The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-05-24
S. G.
( he Revised New testament.

the Revised New testament,
Friday was tho day appointed for
distributing in America the Revised
version Of tho Now Testament pre-
pared by tho Anglo-American Com
mission. BY Saturday night, it is said,
at least two million copies, varying in
price from fifteen cents to len dollars
each, were dispensed to different pub
fishing houses and individuals, and the
rush is still prodigious. Nothing in
tho sale Of books can equal it, the do
mand being inspired not only by de-
votion but by curiosity to SEQ what
changes have been made. Tho secret
has been closely kept, and not copy
was secured in advance Of the general
issue, although as much as a thousand
dollars was offered for a single copy.
The so-called advance sheets, publish.
OF by some papers,, were forgeries,
though a few Of tho changes were cor
rcctly given.
1t may not be unintoresting to give
some history Of Bible translation.
The first English copy was the work Of
Wickliffe five hundred years ago.
Several other translations were made
in turn, the Geneva Bible for while
holding the first place. King James
version, now generally authorized was
published i'll 1911, but only came into
general use, simply from its superiori.
ty, about forty years after. It was
the result not Of one MANS work but
ofthree generations Of scholars. cit
is indebted to William Lindalc for it's
idiom and vocabulary, and the Gene
va translation for its accuracy"
During the past two centuries much
light has boen thrown on the Bible.
Many old manuscripts have been dis
covered, a comparison Of which re-
vealed many inaccuracies and interpo-
lations in the "Authorized Version"
These manuscripts are Of two kinds,
the Uncials and the Cwisivcs, the FORM
cr being written in capital letters with.
out punctuation or division Of sell
tences, and the latter are written in
running characters rs in ordinary
Greek.
The Uncials are the older, the scare
er and the more authentic, dating be-
tween the fourth and sixth centuries.
The Vatican manuscript is the oldest
and most interesting ofall. The Alex
andran, the Beza, the Ephraem aud
the Aleph (found IN the Convent Of
St. Catherine on Mt. SinaD are the
next important. Tho Ourselves are
too numerous to mention. Besides
these texts are the Lyriac, Latin, Goth
ic. Arminian, Egyptian and Ethcopic,
all Of which throw light on the New
Testament.
When Erasmus compiled material
from which our present Bible was
sorp.o VIZ " s1e aour earliest manln;s nln;
the knowledge Of the Greek language
has vastly increased in the present
generation, and this-is another cause
for demanding revised version.
III 1870 the Convocation Of Canter-
bury decided to attempt a revision,
and appointed commission which
last year numbered 'fifty-two scholars
and divines, about two-thirds belong
ing to the Church of England These
are divided about equally between the
Old and the New Testament. Thirty
Americans representing all denomina.
tions were added to the commission.
The labors have extended for eight
years, and no change made except
after independent research and general
conference. -Four years moro will be
required for the Old Testament. The
Americans desired most change, but
British conservatism has generally
prevailed, and no word is altered ex-
cept when necessary. Tho following
are said by the New York Herald to
be some of the emendations:
In Matthew's Gospel w., 22) the
words "without canse" are omitted.
The reply Of Christ to the "young
man." IN Matthew (xix., ~, ;'Whv
callest thou me good?" is changed to
"Why askcst thou ME Of that which is
good?' In Marks Gospel wi, 2O) we
read that che (Herod) was much per-
picked" instead Of Che did many
things." In Luke's Gospel (xyi., 81
we have "it' substituted for "ye' in
the saying, "Make to yourselves
friends Of the mammon Of unrighte-
business, that when ye fail" &c. In
the Acts of the Apostles (xv., 2S) we
find "the apostles and the elder breth-
ren" instead of "thc apostles, the
elders and the brethren" In Romans
Qv., l9) we find very remarkable
change-"he (Abraham) considered
his own body now become dead" in
stead of che considered not his own
Gody now dead" In the l, Epistlc to
the Corinthians interesting changes
have been made in Paul's account of
the institution Of the Lords Supper.
In chapter IL, verse "a, the words
'"fake, eat" have been omitted. At
verse 81, in the same chapter, the
word "worthily" is expunged.
But all these changes are Of minor
Importance compared with others,
allch "a tha o,pioesnn ~ t),o J,o..i.<..,