St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1881-02-26
Written for the FARxER-
THE MUTILATED BIBLE.

Some twenty five years ago was
in favor Of . new revision OF the
Scriptures. that grammatical mac
curacies might be corrected, obso-
lete words changed to those in
ordinary use, and ancient idioms
replaced by modern language. To
effect this desirable task, commit
tee of learned divines Of England
and America, representing all the
Evangelical denominations, have
been ten years engaged in the
laudable and arduous undertaking.
"a Revised New Testament" is
about to be published, as the result
of their. labors.
And first, let me disabuse the
minds Of many persons respecting
a new revision of the Scriptures.
A new translation" is not another
revelation" A new revision is
not a new Bible, but only the old
one in q new dress. Some people
speak as if those men were making
another Bible, whereas they are
only condensing the old Bible into
palmer and more Ineligible Ian
guage. Our present Bible has al
ready passed through several re-
visions, and we can at any time 60
back to the original Greek, in which
the Apostles wrote it, and retrans-
, late it, whenever our language
changes enough to demand it The
question is, whether these revision
| lists have made any improvement on
the old one.
How many Of our people. for in
stance, know that the ancient term
S for "lying" was called leasing"
"God will destroy him that speaks
r leasing" When the Bible says
"quick and dead" it means Giving
and dead" The word ''let" used
to mean "hinder," and should now
be thus rendered; while prevent"
. meant then to 'assist," or help, but
/ now the reverse, 30 wonderfully
3 have the meanings of some words
% changed in 800 years. The word
charity" ought to be "love," to ex-
press the original. The word ''bot-
d ties" meant s'skins," which bottles
lie used to be made of; the word "vir-
" tue" should be courage" the word
Of Carriages" in Acts, should be ''lug-
d gage"
D. Yet am afraid that the present
10 'srevisionists" have rather become
Is ''recisionists," and by leaving ont
r. occasionally some Verses of the old
g Bible which they did not conside,
ly to be the pure word Of inspiration
have committed grave error
:, which will prevent the masses o
" the people from receiving it. /
= they had confined themselves strict
y " to a critical and correct revision
~ of our present Scriptures, the.
would have conferred . lastini
benefit on the world; but in PIE
summing to prune the word Of God
Think they have sadly erred.
>. There are two words in th
- original, "gehenna" and "tartaros,
=. which signify shell" or the state o
- place Of punishment in the worl
to come. Wherever these word
On occur, it seems they are properl
sd' translated "hell" or "perdition;
ms but there is another word, "hades,
for which sometimes means shell" an
- sometimes it's symbol, the grave
" according to the connection
ess which it is used. And now, ] asl
IAN what is the use of bringing thi
es. Greek term, shades" untranslatet
Il. into the new revision? "And tho1
= Capernaum, art thou exalted
eir heaven? Thou shalt be brougl
let down unto hades." "And in hade
ich he lifted up his eyes. being in to-
yes ment." What will the gener,
;. reader know about hades? I'll
" truth is, this term ought to ha,
ate been translated shell" as it is