San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1881-07-07
A Few Thoughts ON the Revised Edition
.,,,. of the New Testament. ,LN


,,, Of the New Testament. nla
We notice that attacks are contin-
ued to be made against the revised
edition of the New Testament, both
in England and America. Our at
tention has been drawn especially to
the protests made against the YER
sion, first as sapping the foundation
of Christian faith, and playing into
the hands of the freethinkers: and
secondly, to protest against the yer
sion as involving an attack upon the
English language in its mature and
most robust form. Under this OBJ
lection the alleged imrolicy of the re-
vision is pointed out as tending to
impair the authority of the inspired
book by departing from its timeh hal
lowed phraseology. -
On the first point we will say but
little, since it falls rather under the
head of theological than literary or
general discussion.
The work of revision comprised /:
1. The removal of spurious pass
ages and words. rrs,
2. The rectifcation of false trans
lations. e 'tSt p it.;
8. The clearing away of all ambig-
uity or false impressions by substi-
tuting modern words for obsolete ones,
and for those whose meaning had be-
come changed by the lapse of time.
4. By replacing the writings in
their original and natural order and
shape, freed from the arbitrary, and
often irrational use of chapter and
verse. .--.-a.--...
In rejecting On these points calmly,
we cannot see how any reasonable
man can object to the work of the
revisionists, prorided they haze done
their arOrk correctly. The presence
Of false texts, which have been acci-
dentally or Intentionally interjected
into the body Of the Testament, has
been sore evil, keenly felt by good
scholars and intelligent Christians for
many years. So much has this been
the case that no faithful and able min
lister would preach from these pass
ages as authentic, or would read them
without cautioning his flock as to
their questionable or false character.
This being the case, it is eminently q
good thing that these unauthorized
CLOSES have been removed from tho
Holy Scriptures by the consent and
authority of men learned and faith
ful, appointed to do the specific work.
The unlearned reader may now read
his Bible without fear of receiving, as
the word of God, the reasonings of
man or the fancy of some ancient zeal
OF. If the revisionists had done no
more than to execute this work OF
expurgation. they would have con-
ferfed great benefit upon the church
and the world There is nothing
here to make infdels rejoice, or Chris
tians to despond-
2. Scholars have been aware that
many words have been wrongly trans
lated There is no doubt whatever
of this; and whether ones taste or
prejudice or idea of doctrine be of
tended by the rectifcation, the world
of reasonable men will rule that such
rectifeation is not only proper but
necessary. We want no falsehood in
the book of God, whether ignorantly
told or not There can be no possl-
BILE argument made against this work
of the reyisionists
3. The Jerusalem chamber com
mittee have substituted for uncouh
and obsolete terms, Others Of . more
simple and modern character. Some
of these words have bad Their mean
ing completely changed as, for IN
stance, the words prevent, room.
.'quick,- and many others
Now instead Of leaving tbese mis-
Ieasing terms 30 deceive tie "
learned rsader, azd forcing the ne
cssesitv. after anllie. of- prOvidHng a
glossary for the Blble a. for CAsl-
ss-. the coEnsnSttes have suPer-soed
Escb rcrSs Nv otlsTs uc--sng Ire