Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-09-01
ABBOT GASQUET
IS MET At PIER
Continued from First Pnge9


Abbot Gasquet will be delivered under
the auspices of the knights of CO.
lumbus
Asked for statement to the Amer
lean public concerning his mission
here Abbot Gasquet said
Il came to America with the great
est possible pleasure. 1t is nine years
since | visited these shores, but on
my previous visit l was treated with
great kindness and made many
friends.
America is always an inspiring
country, for Americans know how to
work and they like it. Americans
also know how to read, for l have
found that most of my books have a
larger circulation on this side of the
water than in my own England.
MY term as head of the Vulgate
commission was to be for five years,
but when that time had elapsed the
Pope refused to allow me to give
up the work and l suppose my as
signment is now of an indefinite
length. 1t would take too much of
your time to explain in detail the
vitality important collection of manu-
scripts we have made to date and
the manner in which we are con-
Quoting the work. Suffice 1t to say
that we are using a very modern
and scientific method, one highly
commended by the Pope and others.
Recently a Harvard professor, Rend,
l believe is his name, visited our
headquarters and declared the ma
terial which We had gathered and
placed at his disposal saved him at
least three months time in research
work.
During the course of my lectures
| intend to tell the American pub
lie of the work we are doing and to
ask their support. There is much
need of assistance from the Ameri-
can Catholics in this great work
which has the entire sanction of
Pope Plus. In many respects my
mission here is a pontifical mission"
Has Been at Work for Years.
1.-THE Benedictine commission has
now been at work for years. None
Of the members receive pay, but the
maintenance part Is heavy. We have
outgrown our quarters at Rome.
where we have already accumulated
10000 volumes containing the results
of our researches. Then too, we have
a great collection of Photographic
manuscripts from many parts of the
world This collection has grown like
a mushroom. Photographic manu-
script is a photograph of manuscript
and submitted to the commission for
I'm my lectures | will show a num-
Der of Photographic copies of some of
the most ancient scriptural manu-
script
1t was in the spring of 1907 that
announcement was made that Plus |
X. had determined to begin prepare
tons for a critical revision Of the |
Latin Bible. The necessity for this |
work had been recognized long before, |
n
program of the biblical commission
established by Leo XIII.
The present edition of the Latin
Bible was issued by Pope Clement |
VIII. in 1892 after forty years of |
preparation. Despite this period of |
preliminary labor it was early evil |
dent that the Clementine edition |
would have to be revised. This ex- |
pected revision was put back until |
comparatively recently, when the &C.
clesiastical authorities felt that the |
time had come to attempt q realiza-
ton of the project. AS a result the |
last twenty or thirty years has been
a period of preparation along the line
of examination of texts. classical or
otherwise, preliminary to the actual
application of the established |
principles of textual criticism in the !
effort to determine the most correct |
Latin text of the Holy Scriptures.
Pope Asked Benedlctines.
Six years ago Pope Plus asked the
abbot presidents of the various Bene- |
dictine congregations, then estab- |
lished in Rome, to undertake the first |
stages of the process of revision of |
the Vulgate texts. The Benedictines
agreed to undertake the task. In the |
fall of 1907 Abbot Gasquet was ap-
pointed head of the Benedictine COM
mission on organization and means |
to determine the principles on which |
the work should proceed. The aim |
of the commission, therefore, is not |
to produce Latin Bible to be pro-
posed as an official text for the ap- |
probation Of the church, but to take |
merely a preliminary step toward that |
version.
The object of the Benedictine COM |
mission, it is clearly set forth is to |
determine as accurately as possible |
the text Of st. Jeromne's Latin trans
lation of the scriptures. st. Jerome |
one of the most prolific writer's of the
lehem. He translated from the |
Hebrew into Latin the Old Tesla
ment about the year 800 He also |
wrote numerous historical works.
The Latin text of the scriptures |
existed from the earliest Christian |
days, but the translators were not |
known to either st. Jerome or his |
contemporary, st. Augustine. Made
without official supervision, these |
western texts became doubtful and |
varied greatly This situation caused |
Pope Damascus to have st. Jerome |
regulate the last revised translation |
of each part of the New Testament |
to the original Greek and to set out |
a new corrected version.
st. Jerome's Work. the Basis.
Present-day scholars are almost all |
in accord in the belief that st. |
Jerome was competent to carry out |
the work as suggested by Pope |
Damascus In his day, the fourth |
century, he had access to manuscript |
which were deemed ancient even then, |
as we'll as other writings and transla-
tions of the greatest historical value |
and accuracy. Because OF these facts |
regarding the lifework OF ST. Jerome |
the Benedictine commission of 1907 |
has accepted as obvious that the pure |
text of the Latin Bible by st. Jerome |
must form the basis for any present |
day critical version.
The Clementine edition of the Latin |
Bible, 1t is believed, substantially |
represents the one produced by st. |
Jerome 100 years before, but the |
printed text stands in need of correc- |
ton TO make it agree with the st. |
Jerome translation. Consequently, as |
Abbot Gasquet says, 1t is the aim
of the present commission to deter |
mine as exactly as possible the Latin |
text of st. Jerome and not to produce
any new version of the Latin scrip |
lures How exact st. Jerome was in |
his translation is another matter and |
one which. no doubt, will be the work |
of some future commission
The magnitude of the task which is |
to be performed by the Gasquet COM |
mission may be grasped, to an extent, |