' FROM SUEZ TO SINAI.'^ 



261 



1892 by Mrs. Lewis and her sister, Mrs. Gibson, and called the 

 Codex Syrsin, or Codex Surae Veteris Palinipsestus Sinaiticus, 

 the most valuable manuscript the library now contains. This 

 is the oldest Syriac translation of the Gospels, but unfortunately 

 it is far from complete. The parchment is a palimpsest, i.e., it 

 has been twice used for writing. This is easily explained. As 

 we know, the material employed for ancient manuscripts had a 

 commercial value which led to its repeated use : the vellum was 

 rubbed down and cleaned, and then used again. Beneath 

 writing that was comparatively modern, relating stories about 

 some " holy " women, Mrs. Lewis detected traces of ancient 

 characters. By the application of chemicals the original WTiting 

 was brought out, with the happy result that she had found a 

 Gospel text of profound interest and great value. Then each 

 page was photographed by Mrs. Lewis and the fruits of the 

 discovery given to the world. 



The chief treasure the monastery library contained in former 

 days was the Bible manuscript found there by Tischendorf, the 

 Codex Sinaiticus. This dates from the fourth century a.d., and 

 is regarded as the oldest and most authoritative text next to the 

 Codex Vaticanus at Eome. Several leaves of this codex are 

 now preserved at the University of Leipzig, but the greater part 

 was purchased by the Emperor Alexander II. in 1869, for the 

 absurdly small sum of eight thousand francs. The library now 

 contains only a copy of this codex. 



In the afternoon we " assisted " at the convent service : most 

 of the monks were present, the Archimandrite occupying an 

 important stall near the Archbishop's throne. The number of 

 monks is now only twenty-five, but formerly there were as many 

 as four hundred. The service (in Modern Greek) seemed an 

 interminable repetition of prayers, interspersed with excessive 

 censing of everybody and everything. I have never witnessed 

 in any Latin church a service which seemed so degrading and 

 debased. 



The monks as they entered passed by a long series of pictures 

 of saints ; they crossed themselves before favourites and kissed 

 the faces on the pictures. At certain points in the service the 

 cantor would repeat Kyrie Eleison (pronounced " guerison ") as 

 fast as he could, and until he was breathless, once about forty 

 times, and often twelve or twenty times. At the close, the 

 monks bowed to the ground, as a Moslem does at prayer, some 

 for a score of times, and one of the priests approached the 

 Archimandrite, bowed three times to the ground and retired. 

 We were told that this form of service has continued unchanged 



