Tag Archives: Agnes Lewis

Agnes Lewis and Margaret Gibson, Part 2

In the course of Agnes’s life she had on many occasions blessed a Greater Providence, but never more ardently than when she stumbled across this blackened wodge of text. How fortunate that her brother-in-law had prevented her from visiting St. Catherine’s six years earlier. How glorious now that former disappointment! Had she and Grace not been stopped at Suez by Gibson’s telegrams, they might have made the desert crossing and passed some time pleasantly enough with the monks, but as tourists – nothing more! She would not have read Rendel Harris’s description of the ‘dark closet’ or have studied Syriac. Nor would she have had any connection to the University of Cambridge, or the interest of its scholars in directing her enquiries; and of course no signed and stamped letter of introduction from the vice-chancellor to ease her progress in Cairo. She would not have had the faintest idea about cameras or the general familiarity with antiquities and manuscripts gained simply from having been married to Samuel Lewis, the keep of the Parker Library. *

 

(Continued from Part 1, February 23, 2016)

st catherine's monasteryAgnes Lewis and Margaret Gibson set out on the difficult and dangerous journey to St. Catherine’s monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai in 1892. They had longed for nearly ten years to be able to return to St. Catherine’s Monastery and view the Syriac manuscripts that were supposed to be hidden away in a dark closet. Circumstances, including their brief but happy marriages precluded them from fulfilling their dream.

Agnes and Margaret would later reflect that had they set out any earlier on this adventure they might not have been successful. They believed in a providential God and realized that going on the trip had to wait until His perfect timing.

During their wait, God was preparing them in ways they didn’t understand before they could set out. Agnes was disappointed when her brother-in-law, James Gibson sent her warnings not to go to Sinai because he thought it was too dangerous. She honored him and returned home. Later, she and her husband, Samuel Lewis, would travel to other places. She never lost her desire to see the Holy Land.

It is very exciting to see how the sisters would accomplish the desire of their hearts. They were in mourning as widows but did not sit around for long.  Agnes and Margaret would later understand the reasons why they were chosen to find the Sinai Palimpsest even though many men had failed and even though they had to wait. God granted them the success where others had failed.

In the first place, the monks at St. Catherine’s Monastery did not trust European scholars any more. In 1859 the famous Constantin von Tischendorf visited the monastery in search of the Codex Sinaiticus, one of the oldest known copies of the Bible ever found, predating other copies by almost 600 years. It seems that von Tischendorf told the monks that he wanted to “borrow” the manuscript so he could copy it. The generous monks believed him. Von Tischendorf made off with the manuscript to eventual worldwide fame. After publishing a facsimile of the valuable manuscript, von Tischendorf “loaned” it to the Tsar of Russia who had financed his trip. The Tsar took it as a gift.

The monks were wary of most visitors but they trusted a Quaker scholar named Rendel Harris. Harris had received a warm welcome at St. Catherine’s and he had been allowed to study a valuable work, a full text in Syriac called, “Apology of Aristides”. This find was important because it dated to early fourth century and proved once again that a completely developed Christian theology existed before the liberal scholars were willing to concede any developed Christian thought.

Secondly, while at St. Catherine’s Harris had been told about a dark closet off of a chamber beneath the archbishop’s rooms where more manuscripts were kept. He had not had a chance to look at them but he knew that Agnes and Margaret were planning a trip to Mount Sinai. After returning home from his own find, Rendel Harris rushed to Castlebrae, the twins’ home, and told them about his trip, his warm welcome by the monks, and what he suspected about the existence of other important manuscripts. He admired the twins and knew that they had the abilities necessary to be welcomed by the monks. He encouraged them in their dreams of visiting Sinai.

Thirdly, one of the reasons that Rendel Harris got along with the monks was because he could speak modern Greek. This impressed the monks and Rendel Harris knew that the ability to speak the language fluently would give the twins a warm welcome that could be refused to others. He also advised Agnes to brush up on Syriac so that she could positively identify the manuscripts that he believed were hidden away at St. Catherine’s. Agnes applied herself to learning this ancient language that was a variation of the Aramaic spoken by Jesus in the first century. God was getting this remarkable woman ready to identify one of the oldest copies of the Gospels in existence.

Fourthly, through her happy but brief marriage to the Cambridge scholar Samuel Lewis, Agnes was introduced into Cambridge society. She made many friends there. A traveler can’t just go waltzing into St. Catherine’s Monastery without letters of introduction and credentials. Agnes and Margaret were able to get an introductory letter from Cambridge and permission from the Archbishop in Cairo. This would not have been possible ten years before.

Fifthly, the sisters knew that they would not be able to take manuscripts away from the monastery. So these remarkably gifted women learned photography! They traveled with photographic equipment including 1000 film exposures. Later they would develop most of the pictures themselves. Again, God was preparing them to find and reveal the oldest copy of the Gospels then known to the world in the only way available at the time.

