HOW WE GOT OUR BIBLE.

Matamata Record, Volume XVI, Issue 1444, 24 July 1933, Page 7

HOW WE GOT OUR BIBLE.

CURSIVE MANUSCRIPTS. A Vast Field for Research. The third and concluding portion of the address given by the Rev. j. W. Burley to the Matamata Church of England Men’s Society on the subject of “ How We Got Our Bible ” appears below: — Of the cursive manuscripts there were about 1500 accessible to scholars. Many of these were of very great value. When it was recalled that ten or twelve manuscripts, and those generally modern, were all there was for ascertaining the text of most classical writers, it would assist in grasping the enormous amount of evidence there was available for the purpose of Scripture revision.

Ancient Versions.

Another source of reference was the “ Ancient Versions ” or translations of the Bible into the languages of early Christiandom. There were Bibles used by men only one generation removed from the time of the Apostles. Although only translations they were of great value in determining the original text. These Bibles were written in Syriac, a version representing very nearly the language of the people among whom Our Lord moved.

The Latin Vulgate.

In addition to these were the discoloured parchments, Egyptian, Ethiopic and Armenian versions, which were silver lettered on leaves of purple. The greatest of all these was the Latin Vulgate, the great revised version of the Western Church. -Towards the end of the fourth century many errors had crept into the Latin texts, so it was decided by the Ancient Western Church to revise. Eusebius Hieronymus, or St. Jerome, was appointed by the then Bishop of Rome, Damasus, to carry out this stupendous work. He completed the New Testament in 385. Then he translated the Old Testament from the Hebrew. It met with a vast amount of opposition, just as our own revised version had done 50 years ago. This version had a great influence on the history of the Bible for more than a thousand years. It had been the parent of every revised version of the Scriptures in Western Europe.

Early Christian Fathers.

Of the old documents the last to be mentioned are the writings of the Ancient Christian Fathers. Although not actual copies of the Scriptures they were interesting and valuable, for many of the Early Fathers were profuse in their quotations from the Scriptur.es. Of these early writings was the Epistle of Barnabas, who was supposed to have been the companion of Paul. Quotations from Barnabas were : “ There be many called but few chosen.” “ That Christ chose as His Apostles men who were sinners, because He came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Epistle of Clement. The Epistle of Clement was by an early Bishop of Rome, and was addressed to the Church of Corrinth. Dionysius, Bishop of Corrinth, about 170 A.D., said that it had been read in his church from ancient times. One quotation from this work was: “ Remembering the words of the Lord Jesus which he. spake, teaching us gentleness and long-suffer-ing; for He said, ‘Be merciful, that ye may obtain mercy; forgive that it may be forgiven you; as ye give it shall be given unto you; as ye judge ye shall be judged; with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you.’ ”

Other writers were Shepherd of Hermas and St. Ignatius, Bishop of Centiock about 40 years after the Ascension. These and others lived during the first hundred years after the time of Christ.

Early in the third century there were Origen and Clement of Alexandria, and in the fourth century Basil, Augustine and Jerome. These and many , others had left writings in large, quantities which were available for .criticism of the Bible..