National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-06-28
THE REVISED TESTAMENT.
Report OF the Washington City Bible So
ciefy in Regard 10 II.

The monthly meeting OF the Washing
ton City Bible Society was held last evening, the
first business considered being the report of the
committee appointed to revise the new version OF
the New Testament Rev. A. w. Pitzer, chairman
of the committee stated that each member had
taken sixty pages to read and compare, as result
of&hich he would submit the following: The I'M
designed, having been requested by the Washing
ton City Bible Society to mite in an examination
of the revised version OF the New Testament, re-
spectfully submit the following report:
This is one of many TRANSACTIONS since ISso-Wyc-
lifes, Tyndalls, Coverdale's Matthews, Cranners,
Parber's, Genevan, Douay, King James, and many
others since.
With all the variations in the different manuscripts
and the various renderngs in the TRANSACTIONS the
system of the Christian religion remains intact. No
fact, truth, or duty is changed in the least.
While the ConyOcation of Canterbury originated
and has controlled the revision and while the great
religious bodies of this country and Great Britain
such, and the Bible societies have not operated in
the work, yet the revision has had the cooperation
and assistance of eminent scholars outside the An
glican church, both in Great Britain and America
The revisers have had the of more abundant
material (notably, the four Oldest manuscripts In eX
stence) the benefit of the comparatively science
of biblical criticism, and enlarged knowledge of the
Holy Land. With these advantages over previous
reviSers they have abored nearly eleven years, with
out compensation, to give us the nearest English
equivalent for the original Scriptures.
In general the changes from the authorized version
exact and renderings of the original
Greek and since the great object OF every translation
is to approximate nearly possible to the thoughts
of the Holy Spirit as embodied and expressed in the
original Scriptures this excellence of the highest
value.
Among the merits of this revision note the fol-
lowing: The substitution of modern for obsolete
words; the uniform rendering of proper names
throughout the Bible; the omission of the headings
naF1rsrr and
form part of the Scriptures and the noting in the
margin only of the convenient but arbitrary division
fthe Bible into chapters and verses, which is mat
ter fpurely human origin.
In the few instances of important changes and omis
sons the revsers have evidently sought with digent
and conscientious to give the translation OF
purer text of the original Greek.
Had the changes proposed by the American re-
visers, printed in the appendix, been generally
adopted, in our judgment the revision would have
been still further improved.
THE authorized version is the first and greatest of
English classics, and living reproduction of the
original Scriptures in diOmatic English by men as
reverent and devout learned and its best recon-
mendatOn is its universal adoption and in every
Protestant church and household where the English
language is spoken 1t has admirably served its pur
pose for270 years. and is interviewer with English
and American literature that it be entirely
superseded"
And yet at the same time this revision marks an
and tends largely to satisfy the general and urgent
demand for the accurate rendering of the orgi
nal Scriptures into the English tongue.
Its circulation and use as companion and COM
mentary and help to the authorized version WILL in
our judgment, result in the far wider diffusion and
more correct understanding OF Gods Word.
If the American Bible Society had the right, under
its present charter, publish this revision would
recommend such publication, not TO supplant the
authorized version, but companion to it and an
hattie
change of charter in advance of the revision of the
Old Testament and before the Christian public has
formed or expressed opinion would be at least pre-
mature. And, as any change of charter involves i'm.
portan and difficult questions of varied interests and
vested rights that entire subject in judgment,
be best left the careful consideration and sound
discretion of the parent society.
The report is signed by A. W. Pitzer, chairman,
pastor Central Presbyterian Church and president
of the Washington City Bible Society; W. W. Pat
ton, president Howard University; ]. C. Hagey,
pastor Union Methodist Church; ]. H Cuthbert
pastor First Baptist Church; William Dinwiddie,
pastor Second Presbyterian Church, Alexandria,
B. F. Bittinger, pastor Westminster Presbyterian
Church; John H. Elliott, associate rector Church
of the Ascension, and ]. George Butler, pastor
Memorial (Lutheran) Church.
No discussion of the report was held but on
motion, it was unanimously adopted and ordered
to be sent to the parent society of New York.
grant of twelve Bibles was ordered for Queens
Chapel, in the county. and forty Testaments for
Mr.. John Whiteford to be distributed among
prisoners in he Jail and worllhouse Mr.
Smell, agent for the society, in his state
ment for the month showed that he had
made ninety-nine calls, supplied twenty
eight Testaments and twelve Bibles to destitute
families and collected SCI. Messrs. Baliantyne,
Pitzer, and Shields were appointed a committee to
draft resolutions of ba
society for the loss of its late vice president Mr.
W. H. Campbell, and present them to the family of
the deceased. The society then adjourned TIL the
last Monday in SeDtpmhpr