Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1913-09-06
Learned Benedictine Explains
Object of His Visit to
America.
Magnitude of Project to Produce
New Version of Sacred
Scriptures.
APPEALS TO CATHOLIC WORLD

The Right Rev. Dom Gasquet,
Abbot of the English Benedictines
and a member of the commission
appointed by Pope Plus x. in 1907
to revise the Vulgate, has arrived in
New York and will tour the coun-
try and lecture in various cities on
the subject of the new version of the
Scriptures, which is now in course
of preparation. This great work
has been in progress since 1907 and
is being carried on by a special
commission made up of some OF the
great Scriptural scholars in the
Catholic church, and although its
labors have already extended over
six years the work is far from COM
pleted. Benedictine scholars have
been searching archives and Hbrar-
les in every part of Europe, and
nuns in distant converts and laymen
also have aided. 1t is planned 20
give the world the nearest accurate
copy of the Latin Bible since the
fourth century.
The commission has collected
$4,000 manuscripts. Copies OF
10000 pages of Biblical documents
we're obtained with the cameras
aid. Photographs we're made of
manuscripts too precious to be re-
moved from noraries, and there will
be compiled pictorial volumes OF
every known Bible manuscript IN
existence. AS the learned Benedic-
tine is known all over the world as
one of its foremost students in the
domains of church history and
Sacred Scripture, his lectures will
undoubtedly attract far more than
ordinary attention.
A short time ago Abbot Gasquet
was requested by the editor of the
London Tablet to give brief ac-
count of the results thus far accom-
plished in the work on which he is
engaged. His reply to this request
was:
"Six years ago 1t was announced
in the press that the Pope had de-
termined to prepare for a critical
revision of the Latin Bible. The
need for such a revision has been
recognized from the time when In
1892 Pope Clement VIII. published
the present authentic edition, and in
this age of critical examination OF
all texts, it has been frequently
made subject of reproach to the
Catholic church that nothing has
been done for the official Latin
text. In the spring of 1907 there
fore the Holy Father charged the
Benedictine Order with the task OF
making preparations for a full and
adequate examination of the Latin
text. and as a first step to endeavor
by a critical study of the existing
Latin MSS. to obtain as nearly as
possible the version of St. Jerome.
The importance of this first step is
obvious. At the present day all
scholars are agreed as to the COM
petence of st. Jerome for the work
given him by st. Damascus. He had
access to Greek and other manu-
scripts even then considered ancient,
which are no longer known to exist;
he could compare dozens OF texts
for every one we can now examine,
and he had means of testing their
value. which we do not possess. So
clear is the Importance of obtaining
the pure text of st. Jerome that 1t
is considered by the most compe-
tent authorities that the text would
probably be found TO afford a better
basis for the true text of the Greek
Septuagint Version than any Greek
MSS. now extant. To recover this
text is the scope OF the present COM
mission.
"By the close of the same year,
1907, a commission had assembled IN
Rome TO discuss the best method OF
carrying out the wishes OF the Pope.
From the first 1t was obvious that
the work would be both long and
costly The Holy Father desired
that the best methods should be
employed regardless of expense. He
made himself from the first respon-
sible for all necessary expenses, but
he trusted that the Catholic world
would soon recognize the impor-
tance of this project for religion,
and would support II by their con-
tributions. In this expectation the
Pope has not been disappointed, and
up to the present there has been
forthcoming sufficient means TO
carry on the work. Now, however, a
new need has arisen which obliges
me 10 make Wluer appear 10 lhe
Catholic world. SO far We have
been most occupied with the collec-
tion of material. and with the COLA
ton of the existing MSS. with tho
present Latin text. To facilitate
this, at the outset 1t became neces-
sary TO print an edition OF this text
with a large margin for the purpose
OF noting the various variants. In
fact the print occupied only one
third part Of the paper. This entailed
great expense, but its use, and In
deed necessity, has been obvious
from the first to all who are occu-
pied In the work.
"The collations made upon these
sheets are returned TO Rome when
finished, and are bound into vol
umes. Already this collection forms