The letter was repeated in the December 16, 1862 edition of The Literary Churchman as well as the October 1862 volume of The Journal of Sacred Literature.
Sir,
As you have in your impression of August 13 published
a letter from a correspondent signing himself, F.J.A.H., in which reference is
made to me, I must ask you for permission to make a statement in reply. Your
correspondent favours you with some extracts from a letter written by Dr.
Tregelles, in which the following sentence occurs: ‘I believe that I need hardly
say that the story of Simonides, that he wrote the MS., is as false and absurd
as possible.’ The MS referred to is that called the Codex
Sinaiticus, now being published under the editorship of Professor Tischendorf,
at the expense of the Russian government. As what Dr. Tregelles calls ‘my
story’ has never been published, and as that gentleman can only have heard of
it through an indirect medium, it may interest both Dr. Tregelles and your
readers to have the “story” direct from myself. I will tell it as briefly as
possible.
About the end of the year, 1839, the venerable
Benedict, my uncle, spiritual head of the monastery of the holy martyr
Panteleemon in Mount Athos, wished to present to the Emperor Nicholas I of
Russia, some gift from the sacred mountain, in grateful acknowledgement of the
presents which had from time to time been offered to the monastery of the
martyr. Not possessing anything which he deemed acceptable, he consulted with
the herald Procopius and the Russian monk Paul, and they decided upon a copy of
the Old and New Testaments, written according to the ancient form, in capital,
letters, and on parchment. This together with the remains of the seven
apostolic fathers – Barnabas, Hermas, Clement Bishop of Rome, Ignatius,
Polycarp, Papias, and Dionysius the Areopagite – they proposed should be bound
in gold, and presented to the Emperor by a common friend. Dionysius, the
professional calligrapher of the monastery, was then begged to undertake the
work, but he declined, saying that the task being exceedingly difficult, he
would rather not do so. In consequence of this, I myself determined to begin
the work, especially as my revered uncle seemed earnestly to wish it. Having
then examined the principal copies of the Holy Scriptures preserved at Mount
Athos, I began to practise the principles of calligraphy, and the learned
Benedict taking a copy of the Moscow edition of both Testaments (published and
presented to the Greeks by the illustrious brothers Zosimas), collated it with
the ancient ones, and by this means cleared it of many errors, after which he
gave it into my hands to transcribe. Having then received both the Testaments,
freed from errors (the old spelling, however, remaining unaltered), being short
of parchment, I selected from the library of the monastery, with Benedict’s
permission, a very bulky volume, antiquely bound and almost entirely blank, the
parchment of which was remarkably clean, and beautifully finished. This had
been prepared apparently many centuries ago – probably by the writer or by the
principal of the monastery, as it bore the inscription GREEK (a Collection of
Panegryics), and also a short discourse, much injured by time.
I therefore took possession of this book, and prepared
it by taking out the leaf containing the discourse, and by removing several
others injured by time and months, after which I began my task. First, I copied
out the Old and New Testaments, then the Epistle of Barnabas, the first part of
the pastoral writings of Hermas in capital letters (or uncial characters) in
the style known in calligraphy as amphidexios. The transcription of the
remaining Apostolic writings, however, I declined, because the supply of
parchment ran short, and the severe loss which I sustained in the death of
Benedict induced me to hand the work over at once to the bookbinders of the
monastery, for the purpose of replacing the original covers, made of wood and
covered with leather, which I had removed for convenience – and when he had
done so, I took it into my possession.
Some time after this, having removed to
Constantinople, I showed the work to the patriarchs Anthimus and Constantius,
and communicated to them the reason of the transcription. Constantius took it,
and having thoroughly examined it, urged me to present it to the library of
Sinai, which I accordingly promised to do. Constantius had previously ben the
Bishop of Sinai, and since his resignation of that office had again become
Perpetual Bishop of that place.
Shortly after this, I was placed under the protection
of the illustrious Countess Etleng and her brother, A. S. Stourtzas, by the
co-operation of the two patriarchs; but, before departing for Odessa, I went,
over to the island of Antigonus to visit Constantius, and to perform my promise
of giving up the manuscript to the library of Mount Sinai. The patriarch was,
however, absent from home, and I, consequently, let the packet for him with a
letter. On his return, he wrote me the following letter:
My dearly beloved Son in the Holy Spirit,
Simonides; Grace be with you and peace from God. I received with unfeigned
satisfaction your truly valuable transcript of the Holy Scriptures – namely,
the Old and New Testaments, together with the Epistle of St. Barnabas and the
first part of the pastoral writings of Hermas, bound in one volume, which shall
be placed in the library of Mount Sinai, according to your wish. But I exhort
you earnestly (if every by God’s will you should return to the sacred Mount
Athos) to finish the work as you have originally designed it, and he will reward
you. Be with me on the 3d of next month, that I may give you letters to the
illustrious A. S. Stourtzas, to inform him of your talents and abilities, and
to give you a few hints which may prove useful to the success of your plans. I
sincerely trust that you were born for the honour of your country. Amen.
