The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1880-09-09

the GreaC BlDle, lUSelI the Matthew
Tyndale Bible, without the rotes, which
had its origin in an English translation
from the German. The previous revis-
ors were individuals dissatisfied with
the versions, and their work was with
out ecclesiastical authority.
The present text OF the English ver-
sion is over three centuries old, and dur
ing that time the language has not only
taken on many new words, but it has
also dropped many then in use, and
found new meanings for old words
which have lost their original signifi-
canoe. Let me instance a few obsolete
words: "Doves tdberiRg on their
breasts" instead of drumming; "The lion
filled his den with rdUiR," instead OF
pIunder; Neither is there any days
man." instead of umpire; "Ouches" for
sockets "clouts' for patches; ''earing''
for plowing; "bruit" for report; "boil-
ed" for swallow are other examples.
The changes in Specification, however,
are much more important and lead to
error, contradiction, dispute. When we
read that the daughter of Herodias said,
olive me, by and by, In charger the
head of John the Baptist" it is natural
to think that she was in no great hurry.
But three hundred years ago "by and
by" meant instantly, Immediately, forth
with, and "charger" was not war
horse, but what our housewives call a
dish and yours a platter. "Give me in
stantly in a dish the head of John the
Baptist" is quite different from the old
form. The ''artilery" so often spoken
of in the Bible is not our artillery, but
literally bows and arrows. '"To to"
then meant come; "let," to hinder !;
"careleSS," free from care; "prevent,"
to anticipate; "admiration," wonder;
"botch,'' an ulcer; Campfire" a cy-
press; ''pommel," a globe, etc.
MISTAKES OF EARLY TRANsLAToRs.
The corrections necessary to bring
che English text into accord with the
language OF to-day, many as they are,
are insignificant, however, when COM
pared with the errors of early transla-
tors. Three hundred years ago the
grammatical niceties of the Greek Ian
guage were unknown and "Hebrew
studies were in their infancy" BaX-
tori published his little Hebrew gram
mar while the translators were at work,
and his larger one after they had fin
ished. In many cases, so weak were
they in Hebrew, they were compelled
to leave Hebrew words untranslated,
not knowing or being able to "guess"
their meaning. A familiar instance is
the word Belial, which is supposed to
be proper name, but it simply means
unworthy, and the phrase "sons of Be-
liar' should properly read unworthy
men )" Jasher" is not a proper name,
but an adjective, meaning upright, and
the "BoOk of Jasher" was the "Book of
the Upright" The Gammadims" eek.
xvii, lI are warriors; "Pannag" ".
10 means a candy; "Shetli'' means a
tumHlt; "Baiith" an idol temple. Their
wild "guesses" often show absurd blum
ders. The "mules" mentioned in GEN
esis as having been found were warm
springs; 'pledges" they turned into
thick clay; "fleet" into both piercing
and crooked; "curls'' into galleries I;
''leaders" into avenging; "ostriches"
into owls; "gOats" into satyrs; "droves"
into linen yarn "set up" they render as
cast down; and Joseph's F'tunic with
long sleeves" they transmogrify into a
''cOat of many colors." Instances might
be multiplied until patience was ex-
hausted OF their inaccuracy. the New
Testament they were better qualified
for their work, and their errors were
not so gross, though equally numerous.
The grammatical forms upon which so
much depends, especially with catholic
epistles, where there is close logic, and
the place of a word in sentence may
qualify its meaning, are never consid-
cred, and they stumble through their
work in "rough and tumble" way,
more like school boy than scholar.
Still more important than either the
changes of the language or the blunders
of translators have been the corrections
that have been made in the original
text, by the comparison of manuscripts
generally; and by the discovery of two
very ancient manuscripts of the Bible
in particular. A single illustration of
this will suffice; Mark says that ON the
cross the Christ was given "wine" min
gled with myrrh; Matthew says ''vine-
gar" The "harmony" that gives Him
two drinks is bosh for children scholars
know there is a contradiction. The
natural inference is that the writers did
not disagree, and the error arose in
copying. By comparing manuscripts
the inference is found to be correct, the
older codices agreeing upon wine. The
two words in the Greek are very much
alike, of the same length and differing
only in the middle letter. The most
violent of atheistical fault-finders, when
shown the manuscripts, would not hes
itate in his acknowledgment that there
was no contradiction, and that the cause
of the error was to be found in the care
lessness of some copyisJ of the Greek
text of Matthew.
THE TWO VERSIONS COMPARED.
The new revision of the New Testa-
ment issued from the University press
will at first shock the Protestant world.
1t is not recognizable as a Bible. The
chapters and verses are gone; the run
ming head lines are gone; verses are
missing, changed, pared; familiar texts
that have become craven on the minds
of church people for generations nave
disappeared, and in their place are those
foreign to the eye and strange to the ear.
Verbal and grammatical changes may
be counted by the tens of thousands.
The first general idea that will strike
the scholar, however, is the delightful
faithfulness with which the Greek text
has been reproduced for the English
reader. The narrative Is unbroken by
Disagreement of chapter and verse, but
the capitals, punctuation and para
graphs lacking in the original are, of
course, supplied, and for convenience of
reference to the present version, the
present divisions are marked paren-
thetically. The misleading head lines
disappear finally, without sign to de-
note their improper intrusion.
The effect is striking, and a marked
improvement. The sequence of the
gospel narratives, the logic of st. Paul,
take on a new appearance and force
that it is not owing to the improvement
i'm grammatical construction OF the text,
although in first reading it is difficult
to distinguish how much is owing to
the one and how much to the other.
Take this illustration (Heb. iv., CD,
which is fair example of this point:
OLD STYLE. NEW STYLE.
6. Seeing there Since, therefore,
fore il remainethlit remaineth that
that some one must some enter therein,
enter therein, and and they who for
they to whom it was merly received the
first preached enter -lglad promise en-
ed not in because Offered not In be-
unbelief: cause of disobedi-
z. Again, he linn ence, he again fix
iseth a certain day, eth a certain day,
saying to David To- to-day, saying so
day, after so long allong a time after
time; as it is said, ward in David (as
To-day, IL ye willlit hath been said
hear his voice, hard bcfore), To-day, IL
en- not your hearts.ye shall hear his
voice, harden not
your hearts.
OMISSIONS PROM THE TEXT.