NEW FINDS IN EGYPT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9211, 14 April 1908, Page 2

NEW FINDS IN EGYPT.

A LONG-LOST TRAGEDY. Speaking at the annual meeting ©f the Egypt Exploration. Fund, held at Burlington House, London, early in November (says the "Daily Telegraph "), Dr B. P. Grenfell gave some ttocount of $he> more important papyri which he arid his colleague, Dr Hunt, had discovered during their repent researches at Oxyrynchus. It was on that rich cite that these two Egyptologists found the much-discuseedj " Sayings of Jesus " a few seasons ago, and it has now been, thoroughly exhausted by them. Dr Grenfell briefly alluded to a vellum fragment of an. uncanonical gospel which would soon be published, relating to a conversation on. the nature of purity between, our Lord and a Pharisee, which i& supposed to have taken place in the temple at Jerusalem. It didnot posses the antiquity or the importance of the " Sayings of Jesus," and was probably to be regarded ad an elaboration of Matthew xv., 1-20, composed between A.D. 150 and A.D. 200 But the author was more successful than many writers of the apocryphal gospels in catching something of the genuine ring, and the fragment was a valuable addition to the scanty remnant of the numerous uncanonical traditions concerning Christ' 6 teaching, which was current in many Christian oommunitieb, especially in Egypt, during the third and fourth centuries. Dr Grenfell then quoted a translation of part of a new ode by Pindar, written for the inhabitants of the little island of Ceos, the home of many poete and athletes, but which aspired to no political distinction. It is chiefly interesting as singing the praises of "the simple life." The personified Mand is supposed to be speaking: — "Verily, though I live on a rock, I am known for prowess in Hellenic contests, and known for some display of the Muse's art; verily, too, my acres bear a measure of Bacchus's life-giving cure in extremity. I have not house** nor share in the pastuTage of kine : but neither would Malampue leave his faitherland to lord it in Argoe, nor lay aside his gift of divination. Hail, hail, 0 Paean! The city and comrades of a man's home and his kinsmen are dear, and bring, contentment. In happiness remote from foolish men, I praise the words of Lord Euxantius, who, when his fellows were eager, refused to rule or to take the seventh share of a hundred, cities along with the eons of Pasiphse ; and he spake to them his prophecy: — 'I fear war with Zeus. I rear the crashing Shaker of Earth. With thunderbolt and trident they once sent the land and its whole host to the depths of Tartarus, but left my mother and all her well-fenced house. Then sl/all I, in pursuit of wealth, and thrusting aside into utter neglfect tho decree of the blessed ones - for our country, have elsewhere a great possession? How would this be quite secure for me? Dwell not my heart, on the cypress-grove, dwell not on the pastures of Ida ! To me little is given, a mere shrub of oak, but I have no lot in trouble or strife.' "

Another find of even greater importance was a papyrus containing 800 lines of an unknown Greek writer, whom Dr Grenfell believes to be the fourth-cen-tury historian, TheopompuS'. He was an annalist, who based his method on that of Thucydides, though his style more closely resembles that of Poly bi us. The fragment supplies new facts concerning the evente of 396-5 8.C., and the Constitution of . Boeotia, and throws valuable light upon the sources, other than Xenophon, available to the later historians. Dr Grenfell, indeed, claimed that the new discovery revealed, if only for a brief period, the existence of a new and unexpected star in the firmament of Gxeek literature. In. addition to these, Oxyrynchus also yielded some 300 lines of the lost tragedy of Euripides, called Hypsipyle. These lines are scattered rather widely over the play, which contained in all about 1700. f Hypsipyle was a daughter of Thoas, King of Lemnos, and had succeeded in saving her father's life when tlie women of the island killed all the men. When her deed was discovered she was banished, and became the nurse of the infant son of Eurydice, wife of Lycurgus, King of Nemea. The expedition of the seven heroes against Thebes occurred at this time, and on passing through the territory of Lycurgus the seer Amphiaraus, who was one of the leaders of the expedition, met Hypsipyle, and requested her to show them a pure spring of water to be used in sacrificial rites. The arrival of Amphiaraus and thp meeting with Hypsipyle are narrated in one- of the more complete portions of the papyrus. Hypfeipyle consents, and, putting down the child of which she was in charge, proceeds to show the way to the water, but in her absence tb-e child was bitten by a snake and died, the occurrence being narrated in a speech of a messenger, of which a small fragment survives. Hypsipyle, fearful of the anger of the Queen, in a conversation with Amphiaraus (partially preserved) announces hex- intention of flight. She was. however, captured, and condemned to death, the Queen Eurydice accusing her of Kav'ing intentionally caused the death of her eon. Hypsipyle protests her innoceuco, but is being .led" off to her doom, when Amphiaraus appears on the. scene. He explains to Eurydice what hfd actually hnnpennd. .nnd nersuades her that the deafh of her child was an unfortunate accident. He also ar>parentlv brines abon.t the recognition of Hypsipyle and her two sons, jrbo bad me-nnwhilo arrived, and had "hfen Tecoived by jft'irydic^ in ignorance of their identity. Tbp. latter portion of this scenp. of recognition >« also In o-ood T>rpfievTvation. and the piece cw»lndes with "Mifl appparanep of tne.«?od Dionvsur. from whom Hypsipyle w«r descended. The p"T)vrus thus eetnblisTips with sufficient c'^arnew the. structure of t : be play. pnd. amid a numbpr of small and uselepß frnorTvoTit,*. oontniriE <K>rnp nn.ssnorfvs of considerable 7pn«rth, inelndi"sr nlv"t p.ovpv+v linos of Ivrics. *T>a.rt from t^o* 5 ™ in the pfenp 'h^tirppn TTvnßinvle and hoy sons, in •"•liffjli Tx-vi-"■"i verses are intererior^nd -"-itT) i^-n-ibJcR. nns.sacrofi'. r«jkJ TV Grenfell. «•>•« + li nroutrhly wo-^lt^ of tne. nop.t. nrd i" ""''apes .tp marirp' l ~by ni"«ii ]io a n+T- r>nr{ <7'v\ptn+io ■t n rcf>: '^•'A find i"^ j»n p^<-litor>»i •of tp"l* val" rv + rt tbc> rer"iJTiß Q »i- re<spvernl o+.^.^r c l " ioc '^*'l frp^m-PTitf?. t^** l-w+ f^-ronk of the Ao^ of P^+er. vhiVli ?s only oxt."Mh i" T — tin, ■>r>'"l o? "^ unkn^*'' v > yprt?ii>T> of thp. Apt* of Jsxhv. Torniy^ifi on attpmnt t<v 'v»nT-Qf l t th<» rtnos+lp fvmit p V"sdorr>. ti«fi ■miracnV"iS of. +Vio obst' - 'ip+^' 1 . « v> d + ' lfv pulysenufjit nrayer oft r *~ r^ ""* aj " .T^v-n