The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1881-06-02
AUTHORITY IN REVISION.

All the Christian world is looking
into the merits or demerits of the
revised New Testament. Ii is one of
those things which persons disposed
against changes in any form must
for a time condemn, but the new
work must soon become The book
that is read and approved by the
mass of Christians. 1t may be well
enough to show proper respect for
the King James revision, but oppo-
sition to the new is unreasonable.
The revision has been made neces-
sary In order that the common peo.
pie as well as the learned might un-
derstand exactly on, what ground
they stand. Hitherto 1t has
been thought that every word OF
the English version of the Bible
was inspired, but this belief is pas
sing away as people become ednca-
ted and know that no work of a
translator can be absolutely perfect.
All that may be dependent upon
for translations are copies, ancient
versions, translations, and the quo
tations made by the fathers of the
church. A learned bibliologist says
thst the manuscripts of the New
Testament are oftWo kinds-the un-
cial, the Oldest class OF manuscripts,
written in capitals and without pune
tuatiOn, and the 'cursive' manu-
scripts, so called from their being
written in a running hand that be-
gan to be used in the tenth century.
Those of the old class were written
between the fourth and tenth CEN
turtles, the others after the tenth
century. OF the old there are 130
in existence; of the new, about 1900.
The very old and very valuable
manuscripts are only five. Of these
the Alexandrian Codex was origin
ally discovered at Alexandria and
was sent to King Charles /. in 1923.
1t is now In the British museum.
Nothing is known of the origin of
this, but it is usually assigned to the
middle of the fifth century. It is
much mutitated, twenty-four chap
ters of the first gospel, two of the
fourth and eight of one of the
epistles being missing. The next is
the vatican manuscript, supposed to
have been written in the fourth
century. A copy of this was never
made till 1868, when a fac si0ile was
issued. The condition of this is
much more perfect. The third
manuscript is that in the national
library at Paris, whittier it was
brought by Catherine de Medici.
This had been over-written-that is,
the parchment had been used for
other writings; but, spite of
that, the original has been de-
ciphered. 1t is assigned to the
early part of the fifth century.
The fourth manuscript is that now
at Cambridge. This is the least valu-
able, as it is much mutilated. 1t be-
longs to the sixth century. The
manuscript found in 1874 in the
Convent of st. Catherine, on Mount
Sinai, by Tischendorf, and copied by
him in 1859, is the most valuable of
the five, as it contains the New Tes-
lament complete. This is supposed
to have been written in the fourth
century. None of these most valua-
BILE authorities were consulted in
any of the English versions
of the bible, even in max
ing that of King James time.
The Latin Vulgate, the plentiful cur
siVe manuscripts and the transla-
tions were used. Errors like the
Doxology at the end of the Lords
prayer had crept into the transla-
tions, even into the Assyrian, which
was as old as the second century,
The Latin Vulgate was probably an
excellent translation, as itmust have
been made within few years of the
death of st. John. The changes that
have just been made have only been
made when the weight of authority
left no doubt of their necessity. The
text is not question of taste, of like
and dislike, but of historic testi-
mony.