Interesting Oriental Discovery
Our European exchanges state that it has been the good fortune of Mr. El Kery to discover a record, kept by the priests of the Samaritan synagogue at ancient Sychar, that reaches back hundreds of years before Christ. It contained a record of interesting events connected with the synagogue, and always kept by the leading priest. It occurred to Mr. El Kery, who is a native of Samaria, educated in England, now a missionary physician there, to search this record. He argued that so great a religious commotion as was occasioned by Jesus’ visit to Sychem would arouse the anger of the priest, and he accordingly should find some bitter record in this ancient register. He ascertained that the priest in Christ’s time was named Shaffeer. On examining the record he did not find what he expected, but instead of it the following statement: “In the 19th year of my priesthood, and the 4,281st year of the world, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Mary, was crucified at Jerusalem.” This discovery was made last April, and is a wonderful testimony from an unexpected quarter.—N. Y. Paper.