June 1927
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mind when he answered the question, “What is man that Thou art mindful of him?” Jesus was Master in every realm of life, even in the realm and the article of death. When man comes to the experience of the divine purpose in his redemptive activity he shall be like Him for he shall see Him as He is. The striking thing about this man as here pictured is not that he is like the animal in any way, but rather that he is absolutely different ffom the animal. The fact that he has a body that is similar in some respects to the body of animals does not make him an animal. The things that make man man as over against everything else in his world are the things in which he is unlike the animals. This conception is wholly different from the purely mechanistic conception of much of popular present day psychology.- We believe, how ever, that it is more comprehensive and more consistent with the actual facts of life and experience than the mechanistic theory. In fact we can find no theory of psychology that makes possible a united personality as it is made possible in the Bible psychology. Here we have a basis of unity that is sufficiently challenging because it gives adequate opportunity for the fullest possible experience of life in a constructive program. This is obviously true because the greatest personality in human history is Jesus Christ, who is the perfect interpretation of Bible psychology. up around the room, and he offered it for half a dollar. Strange to say, I, myself, at the time of purchase, did not attach any particular value to the copy. I was merely mildly curious. Later, I realized its importance and looked into its history. .“According, to a label on the cover of the binding, the Testament was once in the possession of a Rev. J. M. Wright. A price mark of five shillings in pencil, appar ently that of some dealer, indicates that the book was once for sale in England.” How and when it came to America is not known. It is indeed strange how these eight volumes remained intact throughout this period of eleven decades, and throughout the vicissitudes, not only of the years, but of journeys from China to England, and England to America. And it is especially striking that they fell into the hands of, and traveled back with, a Christian Chinese, to the land of their origin.
This seems the basis for moral responsibility and because of it we hold man responsible for the kind of life he lives in. a sense in which we never think of holding mere ani mals responsible. A S elf -C ommunicating B eing In the fifth place, Bible psychology recognizes man as a self communicating being. In this fact it recognizes the basis of religion in human life. He is a being that has relations with God in which he can have conscious fel lowship. Augustine said one of the greatest words that can be spoken of man from a psychological point of view when he said, “Thou hast made us for Thyself and we can not rest until we rest in Thee.” This is the thing that makes possible a communion with God in which life flows in life. Out of this fellowship and experience the desire to share His life with his fellowmen comes. In this realm we find the deeper meanings of the incarna tion. Jesus came to give His life a ransom for many and this He did in order that He that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified may be one. In this experience of life we realize the highest possible in human personality. M an I ntended F or M astery In the sixth place, according to the Bible ideal as expressed in Jesus Christ, man was intended for mastery and dominion.. The writer to the Hebrews had this in A MOST surprising and interesting fact has come from the China Agency of the American Bible Society. A Dr. Yu-Yin Tsu, Ph.D., director of religious work in the Peking Union Medical College, is the proud possessor of a Chinese New Testament with the title-page bearing the date of 1813. From the information sent by the Rev. Carleton Lacy, and the statement of Dr. Tsu, we give the story in brief. To Dr. Tsu we also owe the photograph here reproduced. Apparently, the date 1813 was the year in which the type-setting was 'commenced. Robert Morrison that year completed his translation, although the finished book did not come from the press until the following year. As thé picture on this page reveals, this New Testament is in eight octavo volumes. It seems to have been based in part on the British Museum manuscript, but the translation of the Gospels and the Epistle to the Hebrews through Revelation was by Morrison. The title-page and index have been damaged by worms or white ants. The book is printed on Chinese paper, bound with string. So far as learned, it is the only copy extant in China. Dr. Tsu writes of his discovery of the New Testa ment: “So far as I can recall, it was in 1911, when I was in New York City for my theological education. I was in the habit of visiting secondhand bookstores, for I wanted to bring back to China a fairly good library and could not afford the price of new books. The secondhand book stores were a genuine delight to me, as to all other poor students. “On one occasion, as I was rummaging over the shelves, I came across this copy of the New Testament. The master of the shop could not tell where he had gotten it. It was with other volumes of no particular value, piled
a¡& 'éS> A Chinese ^Testament 114 Years Old gfeÿ
CHINESE NEW TESTAMENT, DATED 1813, IN 8 VOLUMES
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