RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1788, 28 June 1913, Page 9

RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY.

A NEW SAYING OP CHRIST. ISSUE OF THE FREER FACSIMILE, THE GOSPEL MANUSCRIPTS. Tho London "Times" of May 13 publishes a detailed account of tho now manuscript of the Gospels discovered in Egypt and purchased by Mr. C. L. Freer, by whose direction a facsimile has now been produced and a copy presented to tho British Museum by the University of Michigan. Tho manuscript, which is in Washington, is described as ono of tho most valuablo and ancient versions of tho New Testament in Greek. It dates either from tho fourth or the fifth century, and _ provides Biblicalscholars with much important new material, particularly on tho texts of St. John and.St. Luke. Tho text of tho 16th chapter of St. Mark's Gospel contains, after verso 14, eomo verses which occur in no other manuscript of tho New Testament, and include as tho words of Christ:— The limit of tho years of the power of Satan is (not) fulfilled, but it draiveth near; for tho sako of those that have sinned was I given up unto death, thot they may return unto tho truth and sin no more, but may inherit the spiritual and incorruptible glory of righteousness in heaven. The New Text. About six years ago (says the "Times") tho lively interest of Biblical students was aroused by a report of tho discovery of a new Greek manuscript of tho. Gospels, rivalling in ago tho great codices which <iTe tho basis of -tho textual criticism of the New Testament. It had been found in Egypt, the home of so many literary discoveries; but in stead of being a tattered fragment of a papyrus roll from the rubbish heaps of a lost town, it was a complete volume on vellum, which mu6t have been preserved intact in a monastery or a tomb. It is revealing no secret to say that this precious manuscript (with t ho others that were found with it) would have had a good chaneo of finding its way, like so many others, to the British Museum; but its.destiny was altered by tho pressnce in Egypt of a rich and cultivated American, Mr. C. L. Freer (owner, among other treasures, of a wonderful collection of Chinese and Japanese paintings), who, being on the spot with money in his purse, was able to secure the prize. Nor, considering the interest which America lias always taken in the Bible, need one regret that Washington should rank with Rome, St. Petersburg, London, Cambridge, and Paris, as the possessor of ono of the most valuable and ancient copies of the Greek New Testament. Preliminary accounts of the new manuscript were published without delay, and facsimiles of a few pages were issued (among others by our own New phical Society). These sufficed to show that the manuscript was very early (estimates varied between the fourth and the fifth century), and that its text contained somo remarkable features, notably an apocryphal addition to the last verses of St. Mark; but no real judgment could bo formed as to its value until tho whole text, or a full collation, had been published. The task of publication was assigned by Mr. Freer to tho University of Michigan, and was put into the hands of Professor H. A.'Sanders, of that-univers-ity. Precedence was given to a companion MS. of the Old Testament, of sornei what lator datb and less importance; and - it is only now that tho Gospels MS. lies before I us, in a stately facsimile (duo to Mr. Freer'a munificence), with a separate collation and introduction by Professor Sanders. The first question which scholars will ask is—To what textual family does the new manuscript belong? Does it support the type, of Egyptian origin and of generally recognised excellence, to which our own Revisers, under the influence of Westcotfc and Hort, assigned r marked predominance, and of which the leading representative is the great Codex Vatioanus, supported by the scarcely Siriaiticus, Or does it come to' reinforce that very early, but still imperfectly un. derstood, group of authorities which West-, cott and Hort called "Western," and of which tho chief representatives are the Old Latin and Old Syrific versions, t and the Greek Codex Bezae at Cambridge? This is a typo of text showing strong divergences from both our Authorised and our Revised Version, formerly regarded as negligible on account of its erratic character, but which has received far more attention and respect from textual students of the present generation. Or the new authority might range itself with our groat Codex Alexandrinus as a champion of that editorially revised type of text which, from about the fifth century onwards, became tho official text