The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-11-23
Failing from Grace"
The New Version on this Doctrine.
BY REV. H. R. RAYMOND, D. D., MARION,
ALA

ALA.
Under this heading a recent article in
the Christian Observer criticises the new
Version in its rendering of GAL v: 4,
which in the common Version reads,
Christ is become of no effect unto you,
whosoever of you are justified by the law !;
we are fallen from grace" Objection is
made particularly to the change in the
hrst clause which reads in the revision,
" Ye are severed from Christ" 1t is i'm
possible for me to see, says the writer,
how these revisers have gotten the ex-
preston, "Ye are severed" unless they
have blunderingly derived their Greek
from Aatergazoneai. Certainly, he adds,
neither the true word, kataryeo, nor its
primitive argeo, gives grounds for the
phrase.
l am persuaded no such blunder was
made by tie revisers. DR.. Robinsons
Lexicon of the New Testament defines
hatargeo, generally, to maketo cease, to 40
away, to put an end to. In the Greek
text the verb is in the passive voice, and
followed by apo tou ChriStou. Now let
us consult Robinson further He says:
" Ratargeomai apo tanos, to cease from,
to cease being under or connected with
any person or thing" Then quoting this
identical phrase-katergethate apo tou
Csr7Stou, he translates it, eye have ceased
withdrawn, apostatized) from Christ.
Olshausen gives this comment upon the
verse: "To seek justification in the law
is to be separated from Christ, to be fallen
from grace"
The discreet Bengel in his Gnomon
translates the first clause, "Your connec-
ton with Christ is made void" and to
support his rendering quotes Wahl, who
says, dlOelh ct prorSats dimove,5 Chris
to, which Bengel translates, to be torn
off and utterly parted asunder from
Christ"
We see then very plainly chow these
revisers have gotten the expression" and
that instead of dealing blunderingly"
with the Greek verb, they have succeeded
admirably in the terse and exact trans
lation, eye are severed from Christ
The article further says, the meaning
of the expression is "to become idle, in
all other places of the New Testament
where the word is used. Let us examine
this statement. In the 9TH chapter of
Romans, Paul, illus trating the believers
relation to Christ, by tie marriage rela-
ton, says in the End verse, "But if the
husband be dead, she IS loosed from the
law of her husband" In the 9th verse
he says Now we are delivered from the
law, that being dead wherein we were
held" The Greek has the passive voice
OF this verb in each instance followed by
the same proposition with the genitive
case. Robinson and Bengel both quote
this passage to corroberate their idea of
the apostles meaning, which we have
seen accords with the revised Version.
The changes that have been made are
open to the rigid scrutiny of the world
and the Church. 1 hope for the best re-
suits from this free criticism. But we
should not be hypercritical. The re-
visers are entitled to credit for whatever
they have done well.
The article in the Observer has, think,
fallen into the error, quite common, of
clinging too closely to the genealogical
and primitive meaning. The rendering
It to become idle" which it says is the
of the Greek verb every where
in the New Testament, may impart its
coloring to the other senses in which it
is used, and perhaps account for them,
but it does by no means clearly define
what Paul sets forth as the fearful con-
sequence Of resting our hope Of justifca-
ton upon the deeds of the law.
The article properly says that this JUS
tifcation by the law has no existence in
reality "and that it was misconception
of the mind on the part Of these Gala
tians that they could be justified by the
deeds Of the law" The apostle, however,
witnessed painful evidences Of a legal
spirit in that church, disposition on the
part of some to rest more or less upon