The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-06-30
THE REVISION OF THE BIBLE.


transferring the revision of the Scriptures to
a royal commission by changing the terms of
his motion so as to invite the cooperation of
the Government of the United States. Ori-
ginally he called upon the House of Com
mons to affirm that cit is desirable the work
should be placed in the hands of royal COM
mission, instead of being left to a committee
of convocation, but upon further considera-
ton he omitted all reference to convocation,
and simply moved for an address praying the
sovereign Ito invite the President of the
United States to concur with her Majesty in
appointing commissioners to revise the autho-
rized version of the Scriptures" Now it is a
debatable question whether the work of revi-
sion should be left to a committee appointed
by convocation; but, as the Premier and Mr..
Beresford Hope pointed out last night, there
can be very little dodbt as to the inadmissi-
bility of MIR. BuXtons second proposition.
1t is, of course, highly desirable that we
should if possible, produce such a version as
may be acceptable to the thirty odd millions of
English speaking people on the other side of
the Atlantic, but If this is only to be secured
by the cooperation of American divines there
are obvious difficulties in the way. Biblical
scholars are feoo and far 6et1ceen IN Anaericd,
and it unfortunately happens, from their po-
sition in the religious world, that the three or
our whose services might be acceptable
would by no means contribute to render the
new version popular among their country
men. Moreover, there is fundamental him
drance to the proposed joint action of the
President of the United States, seeing that
the Constitution expressly and designedly
bars the chief magistrate and his colleagues
from identifying themselves in their public
capacity with any dstinctively religious
movement. AS Mr.. Hope reminds us, the in
fiuence of Jefferson was successfully exerted
to exclude any reference to the existence of
Supreme Being any official recognition
of Christianity Even if this obstacle could
be removed, it would not be wise to overlook
the dangerous influence which the large
and fourishing Roman Catholic commu-
nifty would exercise in the composition
of the American contingent. The sects
are at war, but the Roman Catholics are
powerful and united body, and their efforts
would be directed, not SO much to improve
the Protestant version as to bring it into
harmony with the Romsh version. 1t is OBJ
vious, however, that Mr. Buxton's proposition
to enlist American cooperation was an after
thought, and that his main object is to take
the question out of the hands of convocation
as the representation of the Established
Church. The member for East Surrey asserts
with perfect truth that the authorized version
is the property not of any particular Church
sect, but OF the nation at large, and, as a
corollary. that no one Church or sect is en-
u.
But we are not aware that either convocation
or the Church have set up any claim of this
kind. Perhaps, as the largest and most in
f1uential Christian body in the eEApire, the
Church of England had a right, and was in
some measure bound, to take the initiative;
but no one who examines the constitution of
the proposed committee and remembers that
| the most eminent Biblical scholars, totally
irrespective of Church creed, were invited
to share in its labors, can doubt that convo-
cation approached the work in the largest
and most enlightened spirit. We can under
stand and sympathize with the protest of
churcbmen like Messrs. Henley and
Newdegate, who shrink from tampering
with the authorized version. We think
their fears are exaggerated and that they
overrate the danger of making the text of the
Bible a subject Of 'free handIing;" but they
at least take up an intelligent ground of OBJ
| lection. But we cannot understand why the
| Church of England is to be debarred from
| playing prominent part in a work in which
| she is SO vitally interested and in which the
| scholarship of her clergy entities her to take
| the lead. MIR. Percy Wyndham considers
that ecclesiastics are untitled by their profess
| sional habits for the work of Biblical revi-
| sion; but is not this equivalent to saying that
experts are specially disqualified, or that an
architect is the last person to be consulted
about design for house, a railway en-
| gineer about a tunnel or viaduct? 1t is easy
to sneer at convocation as Mr.. Buxton does
| 1t is a venerable, but, thanks to State ty-
ranny, an almost impotent body, and it is
simply absurd to speak of it as given to
''usurpation. Possibly it might become very
tyrannical and despotic if it had the chance;
but, considering how it is fettered and gagged
at present, it would be as reasonable to charge
a man bound hand and foot with abus-
ing his liberty. All that convocation has
done in this instance is to take the initiative
in giving effect to the almost universal
demand for revision of the Scriptures. 1t
! has nominated committee to undertake the
work, which comprises, in addition to an
impartial selection from the most learned
divines of the Church, all the most eminent
Biblical scholars among the Nonconformist
bodies who could be induced to cooperate.
No one can doubt the bona tfdeS with which
the committee has been chosen, and we ques-
tion whether Dissenters will not be disposed
to applaud rather than condemn the zeal
which prompted convocation on behalf of the
Church in taking initiative. We do not hesi.
tate to say that under no other auspices would
the labors of any body of revisers have had q
chance of finding general acceptance. Mr..
Buxton contends that the work ought to be
undertaken by the State and Mr.. Gladstone
and his supporters appear to have at once
perceived the awkward anachronism which
would result if liberal government were to
assume the supervision of a purely religious
enterprise Just at the time when it is
the policy of the liberal party to break down
every tie which links the State with religion.
OF course Mr.. Gladstone did not justify his
opposition to the motion upon grounds like
these. He declared that the Government
were decidedly opposed, as a matter of prin-
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