ROMAN CATHOLIC BIBLICAL COMMISSION.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 14204, 18 November 1911, Page 11

ROMAN CATHOLIC BIBLICAL COMMISSION.

A correspondent of the "Catholic Sun. - ' H'h'i was recently in Dome, and hiid an interview with Abbot Gasquet, gives some interesting particulars concerning tho work of tho Biblical Com-

1111.-Mllll. When risked how many collaborators sire in the urcat work, A!>lx>fc (Jasi|iiet. informed tlic writer that they number eighteen savants, who havo ' liciTi .sent through tho libraries of Kurope for the past throe years. iSpain, ,North Italy, Kngland, and Ireland furnished exceptional aid in the number of old editions of the Bible. To collate t!u <c ;e the utmost patience ie required, e<fK-<-i;illy for ono to remain for three or tour monUiß in some European .library working on an ancient copy. This difficulty, however, h.os been surinniinted by photographing tho copy, tAvo pages at a, time, by a camera placed vertically over the recumbent Bible. When the negatives are well developed and mounted they are just as useful a« the original for the uses of the Commission, and they can be used where and when ono likes. Quite a iMimher of nuns are «•$. present employed by the Commission in comparing photographs taken of different old <-opi<'K of the Bible. "In fact, it would bo invidious to mention tho convents •that are helping us in this ivay in.tho quiet of tho cloister," replied tho president wlion I asked tho names of those k> cmploved. 'Dom Gasfjuet's dewription of the Tiiountijig oi tho Bible negatives is j After the film has been • (lovelo])ed and quite dry it is* mounted on gtitta porebn. A layer of tis.suo , ,pai>er is placed over the gutta percha, j «nnd the -wliolo is covered with iine : This composite is then ironed ! and the photo is rendered practically , indestructible. Paris is the only place j they found artiste to do this work, and 1 there thirty volumes of photographs ; have b.'on mounted, six volumes for I each Bible. All theso photos will go to the Vatiwin library, but so far only two volumes have gono thcro, merely to give tho Holy Father an idea of the scheme. By "Easter, however, all the photos will'be in Rome. Considering the yastnoss of tho task .and the lohg poriods mentioned as necessary to terminate tho work, T .•usked the Abbot Tvrthin, what time ho believed it might be concluded. The reply was that if tho same proportion of work which the commission has accomplished in tho past continues to be •maintained in time to come, tho task | will be finished in nbout five years. ! When this is done, it may be the lot ; of another commission to" test tho accuracy of St. Jerome himself. Referring again to the earnest work 1 done by his collaborators, tho great j I'piiedietine observed one of his great- 1 ost difficulties has been to find exactly tho right sort of men for the labour.