Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1881-06-09

We perpetuate such errors, such archa-
isms, when we can so easily replace
them by intelligent words. which at
once convey the meaning Of the origi-
mails. This is one reason for the change
the change of language. A second
and much greater reason is the ad-
vancement in brilliant scholarship. In
the vast strides oil progress which have
been made in every branch OF human
knowledge, the advancement of Bibli-
cal knowledge has kept pace with it,
and the progress Of the knowledge OF
the languages in which the Bible was
written-the Greek and Hebrew-has
made wonderful progress in the past
two hundred and fifty years. Those
languages are better understood in
every way than at any other time since
they ceased to be living languages. The
knowledge of Biblical geography has
greatly expanded. Not one of the
seven translators of King James yer,
sion was ever in Palestine, never in
Syria, and their knowledge was limi.
ted; and of Egypt it was still less. Con
sequently the location OF places was TO
large extent merely guess work, and
some times it was actual error, but in
the last fifty years these Bible lands
have been made as familiar to us al
most as our own country and our own
State Hundreds of traveller have been
there. Whole libraries have been writ,
ten of it, and Egypt has given up her
treasures, and her history can be read
out in those hieroglyphlc inscriptions
found on the ruins of her temples and
cities, which have been eXcavated from
the dust Mount Sinai has been eX-
plored and found to be the most mar.
velous pulpit which God Himself ever
produced for the proclamation of his
law, fitting place for the enactment
Of that terrific drama. Palestine has
been travelled from Dan to Bersheba;
every mountain, every valley and every
city has been explored, and almost
every geographical reference in the
Old and New Testament has Teen in
Identified.
The revision of the Anglo -Ameri-
can Bible Committee differs from the
old in the following particulars: First,
you have ineligible modern English
words for those which have become
obsolete, or which have changed their
and convey a falseimpression.
Second, you have a translation of the
purest text which is nearest the Apos.
.olic age, instead of the received texts,
so-called, from which the present YER
SION was made. And here let me make
1 few explanatory remarks. The au.
of the apostles are lost. If
my one should find the very hand
writing Of the Epistle to the Romans,
u of the Evangelists, he would immor-
,alize his name ten times over, which
would supersede the necessity and OBJ
Vlate much Of this painful criticism.
But no such autograph is extant any
where. The paper on which they wrote
vas very perishable, and didn't last
ifty years, and the writing on parch-
nent, which is durable, did not come
n for three or four hundred years af-
,erward, and so we have to rely on
hose writings of the New Testament
which come nearest the original, and
'ur earliest copies do not 60 back be-
Tond the fourth century. The version
If King James was made from the
PAINTED edition of Vaza, Stevens and
erasmus, which were taken from the
of the fifteenth century
Since that time much earlier and bet
er manuscripts have been discovered
II the ancient versions, and have been
ltilized, of the translation of the faith
rs up to the second century, and have
een exclusively brought into use for
he revised Bible. The third point is
hat typographica errors in transla-
ion will be rectitied, or there are typo
raphical errors in our version for you
cad in the Bible, strain at a gnat. 1t
hould be strain out gnat, You look
nto the older versions, and you read,
strain out gnat, SO quite number
{ typographical errors have become
tereotyped. Beside the usual advan-
ages, there are some which, though
ley may not appear very material to
1e ordinary reader, still they do not
i've the definite sense, although giving
le Christian sense, but not the sense
'hich covers the actual meaning. |
ill give you one or two examples. In
he tenth chapter of John the new yer.
ion reads: There shall be one flock
nd one shepherd The old version is:
hey shall be one fold and one shep-
ard.' Now, you see there is suffi.
lent idea. One fold includes the idea
one Church and one denomination,
ut there may be good many denom-
as there are churches and yet,
| fact, one flock, and Christ Jesus one
lepherd. Next, there were many
assages which were translated very
'osely, from a want Of knowledge,
specially in minor points, as regards
he definite and indefinite article, and
) regards the lenses, which were con-
'unded. Now, although it does not
lake much difference to the common
9ader between the expressions 4 was
oing' or Il am going, yet there is
onsiderable difference after all on
osar ayamipotion Thasa diffarances