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Show THE BIBLE. Ifannscripts of the New and the Old Testaments Tes-taments Often Rewritten. The New Testament, as we know it, comes down to us after having been kepi for hundreds of ycais in manuscript form by tie priests, iatners or me cnurcn, and others. The writings have been copied and reccpied probably scores of times, at least as often as occasion required, re-quired, being always renewed before becoming unintelligible by use and wear. The two oldest of these manu scripts now known are the Codex Seni-aticus Seni-aticus and the Codex Vaticanus, eacli of which dates from the fourth century, A. D. The languages originally used in tms work V? ere Hebrew and Greek, but after the year 300 A. D. the manuscripts manu-scripts were all, or nearly all, written in Latin. The last me.itioi.ed language was that adopted by the Roman church in their translations and was known as the "Vulgate," bocanse commonly used in the churches. As far back as the seventh sev-enth century portions of the Vulgate Were translated into old English, and it was also the version used by Wickliffe (Wyclif), Purvey and their predecessors and was the first book printed from movable type, 1450-5. xynaaie s version was irom autermarj translation of the original Greek, made by Martin Luther. The "authorized version, "or King James' translation, was made by 47 oJ the most eminent British scholars and was finished in the year 1611. Th4 Latin Vulgate was tho main version used by them; but, so far as they were accessible, other manuscripts, both in tho Greek and Hebrew, were consulted and compared. Tho manuscripts of the Old Testament Testa-ment have had similar experiences, having hav-ing been written and rewritten thou-eands thou-eands of times since the first collection was put in writing by the priests and leaders of the Israelites, about the yeai 1500 B. C. All of the older copies have, of course, been worn out or lost ever since long before the birth of Christ, the oldest copies in manuscript form now in existence, so far as is known, dating from the year 500 A D. St Louia Republic |