the Hermas sections from Simonides in the 1859 Memoir and Elliott

Steven Avery

Administrator
p. 54
Scrivener14 also poses a question: Why if Simonides had a genuine fragment of
Hermas in Greek in 1855 which Tischendorf used in his edition of the Apostolic
Fathers did he state that he copied Hermas in 1840 from old copies on Mount
Athos. To these questions Simonides is strangely silent.

p. 114
And further, 1 repeat, that the MS. in dispute is the work of the
unwearied Simonides, and of no other person. A portion of this was secretly
removed from Mt. Sinai, by Professor Tischendorf, in 1844. The rest, with
inconceivable recklessness, he mutilated and tampered with, according to
his liking, in the year 1859. Some leaves he destroyed, especially such as
contained the Acrostics of Simonides; but four of them escaped him, viz.,
one in the Old Testament, and three in Hermas, as I long since informed
Simonides: many palaeographical symbols also escaped his notice, but 1 do
not know whether these were eventually overlooked.

p. 131
3. HERMAS
The other forgery mentioned by Tregelles in connexion with the llranius is
Simonides' manuscript of Hermas. The Memoir refers to this p. 43 f and turns this
into an attack on Tischendorf:
Of the manuscript of «Hermas» which was at first proclaimed to be ge-
nuine, but was afterwards stated by some persons to be a forgery, it is suffi-
cient to say that the Academical Library at Leipsic subsequently examined
jt in the most careful manner, and were so certain of its authenticity, that
they purchased it, and it now forms a highly—valued portion of their col-
lection.
The genuineness of the Palimpsest of Hermas has likewise been con-
tested by no less a person than M. Tissendorf, who, as already observed, has
a strong personal feeling against Simonides; but the value of the manuscript
is best ascertained by the fact that the Imperial Library at Vienna con-
sidered themselves highly fortunate in being able to purchase a portion of it,
notwithstanding the remarks made by those who opposed its authenticity.
This is the best answer that can be given to M. Tissendorf.

p. 170
At Leipzig, Simonides sold a copy of Hermas the Shepherd, a Christian
work of the first century, hitherto known only in a Latin translation. It was
published by Prof. Dindorf and Prof. Anger; and is no doubt a forgery49

Elliott p. 182\3 from the 1859 Memoir

He soon became intimate with the German professors in that city—
Anger, Gersdorf, and Dindorf—and then communicated to them his views,
at which they expressed great delight. On the 27th of July, 1855, being in
the University library of Leipsic with Professor Anger and M. Lycurgus,
who interpreted between them, he showed to the Inspector of the Library
the manuscripts he intended to publish first, which were works of the
fathers of the Greek Church unknown till that time. Gersdorf, who was
p. 183
about to undertake the publication of them, having taken the manuscripts
in his hands, discovered most unexpectedly a portion of the pastoral
writings of the Apostolic Father Hermas. This discovery greatly delighted
all present, and from that day they never ceased intreating Simonides to
present the discovered portion to the University Library, promising that he
should receive an equivalent return, and he, though he would not consent
at first, was subsequently persuaded to accede to their request. Having
handed over the manuscript and a copy of the part wanting, which
Simonides had made himself while in Mount Athos (for he had not the
whole of the manuscript with him) and also a clean copy for publication, he
received the money agreed upon shortly after the publication of the work.
A short time before the publication of the Hermas he communicated
to Lycurgus the existence of another Hermaean manuscript, preserved in
palimpsests. He afterwards communicated the like intelligence to Anger,
and this manuscript was brought from Alexandria to Leipsic, after the
publication of the Hermas, at the reiterated request of Anger and Dindorf.
This preference, given to the two latter gentlemen appears to have given
considerable annoyance to Professor Tissendorf, and hence arose a jealousy
that was most unfavourable to Simonides. It was reported by Tissendorf
that there was a deception in the manuscript of Hennas, and that the decep-
tion was evidently intended to mislead. A controversy arose in conse-
quence, in which Tissendorf was supported by Lycurgus; and Simonides,
who was greatly enraged against Lycurgus, published a pamphlet under the
title of «The Sycophant Lycurgus», and in which he explained the whole
matter, and put his adversaries to shame by showing that the manuscript
Hermas was correct and that the common Latin translations from which it
differed had been made, not in accordance with the Greek originals, but to
suit the views of the Latin translators, who had put into the mouth of the
Aposiolic Father Hermas doctrinal opinions quite inconsistent with the
apostolical announcement, but eminently calculated to strengthen the posi-
tion of the Church to which the translators belonged. The affair caused
considerable excitement among theologians, and as some of the chief
dogmas of the Latin Church were severely attacked by an exposure of the
fraud in the Latin translations, Simonides gained much ill-will among the
members of that Church. It may here be observed that, up to the present
time two editions of Hermas have appeared from two copies of Simonides.
The first is the correct one, which was discovered in the monastery of
Gregory in Mount Athos, written by Clemens of Larissa in 1475, and first
published by Anger and Dindorf at Leipsic in 1856. The second transcribed
in the vernacular by Abraham of Telos in 1821, and therefore corrupt, was
discovered in Mount Athos in the monastery of Dionysius in 1851, and
published at Leipsic in the series of the Apostolic Fathers by Tissendorf,

though he must certainly have been acquainted with the corrupt state of
p. 184
the book. Both, however, are incomplete towards the end; but Simonides
has lately published the remainder in his book of the Four Theological
Writings, preceding it by the life of the Apostolic Father Hermas,
so impor-
tant to ecclesiastical history, and together with of those bearing the same
name as Hermas, and other matters no less curious, since they were all
unknown till their publication by Simonides. But besides the two
manuscripts of Hennas in question, which he discovered in Mount Athos,
he discovered seven others, some of which are of the earliest centuries after
Christ, and others more recent. To proceed, however, a little while before
. the publication of the Hermas, Professor Dindorf being informed of
another palimpsest manuscript, very important, and entitled «Three Books
of Records of the Egyptian Kings, by Uranius of Alexandria, son of Anax-
imenes)^ and having seen it with his own eyes and handled it with his own
hands, came to Simonides together with Anger, and was almost beside
himself with joy and offered him a large price for it, adding that he would
purchase it for the Bodleian library, of which he stated himself to be the
representative.
 
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Steven Avery

Administrator
p. 41]
first book of Hermas (p. 16, Memoir describing Tischendorf)
p. 27 and p. 28
first part of the pastoral writings of Hermas
p.12
first part of the Pastor of Hermas
p. 99
the first book of Hermas (again from Memoir)

p. 55
all the pastoral writings of Hermas
 
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