The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-04-05

IL Is not vet generally kuOWu 10 tpe PUBIC tu3t
Prof. H. b. Hsckett, of the Baptist Theological
Institution ct Newton. hiss resigned his position
there in order to 20 TO New York to revise the
Old Testament under the auspices OF the Ameri
can Bible Union. The final revision OF the New
Testament was published by the Union about
year ago. and now the Old Testament is to come
for revision under the critical eye Of scholar
made competent by learning and taste and by the
task of his daily life for this important work We
also understand that Prof. Noyes. OF Cambridge,
is expected to put to press, in the course of the
summer. his translation of the Nes Testament. TO
be placed BY the side OF bis well known and much
esteemed uanslations of the prophetica and prac-
teal portions Of theQld Testament. Prof. Noyes
has high reputation as q Hebrew scholar; it is
not 90 generally kno~n that he is equally at home
in the Greek language; and his forthcoming ver-
sion OF the books OF Christian faith Is looked
forward to with. interest by those who are aware
We shall leave to the theological journals all
critical estimates Of the merits OF different YER
sions Of the Scriptures, by claiming layman's
q more in'elligible, more tasteful, and more
accurate rendering of the holy books Of our con-
mon faith than We possess 10 the authorized Eng
lsh version. No Christian will dispute the propo.
sifon that the word of God deserves the very best
dress In which it can be clothed; and no scholar
will dispute the proposition that 10 the common
version il has not such dress. The blocking out
Of the whole text. whether narrative or poetry,
verses
ding the prose into natural paragraphs and the
poetry into s appropriate parslleiisms Is az often
sve TO the eye as 1t Is to just taste; aud 1t is
one reason why young persons conceive .
oisfaste for the Bible. that 1t IL presented TO
them in SO unsghty and repulsive garb.
An epistle or . poem is not like card Of GIN
rerbread that can be cut into SO many exact
pieces, each equal to the other; the words OF the
ancient law-givers and historians are not 30 sen
tentious end disconnected that they can be chop
ped and then arranged like so many popular pro
verbs. Paragraphs for the prose and parallelisms
for the poetry, with the numerals on the margin
for the sake Of convenience Of reference, are the
only arrangement at all consistent with the dig
Bjty Of the books, or proper apprehension Of
their contents. In an increasing number OF
churches attempts are being made to read the
psalms respectively; but If the common version
is used, the pastor Is obliged TO read one verse,
verse; instead Of the natural order SO agreeable to
the nature Of Hebrew poetry, namely, the pastor
reading one line of the double parallelism, and
the pevs responding In the corresponding line.
Arranged as Professor Noyes has arranged them
in his admirable version, the reading OF the psalms
responsively could hardly fail to be q profitable
and delightful part of the service Of the sanctuary.
But form is usually less important than the sub
stance. No Bible reader who has access to other
versions viii be disposed to deny that there are
many nfelicities much that is nninfelligible. and
something Of downward inaccuracy, in the Ian
gusge OF our common versions. This could moi
"A OIueTWI98 COUtlQtfluK
ton is commonly called King Jsmess- But King
James's TRANSLATION took the versions that were
then old, and merely revised and improved them;
80 that our version really goes back much further
indeed to time when the Hebrew was not well
understood in England; and the transators, baf
fed in their Hebrew, often had recourse to the
Latin vulgafe, which they understood better, and
consequently many. errors have crept into the
English version through that Latin version
Moreover the English language itself had
not been fully developed at that time. The
word IT'S for example, is not to be found
IN our English Bibles. The old English form
"his" is used instead and there Is many dark
verse that would be instantly lighted up by the
simple substitution Of "itsD for his" We are
30 accustomed to associate q masculine antece
dent with the word "his." that we think at once
of some person. and try to make out who 1t IL
when the reference perhaps Is 70 the last mani
mate object named. We could specify, If th.
were the place TO do ii. many passages in whict
an awkward rendering OF single verse spoil'
the unity Of beautiful psalm, or the point on an
eloquent address. What Is the use of stumbling
from generation to generation over an uninteliig
BILE passage when correct rendering of II would
remove all difficulty and bring ont order ant
beauty.
We welcome. therefore, all successful attempt.
to bring out In tasteful way the true sense OF ou
sacred books. We have no fear that these at
tempts will lessen the reverence due to these
books; our fear is rather, that due reverence viii
not be given to them they are suffered to remain
anfIuuhltu. aHkWdTu auu fuauriHseo ufco-
The more competent persons who try their hanC
at faithful rendering into good English OF tbs
Old and New Testaments, the better; because
some Of them may succeed In accomplishing jus
that which needs TO be accomplished No one meet
be deferred by the wretched failure OF Rev. Dr. Saw
yer, who, with perfectly upright purpose, lacked
nevertheless, the learning and taste requisite
for the task. Prof. Hackett cannot crown a use
full life more worthy than by an effort to put int
our hands the whole Old Testament rendered int,
good, strong, pure English; and Prof. Noyes vii
increase the sense of obligation which many be
rlevera Of all denominations feel towards him OF
account Of what be has done to illustrate the Oh
Testament, by giving them version of the New
Testament correspondingiy good. ltis per- sps
pity that the English speaking world cannot unit
in an enterprise ike that which honors the cando
of the sects in France. Catholics. Protestant
and Jews have united in an effort 20 obtain as pei
feet q French version Of the Scriptures as Is pos
eibIe TO be had. have appointed . Joint commissio
of scholars for that end, and expect 70 have, i
consequence, common version for all religions
and that, too, the very best.
.urr :