of the Byzantino Church, which appears in nearly all the subsequent copies of the Greek Nbw Testament, and which for us is embodied in our familiar Authorised Version. A brief examination of the facsimile in selected passages .is sufficient to show that tho Freer MS. is not homogeneous indeed, is far from being so. Either; it or an ancestor of it must have been copied from a number of distinct manuscripts (no doubt papyrus rolls which could not contain more than a single Gospel) which themselves had diverso textual pedigrees. Tho order of the books of Matthew, John. Luke, Mark. In St. Matthew, except for a few verses - in the 11th chapter, it ogrees regularly with the later, Byzantine, form of text; it is rarely in cgreer ment with the Vaticanus or Sinaiticus when they separate themselves from tho general mass; and indeed it is not too much to say that if this book had stood alone tho discovery of the MS. would have been of small importance. But when we pass to St. John the position is completely changed. Tho first qtiiro of this Gospel («s far as ch. v. 12) is written 'in a hand different from the rest of the MS., and apparently later (though Professor Sanders is of the contrary opinion, for reasons which do not seem very convincing). Here tho text is of a decidedly earlier and better typo than' in St. Matthew, but it fluctuates in character, as though n text originally of the best Egyptian type had been' subsequently modified in transmission. In tho wellknown passage in tho .fifth chapter, relating to tho troubling of tho waters of Betliesda, tho Freer MS. agrees with tho Vaticanus in giving the name as "Bctlisaida"; differs from it in including the words "waiting for the troubling of the water"; and agrees again in omitting tho mention of the angel. For tho rest of the Gospel (from ch. v 12 to tho end) tho type of text is definitely Egyptian, and in almost all the important passages it agrees with the \ aticanus. Scholars will find a notable instance in ch. xix 39, where the Freer MS. agrees with the 'Vaticanus and Sinaiticus against practically all other authorities. Passing to St. Luke, we notice a curious phenomenon. In the first seven chapters tho svmptoms are tho same as in St. John, and agreement with tho Vaticanus and Sinaiticus in important variants is constant. For example, the words "Blessed art thou among women" aro omitted in ch. i 14; in ch. ii 14 the h3;mn of tho angels is in tiro form "and on earth peaco among men in whom ho i 9 well pleased"; in vi 1 tho puzzling phrase translated in tho Authorised Version as "tho second Sabbath after tho first" is omitted. But from tho eighth chapter onwards (Professor .Sanders locates the transition more precisely at eh. viii 12) the chamcter of the text changes, and the MS. is found habitually-as an ally of tho Alexandvinus, and a representative of the offit'ial or Byzantine text. In tho final chanters, where important textual variants aro numerous iu our principal MSS.,. it agrees with the Alexandrinus and aticanus in omitting the incident of the Bloody Sweat, with the Vaticanus and Codex Eezao in omitting the saying from tho Cross "Father, forgivo them"; while in ch xxiv 3G, it has a reading peculiar to itself, "It is I, bo not afraid, peace bo unto you." „ Finallv, in St. Mark its character fluctuates, and it has sovoral readings in which it stands alone, or almost alone. Thus, in ch. i tl, the exclamation of tho peoplo at our Lord's miracles takes tho form, "What is „this now, this authoritative* leaching, and that Ho oommaudeth even tile unclean spirits and they oboy Him?" In ch. ix 24 is tho curious variout (no doubt a scribe's error), "the spirit of the child," instead of "tho father of the child." But the most remarkable peculiarity of tho manuscript is reserved for tho end. Liko tho great mass ofmanuscripts (but unliko tho earliest of them) it contains tho appendix known as. the last twelve verses of St. Mark, which in our Revised Version aro givon a position . detached from th« rust thft. Goroeh,

