Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-04-02
WHAT SEVERAL EMINENT DIvINEs SAY
OF TIE NEW RTgLE.

WHAT SEVERAL EMINENT DIvINEs SAY
OF TIE NEW BIBLE
The Cincinnati Commercial says: In
the last North american ReUie,C Rev. Dir.
Howard Crosby gives much information in
regard to the work by the commission to
revise the Scriptures. Dr. Crosby himself
ia member OF the American branch Of the
commission. II consisted at first Of 70
members IN all, 81 in England and y in
America. Several gentlemen in both com
mittees have died, however, within few
years, and there are rot now so many.
The work has been in progress ten years
The American branch began its labors in
1872. The New Testament revision has
already been completed, and that portion
of the Scriptures will appear in its new
form before this year is out, probably.
The Old Testament Committee, although
they have already worked ten years at 1t,
viii not finish their important task for two
years or more.
The American Commission consisted of
men of all denominations except, perhaps,
the Universalists. That particular one is
not in DIR. Crosby's list. But Unitarian
and Methodist, Episcopalian and Presby-
terrain, united in spirit of the most
friendly harm ony, so that their task be-
came to all source of genuine pleasure.
1" Not a sectarisn note was ever heard. :"
They perhaps reserved their respective
sectarian thunders till they got into their
own private pulpits.
President Woolsey was chairman at
their meetings. The late Professor Had
ley, the Greek scholar and author, was one
member OF the committee. Another was
Philip Schaff, the renowned church histo-
rian and commentator. DR.. Crosby con.
fesses that the learned and dignifed body
laughed sometimes.
Few people have any idea of the i'm
mense labor the Commission have per-
formed. In preparing the version of the
New Testament now in use some twenty
Greek manuscripts were consulted, only
one of them-the "Codex Bezac of a
very ancient date. The version has been
accepted since 1888 Over a thousand
different manuscripts have been discovered
since then, which are now all accessible to
scholars. The first task of the present
reyisers was TO carefully examine all this
tremendous pie, and decide which writings
were most correct. German scholars, the
most patient and laborious in the world,
did this work, and it took them lifetime.
TischendOrf, Lachmann and Tregelles were
the names of the most prominent. After
them came the Greek scholars who trans
lated the Testament into English It was
necessary for them to be profoundly versed
in the Hebrew language, too, SO as to de.
tect Hebraic idioms. They must know,
Il, 10 olor n
and Heilenistic Greek, SO as to catch the
full meaning of each. Then each line and
verse had to be gone over carefully, in
order to note the Old Testament quota
tions and illusions, and to compare more
particularly the usage of words IN the New
Testament with those of the Septuagint
Greek of the Old Testament After all
this was done came the work of the Eng
lish scholar. He must see that the book,
which had passed through so many hands,
was written in pure classical language,
that, in short, it was a perfect English
model" Then, and then only, IS the New
Testament ready to be given to the people,
which is at length the case. The new
version of the Testament viii be looked
for with such a world wide interest as no
book ever excited before.
DR.. Crosby expresses the fervent hope
that the result of all these faithful years
of work on the part OF some of the great
est scholars of the time, viii shortly become
the accepted version of the Scriptures He
reminds readers in the beginning that if it
should be accep5ed, it will be the ninth
English version that has been thus ac-
cepted. ''This fact alone should preserve
weak minds from terror lest the alteration
of our received version prove an impious
handling of the ark of God"
1t is the habit of most Christians to be-
lieve that every word in the common Eng
lish Bible is inspired. They experience a
sort of sacred terror if one speaks of
changing a word therein, even to modern
ize its meaning While Dr. Crosby has
due respect for this feeling OF reverence,
yet he maintains that in order to get the
best translation of the Scriptures, style
must in every case be sacrificed 70 sense.
The truth is the one thing to be desired,
aud all other objects sink into insignif.
canoe in comparison with this.
The only anchor OF antiquity the King
james Bible can lay claim to is that 1t has
been in use two centuries and half.
Even when it was prepared its translators
did MOI use the English style Of their day,
bat that of the Tyndale version, which
was nearly hundred years old then. So
that our English Bible is really older even
than 1911
The antique style, however, will still be
preserved in the Bible, as DR.. Crosby con-
fessss, much to his personal regret. Err
rors will be corrected, though. and many
changes no doubt made. The learned and
eloquent Doctor does not call those who
oppose the new Bible fogies in so many
words, but he does hint that he considers
some of them to be narrow, bigoted secta-
rians. He says further:
cit is an error but an error deeply
rooted, that the Bible should have an an
tique flavor On the contrary, it is book
for all times 1t belongs to the nineteeth
century as thoroughly as to the first CEN
tury. Hence, the more modern you can
make its language the more perfectly you
translate it. Let no one suppose we mean
commonplace OF colloquial when we say
modern. Our modern English has as much
dignity as ancient English, and we need
not 90 to antiquity to borrow the vest
ments of grandeur and sublimlty for our
thoughts. We believe that if the Bible
was given to the people in the peoples
own language, lots and TITLES included, II
would more readily touch the heart and
renew the life than it can when Its move
ments are fettered by the stiff uncouthness
of Tudor style. Instead OF fearing
new revision, we should favor new re-
vision every century at least.
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