At last the day came for them to travel to Egypt. Ready now with command of Greek and Syriac, letters of introduction and permission, cameras, medicine, courage, and experience Agnes and Margaret set out to fulfill their dream of finding manuscripts that would prove that the Bible was written earlier than skeptics said.

When the sisters reached the monastery they were welcomed by the monks who had heard about them and were expecting them. The monks were delighted with these intelligent women who spoke perfect Greek. It also happened to be the custom of the monastery to welcome women pilgrims for their protection. The twins pitched their tents in the convent gardens and made friends with the monks. They began to work in the library the next day.

Agnes spotted a manuscript of dirty vellum. It seemed to be at first glance a collection of stories of women saints, but looking closer Agnes could see writing in columns underneath. This document was a “palimpsest”, containing pages where the old writing had been scraped down and new writing put on top. Agnes could see words such as “Of Matthew” and “of Luke” and realized that she was looking at possibly the oldest copy of the Gospels ever found. Agnes thanked the Lord for His providence in preparing her in every way to be the one to find this document.

Agnes and Margaret made photographic copies of their find and returned home. The Sinai Palimpsest (also called the Lewis Codex) proved to be from the fourth century. More remarkable still, it was a translation of a copy of the Gospels that dated to around 170 A.D. This was proof that Christianity was much older than the skeptics had said.

The scholars in Cambridge refused to acknowledge the find as significant. The sisters were ignored until scholars Robert Bensly and Francis Burkitt finally got a proper look at the photographs. They were excited and even frantic to get to the monastery to make a copy of the manuscript before anyone else could do it.

Agnes and Margaret put together another trip to Sinai with the three world famous scholars, Robert Bensly, Francis Burkitt, and their friend Rendel Harris and went back to St. Catherine’s to transcribe the manuscript. They were welcomed by the monks who gave them every assistance. When the work was finished the three returned home where most of the publicity centered around the sisters.

Dr. Agnes LewisAgnes and Margaret were finally accepted into scholarlyDr. Margaret Gibson circles. They were denied degrees by Cambridge which did not grant women degrees until 1948, but other institutions were willing to honor the sisters as they should be. They received honorary degrees from St. Andrews and Heidelberg, Trinity College and Halle.

Agnes and Margaret went on traveling and exploring. The sisters were welcomed by professors for their expertise in ancient manuscripts. The twins were instrumental in the founding of Westminster College in 1899. Margaret died in 1920 and Agnes passed away in 1926. Agnes wrote several books describing their travels and especially the journey to Sinai to St. Catherine’s.

Even in our day the Bible is criticized as a work entirely of humans containing errors. Unbelievers are always looking for ways to ignore the fact that the Scriptures are the very Word of God. God has protected His Word over the centuries. How wonderful that he used two women to find a lost manuscript that would help boost the veracity of Christianity.

It is so ironic that the men at Cambridge refused to accept the testimony of Agnes Smith and Margaret Gibson because they were women. And yet, because they were women they were allowed to do what many men before them could not do. Because they were faithful women they were allowed to handle the manuscripts at St. Catherine’s and give a great gift to the world.

But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong… (I Corinthians 1:27)

 

*Soskice, Janet, The Sisters of Sinai: How Two Lady Adventurers Discovered the Hidden Gospels. (Vintage Books, A Division of Random House, Inc., New York, 2010) page 126.

 

 

 

Agnes Lewis and Margaret Gibson and the find of the Century

Agnes But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.                                  (2 Peter 1:20,21)

Christians for many centuries have believed that the Bible is the very word of God. It was not questioned by most of the faithful until the nineteenth century. Then the Bible came under attack by liberal scholars influenced by the so-called “higher criticism” that originated in Germany. Skeptics relegated the stories in the Old and New Testaments to mythology. In an age of escalating scientific discoveries, many no longer believed in miracles such as a six-day creation, the Flood, or the parting of the Red Sea.

Not only did the facts in the Bible come under criticism, but scholars doubted the integrity of the text itself. They assumed that there could not be any such thing as prophecy, therefore the stories must have been written years after the events were supposed to have happened according to biblical authors. Liberals also applied the principle of evolution to the development of Christianity. Unbelievers such as Thomas Paine declared that the Gospels could not have been written until at least three or four hundred years after Christ.

Faithful Christians never doubted that the Word of God was given by the Holy Spirit and that the Scriptures had been protected by God down through the centuries. They longed to counter the claims of the liberals but there were very few ancient copies of the Scriptures to authenticate their claim that the Bible indeed was written by Paul and other men of God.

