Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-02-28

The Revision Of the English Bible.
II is announced that the revision OF the
Bible, which has been in progress for ten
years, by boards of eminent scholars on
both sides Of tho Atlantic, draws near COM
pletiOn. The revised New Testament will
be issued from the Oxford press in about
year and the complete Bible in two years.
DR.. Phillip Scbaff, one OF the revisnrs, at a
meeting in Boston last week, gave the fol-
lowing interesting information, regarding
the work:
You are all aware that for nearly ten
years movement has been going on which
cont emplates, not, indeed, new version IN
the place Of the old, but simply a revision Of
that version, which shall bring it up to the
present state of the English language aud
OF Biblical scholarship. This movement
does not rise from any want OF respect Tor
King James, version. On the contrary,
the English and the American revisers are
agreed that this version is the frs. OF the
English classics. is the very best version
which could be made at that time, and that
it has been, still is. and will continue to be
lor long time an unspeakable blessing to
English-speaking people. ButyOu all know
that this version itself is the result OF half a
dozen revisions which preceded 1t within
less than century. But no one claims for
it infailibllity or perfection, and, therefore.
it should not be finale with which the
English and American Protestant churches
should be contentod. Christian scholarship
has made immense advances during the last
two hundred and fifty years since We enjoy
&c the privilege OF this version, and 1t Is
solemn duty OF Christian scholars to give
the Christian community at largo the bene-
fit OF those advances which have been ma dc
advances in Biblical criticism, advances
in Hebrew and Greek philology. advances
in Biblical geography and arct % )logy, and
in the whole department OF Biblical e1-
igesis. Indeed the church is and ought al
ways to be at the head of all true progress,
and the Word of God is given to the church,
not as a dead possession, but as living
power which il to be reproduced and more
and more apprehended intellectually and
practically, and carried into the life Of the
church and of the world at large.
Now the movement which We have the
honor here humbly to represent, is the first
international and interdenomlnatlonal
movement of the kind. You all know that
our present English Bible came to US from
the undivided church of England before the
Congregational. the Presbyterian, the Bap
tist and the Methodist denominations organ
ized, and before the American nation was
born. Ii is the richest legecy which we
have received from that period in the his
tory OF Anglo Saxon Christianity. TIE
movement which resulted in the co-Opera
ton oil all these DENOMINATIONS anu OF inc
TWO great nations no" tSPoah,ns 'no hnS
lish language anu using inc Ihst,sh oloio
must DC eredlteu 10 'he spirit oi you "no
alone can remove p''Iuu'S'-' anu nIi'
hesrts toecthef iot ono 9ueh NoAn'o' "
]ect., us almost Hlihcie III tuo mus VI
cur denOminational anu sectarihh u'l>iohs'
how such cOnhrmatlln was en1c'eu rs
never was before IN the history OF huShhu
OF OF TINS country;
lou are aware inst tne nIu'enhen ''-i'eu
IN tue mother church vi hus'anu' ani !"
that most important section oi IL wnicn Is
represented by thS bon' '0eation " ."n'o'-
bury IN the month oil May loo; com
mission was then appointed 10 take inc ue-
slrablc WORK IN hand, ana that cominissioh
was directed from the very start 10 invite
the cooperation oil leading biblical schol-
ars hom all bngllsh lfOtestant uenohiina-
tons to SIT together with them arouhu the
table OF the historic Jerusalem chamoer'
and bring the Treat Work OF our EnSiish
Bible still nearer. and a. near a. possible 10
the original mind oil the spirit as expressed
IN the llebrow and IN the Greek Scriptures
And by another extraordinary frOvldencr,
We may say. thus committee thus eOnstltuted
on truly catholic principles. invited Ameri-
can corporation at the very hFst stage 6i
its proceedings, and thus an American com
mlttee was formed likewise, composed oi
professional Biblical scholars OF all the
leading denominations OF the United States,
to cooperate with the English committee
Tor tho purpose OF bringing out not two DIS
tInct revlsiOns bat one and the same royisIun.
so that the same bond vi unity and lcllow-
ship which we have heretofore enjoyed IN
that common version should be perpetuated,
and that this English Bible remaining sub
stantislly a. it *, yet greatly improved,
should have new lease Oi Lie and acquire
"a still stronger hold upon the affections OF
the English and the American races, until
some still more perfect revision at some iu-
ture time may BE- found necessary. Now
will not enter into the details oi this work,
rs | shall be followed by my fellow revisOrs,
who will speak on the various aspects vi
tins question. will simply say that We
are bound by our very constitution to re-
tain the ldiUm and the vocabulary oi The
venerable old English Bible, so that IN TINS
revised form 1t may still read like the dear
old book. and not disturb any oi those sa-
cred associations which have Tor centuries
been clustering around 1t. On that OASIS
we are directed by our constitution t. make
such improvements in language and IN ac-
curacy shall be deemed necessary and de-
sirable By the unanimous consent oil the
Biblical scholars OF the present day. Er-
rors IN text and in the translatIonS are to
be corrected, inconsistencies IN rendering
words, phrases and proper names are to be
removed, and unity and uniformity oi rend-
ering to be substituted, obsolete and an
tiquated words which mIslead the common
people in reading the Bible are to give way
to intelllgible words which cannot be mis-
understood. The whole upshOt Oi tins
movemant in one word Is to make good
version better, an accurate version stlll
po ;, noarc, i' ~ ,hc undcrstand,nr Of ali Ens,
.ish Speaking ChristendOm. And believe
that IL TINS movement suceetuS, Ss IL curtain
.i,Jv nt tbo B,ble and double the attach
ment which We all ieel ior our dear old vei-
son IN it lt- impro,ea ,S iorn l.o,ian Sl, a'|S 30