. Light from the ancient East; the New Testament illustrated by recently discovered texts of the Graeco-Roman world. d-for-nothing, to whom it is all one so long ashe can have his pleasure in the great city ? Or arewe doing him an injustice, because we do not under-stand that mysterious poUapollon ? But there is noexplaining away the fact that a child is expected andis perhaps to be exposed. I have met with a strikingparallel in Apuleius ^: a man setting out on a journeyorders his wife, who is in expectation of becominga mother, to kiU the child immediately if it shouldprove to be a girl. In a
. Light from the ancient East; the New Testament illustrated by recently discovered texts of the Graeco-Roman world. d-for-nothing, to whom it is all one so long ashe can have his pleasure in the great city ? Or arewe doing him an injustice, because we do not under-stand that mysterious poUapollon ? But there is noexplaining away the fact that a child is expected andis perhaps to be exposed. I have met with a strikingparallel in Apuleius ^: a man setting out on a journeyorders his wife, who is in expectation of becominga mother, to kiU the child immediately if it shouldprove to be a girl. In any case, therefore, the letter displays a sadpicture of civilisation in the age which saw the birthof the great Friend of Children, a scene in which thefortunes of a proletarian family are reflected in theirnaked horror, a background of distinct contrast towhat Jesus said of the value of children. In thetime of poor Alis mothers innumerable, who foundit diflicult to be motherly owing to the scarcity of [There is a Gennaii song beginning Wie konnt ich Dein vergessen. Tb.] Meta/morpTiosei, ed. Eyssenhardt, x. Fig. 20. Letter from Mystarion, an Egyptian olive-planter, to Stotoetis, a chiefpriest, Address (Fig. 19) and Text (Fig. 20), 13 September, 50 Papyrusfrom the Fayijm. Now in the Imperial Postal Museum at Berlin. Eepro-duced by permission of the Museum authorities. p. 167 ILLUSTRATED BY THE NEW TEXTS 157 daily bread, were wailing for that which to us—suchis the extent of the moral conquests made by theGospel—seems to be a thing of course. A centuryand a half later the Epistle to Diognetus (v. 6)boasts that the Christians do not expose theirchildren. Letter from Mystarion, cm Egyptian olive-plcmter, to Stotoetis, achief priest, 13 Sept. 50 , papyrus from the Fayum,now in the Imperial Postal Museum at Berlin, publishedby Fritz Krebsi (Figures 19 and 20). Mvarapiav Stot6>]ti, tS>c lSia)i^ ?TrKeiiTTa j^at/aeti. Eirefit^a vfieiv BXdarov Tov i/ihv [roi)<!
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