Constantius, late of Constantinople – an
earnest worshipper in Christ.
After I have received the above letter, I again went
to visit the patriarch, who gave me the kindest and most paternal advice, with
letters to Stourtzas, after which I returned to Constantinople, and from thence
went to Odessa in November, 1841. In 1846, I again returned to Constantinople,
when I at once went over to the island of Antigonus to visit Constantius, and
to place in his possession a large packet of MSS. He received me with the
greatest kindness, and we conversed on many different subjects, among others,
upon my transcript, when he informed me that he had sent it some time
previously to Mount Sinai. In 1852, I saw it there myself, and begged the
librarian to inform me how the monastery had acquired it but he did not appear
to know anything of the matter and I, for my part, said nothing. However, I
examined the MS and found it much altered, having an older appearance than it
ought to have. The dedication to the Emperor Nicholas, placed at the beginning
of the book, had been removed. I then began my philological researches, for
there were several valuable MSS. in the library, which I wished to examine.
Amongst them I found the pastoral writings of Hermas, the Holy Gospel according
to St. Matthew, and the disputed Epistle to Aristeas to Philoctetes (all
written on Egyptian papyrus of the first century), with others not unworthy of
note. All this I communicated to Constantius and afterwards to my spiritual
father, Callistratus at Alexandria.
You have thus a short and clear account of the Codex
Simonides, which Professor Tischendorf, when at Sinai, contrived, I know not
how, to carry away; and, going to St. Petersburg, published his discovery there
under the name of the Codex Sinaiticus. When, about two years ago, I saw the
first facsimiles of Tischendorf, which were put into my hand at Liverpool, by
Mr. Newton, a friend of Dr. Tregelles, I at once recognised my own work, as I
immediately told him. The above is a true statement of the origin and history
of the famous Codex Sinaiticus, which Professor Tischendorf has foisted on the
learned world as a MS. of the fourth century. I have now only one or two
remarks to make. The name of the professional calligraphist to the monastery of
St. Panteleemon was Dionysius, the name of the monk who was sent by the Patriarch
to convey the volume from the island of Antigonus to Sinai was Germanus. The
volume, whilst in my possession, was seen by many persons, and it was perused
with attention by the Hadjii John Prodromos, son of Pappa Prodromos, who was a
minister of the Greek Church in Tebizond. John Prodromos kept a coffee house in
Galatas, Constantinople, and probably does so still. The note from Patriarch
Constantius, acknowledging receipt of the MS, together with 25,000 piastres,
sent to me by Constantius as a benediction, was brought to me by the deacon
Hilarion. All of the persons thus named are, I believe, still alive, and could
bear witness to the truth of my statement.
Of the internal evidence of the MS, I shall not now
speak. Any person learned in palaeography ought to be able to tell at once that
it is a MS. of the present age. But I may just note that my uncle Benedict
corrected the MS. in many places, and as it was intended to be re-copied, he
marked many letters which he purposed to have illuminated. The corrections in
the handwriting of my uncle I can, of course, point out as also those of
Dionysisu the calligraphist. Iin various places I marked in the margin the
initials of the different MSS. from which I had taken certain passages and
readings. These initials appear to have greatly bewildered Professor
Tischendorf, who has invented several highly ingenious methods of accounting
for them. Lastly, I declare my ability to point to two distinct pages in the
MS., though I have not seen it for years, in which is contained the most
unquestionable proof of its being my writing. In making this statement, I know
perfectly well the consequences I shall bring upon myself but I have so long
been accustomed to calumny, that I have grown indifferent to it, and I now
solemnly declare that my only motive for publishing this letter is to advance
the cause of truth, and protect sacred letters from imposition. In conclusion,
you must permit me to express my sincere regret that, whilst the many valuable
remains of antiquity in my possession are frequently attributed to my own
hands, the one poor work of my youth is set down by a gentleman who enjoys a
great reputation for learning, as the earliest copy of the Sacred Scriptures.
Constantine Simonides
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