New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-08-14
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE
docs THE REVISION REVISE n

DOES THE REVISION REvIsEr
A DEFENCE OF THE WORK OF THE COMMITTEE
AGAINST SOME RECENT CRITICISMS.
10 the Editor Of The Tribune
SIR: "A correspondence carried on i'm your
columns WIN Mr. A. A. Macdonald, of Covington, PENN
would scarcely be edfing your readers or
~yourseir' HIS letter, however which was printed In
your Issue OF August contained some criticisms on the
REVISED version Of the New Testament, very brief
hoIce OF which may be helpful In the way of Meeting
many similar objections which have recently been pre
sehted In private and public revision and which
seem TO the ordinary reader have weight as aesnst
the new work ask the privilege of occupying few
lines In your paper, not entering upon any contro
versy. but simply by way OF explanation.
NJ Macdonald states two propostious which ,nost
reasonable persons will admit First, that perfect
translation should convey to the mind OF reader the
exact thought that in the Of the writer and
secondly that the wording the old version should not
nave been changed except for cause" From some
what extended examination of their work find that
the revisers have very carefully eonformed their
action TO these propositions Mr.. Macdonald
states That 1t is q long time since be laid
aeiue MS Greek grammar aud lexicon" The same
s Is true OF many other critics Except for this fact
'hey "oaid relieve themselves and the public OF the
expression OF their unfavorable judgments 1t is GER
]"iS soh'e"hat remarkable TO find declaring sol
eihhy that the Christian world" has reason to be dis
appointed that the scholars who have had the revi.
III charge Tor ten years shave made hundreds az
changes" which give "no alteration in the me.ningn
correct no Iault In the grammar" in alnost
the same breath, they confess that their KNOWLEDGE M
grammar and lexicon is as to make IL imnroner
Tor them to to the rendering q the ore
nal text" But this is supposed TO be legitimate crit
cs especially when the English Bible is the subject of
discussion.
If Mr.. Macdonald and similar critics would devote
few months to refreshing their memory as 10 the for
gotten knowledge of the Greek dictionary grammar
OF 10 acquiring such knowledge ii they meyer had II
before they would discover ito cite OF Mr. MacDon
AIDS eXampes) that, when the revsers changed
''having soldiers under me" to "havug under
myself soldiers" "He is preferred before
me TO " lie Is become before me-" or "ought
not Christ to have suffered" beloved it not the
CHRIST to suffer- or earth it is heaven" to as
in heaven earth they did for the simple and
suincient reason that translation should con-
vcy TO the mind of the thought that was
III the inlhd oil the writer The revision gives the ex-
act thought III every one OF these tie
l61l does not In the first passage the emphasis of the
clause Is on the point that the officer only was under
authority but that he had under himself others who
were subject 10 mis- orders This is made clear in the
Greek by the order of the WORKS. and the English reader
Is guarded against possible and, may add, a very
common error to emphasis by the change now intro
duced OF the second passage it is enough to say with
Dean Afford The objection pl eferred' is its pos
Die ambiguity; the word TO prefer meaning TO esteem
moro hghly as well us to advance or promote, which
latter is the sense required here" The third passage m
wrongly given in the old version in two three points
d) The Christ, and Christ" is the meaning of
the Greek; % "to have suffered" auth verJ carries
the time OF this verb into the past separates il from
enter whereas the past time belongs to beloved"
and suffer" and center stand in the same
relation TO this verb el The verb ought
when the sentence ia correctly translated in other
respects ought not the Christ 20 suffer-" etc. liable
fore, important for the Presentation OF the exact
Thought 10 use verb IKE " beloved" In the fourth
IN accordance with the words the Greek it Is
italics introduces words which are not in the original
anu winch are ALSO unnecessary ana is Obliged do
TINS because OF the traiisposition OF the words
heaven and In earth, 10y which it violates the
order
The last two OF these four illustrate another
peeularly OF tie criticisms which persons nave
moved the grand old words OF the Authorized Version
nae i IL s e ea altered the preseoSgy Of the
ana all persons of this class to the fact that xxiv
words as those lad in Luke Sxiv 2e S Se Sye
G a , TO ses hon ns r , of ieI
w,d@r verse 40 can hardly be dis
rcvisers have presented the thought IN the |
@ sheiT Intention TO the fact that a e
the Lords Prayer given IN Luke x. 3 the authorized
found IN Matthew, the Words fly viii be done as in
heaven, 50 IN earth Way should the blamed
ior following IN their translation IN Matthew the autho
rized version OF Luxe when that is than the
to oil ire old version ltelf would dispose of many such
criticisms, without referring To Greek lexicon.
recent of custom though ne co,dey i ~ 'e
was, but IN the dollhouse booth, the place toll or
custom; aud the rcrisors have only told the English
reader the uct OF the He viii also
regard TO the removal Of those bought sold from
the Temple court, the first three Gospels according 10
the old Nerson, declare that Jesus - that
the rcViscrs have merely made the translation the
same Greek word In the Gospel OF John conform 10 the
Dd icdeIlhg III tle parallel passages thai the Greek
verb here used denotes torcble violent election
which If generally translated 10y out" in the YER
sion OF l0l and that Ia ont Is defined by Webster
meaning 10 send forth to reject certainly
the money changers and others or
urned out by Jesus through the the whip small
'oid Mr. Macdonald therefore. be scarcely within
he limits OI exact statement wien le that |
ord could not thus east them ont Critltism of the
Revision ia proper it De well founded most of
ne criticism which nave yet oniy shows TIC
tiilcs nave not acquainted themselves with what was
necessary 10 Dc uohc W.
LttchDcid Conn.,, Aug g, 1881.