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A History of Agriculture in India v2.c51: Acknowledgements

A History of Agriculture in India v2.c51

Language
English

Acknowledgements

v2.c51.1

I feel grateful to Hakluyat Society, London, for permission for quotations from H.A.R. Gibb's translations of Ibn Battuta's Travels, viz. *Rehla of Ibn Battuta: Travels in Asia and Africa, 1324-1354*. The museums in India as well as abroad generously provided photographs of Mughal paintings in their collections. I am grateful to the Directors of these museums for their co-operation.

v2.c51.2

For typing the manuscript and for general assistance I record my appreciation of the devoted work of Ram Lal Sharma, my personal Assistant-cum-Research Fellow. Mr T. P. Saxena, former Librarian of the Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, prepared the index. Dr Kishan Singh Bedi, Joint Director, Research and Education (Retired), Department of Agriculture, Punjab, edited the typescript. Messrs M. K. Bardhan, Dilip Hazra and O. P. Gulhati designed the title cover and prepared the lay-out of illustrations. Messrs P. L. Jaiswal, S. N. Tata and R. S. Gupta helped in editorial work. Mr T. C. S. Sastry, of the Publications and Information Directorate of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, was of great help in standardizing botanical and zoological nomenclature. Mr Krishan Kumar looked after the production of this book and saw it through the press with a sense of dedication. He was assisted by Mr J. B. Mehra in this work.

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The first of these, the *Gospel of the Hebrews*, was used by the Jewish Christians of Palestine, and was probably a version of the Gospel of Matthew, though it contained some traditions not found in our canonical books. The *Gospel of the Egyptians* was used by the ascetic sects of Egypt, and was marked by a strong tendency towards mysticism and asceticism. The *Gospel of Peter* was used by the Docetists, and taught that Christ did not really suffer, but only appeared to do so.

v2.c51.4

These gospels, and others like them, were not accepted by the Church as a whole, and were gradually lost or suppressed. The Church, however, felt the need for a standard collection of writings that would serve as a guide for faith and practice. This led to the formation of the New Testament canon, a process that took several centuries to complete.

v2.c51.5

The first step in this process was the collection of the letters of Paul, which were widely circulated among the churches. Then came the four Gospels, which were accepted as the authoritative accounts of the life and teachings of Jesus. The Acts of the Apostles and the other epistles were gradually added, and finally the Book of Revelation.

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By the end of the second century, the core of the New Testament was generally accepted by the Church. The process of canonization was not a formal act of a council, but rather a gradual recognition by the churches of the writings that were most valuable for their life and worship. It was only in the fourth century that the canon was formally closed by the councils of the Church.

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The formation of the New Testament canon was a crucial event in the history of the Church. It provided a standard of faith and practice that helped to unify the Church and to protect it from the influence of heretical sects. It also ensured that the teachings of Jesus and the apostles would be preserved for future generations.

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