| Show A VALUABLE manuscript V A few days ago a dispatch fit denver stated that a clergyman 0 ofa city had informed his congregate cong congre gattoS the discovery of a leaf of the K testament the earliest so far I 1 IB istance the announcement if j founded is important enough to mand widespread attention according to exchanges defte recel s the sacred relic was found arno amon lot of papyri sent by dr 0 oxford university to england S denver clergyman paid a visit taj petrie about three weeks a aga J learned of the find of the leaf in tnt tion hitherto only a few in cintrat friends of dr petrie had been jmj of its existence 3 the leaf now found contains ajaj the entire first chapter of the ow of matthew and corresponds exalt exactly the greek text commonly in critics who have examined the pronounce it written before cl year of our era and state tm must be a copy of still earlier asa scripts the theory Is that the le leaded fallen out of the book of which tt it formed a part and that it had t thrown among waste paper and ta its way to the pile of rubbish 1 it finally was discovered among papyri by the egyptian explorers explore p in order to appreciate the I 1 ii ance of this leaf of the new ment it must be remembered t has been urged with const force lately that in the history new testament writings there I 1 laj of a century or more between tha tt of the sacred authors and the east catalogues cataloguer catal of their writings no a say anything about the earliest ssofi extant now this fragment cornea the world as a voice from that dasti past proving beyond a doubt tahl istance of new testament writ previous to the manuscripts SH known and probably during the UM of the so called apostolic fath fathers not of the first apostles of our io it may bring modern criticism toa necessity of changing its tacal certainly strengthens the posit MSS believers in the authenticity new testament we are not disposed to U und the importance of any histo alstork dence in favor of the bodh dounda the christian faith but afe nevertheless that those to four are so firmly planted that no noak remove them the influence of upon the world Is an before which every doubt tw quieted the re church in our own age in vis IU and power to in a sufficient reply hall the technical questions of mody critics the failure of christi aty as it is today or rather of as it has been called rave ave the world from vice and to in into private and public life a al principles principle as not due to a lack of evidence but to the fact that teachings are not applied more ical christianity on the part or followers would convert or at t silence infidelity more effective han an all the historical evidence in otence fence christianity is a power for only so far as it is practically lied |
