Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-28

was contended, they should have gone to
France
The point that was obscured rather
than emphasized seemed to be that Mr..
Morgan, already rich in the possession of
fine books. exquisite enameIs and medic
val objects of art, had concentrated his
efforts. both by purchase and original
excavations. on the recovery of records
belonging to a Christian sect of whose
past little is generally known and whose
present Is usually supposed to reflect
neither distinction nor credit. Wherein
lies the value of ancient Coptic records
sufficient to start Mr. Morgan on his
researches?
Within the last few days the curiosity
aroused by this question has been whet-
ted still more by a wireless report from
London telling of the publication by the
British Museum of a synopsis OF COptic
manuscript which is probably the Oldest
of the sort in existence. It contains most
of the Book Of Deuteronomy, the whole
OF Jonah and nearly all of the Acts of
the Apostles and the Epistles. The Cop
Morgan's collection, dates from the
eighth century. The manuscript of the
British Museum contains q version Of
the Scriptures In use as early as the third
Christianity penetrate the mists Of
another 800 years toward the shadOwy
and disputed beginnings of the followers
of Jesus of Nazareth.
The Importance and interest Of such
discoveries are manifest. The early mis-
sionaries Of Christianity from Judea and
Asia Minor carried with them the gos-
pels and epistles written in Greek. They
reached Egypt among the first. AS DR..
Aknoukh Enendi, one Of the modern lead
ers Of the Coptic Church, recently de-
scribed the beginnings Of his religion:
You are aware that our forefathers
embraced Christianity through st. Mark
in the first fifty years Of this era, eigh-
teen and half centuries ago. Christian
ity spread rapidly, and the first Coptic
patriarch. Amba Youhannes, was ap-
pointed in AID. 81. We have, therefore,
been Christians for very many centuries.
and, indeed. we are one Of the most an
cient of all Christian communities. Our
forefathers suffered much when they first
became Christians, their lives were In
danger and they were frequently sacri-
feed before heather affairs, but eventu-
ally our faith triumphed throughout the
land. and the whole population became
Christians"
Thus arose the famous Church Of Alex
andria. Then schism isolated it from the
parent body. The MOslem conquest OF
Egypt In the seventh century again
placed the Christians there on the de-
fensive. The severe asceticism. which had
always been a characteristic Of the
Egyptian. or Coptic, Church, was empha-
sized as the holy men found refuge from
the invaders In desert monasteries or in
upper Egypt. Thither they carried their
scriptures, treatises. homilies, biographies
OF Their saints. records of the early mar
tyrdoms and other apocryphai literature
In which the Egyptian Church was es-
pecially rich. Much OF this has been lost
or destroyed. OF course. In the thirteen
centuries OF Moslem depredations that
have since elapsed. But now these early
Christian records are being unearthed,
coliated and added to our religious liter
allure.
Are We In the beginning Of new priod