The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1879-04-03
THE BIBLE REVISED.

THE BIBLE REVISED.
Interesting Particulars Of the Grea
Work.
The fact that q revision of thI
[ authorized version Of the Bible has
been undertaken is well known, ant
! the public has from time to time beeI
! informed Of the general character anC
/ progress of the work. But a more
| particular statement may be of interest
TO many readers.
The fact that the version in common
use is net regarded by scholars as {
! perfect translation of the original
Hebrew and Greek Scriptures has been
made familiar to the masses, hot only
! by the frequent corrections made by
| preachers in their pulpits, but by many
( independent JranslatiOns which have
/ been put out during the last twenty
/ five years. These translatatiOnS have
indeed, met with no general favor, and
/ have sometimes, by their imperfectiOnS
and their ill-adYised deYiatiOns from
| the old version, seemed to endear the
| latter more than ever TO the popular
/ heart; but they have, nevertheless,
! had the effect Of disturbing the almost
SuperstitiOus confidence which men
have begun TO put in the authorized
version. There are certain errors in il
which almost every one has learned
about. There are obsolete words
which have to be explained afresh to
every child. There are inaccuracies
which unnecessarily obscure what
might easily be made clear. The prog
resS Of biblical and pathological
knOWlege, and the discovery of manu-
scripts of the New Testament far older
and moro accurate than Those from
which thc authorized version was
made, have rendered 1t possible to sat
isfy the reasonable desire, ON the one
hand, more perfectly Ia reproduce for
cOmmpn use the meaning of the Scrip
lures, and OISthe other to issue such a
version rs by the very method of its
production would inspire confidence in
its accuracy and would fOrestail other
One-sided attempts TO improve the COM
mon version.
Accordingly, in the spring OF 1870, the
COnYOcatiOn Of Canterbury, represent
ing the larger portion of the Anglican
Church, resolved TO inaugurate 4 re-
revision of the authorized version.
Certain members OF the c0nvOcation
We're designated to serve in the work,
and other scholars, members both of
the established church and of the nom
cOnfOrmist bodies, were added to the
number, tkeTe being fifty in all, of
which One-half constitute the Old Tes-
lament company, and the other half
the New Testament company. The
most noteworthy facts respecting the
work are as follows: Q) The new
version is to be TeUiSiOn of the old
one, not a new translation. The pur-
pose is "tO introduce as few alterations
rs possible in the text Of the authOriZ-
ed version consistently with faithful
ness ~ Tie changes are, further,
TO be so limited rs not to affect the
general style of the old version. Ar
chaic expressions are not to he changed
when they cause no Ob9curity. When
changes ara made. the principle adopt
cd is ITO limit, as far as possible, the
expression of such alterations to the
language of the authorized and earlier
English versions" That is, if words
not now found in the Bible must lie in
trOduced for the sake Cf faiClifulnesS,
they shall, il possible, not be such as
have q modern sound out of keeping
with the general style of the Bible.
(9 Every part of each of the Testa-
mentS is to be revised by the 2rhOEe
company charged with its revision.
az Every book of the Bible must be
gone over t1Cjce, and the second reyiS-
ion 4 vote of ticO-tbirIlS is necessary
in order to change any reading Of the
authorized version.
In the autumn of 1879, at the request
of the British committed, a revision
committee was organized in the
United States, consisting of about
twenty-five members, divided into two
companies, like the British committee.
1t consists of representative scholars
of all the leading Protestant den0mi-
nations. They are subject to the SAME
rules az the hIitlSh TeYiseiS, and labor
in conjunction with them in the fol-
lowing manner; The result of the
first revision of some portion Of the
Bible is transmitted III printed form
to the American committee, and this
Is carefully examined and compared
with the authorized version and with
the original text by e,lch member for
himself. Then in monthly meetings
Of two days duration each, each com
pany meets in New York to deliberate
upon the proposed changes. They re-
solve to retain the reading of the au-
thorized version, or to make new chan
ges not proposed by the British COM
pany, CT to modify the changes pro-
posed by the British. When this work
has been done twice. it is sent to Eng
land, where it is made use of by the Brit
ish company in their second revi-
sion, is then transmitted to the Ameri-
can companies, who then. again COM
pare the differences, and decide W.hetli=
er they will adhere 10 their former
proposals or acquiosce in the British
revision. In this way, by successive
comparisons, and sometimes by spe-
cial discussions of the more important
passages, the number of the divergen-
cieS is reduced as much rs possible.
The relations between the two COM
mittees are perfectly friendly, and the
corporations of different denQmina-
tiOns has on neither side or the ocean
led 10 amy friction,
The revision of the New Testament
is now nearly complete. That of the
Old Testament will not be ready for
publication for about three years. In
England the University presses have
engaged To publish the revised Bible,
and, as they will have q copyright ON
il, they bear the expenses incurred by
the british reYisers i'll their work. In
the United States there will be no
copyright; and the American reYiserS
not only devote their time and study
to the work of the revision, but also
assume the pecuniary expense of 1t,
eXcept in so far as interested friends
voluntarily contribute money for this
purpose. Up to the present time such
contributions have been sufficient to
meet the actual expenses incurred by
the committee, 1t is to be hoped that
this aid will be continued. Less than
$1,000 a year will be needed for the
short period during which the work is
to continue. 4 finance committee has
been organized, which receives and
disburSes funds for this purpose.
As an Indication of the probable
style and amount of change which
HAY bG ca LBNNNNN4 III NlAb nov Ath AoAOAAs
the following cOnjectuTdL emendatiOn
OF a few verses in the prOSean poetic
parts of the book of job is given.
This book IS selected because it has
not ves been revised at all, and there
fore the version given can not he re-
garded as the one which will actually
be adnpted. But being presented by
one of the committee it may serve as 4
specimen of the general style of the
work. The actual revision will be
likely 10 exhibit less rather than more
changes than are here suggested.
job /; l, 4-"There was a man in the
land of UZ, whose name was job, and
that man was perfect and upright, and
one that feared God and departed from
evil. And there were born unto him
seven sons and three daughters. And
his possessions were seven thousand
sheen and three thousand camelS, and
five hundred yoke of oxen, and five
hundred she asses, and 4 very great
household; and that man was the
greatest Gf All the children Of the east.
And his sons went and feasted in their
houses, every one his day; and they
sent and called for their three sisters
To elt and drink with them"
job iii: ,, G-"Let the day perish in
which | was born and the night which
said, \ man child is conceived. As
for that day, let it he darkness; let not