EARLIEST BIBLE MS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 195, 18 August 1936, Page 19

EARLIEST BIBLE MS.

IN MUMMY WRAPPINGS

PAPYRI COLLECTION.

(Special.—By Air Mail.) LONDON, July 25. Four fragments of a papyrus roll of the Book of Deuteronomy 111 the Greek version of the Septuaginl., which were written in the second century 8.C., have been found in n collection of Greek papyri in the John Rylands Library, Manchester. Mr. C. H. Roberts, Fellow of !st. John's, Oxford, announcing the discovery in Ills book "Two Biblical Papyri," published this week, states: "These fragments arc earlier by some three hundred years than any other manuscripts of any part of the Bible, and are of more than sentimental interest, since they enable us to reach a definite conclusion ."bout the type ot text circulating in Egypt, about a hundred years after the first translation had been made in Alexandria.' Describing how they came into the possession of the library, Mr. Roberts says: "Enclosed in the burnl'e of miscellaneous papyri, purchased for the library in 1017 by Dr. Rendel Harris, was an envelope. containing two pieces of cartonnage —the papyrus wrapping used for the mummies. When the various stratano fewer than six—of winch the lump of cartonnage was composed were eventually separated it was found to consist of fragments of at 'east four separate columns of a roll containing the Book of Deuteronomy with fragine-'ts 01 a ion containing the Iliad (Book One) an other writings.