Manas´ses, Prayer of [APOCRYPHA]. This pseudepigraphal work has come down to us in the MSS. of the Latin Vulgate, and is found in the early printed editions of that version. Du Pin asserts that the Latin fathers have often cited this prayer; but the earliest reference to it which we know of is in the Apostolical Constitutions attributed to Clemens Romanus, but which are generally believed to be a work of the fourth century. In this work the prayer is cited as if it were an integral portion of the book of Chronicles, together with some traditional accounts of the nature of his imprisonment in shackles of iron, and of his miraculous release: which are also alluded to in the Targum on Chronicles. It is entitled 'The Prayer of Manasses, king of Judah, when he was holden captive in Babylon,' and had doubtless its origin from . This prayer, however, not being found in the Hebrew, and not being cited by the more eminent fathers, nor contained in any of the catalogues of ancient councils, has not been received in the church as genuine or canonical. It is classed in the Sixth Article of the Church of England, among the 'other books read by the church for example of life and instruction of manners;' but the Church of Rome classes it with 3rd and 4th Esdras, removing it to the end of the Bible, and rejecting it from the deutero-canonical, as well as from the proto-canonical books.
The prayer of Manasses abounds in pious sentiments. Dr. Horne describes it as not unworthy of the occasion on which it is pretended to have been composed. Du Pin observes that, though not very eloquent, it is full of good thoughts.
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John Kitto was an English biblical scholar of Cornish descent.Born in Plymouth, John Kitto was a sickly child, son of a Cornish stonemason. The drunkenness of his father and the poverty of his family meant that much of his childhood was spent in the workhouse. He had no more than three years of erratic and interrupted education. At the age of twelve John Kitto fell on his head from a rooftop, and became totally and permanently deaf. As a young man he suffered further tragedies, disappointments and much loneliness. His height was 4 ft 8 in, and his accident left him with an impaired sense of balance. He found consolation in browsing at bookstalls and reading any books that came his way.
From these hardships he was rescued by friends who became aware of his mental abilities and encouraged him to write topical articles for local newspapers, arranging eventually for him to work as an assistant in a local library. Here he continued to educate himself.
One of his benefactors was the Exeter dentist Anthony Norris Groves, who in 1824 offered him employment as a dental assistant. Living with the Groves family, Kitto was profoundly influenced by the practical Christian faith of his employer. In 1829 he accompanied Groves on his pioneering mission to Baghdad and served as tutor to Groves's two sons. In 1833 Kitto returned to England via Constantinople, accompanied by another member of the Groves mission, Francis William Newman. Shortly afterwards he married, and in due course had several children.
A London publisher asked Kitto to write up his travel journals for a series of articles in the Penny Magazine, a publication read at that time by a million people in Britain, reprinted in America and translated into French, German and Dutch. Other writing projects followed as readers enquired about his experiences in the East amidst people living in circumstances closely resembling those of Bible times.
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