The daily gazette., 1878-12-12
should there he an Houe.t
Revision?

The revision of the New Testament
VIII soon be completed Perhaps it will
De published in the course of next wear.
Inc Importance of the work TO the Emo
lish speaking Protestant world keeps alive
the interest in its progress, while the
secrecy with which it is conducted raises
widespread curiosity. There has been no
official statement by the reyisers respec,-
ing the alterations they have decided to
make, but several Of them have publicly
declared Their views respecting disputed
passages and renderings, and some facts
about the conclusions of the two COM
panies, the American and the English.
have become known. What with these
disclosures and the deliberate opinions of
many biblical scholars as to what should
be altered and what omitted, there has
been enough to start lively discussion
in the so called religious press.
1.-The revision now in progress of the
English version Of the Scriptures has
grown out of the conviction of the Eng
lish speaking Protestant world that the
King James Bible is faul y, containing
errors OF translation, spurious passages
and sentences whose meaning is per.
verted or obscured by changes in the
English language. When the present
version was made, more than three CEN
turies and half agO,the translators had
scanty materials to work with, and it is
not at all wonderful, in the light we have
now, that they misunderstood the sense
of the original text in many cases. Since
their day many early manuscripts have
been discovered, the art of biblical and
linguistic criticism has been developed to
a high degree, and the means of compari-
son are more ample. The object of the
revision is to purify the text of the Bible
to ascertain and to set down what the
sacred authors wrote or dictated. That
there are spurious passages in the origi-
nails of the present Bible, interpretations
due to the zeal of disputatious Christian
Fathers, the best biblical scholars agree
in affirming. What shall be done with
them? There can be but one answer
Omit them.
II the Bible is to be taken as an infalli-
BILE religious guide, the supreme arbiter
in matters of faith and morals, and an
authorative divine revelation, there
should be nothing in it except what has
clearly right to be there.
But there are protests against any
omissions whatever. One leading mem
Der Of the orthodox clergy does not hest
tate to say that he is opposed to the omis-
sion of any passage, even where there is
preponderating evidence against its genu-
ineness. Will not changes impair the
authority of the Bible and general con-
fidence in it !? This is the question on
the lips of many. Now the Bible cannot
be harmed by relieving it of proved er-
rors. 1t was not destroyed even by the
Protestants, who left out of it as apocry-
phal number of books which had pre-
= viously held place in its canon.
| There are not wanting indications that
many Of the protests against changes are
due to the zeal of theologians for cher
) ished doctrines rather than the love OF
truth. A writer in religious journal
predicts that If the disputed passage in
/. John, v. 7, is omitted, the revised yer.
sion "will have small chance of being
received among the Evangelical Chris
taus of the land" Now if there is as
sured evidence that the passage is moi
genuine, these men will act in dishon
est manner if they reject the revised yer
: sion on account of its omission. No mar
of morals or intelligence can desire tc
rest any part Of his faith on all uncertain
|, foundation.
Eli, sitting by the wayside waiting fol
! news from the battle with the Philistines
trembled for the safety of the Ark Of
God; and it came to pass when the mes
scnger ''made mention of the Ark O
God that he fell from off the seat back
ward by the side of the gate and his necl
brake" and so he perished.-M. Y. Sun