, 1881-05-29
TIE CHANGES IN TIE NEW TESLA
MENT

Through the enterprise OF lHE SEHCAGo
TRIBUNE. aided by some of the booksellers
and publishing houses, the revised edition OF
the New Testament has now been before the
public long enough to admit Of careful read
ins and comparison with the old King james
version. \ thorough inspection OF The CHI
cAGo Tn:ECNE's reprint, which Is the only
complete and correct one yet Issued by any
newspaper, and which has circulated all over
tie country by thousands upon thousands,
will show that there are onl; about half
dozen radical changes that have been M;lde,
anu that these do not affect any Of the funda-
mental doctrines of the Church. These
changes may be classified as follows:
l. The substitution of the Greek word
"11ades'' for uell:' in certain passages.
The word IIadcs,' i'll its original signitica-
ton, meant the place for departed spirits,
and was divided into Elssil,m aud Tartarus,
the respective abodes Of the good and the
bad, and corresponding to our ordinary
understanding of the words " Heaven and
1lcll:' AS regards the analogy between the
term ssHades'' and our English word
"1lell," another says: 1T may be remarked
that the latter, in its primitive sigliiicatior,
perfectly corrcspOn1ed to the former. For,
at first, it denoted only what was secret Or
concealed, and it is found, moreover, with
little variation of form and precisely with
the sauc meaning in all the Teutonic dia-
lccts." As we have said, the word 'I1ades' -
is only used in certain passages. Wherever
the sense implies punishment as connected
with the place, the word ''lIeil'' Is used, asfor
instance, in the Sermon OH the Mount, at the
close Of the twenty-second verse, we read,
the hell Of fire" On the other hand, III the
twpnty-third verse OF the eleventh chapter
Of Matthew, we rcad: Thou shalt 20 down
unto llades.'' Iu the eighteenth verse Of
the sixteenth chapter Of the same Cos
pei we read again: '.The gates Of
Uades shall not prevail against it." Nu-
lnerous other distinctive passages Of the
SAME general character will be observed by
the reader. 1t seems, however, as if the Use
of the word 1Iades' - must create confusion
until the locality and purpose expressed by
it are clearly defined. Lii the Greek it was
clear, as we have said. It WAS the place to
which all mel, good and bad, were sent after
death, and thence they were ultimately dis
patched to Elysiuln or Tartarus, or, rs it is
sIEulu C5oCAs ~ l VI NCIICi1lIAs
What does it lnean III the new version
Not Hell as a place Of eternal punishment,
for that Is specifically characterized i'll every
case. Not the abode Of eternal llappi-
ness, tor that III every case is called
.'Ueaycn.'' If not either of these,
then 1t must be some intermediate place
where spirits await Judgment, corresponding
to the Roman Catholic doctrine OF Purga-
tory, without necessarily involving its peil-
altles Or preliminary or temporary punish
ments. 1t seems to us that the real accepta-
tion Of the word ' Iladcs" ought to be stated
BY some of our American members of the
Commission so rs to avoid the inevitable
confusion which must otherwise obtain.
2. The substitution Of the word ''love' for
"charity" III Paul's majestic utterances.
There is no question that the music OF his
ringing sentences is almost entirely destroyed
by the use of the shorter word, but the lneall-
Ing Of the original is better kept In its
primitive meaning it implied love Of our fel-
low-lnen, consideration for their shortconl-
ings, liberation i'll points of di1fcrencc,-in
short, universal kindness, if not absolute
forgiveness. In our time, however, the
meaning Of the word has been narrowed
down to aims, giving, which was implied
in Paurs use OF the word, but did not
cover the whole ground. As there are
very few readers Of IauI'S epistIe how