The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-03-26
Sunday-SchOOl Lessons.
Delay in the Publication Of the Revised
New Testament.

There is sudden pause in the prog
ress of the Revision. 1t was on the eve
of appearing. The work is completed,
printed, bound and copies were sent
out to the press in England, and to the
members of the Revision Committee in
this country. 49, ..
The cause of the unexpected delay is
this: The British Committee of Revis-
ion was appointed by the Convocation
of Canterbury, an ecclesiastical body
composed of the Bishops and other cler-
ggy OF the Province of Canterbury. We
have before us the precise terms of the
decree of appointment 1t was under
stood that the Committee of Revision
had final authority, and that their work
when completed would be at once given
to the world. But BY some indiscretion
or mistake few specimens of the
changes made by the revisers (Which
we published in the Observer January
2O appeared in the London Record. and
excited considerable attention. They
were speedily republished in many re-
ligious and secular papers. The parties
who suppose they hold a copyright in
England of the Revision served legal
notice on the record. in which the few
extracts first appeared, and on those
papers that copied the extracts. threat
ening a lawsuit for the violation otc copy
right! This unseemly act has justly ex-
cited great Indignation. 1t Is consid
cred monstrous that newspapers should
be threatened with punishment for pub
fishing extracts from the Bible, and es-
pecially for doing the very thing that is
p-fo r,f fn ha
done for the purpose of bringing the
value of the work distinctly before
the public. If the changes are dis
creetly made, the sooner they are
known the better. If they are not
discreetly made, the sooner they are
suppressed the better. 1t is very sad
to know that the men who have the
legal control OF the Revision are men
who threaten with legal penalties news
papers which have innocentiy, and at
second hand copied few texts of the
Bible, without note or comment, into
their pages. Our contemporaries in
Canada, who thought they were doing
a good thing by copying these texts,
will now find themselves exposed TO
the dangers of a lawsuit, from which
we are happily exempted by the war OF
1776. We never knew before how
much we gained by ourindependence of
England. 1t seems that we could not
have cited text from the Revised Bible
without first sending over to England
and getting permission from the Uni
versities of Oxford and Cambridge
That would be very inconvenient, es-
pecially in a discussion that required
some dispatch. ."At H|"t @a '"
1t appears that the British Committee
of Revision we're not required by their
appointment to submit their work be-
fore publication to the Convocation;
but it is now intimated that the Re-
vised New Testament will be thus SUBJ
mitted and referred to new commit
tee, to report upon it at the meeting
of the Convocation which is to be held
in May-three months hence-unto
which time the publication has been
postponed, no r.nq not rFt.. r..
The "Convocation" is legal as well
as ecclesiastical body II formerly had
the powerlof levying taxes, which il
does not now possess But lit. is Par
lament of the Church in State where
Church and State. are united. 1t has
two houses. an upper and lower-the
former composed of all the Bishops in
the Province. the other of the, inferior
clergy by representatives from the do
ceses in the Province. This body has
legal authority to examine and eensure
| books and from its decision an APP
peal may be taken to the Crown! -'t1-
Thus it comes to pass that, if the
Convocation does not approve of the
Revision. the case may go up to the
Government, and the Queen and Mr..
Gladstone mayyet be cal ed on to decide
whether the alterations of the old YER
sion are right and wise. Mr.. Gladstone
isa splendid Greek scholar, and we
would give as much for his opinion on
disputed aorist as for that of any man
in the Kingdom. If the Convocation
does not approve OF the Revision and
the Grown does affirm and adopt. then
N L. -