but i" tho middlo ol this passage it in.,' sorts somo verses which occur in 110 other known manuscript of the Now lestamont, although they were known to St. .Icrome, who quotes iv part of them. In tho Freer MS., after verso 14, where it is said that, Jesus upbraided Ilia disciples for their, uubclicf, tho text continues as follows:— "And they excused themselves, Baying that this ago of lawlessness and unbelief is under Satan, who, through tho agency of unclean spirits, suffers not tho true power of God to bo apprehended. For this cause, said they unto Christ, roveal now at onco thy righteousness. And Christ said unto them. Tho limit of tha years of the power of Satan is (not) fulfilled, but it drawoth near [the text hero and elsewhere is corrupt]: for tho sako of those that have sinned was I given up unto death, that they may return unto tho truth and 1 sin no more, but may. inherit tho spiritual and incorruptible glory of righteousness in heaven. But go ye, etc." Enough has been said to show that in tho Freer MS. Bibliral scholars have new material of a highly interesting kind. Textual fl'S well as palneographical considerations make tho fifth century a more provable date for it than tho fourth, to which' Professor Sanders, with tho pardonable enthusiasm of a first editor, is inclined to assign it; but that is early enough to place it in tho first class of authorities for tho text of tho four Gospels, and to onsuro a cordial welcome to the sumptuous edition which wo owe to the University of Michigan and to tho enlightened munificenco of Mr. Freer. ROAD TO REUNION. CONGREGATIONAL UNION DEBATF WITH ANGLICANS. Reunion between tho Anglican and tho, Freo Churches was the arresting subject' of a'discussion at tho. recent meeting, of the English- Congregational Union. Two distinguished clergymon of the Established Church and two equally distinguished', ministers of Congregational churches held/ tho platform for a couple of hours,..and.' tho speeches wore fruitful in suggestion, i for a common meeting ground (says the. "Daily News"). ■ I Tho Archdeacon of Worcester (tho Veil. 1 J. H. Greig) opened tho.debato with an appeal to regard Teunion. "not merely as an abstract proposition, but as a part of the working order of our lives." At tho; same time, ho did not believe that the ; youngest raaa present would livo to sea a successful issue to their endeavours. "Wo must work," said he, "but wo shall not sec tho result. No ono generation can accomplish a task eo magniticent . as tho re-orectioni under our present conditions of freedom, of that great temploj of God in our midst which shall express i the strength, the power, and tho peace; of God's religion for us English people." Next came Dr. Selbie, tho chairman-' elect of the Congregational Union. 110 urged that by reunion they mu6t not mean uniformity ill any shapo or form; tho day had long gone by for any such 1 vain imagination as tlmt. Their aim must bo a unity fully compatible with variety. •> . ; "Wo shall not bo able," he argued. - to' frame-any organisation that will suit us all, but we may be able to agree to go 011 our -several ways towards tho same goal not as hostile armies, intending some dayto fight and conqucr ono another, but as regiments in tho same army fighting' under tho same loader and for tho same goal. In other words their aim should bo "not one church, but ono people." Dr: Selbio's view of tho immediate prospects was more hopeful than tho Arch-d-eaco.ii of Worcester's. Tho t pressure of the dreary, hopeless irreligion and tha grinding materialism of tho day must, he held, drivo Christians for very shaiuo to do and say nothing which would, ever make it difficult for them to stand shoulder to shoulder. On the other hand there had arisen of lato a true comity of scholarship. Ho believed that tiro tneological difference was ono that would very Boon, ocaso' to • He;' atiioiij? those who knew* • and could understand it had ceased to ° X "I know\"' Dr. Solbio added, '[that we havo got some fights bsfore us still. The question of Disestablishment jhas got .to.. bo settled, so has'the education question. "But I deplora_-iho language winch is very often used] obiour sifoa I think wo want to mitigate fi 'great deal of the dissidence of our diswnt. Wo want to recog. wiso when wo aro pleading for our principles and standing up f6t our history that'there aro other pooplo who havo principles and a histftry-which arens -dear to them as outs aro to us. Before thoro can bo any real settlement in thesomatters there must be give and take, and tho giving must not be all on one side. Canon Master man said ho believed that tho freedom of tho Freo Churches and tho order of tho Church' of England were gradually becoming reMnciledbvjm almost unconsoious process. . Certainly tho Church of England was getting loss stereotyped, and lie understood that among tho Freo Churches there was a steady, movei moat ill t'ho diroction of order. Absorp-, tion could not, however, bo tar aim, but rather the creation of somosorj. of larger whole which would meludo all . the parts. Meanwhile. ho thought, ttaiproxfinato aim must b 3 willingness _ and ■ability to worship together ou occasions. Dr Arnold Thomas wound up. thei d 0.,, bato on behalf of tho CongTogatiaaalists,