The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-08-29
Something More About the New Trans
IatiOn OF The Bible.
Hond0n Letter IN Chicago Times.

disseminated concerning the scriptures,
some facts OF the first importance are little
known. One OF them is that there never
hes been a standard text. The editions
printed by the Queens printer for the Bible
Society have widely varied, and since King
James's day there have been many unau-
thoTized and no authorized version strictly
so called. The American Bible Society is
even IN worse plight, and has OF late years
been adherlng to text OF its own after
putting several in the market, while the
other societies do not even adhere TO one
text,
The King James transators were strictly
charged TO follow the text OF the Bishops
Bible, revision OF the Cranner Bible,
which was a revision Of the Great Bible.
itself the Matthew-Tyndale Bible, without
the notes, which had its origin in an Eng
lish translation from the German. The
previous revisers were individuals dissatis-
fed with the revisi0ns, and their work was
without ecclesiastical authority.
The present text OF The English version
il over three centuries old, and during that
time the language has not alone 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
significance. Let me instance few ObsO-
lete words: Gloves tabering on their
breasts" instead Of drumming; "The lion
filed his den with raviD," instead Of plum
der " Neither is there any ddySmdn," ill.,
stead Of umpire; Duchess" for sockets;
" cloutS," for patches; Gearing" for
ploughing; "bruit," for report; boiled, T"
for swallow, are other examples. The
changes in Specification, however, are much
more important, and lead to error, contradic-
tion, dispute. When we read that the daugh-
ter OF Herodias said, "Giye me, by and by,
in charger the head OF John the Bap-
tist,v it is natural to think that she was in
no great hurry. But three hundred years
ago .'by and by meant instantly, imme-
diately, forthwith. and " charger" was
not "war-horse," but what our house
wives call a dish and yours a platter;
'sGive me instantly in a dish the head OF
John the Baptist" is quite different from
the old form. The "arlillery" so often
spoken OF in the Bible Is not our artillery,
but literally bows and arrows. $50 to"
then meant come "let," to hinder; care
less,'' free from care; "prevent," to anti
cipate; " admiration" wonder; "boich,"
an ulscer; " campfire" a cypress; "pom-
mel" globe, DC.
The connections necessary 10 bring the
|
| OF 10. day, many as they are, are insignif-
cant, however, when compared with the
errors OF early translators. Three hundred
years ago the grammatical niceties OF the
Greek language were unknown and " He
| brew studies were in their infancy" Bux-
| tori published his little Hebrew grammar
while the tranSators were at work, and his
larger one after they had finished. In
many cases, so weak were they in He
| brew, they were compelled 10 leave He
brew words untransated, not knowing
or being unable to "guess" their mean
ing. familiar instance is the word
Belial, which Is supposed to be a proper
name, but 1t simply means unworthy, and
the phrase "sons OF Belial" should proper.
ly read "unwOrthy men," "Jasher" is
not proper name, but an adjective, mean.
ing upright. aud the I" Book OF flasher" was
the Shook OF the Upright" The "Gam.
madims" tEZek.' xvii, III are warriors
"PanDag" ". ~ means candy; +" Sheth'
means tumult; Baith" an idol temple.
Their wild "guesses" often show absurd
! blunders. The "mules" mentioned in
Genises as having been found were
warm springs; "pledges " they turned
into thick clay; effect" into both
piercing and crooked; "curls" into
galleries; I" leaders I" into avenging eos.
triches" into owls. "goats" into satyrs
" droyes " into linen yarn "set up" they
render as east down, and Joseph's "tuniC
with sleeves" they transmogrify into q
"coat of many coiors." Instances might
be multiplied until patience was exhausted
| of their inaccuracy. In the New Testament
they were better qualified for the work, and
their errors are not gross, though equally
numerous. The grammatical forms upon
which so much depends, especially with
catholic epislles where there is close logic,
and the place OF q void in sentence may
qualify Us meaning, are never considered,
and they stumble through their work in q
"r0ugh.and-tumble" way, more like q
scbool-boy than a scholar.
Still more important than either the
changes OF the language or the blunders oil
| 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 yeiy ancient manu-.
scripts Of the Bible in particular. A single
illustration OF this will suffice: Mark SAYS
that on the cross Christ was given wine
mingled with myrrb; Matthew says
vinegar. The "harmony" that gives
Him two drinks Is bosh for chill
dren: scholars know there Is contradic-
ton. The natural inference Is that the
writers did not disagree, and that the error
arose In copying. BY comparing manu-
scripts the inference Is found 10 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
! 10 the middle letter. The most violent Of