The Portland daily press., 1873-05-07
THE PRESS,
WEDNESDAY, MORNING, MAY 2, 1873.
lSpringffeld Republican,
The Bible Revision.

lSpringneld Republican,
The Bible Revision.
Most of our readers are aware that a we'll
organized effort is being made, both in Eng
land and in this country, toward thorough
revision of our common English Bible. The
movement had its origin in England, in the
conyocation of Canterbury, on the 9th of
May, 1870. A committee ofblshops and pres
byters was then appointed, whose members
arranged pleliminaries, and invited learned
gentlemen of different denominations, who
are organized into two companies, one on
the Old Testament and one on the New, TO
cooperate in the good work. Mainly through
the instrumentality of DIR. Philip ScaH OF
New York, American cooperation has been
arranged for: and two corresponding compa'
MES have been appointed in this country,
representing all Christian denominations,
and these have adopted rules and commenced
their work in earnest.
The venerable DR.. Woolsey of New Haven
is chairman of the New Testament company,
and the Rev. Professor Green of Princeton
chairman of the Old Testament company.
1t is understood that the gentlemen compos-
ing these companies meet monthly in New
York, at the Bible house, and spend about
two days together in hard work upon the re-
vision. 1t is understood also, that they have
in their hands provisional revision already
made IN England by their ccllaborators there,
who commenced their work nearly three
years ago. The part to be played in the re-
vision by this country, accordingly, is to be a
subordinate, but not perhaps, a less useful
part. LIZ is expected that the expenses of
the British revision will be borne by the
booksellers who will have an ultimate copy
right on the book; while the expenses of the
American revision have thus far been borne,
and doubtless will be borne to the end, by
xyolI for nfph he g. l..
the work, fact which well illustrates the
different ways Of doing things in England
and the United States.
Both companies in both countries are la
boring with an earnest intent not to dislocate
the framework of the old translation, not to
impair the idiom, nor mar the beauty nor dis
turb the associations Of the English text as it
stands, but TO bring in all their Improvements
under one or other of these seven heads,
namely, Greek text, errors, inaccuracies, OBJ
solete expressions, proper names, accessories
and arrangement. We have no donbt at all
that very great amendments to the old YER
sion may be brought in under this plan, but
we also think that the greatest difficulties of
the revisers will be found at just this point
They will thus necessarily confront the old
time difficulty of sewing new cloth upon an
OLD garment-of pouring new wine into old
bottles. The highest possible results of bibli-
cal Interpretation into English will probably
never be reached until the thoughts of the
original Scriptures are thought out dneo into
unexceptiOnable English. Whatever differ
ence OF opinion, however, there may be on
this point, there can be none whatever on
this other, namely, that the word of God de-
serves the very cleanest and the very best
dress in which it can be clothed.
Ii any of our readers are of the opinion
that the English Bible is good enough as it is,
NO cin ,af all L11.
submit to them two or three considerations
opposed to their view. The first considera-
ton relates to the original text Absolute
fidelity to this is indispensable in all transla-
tion and criticism. But the Greex text of
the middle ages, called sometimes the Tea
tus Receptus, from which our Testament
was translated, is found to be corrupt in
many places. When the Oldest and purest
copies of the Greek text, and especially the
Sinai copy, which was first opened up to
our own day, are carefully collated together,
it is found how late and impure are many
passages in the text from which our Testa-
ment was translated.
When the present version isdone, the omis-
sions in it will excite probably quite as fmuch
remark as any revision of other passages will
excite. One of the sentences that will be
missed is the conclusion of the Lords prayer,
'For thine is the kingdom, and the power,
tiiu IuO SiOly iOiCFCl, ttulcI WHICH LuG al
most unanimous opinion of scholars reject as
no part of the original text. Another pas
sage not found in the best manuscripts, and
regarded by nearly all of the critical editors
as ungenuine, is the account of the woman
taken in adultery; although this is almost
universally regarded as genuine relic of the
teachings of Christ, while not a part of the
original text of Johns gospel.
Another passage, which it is vast relief to
tbip hin nd upiudo fn md
is this verse in the fifth chapter of Johns
gospel, namely: ''For an angel went down
at certain season into the pool, and troubled
the water; whosoever then first after the
troubling of the water stepped in, was made
whole of whatsoever disease he had'' This
verse has probably caused more skeptical
thoughts to English readers than any other,
verse of the New Testament; and Justly so
for it is the only verse of the New Testament
that speaks of a standing miracle-that i'm
plies asiuccession of miraculous cures wrought
independently of any specific moral end
whatever, ard wrought independently also of
any particular frame of mind ON the part of
the recipient of the blessing. The blessing is
made to depend on accident or force. sWho-
soever then first" and SO on. Moreover,
there is something grotesque and entirely diff
ferent in spirit from the rest of the New Tes-
lament miracles, in the alleged troubling of
the water by an angel. With what kind Of =
stick did he stir it up? is the involuntary and
irrepressible thought of every reader who
stops to think. Now it is perfectly easy to
account for the way in which that verse crept
into the text. The Jews were superstitious
about that pool; they ascribed miraculous eff
ficacy to it after each of its intermittent bub-
blings-up; some copyist wrote upon the mar
gin of the text the Jewish explanation of the
bubbling, and their belief in its power, in Or
der to account for the verse preceding, which
states that great multitude of "impotent
folk" lay there; and some subsequent copyist
allowed the marginal gloss place in the text.
What Chri st himself thought of that super
stition is manifested clearly enough in His
healing the impotent man by one word His
power. Ifa divine miracle had been really
going on in the pool, our Lord would doubt
less have assisted the man into it, and not
have wrought an unnecessary miracle Him
SELF His own action pays poor compliment
to the pool: and it is real pleasure to know
that this obvious Interpolation will not per-
plex believing souls much longer.
A second consideration relates to the
changes that have taken place in the English
language itself since our translation was
made. Living languages are perpetually
changing. The best translation of the Scrip
lures that was possible, two hundred years
ago, is necessarily a poor translation now,
owing to the inevitable changes of language:
and the best possible translation now will
necessarily be a very imperfect one, two hun
dred years hence, for the same reason. The
number of words in our English Bible already
obsolete in the sense which they were in
tended to convey,is very considerable. ''Take
thought" carriages" "wist," are merely
specimens of them.
Some people will be surprised to learn that
the word ''its" is not found in our English
Bible; and more people still would be sur
prised if their attention were called to the cir
clmlocutions and awkwardness to which our
transators were obliged to resort on account
of the lack of that word, which has not at
that time been developed in the English Ian
guage. They were obliged to use as substi
tutes for it whereof" and thereof" and
especially CHS" sometimes to the extreme
confusion of the sense; and in one memora-
BILE passage they were compelled to change