Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-12-30
Split
Over Value Of
.Yonan Bible
$1.5MiIIion Price Tuq
Is Issue as Ancient
Codex Tours Nation

A dispute boiled today over the
sis million price tag on an an
lcient manuscript New Testament
that left Washington recently on
Ia Nationwide Embarrassing tour.
A group Of the Nations top
Biblical scholars yesterday said
the manuscript, known as the
Yonan Codex. is worth about
ISIS, 000."
The sponsors of the fund
raising tour, the Aramaic Bible
Foundation. of 1928 street NV,
however. last night called this at
Ititude un-Christianlike."
The manuscript is the prop
Ierty of Norman M. Yonan. a re-
tired WASHINGTON rug dealer. In
Ia fanfare of publicity. the Ar
Iamaic Bible Foundation last
spring announced it had con-
Itracted 10 buy the ancient script
from Mr.. Yonan for SIS million.
1t announced plans to raise So
million in public donations to
finance the purchase and related
activities such as translation of
the manuscript and exploration
for other Biblical materials.
Examined by President
Attended by q flying squad
of motorcycle policemen. the
manuscript was taken from a
Washington bank vault to the
White House, where President
Eisenhower examined it and re-
marked on its beauty. Then 1t
was taken to the Library Of
Congress.
Secretary of State Dulles spoke
at the formal unwilling of the
manuscript in the main lobby Of
the library few weeks later.
The foundation has said it will
give the manuscript to the
library when it has bought it
from Mr.. Yonan.
j Then several weeks ago Vice
President Nixon spoke at cere-
monies at the Capitol launching
the manuscript on a Nation
wide bus tour, during which the
I sponsors hope to raise money.
Other Manuscripts Noted
Yesterdays attack on the
value of the manuscript came
from the Society of Biblical
Literature and Exegesis. AT its
annual meeting in New York the
society adopted a unanimous
resolution saying there are about
800 . similar manuscripts in
libraries. some OF them older
than the one on tour.
The society said it wishes to
go on record as opposing some
OF the publicity attending the
tefforts currently being made to
raise by popular subscription SIS
million for the purchase Of the
so-called Yonan Codex."
| The society is made up of 1890
leading Roman Catholic. Prot
iestant and Jewish Biblical schol-
airs. At the meeting at Union
Theological Seminary. the So
Iciety's new president, DR.. j..
Philip Hyatt. of Vanderbilt Uni
versity, said it acted because it
was interested in the public
knowing the truth" about the
manuscript.
1T is a valuable and authentic
manuscript" he said. but ex-
aggerated claims are being made
about it,"
1t said that q fair estimate
of the value of manuscript like
the Yonan Codex is about $4,000"
not a million and a half.
Findings Challenged
The Washington foundation.
which is sponsoring the fund
raising tour, however. said the
resolution questioning the age
and Importance of the manu-
script was obviously the work
of a limited number Of dis
gruntled persons"
1t issued statement here
saying:
ut challenges the Society Of
Biblical Literature to designate
which of the alleged 300 copies
lin existence is older. 1t chal-
ilenges that society to deny that
Christ and his disciples spoke
lAramaic. :"