Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-05-28
The Revised New restamen.


New Testament was presented to the public
yesterday. The translation-as translation
must be pronounced a gratifying success It.
emtodies the mature results OF the scholarship
OF two centuries and half, applied to the
enendation Of the text, ana to the correction
OF errors In the translation OF what, In any
view disputants may take OF It, is the most
Important OF all books. Nevertheless the nsw
version may be objected to by the two oppo-
site parties among the critics; those who think.
for example, that the Second Eoistle OF Peter
should have been left out and those who think
mat me doXology at the end OF the Lords
But with the question OF the authenticity Of
particular books. the translators manifestly
thought they had nothing to do, while it was
their business TO restore the text OF their
canoDical books 70 as near the original as possi-
BILE. And this they have done They have
omitted. very properly, the famous passage II
there are three who bear witness the Spirit.
and the water and the blood On the other
hand, while retaining the episode In John or
the woman taken In adultery, and the last
twelve SeS OF Mark. which are questioned
ny scholars as being no part Of the original
text, Ley have separated them both by a w,da
icing from the context. The other omissions
are few In number and unimportant In charac
Ter.
The removal of the headings to chapters
which are q: modern Interpolation, aad the
hooks OF The Old Testanent1n verse. are de-
cieed Improvements; While the division of The
itAG Into paragraphs, ms cad OF verses makes
Tie sense more Gear These divisions ana
Ilsns OF arrangement have always been arb,-
trafy. the Vulsate. for example. being som
'nes divided Into chapters. but not into verses
each chapter making paragraph by Itself Ir
Is. however, when we come 10 the aalendmsnts
themselves OF the authorized version that the
tSceience OF the work stands out Ktsy
James version was great improvement on
me Bishops, Bible. put this. which VIII prob
ably go by the name Of the Canterbury lewis
Ion, being essentially the work of the Church
OF England, is no less an Improvement over the
Trans. alton Of I6ll. The Greek language was
IS low, and especially In the proper
rendering. OF the article represented in
English by the words "a" and 1.-THE. !"
King James translators often made mis-
takes, which are now corrected. For H.
stance, the famous passage, "The love or
money Is the root Of all evil, !" now reads, "rhe
love Of money is root Of all evil, " which is,
version gave occasion for soothing to some and
perplexity for others. Another class of emenda-
llons IS that OF the substitution OF modern
opsolele. For example, (Acts xxi, 15) instead
OF I'VE took up our carriages" the new version
ieaos; we TOOK up our baggage, which makes
IL !!np ,a1n: There Is one word. says DR.: Roberts,
mot occurring at all In the authorized version
mat has simply been trausplanted from Greek
INTO English In the revised translation. This
Is Ihe term Bades. deDotiDg the invisible
Morld: Immense gain has been secured
In several passages by the adoption of this
Word. Thus 1t Is very markedly at Acts H., 27.
wnefe these wolcs are quoted from Ps. XVI, IN
soul In Hades; neither wilt thou give thy HOW
one 10 see corruption" The wCTd He'll ia re-
served In the revised version as translation
OF the creek word Gehenna, TO the great clear
Hg up OF The meaning OF the various texts
where the word He'll now occurs 10 the author
1zed version.
Where the term Easter occurs In the Book
or Acts txii, A. 1t has been corrected to Pass
over, but this is one OF the changes which nav
De regretted by some. In the earlier English
versions the word Passover was generally
rendered reno by its real English equivalent Easter,
mus keeping alive knowledge OF the unity OF
me historical religions whose great festival
occurred at the vernal equinox. 1t must be
admitted, however. that the Greek word PuscYsa
ought always to be rendered by one and the
same expression in English. A more serious
objection lies against the translation of the
creek word 4gape by love. instead of, as tn
the authorized version, Charity. The word
love has so many shades OF meaning that the
good Old word charity had probably better have
. neen Ietalneo, or else paraphrase, such as
Among minor cancellations the following are
nappy and bring out the sense more clearly:
Offspring OF vipers.
II thy right hand cause thee to stumble.
20 80 LOU anxious Tor your life, what you shall
The iaborer is worthy of his food.
II MS son shall ask him for loaf. will he give
him stole?
The poor have good tidlngs preached uato
them.
New wine into old wine skins.
That WhereH1th thou highest have been
prof1ted by me is given to God.
Doth not your master pay the half shekel?
He that Is bathed Deedelh not save 10 wash
hi2 feet, Uhat Il, from the deniemenr which
has eeen contracted since leaving the BATH
pie OF God, him shall God DESTROY
destructive heresies UnsteAd Of damnab.e
Usually the word Damnat,on Is rendered
Condenbafi.n, though sometimes JuTgnent.
Perhaps tie most awful passage-one which
has proved stumbling block to many tender
ccnsc'ences-in the whole Bible is thai In II.
1hes.. ii. 10, II, which reads in the authorized
version: For this cause God shall send them
strong delusion that they should believe a lie:
that they al! might be damned" a.. In the
sendeth them a working OF error that they
should believe lie; that they all might be
Jadged," &c; -. The me- famous passage, Cor, H.
eateth and drinketh Judgment unto himself. II
he discern not the body"
1t has been feared by some that the fine.
rhythm the swing and cadence OF the sentences
with which all English speaking people are
familiar, would be lost In the new version, but
this Is very seldom the case. Indeed, In some
Places, an improvement VIII be noticed as for
scourge you; yea. and before governors and
kings shall ye be brought" Those who are
unfamiliar with the facts have, In some cases.
had more serious apprehension, namely, that
the alterations would be of q Revolutionary
character. But such is not the case mo doc
tr1ne of faith, /" as Dr. Roberts Justly concludes.
us In the slightest degree affected. False SUP.
ports OF important doctrines may be removed.
and true defences OF them may be supplied but
that Is all"
Looked at merely In q literary point of view.
the work may be pronounced marked success
and IL Will be held by many OF the profoupdest
scholars that readers Of the Scriptures In the
oxford version have now the opportunity of
making themselves acquainted with the New
Testament, In form more nearly representing
the primitive text than they ever had before
Phild. Ledger.
How the Nlhiltsts are Organic ed,
[London Times.
ST. PETERSBURG, May 5.-AS for the Nlhilists
despite every investigation. all that Is known
and this Is the only reassuring thlng-is that
they have no accomplices In the army or the
real nobility nor among the peasantry. They
are almost exclusively recruited among the
decasses, especially the young men. whose un-
satisfied ambition stimulates fanaticism car
ried to an incredible pitch. Thus at some
previous executions the culprits scandalized
the peasants by their 1rreugion. The watch
WORD was given, and at the last executions the
culpr1ts showed respect for the cross in their
last moments. This was obedience In the
highest degree.
mil hi 9a,S1A