But God has continually protected His Word and in His providence directed the finding of evidence of its veracity. Twin sisters – Margaret Gibson and Agnes Lewis – came across one of the earliest known copies of the four Gospels in a secluded monastery in the Sinai Peninsula. This palimpsest dated to the fourth century but it was a translation of a copy that dated to the late second century. As news of this discovery spread Christians around the world rejoiced. The date of the writing of the Scriptures now came very near to the beginning of Christianity.

How did these Scottish twins, with no formal university training become the ones who would make the Biblical find of the century?

Dr. Agnes Lewis
Dr. Agnes Lewis

Agnes and Margaret Smith were born on January 11, 1843 to John and Margaret Smith in Irvine, Scotland. Mrs. Smith would die only two weeks later. John vowed never to marry again and to bring up the twins by himself. In his sorrow he never mentioned his wife Margaret afterwards, but despite his aloofness on the subject of his wife, he was a loving and generous father.

Dr. Margaret Gibson
Dr. Margaret Gibson

John Smith educated his daughters as if they were boys. He taught them logic and reasoning. Typical of Scottish Presbyterianism, their school educated boys and girls together. There was a high priority placed on being able to read the Bible for men and women alike. Christians were expected to attend church twice on Sunday. Agnes and Margaret were blessed in that their minister was one of the finest preachers in Scotland and his sermons were rich in illustrations from the Bible, especially the Old Testament.

The twins’ father told them that for each foreign language they would learn he would reward them with a visit to that country. These bright girls took advantage of their father’s offer and mastered French, German, Spanish and Italian while young. The sisters had always been deeply interested in studying the Bible and between them learned several Biblical languages – Hebrew and Greek- and later modern Greek, Arabic, and Syriac.  This love for God’s Word and for the history of God’s people would later be part of the motivation for the sisters to travel to Sinai in search of lost manuscripts.

John Smith died when the sisters were only 23 years old. He left them with a huge inheritance of a quarter of a million pounds. Most unmarried wealthy women would have probably headed for the Riviera or Paris. But Agnes and Margaret decided to head to Egypt instead.

Margaret and Agnes mourned for their father but not for too long. After all, he was in a better place and lengthy mourning periods only showed lack of faith in the life to come. Though they shocked some people they decided to assuage their grief by doing something that they knew he would applaud. They would travel. Hadn’t he brought them up not to worry about what other people think? Didn’t they know nine other languages and so could travel with ease where most people would have difficulty?

Being devout Presbyterians with a love for God’s Word it was natural for them to think of a religious tour rather than a frivolous one. The sisters had no other relations to tell them what to do and so these inseparable twins set out on an adventure. They hired a lady companion, Grace Blyth, and set out for the Nile.

Their first adventure was fraught with difficulties including a cheating dragoman. The sisters received rebukes saying that they should have traveled under a male escort. But dauntless Agnes felt otherwise. Their mistake, she said, was in not knowing the language of the country. They would continue to travel – but learn the language first!

Upon returning from their year long adventure, Agnes and Margaret settled in London. Some years later both would marry and both would be widowed after only three years of wedded happiness. Margaret married James Gibson a preacher of some renown. He passed away in 1886 after a brief illness. During their marriage James Gibson prevented the sisters from traveling to Sinai again. Though they dearly wanted to, James thought it was too dangerous. They respected his guidance.

Agnes married Samuel Lewis, a Fellow and antiquarian librarian at Cambridge. This marriage allowed Agnes into the Cambridge society and she met many scholars who would influence her later. Samuel also passed away somewhat unexpectedly in 1891. The widows were in deep mourning but both had the assurance that they would see their beloved husbands in Heaven.

Margaret and Agnes were now free to travel again. They could at last return to Sinai. Dangerous as it might be the twins longed to travel on the same route as the Israelites. They wanted to visit the spot where Moses saw the burning bush and then returned later to receive the Ten Commandments. Eventually they wanted to trod where Joseph and Mary and the child Jesus trod on the way to Egypt.

st catherine's monasteryA friend and fellow biblical scholar, Rendel Harris, had told Agnes about a manuscript that he had found at St. Catherine’s Monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai several years earlier. This was a fabulous find. It was a record of a developed Christian doctrine dating to the second century. This was the kind of proof that Christian scholars were looking for to refute the skeptics who said that Christian doctrine was not developed for hundreds of years.

But the most exciting thing, he told Agnes, was that there was a dark closet in the Monastery where there were many other documents that he did not get to look at. These documents were in Syriac, a form of the Aramaic that was spoken in the first century. This was the language spoken by Jesus. Agnes studied Syriac in anticipation of finding these documents. She wanted to be able to identify them accurately.

Now prepared to meet the monks in the Sinai monastery with their command of modern Greek and their ability to read Syriac, the sisters set out on their quest for the most important Bible find of the century.

Continued Next Week…….