New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-07-29
Nesu4)ork paiu @ribn,te
mr. 1rrsIc.N BIsLE UNION
YICIAY-REPLY OF THE

n'o!' !, ,he Bb'e Union. BON oo'uu'en'' "' WV
"a nl,ce in our columns ehuIe'
Rrg 10 hn' nm. MACIAy's LETTER.
l...-.s sddr,.sed to friend, and purports to
'-~...,.I answer 10 numerous inquiries ieoe''0' "
IT,, - touchirg the csuse OF he resignation.
III .,s,pe that his resignation was sent 70 tue
80, Of the Bible Union on the 3lss OF May, a'd
..,,s The scioD of the Board on the 4th Oh jane
e,;oh resulted in the election OF the Kew inouiS
s,n;t.se. d D., as his successor, DIR. haciay goes
ON 20 ssy that his connect IN with the Society IN tne
espscity Of ent for period OF six years ana travel
ING most of that time, rendered it Impossible LOT MN
to examine infinitely the internal management Oh Inc
Institution. r,Io
,.,s ";n October 1855, fouLd myself in posltion
az more direct and unqualified responsioh'y anu un
oe,,hese circumstances felt the Importance oil oecom
more particularly acqualr ted with tne operations
The booy thep for the time ascerained VINO the re-
vsers and found 10 my ssonishment that instead
of Their, having been about 40 individuals actually en-
gagged in translatng this New Testament, as hao un-
derstooo from the Secretary and often stated there
had pot bee more thar % "a. Instead OF all these
being competent scholars, had supposed, and as
the plan OF the Union required, and as often reiter
ated in the official documents of the Union, some Oh
them M que, tonably lacked the essen quahhcaons
Of a translator"
Dr. Maclay relates that soon after his election at the
annual meeting in October last, he visited Baltimore
on business Of the Union and during his absence ieg-
uleri,ies were introduced in the management Of the
Board he says:
"On nv arrival home found that during my ab-
sence in the organization of the Board at It's meeting
in November lone Of the Vice.Pesdents the Rev. L.
Arnitaee DID, being in the Chair, the ComHittee
ON Versions and the Committee FiOaDce had under
gone important changes the character OF which, and
the alleged reasons for which, greatly impaired my
copfdebce in the directing Porer OF the board. And
oI.s io;nn hut thpYQ
foipg vet coad not In ths case overlook the appear
ases Of design IN omittDg the October meeting and
ugDg me 10 Baltimore before the regular meeting In
November; II pro ctor OF these changes Had the
means of knowing that no such proecnptive nomna-
items ooulo be made to the Board through me as
its Chairman.
ION resuming my examination in the revisers de-
partment found that numerous TRANSACTIONS had been
made which though OF in all cases inconsistent with
good scholsrshp, were n vertbeess calculated, on
other grounds to compromise the character OF the
Union, and TO shake the confidence of men in the truth
Of g as word. OF these the tolo~iOg may serve as
specimens:
" In the beginning was the word, and the word was
with God, and Gcd was the word."-John l., l..
." He it is that imnerses In holy spint."-John
:" If any one be not born of water and SPIRIT
John ill.,, 5.
:" The Son can do nothing of himself, if he see not
the Father DOH & anything. "-JOhn w., 49,
4" But this be said Of the spirit which those bshev-
inc Oh him were about to receives for there was not
vet holy spirt "-J0hR vii, 80.
And give 10 them eternal life, and they shall not
perish, foJever."-John X, %.
" Jesus, therefore WHEN he saw her weeping, and
the Jews, who came with Der, weeping, groaned In
the spirit and troubled iwsek"-John XII, 80
Z" Who were begOttep-not OF blood, nor OF Will
Of fiesh nor of O will Of man-but Of God And the
woro became ferh and dSelt among us land we say
his glory, glory of only begvt.en of father
full of grace and truth John il, 10, H..
"Tbe Board had prev Ousy established certain
General Rules for the Direction of Translators and
RevseIs, OF which the thnd reads thus:
I" Trsns'ations or revsons of the New Testament
Ell all be ade from the received Greek text, critically
edited, with kpowr errors corrected
"Abo certain Special Instructions to the Revisers
Of the English New Testament Of which the first reads
as follows:
revifioo; the Greek text, BagSter & Sous octave
edition Of 1881
"Tbese are all the rules Of the Union specting the
Gr.k t.1t neither of them has ever been abrogated
or altered; and 90 they stand they admit of DO de-
paItnre from the received text; as critically edited,
{nos by revisers of the Bible Union, but oy ditn.
guthsd scholars in times pest), and subsequently
published by Bog ster d Sons in 1851. Yet 1t ap-
peBred on examination, that some rev'sers had un-
dereken what Sci med TO me even more presump-
tuops than the selection OF other text such az
Grittbach's, Sholz's Tchend0rfs, and more un-
cafe than the preparation of new independent re-
oension by comp tent hands from original sources,
VIE: revision of the received Greek text by
weighing al the different manuscripts, to ascertain the
relotive value Of their various readings, as given by
second band authorities verifying or mooify ing these
readings by ancient versions and patIlstic Writings,
collatDs comparing the opinions OF different edl'
tors then selecting rejecting any particular read
ing according it was found " be, an tie rerssers
judgment, genuine or spurious; bis Eoglsh version
being conforned to this eclectic edition of the Greek
te1t. In oDe book, which came under my observe
tiop, AFTER it bad been sereoyped cursory examina
ton showed that the reviser had devisted from the
received Greek text in two places, by adding
sometbipg to it, in twelve places, by substituting
& in .fuVa nv
something Of it. Aud Of the portions rejected as
Spurious, embraced tUeioe consecufipe rersss! In
another place the following passage is cast out OF the
Bible
Il pool aud troubled the water; wi Discover then fret
sfer TIE troubling of the water stepped in, was made
whel- Of Whatsoever disease he had
"Wbere the common versiOn reads,
"'Tbst wbo~oev.r believeth in hun should not per-
kb, but have eternal life,
aTbe n ceiyed Greek tex. has been critically ed
tied that in the revised Eng lisb vtrslOn, the same
passage reads thus That every one that believes on
him may have eternal lfe.' And the rejection OF
Jesus JOIN Christ and Amen are specimens
oftlt smaller changes which have resulted from this
Ievison Of the Greek text"
After few additional words this subject, DR..
MscDay states that he felt it bis duty 10 resign
bis efice agent of the Society, which he had con-
tiDued TO hold with the Presidency, and to inquire
fully into the character and qualifications Of the
Tevstrs the practical working of the plan for the pro-
ducton Of q revised English version, the condition and
effect Of the Soce'ys periodical publications. and the
sppUpriaie economy Of its expenditures Accordingly
in pursuance Of this object, he procured the appoint
menf in January last, Of Committee OF Investigation
consisting Of FIVE p'rous, and complains that five
more we're subsequently, added, inc adiDg the Score
tAry, Mr.. Wyckoff, although he Or Msclay) frankly
'1piesred the opinion that the Secretary ought not
In h.