New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-05-20

exsmple. the 4th verse, about the angel
troubling the pool of Bethesda at certain
seasons has been a great puzzle TO expositors.
II will be found 10 have been omitted
from the revised version 1t having been marginal
explanation which the copyist inserted In the text
Most of these errors occur in the Gospels The doX-
ology of the Lords Prayer. rejected by the best
textua critics. probably found its way into the text
in this manner.
Error would also arise from the unconscious work
ing Of the copyists mind on the passage. Few tran
scribers were mere machines and supplementary
expressions due to the exercise of their own mental
powers slipped in without their perceiying it, Thus
in Luke XIV. 3d. our English Bibles read prais-
ing and blessing God" the blessing" having been
added by the cOpyist and consequently being omit
ted from the revised version. The more Intelligent
the transcriber the greater would be the danger oil
such lapses.
INTENTIONAL CHANGES OF TEXT.
But differences Of reading have also arisen
fror, Intention on the part of transcrloers
convist meeting with an uncommon word CT an nm
grammatical construction was naturally proihp'e"
TO change 1t into familiar more correct form
Seeming harshncsscs we're smoothed graiuha''"
corrections were made, and changes introduced 10
remove appareut difficulties; rs in Mark l., >, where
the revised version gives. As it is written III lNaiah
the rrouletr but as the succeeding quotation Is
| partly from Malachi, the worls oi the ENahH'Is'
had been corrected into " As II Is written III the
prophetsr Again additions were made WIN q We"
of increasing the iEsructivcness OF IN" sentiment
Tins the revised version very properly onltS from
l. Corinthians VIZ 90, the words land your spirit'
which are Gods" and reads simply according 10
the true tcxt Glorify God Therefore in your body"
With similar motive the words, who Walk not
after the flesh ut after the spirit were inserted III
Romans viii, l. They are If course omitted IRON
the revised version.
Another prolific cause Of var0rs rCac nrs has hern
the practice of conforming parallel passages e. each
other. As might 10 expected fInu Tie amoint 81
cnn,ron matter which they present. this is fonnd
most frequently in th"GoelrlS Thus TIE true read
ing at Mark H. H. IS: Thou art my beloved S"n. IN
Thee am well pleased which had beer Changed
to whom am wei pleased" to conform II e. The
text Of Mathew ill.,. T. Illustrations might b
fluna in almost every charter If the hr't thr""
evau-. lists and if thcse cvangrli,s were iHdcr!
i.dcrcnl,nt witnesses t. the .>pI History and not
copvi>ts from each other il is apparent low i'np"r
taut is the restoration f the characteristic readings
of each text. The same tendency appears III TIA"
Fpistlcs. Thus, ColoSsiars l., II, vas confornrd l"
Ephesians l.. = so d, to s,ard, " In whom we have
redemption through Ills blood, The forgiveness 81
sins" whereas the true reading is, " In whom We
These changes were a real loss; since the very CO.
medicines Of those two Epi-tcs made il the more
important and interesting to preserve their dsthc-
tive forms.
Lastly some various readings may have been due
10 the doctrral bias Of the subscrlbcr The inSer
ton of tie famous passage Of the three hcavrnywit
nesscs, J. john v, and s. may seem To have arisen
fr,nn a desire to vndcate the doctrine OF the Tim
ity vet on the other hand it may have been mere
marginal gl1ss admitted Inadvertently into The text
In either case II is rejected 10y common consent
of scholars and is therefore omitted frum the
revised version Notwithstanding the strength Of
this temptation it seems to have been very success
fully resisted and there is to believe that few
of these alternative readings can be ascrbed 10
prejudice or unfaithfulneSs.
THE "OIuGINAL GREEK TEXT.
Ii woulG take too long to summarize the his
| tory of the Greek text on which our common ing
lsh version is founded All the editions Of the Greek
Testament which influenced its text were founded
OIL srlall number of inferior and comparatively
modern mannscripts very imperfectly collated, and
containing numerous errors which a comparison
with older and better copies has since enabled us To
discover and correct. In considerable number OF
cases not indeed Of great Importance the reading Of
| the comraon English version is supported Ivy no
Greek manuscript whatever but rests on All error Of
| Erasmus or Bcza and in more thai: thousand i'll
stances fidelity L. the true text now ascertalncd re-
quires a change in the common version. though or
| dnary light one. AZ the tiEe hen our author
! lied version made. not one Of the four mast
ancient manuscripts was known 20 be il existence.
| Tie ancient versions had not been examined, no
careful investigation Lad been made into the tcsi
| many Ia the primitive text borne 10y the fathers
Textual criticism In its infancy. the materials
for it lad not been gathered, the principles Of the
4 81. IL -
Bentley. Grieshach. i.lclinann, Tlschendorf, Ire
geles and other great scholars to secure the purity
Of tue New Testament text were as yet unlcarl o.
Under these circumstances the revised version
necessarily includes may changes due 10 an
arneaded text. few specimens Of these may now
! be noted
Matthew xix. 1.-THE revised version reads,
instead Of why callct thou Inc goodr
| "Why ask ST thou me Of that which Is coodf The
text followed 10y the authorized version had been
changed ~ the ccpyist to ha-nonize 1t with the
commits of Mark aud LIKE
Mark tx. ~ 23-Hcre l. n valuable and beautiful
change The passage occurs in the story Of the
Transfgratrn. The father Of the possessed child
says t. the Saviour, " Ii Thou canst do anything
have compassion on us and help u.s. In
version Christs answer is. " If thou cansf believe
all things an possible to him that bcevcth." But
the word believe has no textual warrant. and Ivy
it's insertion we have lost from version the quick
play of thought in which Lord takes up the poor
fathers word and throws it back t. him and this
the revised versoh gives us: " II Thou canst All
things are possible to him flat bclieyeth." II, in
stead Of the word possible" form of the verb
can might have been preserved the play upon
the Greek words would have been more accurately
reproduced as, for instance, =" If Thou cnnst All
things can be to him that believeth." We do not
suggest this as emendation but only illus
tration. To produce in English the numerous and