Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-19
Rare, Famous and Ancient Bibles Are
Contained in Exhibits in Washington
BY THOMAS HENRY.
MONG Uncle Sans hobbies

be found anywhere - yellowed parch~
ment manuscripts, leather-bouno'
biack-letter volumes. illustrated with
wood cuts, first editions of the more
notable translations, the gospels in
the aboriginal tongues, Bibles with
curious typographical errors, and
sAoofs bearing the signatures OF dis
Tinguished figures in history
Bible collecting is q rather eX-
pcnsive hobby for the individual The
Government, however, has made few
purchases. Some of it's most treasured
material has come in the form OF
sifts from wealthy collectors who de-
EAred that the whole people should re-
ceive the educational benefits of their
researches.
In the Washington exhibits the
student can follow, step by step. the
progress of the sacred volume in the
evolution of civilization. 1t has been
a long, uphill road from the obscure
manuscripts with which the early
Christian scholars labored in monastiC
cells by candlelight to the ornate,
learnedly edited books which grace
present~day pulpits
Uncle Sans Bibles are kept at the
Fceer Gallery. the National Museum
and the Library of Congress. Most of
those at the museum are arranged in
an educational exhibit which is in the
charge of DIR. 1. NJ. Casanowicz, one
. OF the foremost American authorities
on the progress of the Scriptures,
from the original sources through the
various TRANSACTIONS and editions.
The most treasured of all the scrip
tural material in the National Capital
is the Washington manuscript of the
four gospels in the Fre2r Gallery. This
is one of the four or five most notable
biblical IlaO1lSoyil)fS in
This manuscript, together with 4
manuscript Of the Old Testament
books of Deuteronomy and Joshua,
was purchased by Charles L. F'reer OF
Detroit from an Arabian dealer i'll
Gizeh. near Cairo, in 1906. The gos-
pels are written on 1877 parchment
leaves. or 374 pages, with 80 lines on
each page, and are arranged in the
order OF Matthew, John, Luke and
Mark. This is almost the reverse
order to that in which they are be-
lieved to have been written. Each page
IS in a i.ood state of preservation.
The leaves are held between covers of
TWO wooden panels, each painted with |
portraits of two of the evangelists
Scholars date this manuscript from !
approximately the fourth century. 1t /
IS typical Of the manuscript material |
from which the present Bible was |
translated and edited. There are vari- |
Gus teXtual divergencies of interest |
only to theologians.
The Old Testament manuscript of |
Deuteronomy and Joshua is in Greek |
and consists OF 102 parchment leaves. |
Each page consists of two columns of !
81 lines each. 1t is believed to have !
been written at the monastery of the |
Vinedresser. which was near the
third pyramid, and it is one of the |
oldest and most important manu-
scripts of the Bible known.
In the National Museum exhibit DR.. |
CasanoWicz has arranged facsimiles of
the other great Bible manuscripts for
the benefit of students. The most i'm |
portant of these is the famous Codex
Natlcanus in six volumes. 1t is writ
ten in Greek. all capital letters. and
was probably the work of two or three
scrlbes in Egypt during the fourth
century The original is the most val
liable treasure of the Vatican Library
IN Rome. 1t was brought to Rome by |
rope Nicholas the Fifth in l44S The
manuscript is not quite complete |
There are few gaps in the Old Tesla |
meslt and the New Testament ends /
with the middle of the Book of He /
brews. There is also a facsimile of |
me CodeX Ninaiticus, the original of |
which is in the Russian Imperial Lii |
braTy. This parchment manuscript. |
which dates back to the fourth cen |
fury, was discovered by a Russian |
scholar in the Convent of ST. Cath |
crime at the foot of Mount Sinai in |
1893. The third great manuscript fac |
sln1lle at the National Museum is the |
CodeX Alexandria nus. The original |
manuscript was presented to Charles |
the Second of England by Sir Thomas |
Roe, who in turn had obtained it from |
Cyril, Patriarch of Constantinople, |
The original now is in the British |
Museum.
NEXT in value to the two Freer |
manuscripts is the manuscript |
copy of the entire Bible, in two vol |
ufnes, in the manuscript division of |
the Library Of Congress. This dates |
from the thirteenth century and is one |
OF the finest examples of ancient book |
making in America. 1t was the work |
Of Italian monks. Such perfection of |
lettering and illustration never can be
reproduced. Technical secrets of the
old churchmen died with them and
endless research has failed to reds
cover them.
The gold leaf alone with which the
constructed would be worth a small
fortune. It is nearly as bright today
ss when it was first used. After all
these centuries the letters stand out
sharply above the parchment. The
best modern workmen have been able
10 do is to construct letters which
stand out in gold for a few years. The
secret is In the basis used for the gold
leaf Each letter in turn is finely en-
graved with religious symbols.
The water-color illustrations also
never could be reproduced. Seven
centuries have failed to dim the colors
In the least. Artists have been unable
to determine just what mixtures were
used or just what base was placed on
the parchment before the painter
started his work. 1t has been deter
mined that the white of an egg was
one of the important ingredients. The
manuscript is in Latin, each letter a
capital and constructed with infinite
perfection of detail. A monk doubt.
less would work for months over a
single page. The work dates from the
age Of GiOtto, one of the most cele-
brated Of religious painters.
Borders, illustrated with exquisite
craftsmanship, show such scenes as
the creation and the expulsion from
Eden in fine detail. There are TAG
parchment leaves TO each book, each
II by - inches. Each volume, with
its heavy gold plate, is about all a
man can lift handily.
This manuscript was purchased by
the Library Of Congress from the
effects Of the English collector, Viii
liam Perkins, in 1873. It's history pre-
Yious to the time it became the pro.
perty Of Perkins is unknown.
Another curious biblical manuscript
d. the Library Of Congress is a part of
the translation from the Greek made
by Charles Thomson Of Pennsylvania.
clerk Of the Continental Congress,
This WIS the first atterort ,,nnan -,