Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1881-05-26
THE REVISED TESTAMENT
FaREIPELL TO THE pERSIOS OF
NEARLY 300 YE1RS.
A Hasty Glance and the Changes
some Parallel Passnges-The
Lords Prayer.

Lords Prayer.
The first copies of the New Testament
os recently revised by the Convocation OF
Canterbury, composed Of eminent biblical
scholars of various creeds and faiths, was
received in this city on Friday afternoon
AT the book store OF c. +. Thomas Il Co.
There was much interest felt in the
advent of the new work, and as soon as it
became known that the book was pro-
curable applicants were numerous.
The full title Of the work is; The New
Testament of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ, translated out Of the
lireek Being the version set forth
A. b. 1911, compared with the most
ancient authorities and revised A. ID. .lsSl.
Printed for the Universities ..ot oxford
and Cambridge.
A preface OF some length discusses the
Authorized Version from which the re-
vision was made, and explains the plan
On which the reviscrs worked. Says the
preface:
"The whole time devoted to the work
has been ten years and half. The
First Revision occupied about six years !;
tile Second, about two years and half.
The remaining time has been spent in the
consideration of the suggestions from
America on the Second Revision, and of
many details and reserved questions
arising out OF our own labors. As rule,
a session of four days has been held every
month with the exception of August and
Spptember) in each year from the COM
meneement of the work in June, 1870.
The average attendance for the whole
time has been sixteen each day !; tile
whole Company consisting at first Of
twelty-seven, but for the greater pant of
the time of twenty-tour members, many
Of them residing n great distance from
London. CT the original number four
have been removed from us by death.
- The alterations which we have made
in the Authorized Version may be roughly
grouped in five principal classes. First,
alterations positively required by change
OF reading in the Greek Text. secondly,
alterations made where the Authorized
Version appeared either to be incorrect
or to have chosen the less probable OF the
two possible renderings. Thirdly, alter
atohs of obscure or ambiguous render
imgs into such as are clear and express i'll
their import. Fourthly, alterations OF
the Authorized Version in cases where it
was inconsistent with itself in the render
ing of two or more passages coniessedly
alike or parallel. Filthy, alterations
rendered necessary by consequence, that
is, arising out of changes already made,
though not in themselves required by the
general rule OF faithfulness.
The first change that will strike the
reader accustomed to the old version is
tie disappearance of chapters and verses.
These have been superseded by an intelli-
gent system of paragraphing, by means
Of which continuity of thought or MARIA
tive is preserved. The former divisions
OF chapter and verse are indicated, how
ever, by marginal figures. Another
change that appeals to the eye is the
printing of quotations from the poetical
books of the Old Testament in metrcal
form, as for instance, the following from
Matthew lst and 9Th:
"And thou Bethlehem, land of Judah,
art in nowise least among the princes OF
Judah, for out Of thee shall come forth a
governor, which shall he shepherd of my
people Israel.
The verbal alterations are numerous,
but the changes of SENSE are comparative
ly few. The following are some Of the
changes Of the former:
Galatians w., II, qgect changed to seek;
same, ,A,QBectionS to passions; same, ~, %,
n to by; b9mlr0mm to hdndmdid; Jy to
through. Acts, XVIII, 3, eomjeOuSiy entr'atei
Rad To hedt,t itd Kindly; dberty to hme;
to toam; same, XXvn., 4, and mhea me had
i"chtd to aad putting 10 Sea; same, XXvIl.,
3, occr tie SEA oj CUjcm to across he sea
mhtd Is cP CIicut; same, xXyn., into to fer;
same, XXyn., Z, not sqRu6y as to not
iHrthT suffering rs; same, XXvn., ., S0iiHy
to cogdy, same, XXyIl., q, Bm after Tong
dbst0Wace to .ind ghm M,y hud bern long
@ahom jood. Philippians, M, IA, press 10
Tari Mc wVrk for to press on tO'gUrd the goHi
dnto, same, M, lG, id as mimd tie same
M6'g, omitted. Romans, IT,, Is, more,
omitted. |. Timothy, W., l3, dttend,nre to
hf'd, /. Peter, L., IS, conversation to LitHg;
Matthew W., II, corrupt to conSamc.
These variations are but samples OF
such as abound in nearly every book o
the Testament. They are met in pasaag,
after passage, so that even the most care
less reader ot scripture would notice the
change of text. There are hosts o
changes in such particles as ''the,
''and, when" ''now, 'tfor," "hy,
ahd like words. Then, too, the revised
work has marginal notes giving various
reading. The following are few selected
al random Matthew w., s, pinHacie il
literally ring same, W., 81 for posS, SSet
Tdh drr'fS, ,dcBoaidcS is suggested for drlS
and pomcrs for mighty TorkS. Revelations.
H., 23, peSiicnce is suggested tor d,uh
and III the same book, chapter M, vsrs
;, gtren il suggested for SET before
CorihtIians, Xll., 26,gionied for honored
Tn"se frequent marginal suggestions
together with the great number o. oFhangee
actually made reveal the fact long know
10 Bible students, that orthodoxy allow
considerable latitude in translation.
AT one point in the preface the reviser
say:
"ChangeS OF translation will also b
found i'll conneNiom with the aOrist par
ticiple, arising from the fact that tn
usual p"riphrasis of this participle in TIL
Nulgate, which was rendered neeessar.
by Latin idiom, has been largely pro
nouneel IN the Authorised Version b.
when with the past tense Gas fo
example in the second chapter of 81
Matthew's Gospel even when the ordi
nary participial rendering would hav
been easier and more natural il
English. +"
The difficulty of conveying the subtle
Ties OF highly infected language lik
The Greek by means of our almost unil
heet'd English has met the revisers q
many points and often they have decide
upon different tense forms from those use
IN the old version. For instance
Matthew Ill, |, came is changed to comeh
same, III, Is, sgBered to sgVereth; SAINT
", Ii, hare their remufd to hare receirs
helr reTari. An interesting feature
the work, and one that will startle SON
whose eyes have grown dim in Bible reat
ing, is the omissions. In Matthew XXI
verse IA, which has one of the most pow
erful figures of the New Testament,
is as follows
Woe unto you, scrihes and Pharisee
lyp0critrs ! for yedevour widows house
and for pretence make long prayer
therefore ye shall receive the great
damnation.n
Mark iX. Oniits verses A and 1G
Where their worm dieth not, and Il
hire is not quenched.n (Verse III
identical.)
A text much quoted and often referr'
to in rhetorical figures, but always a Ii
lie startling to persons of moderate fait
Is missing from John v. 1t is verse 4:
For an angel went down at certa
season into the pool and troubled Il
water: whosoever then first after 4
troubling of the water stepped in W
made whole of whatsoever disease
had"
In like manner, in Acts vIu., whe
the story of the eunuch's baptism
til..f f0,Y, ig