 3575 years old. They
the Oldest Bible manuscripts in existence. They
are written the Hebrew of the times OF Moses upon
long sheets OF parchment about two feet In width.
The scrolls rolled upon three rods each tipped
with a silver knob big teacup, and they
arranged that they be rolled and unroed as they
read. The ink is still plain and the letters dis
tinct although the parchment is yellow with age The
manuscript treasured by the Samartans being kept
in a brass inald with gold. Il Is said to have
been dug up about 400 ago, and Il has formed
subject Of controversy among oriental scholars The
samarltans believe that It written by the grand
of Aaron, the high priest here claims but the
Jews reject It false denouncing the samaritans
pagan outcasts from the children of Israel
The Samaritans of 1910
was surprised to fnd that there were any samar-
itans living. I supposed that they had been swal-
lowed up by the Mohammedans and other syrians who
have absorbed everything in Palestine excepting the
Jews. / hnd however, that there are about 400 in
Nabious and that they practice the same religion
they had when Christ came They annually celebrate
the feasts OF the Passover and Pentecost on Mount
Gerzim These feasts different from those Of the
later-day Jews At the time Of Christ the Feast Of
the Passover was eaten reclining and as though at
the end Of journey rather than at the beginning
The samaritans eat their Passover with their
shoes bound upon their feet slaves in their hands
though ready to start out their wandsrings In
the wilderness They do this on the top of the noun
tain, camping in tents They the blood Of the
sacrifice upon the tents to commemorate the passage
Of the angel Of death the houses OF Israel They
dress in white garments and they Kill the animals
which burnt according the methods which were
In use when Aaron lived. The sacrifice consists of
buck lambs each OF which is carefully examined that
II may be without wound or blemish. At a given
signal the threats of the lambs cut and at the
time some of the blood is caught lineup and
smeared the tent. AS the blood flows the people
shout out the words There is but Cod" and they
shout this sentence again and again. At the same
time there is a service beginning with hymn prais.
ing Abraham Isaac and Jacob, and followed by q
prayer Of thanksgiving
The meat for the sacrifice is cooked over a IRE in
the earth. AS soon as the animals killed they are
scaded and the wool is pulled of The entrails are
removed and sailed; then pole is thrust through
each lamb and is laid on the hot Goals OF IRE made
in a trench. The meat is then covered with brush
and earth The people continue to pray as II cooks
and keep on praying until the sunset approaches Al
minutes after sunset they begin to eat the meat
throwing the bones into the fire without breaking