The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1881-05-31
Manuscripts on Which the Revision
is Based.

Kew. DIR. R}lance, OF st. Marks
Church, lectured on the "New Version"
last evening He said: Some people
have shown an affecsionate ven-ra ion for
King Jane'sversiou which while it should
be respected, is unreasonable The
errors we're too numerous and some of
them too serious to be ignored, though
il is true that none OF them seriously
affected any doctrine OF Cnrist's Gospel.
The revision was necessary in order
that the common people as well as the
learned might understand exactly on
what ground they Stood. Hitherto il
has been thought that every word OF the
English version Of the Bible was in
spired this belief is passing away as
people become educated and know that
no work of translator can be ahsolu-
tely perfect. The autographs Of the
apostles have long since faded and dis
appeared All we have to depend upon
tor our translations are copies, ancient
versions, translations, and the quota
tions made bv the Fathers OF the Church.
Tue manuscripts OF the New Testament
are OF two kinds-the uncla', the oldest
class OF manuscripts, written in capitals
and without punctuation, and the 'cur-
sive' manuscripts, 30 called from their
being written in running hand that be.
gan to be used in the tenth century.
Those Of the old class we're written be-
tween the fourth and tenth centuries, the
others after the tenth century. Of the
old there are $50 in existence; of the
new, about 1900. The very old and
very valuable manuscripts are only five
Or these the Alexandrian Codex was
loriginally discovered at Alexandria and
was sent to King Charles /. in 1928. 1t
is now in the British Museum. Nothing
| is known of the origin of this, but 1t is
usually assigned to the middle OF the
9th century. 1t is much mulila.ed.
twenly-four chapters of the first Gospel,
two of the fourth and eight of one OF
the Epistles being missing. The next
is the Vatican manuscript, supposed to
have been written 10 the fourth century.
A copy of this was never made till 1858,
| when fac simile was issued. The con-
dit:on OF this is much more perfect.
The third manuscript is that in the
National Library at Paris, whittier it
was brought by Catherine de Medici
This had been over written-that is, the
parchment had been used for other wri-
tings: but, spite OF that, the original
has been declphered. 1t is assigned to
the early part of the fifth century. The
fourth manuscript is that now at Cam
bridge. This is the least valuable, as il
is much mutiated 1t belongs to the
sigh century. The manuscript found in
1874 in the Convent oil st. Catherine on
Mount Sinai nv Tischendorf aud copied
bv him in 1859 is the most valuable oil
the FIVE, as it contains the New Testa.
ment complete. This is supposed to
have been written in the fourth century
None of these most valuable authorities
were consulted in any OF the English
versions of The Bible, even in making
tina, of King James's time. The Latin
Vulgate, the plentiful cursive manu-
scripts and the translations were usei
Errors like the Doxology at the end ol
the Lords Prayer had crept into the
translations, even into the Assyrian,
which was az old as the second century
The Latin Vulgate was probably an ex
cellent translation, as it must have been
made within few years of the death ol
ST John. The changes that have just
been made have only been made when
the weight of authority left no doubt o'
their necessity. The text ia not ques-
ton of taste, Of like and dislike, but Of
historic testimony. expect to see the
corrected version win it's way into the
confidence and the respect Of the En-.
elish. speaking people."-N r World
23d inst.