, 1881-05-08

PHILIP SCIIAFF, u. D., IN TIE NORTH
AMERICAN REVIEW
The Rev. Philip Schat, one of the American
company who we're engaged in the revision Of
the New Testament, contributes to the North
american Rericw an Interesting article on The
Old Version and the New from which THE
TRIBUNE culls the following extracts:
The authorized English version, so Called
although it was never properly authorized
either BY King or Parliament, or couvocution,
but simply BY usaee.-had It's birth IN the Hamp-
that noble palace, built nearly one hundred
years before by Cardinal Wolsey, on the banks
there re- assembled T IN Il presence g Of King james
and at his invitation, Archbishop Wh!tgift, OF
Canterbury, Bishop Bancroft. Of London. seven
the conservative Couformsts, and four leaders
learned Dr. John Reynolds, Of 6xford, to con-
rho then undivided Churcn Of England The
King acted both as Moderator and Judge. and
@ st and s asr 70 tho a1 asSc hi liz sna
~ rejected every petition Of the Puritans.
using as his hnul argument: - will make them
out Of the land, or else do worse" By dong
worse, he meant, 'just hang them that is ALL
This was his short method vita dissentcfs-
r1pxlous Purituns. Notwithstanding tho protest
nj the Bishops. This was the revision OF tho
Bishops. Bible, which had, from Queen Eliza
England, while the Gcneyn Bible Of 1860 was the
favorlt version ct the common people in their
families
Dr.. Reynolds, the real mover of the enterprise,
is described by Anthony Wood as prodigious
scholar, who "nad turned over all writers,
fafhre nd ana hs,oq dne e. tn all
church." He was commissioned as one of tho
transators Of tho company which mad in charge
the prophetical boo books ct the Old Testament, but
he died in May. l67. four years before the pubii
cation Of The work
The King was not slow in making prcpara-
tions. In July Of the same year he commissioned
tifty-four dignitarics and scholars. who had
been selected by some unknown but, no doubt,
competent authority: to carrg out the revision.
become Archbishop OF Canterbury, to make
provision tor the compensation Of the translat-
ors By church prefertnent He div'Ied them
into six classes, who were to meet ut Westmn-
ster Wondou), Cambridge. and Oxford. rwo
classes in each place. The original Scriptures,
including the -apocrypha+' were In like manner
divided into six portions, one Of which was
signed to each class for translation
The actual number OF trans!atOrs was only
died or resigned. The active members were, no
doubt, the best scholars Of England ut that time,
as Is very evident frum tho result Yet most Of
them are entirely forgottcn; they live only in
their work The same may be the fate OF the
new revisers. The work is far more important
Than the ~orknen Thetrnnsauon, Or revision
In properly estimating King James version,
however. VIC must not forget its defects, whicha]
for popular and practical purposes, it is full Of
minor errors, inaccuracies, and Inconsistencies.
if tested ly the standards Of modern Greek and
Hebrew scholarship. The forty-seycn reyisers
are not to be blamed for this. They knew the
ancient languages well enough to read them
fiuently and translatc from them automatically:
grammars and dictionaries. The ncctfes and
shades Of those languages could not be uppre-
ciated. The departures in the use OF tie article
E1e 60 innumerablc. and the neglect Of tho
Greek lenses tthe aoFist. imperfect, and perfect)
go constant and arbitrary. that they seem TO
have translated from the Latin VulEate Iathor
of pathological, archaeological, geographical, and
historical knowledge has accumulated within
the present generation. which can he utilized |
for the proper understanding Of the Bible, and
which is indisputably necessary for an accurate
. These and other considerations have resulted |
at last in tho resumption of the work ut revision
in the year $50 by ne combined labor Of biblical
Tuited Stn1es. The British Committee and !
1ns nm 1 S h1e ana raed into
New Testament. and each company ucts us Il |
unit which secure:s grcutcr harmony and con- |
Eistency than the system adopted l'y King James.
Of last year, just 500 years after Niclifs Bible.
end viii be published in tho mouth of May, sim
Australia In England, it will be published in
various sizes ami IT various prices by the Uni
S-erSty Presses OF oxford and Cambridge, which |
have always had the monopoly of Bible printing.
In this country. tha publication is lett free like
that Of the authorized version. but. Of course, |
With Al the risk Ut rarutlous and fnuti1auons to
which irresponsible reprints arc subject. The |
Did Testament will be finished in two years.
The English Committee begun actual work in /
May. 1870, ilnd the American Committee in cOTp-
.r:,tion with the English, in October, lS1a., but
he latter was organized III 1871 by invitation Of /
he former. Ru1h Committees embraced i'll ull |
E0l members, but Of these, Il number died or re-
signed during the last ten years The present /
luulber Ut active members is scventy-tline, Of
Thom fiftytwo belong to the English and twenty
;cven to the American Committee.
We now proceed to state the points Of agree
nent and difference between King james YER !
ion and tho Au.lo-Arncrican revision:
FiTst-DOth are not new versions, but re- |
Visions of preceding versions, each being based |
:hlchy upon its Immediate predecessor iii au-
horlzed use and retaining substantially the
anne kind OF English. so rs to keep up the cou-
in11ity Ut tradition and the bond Uf union. /
SCcond-lsoth arc intcuded for popular use in |
hurches and families They employ the COM
non. yet noble und diSnife;l language of the |
'eoplc, as the sacred writer's did. There is Il
onsecratcd Bible idiom which differs much
rom the scientific luuguage Of scholars as from
he vulgar language 0f the street. 1t does not
ither fly too high for the rcuch Of the many,
lor crawl on the dust (
1niru-Both represent the best Biblical
choarship Of the age in which they were
'rttten.
Fou,tA-Kinr ,'a,ncs' version, although s,1g-
ested by an individual scholar tDr- iteyuolds), |