The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-06-22
THE ENTIRE MISSIONARY FOR

sists of ninety three. persons, being an increase
OF ten laborers during the year.
The English Press on the Revised New
Testament.
The ST. James Gozette says: Frequent in
versions of the order of clauses to the injury of
rhythm. and often to the displacement of the
emphasis; perpetual fdgetings with the lenses;
incessant obtrusions of the definite article are
some of the more prominent characteristics of
the Revisers' style. To sum up, the New Tes-
lament Revision Company have made sad
mistake, and mistake which is the more to be
deplored because it will only too probably re-
suit In making what would always have been
difficult impossible. There is quite enough of
unreasoning and superstitious prejudice against
even the most necessary corrections of the text
of Scripture to make it matter of profound re-
greet that anything should be done to Justify
these obstructive tendencies. Instead of pro-
duclng more correct version, to which no col
lateral objections can be taken, they have given
us one which is open to objections of every
kinda work which even the most earnest ad-
vocate of free Biblical criticism could not ven
ture to press upon the acceptance of the least
bigoted of the opposite school,
The Pail Mall Gazette, on the contrary, thinks
that difficult task has been performed with
tact and Judgment. Very great improvement
has been effected with very little disturbance.
Most people who recognize the need of change
will feel that the change has been skillfully and
ludiciously made An audience, not on the
lookout for alterations would probably hear
chapter after chapter without any sense of
shock; while all whose aims were not positively
revolutionary will feel that great occasion has
been skilfully and ably used
The Atten9um, of London, the highest
merely literary authority in England, sits in
solemn judgment. and thus records its opinion:
Notwithstanding the many excellences of
hQ I'D TTA,fo al r
minute effort, it is impossible to assign it very
high standard of eminence or accuracy In
text, translation and margin it is capable of i'm
provement in various directions"
The London Record has the most discrimina-
ting review of the Revision which we have yet
seen. After examining the Greek text used by
the Revisers, it proceeds to the work they have
done:
We now come to the revised translation. Up
on this the opinions of critics are already begin
ming to be divided And this is inevitable with
every picture which has two such distinct sides.
The Revisers here labor under an enormous
disadvantage. The Authorized Version has
been the standard of English for centuries. 1t
has IN great measure created the English tongue.
What stands in the English Bible IS good Eng
llsh now, though it may have been bad Eng
fish when it was made. The creative power
OF the New Translation Off it has ANY, still re-
mains to be proved. Thus it is hardly possible
to criticize the revision without prejudice.
There is further disadvantage to the Revisers.
arising from the very fact that they are such
good scholars. 1t is nearly impossible for a
scholar to look at translation with the ewes of
the unlearned. To him the English is never
satisfactory unless itsuggests the original Greek.
Besides. he has kind of constitutional dread of
his brother scholars, and dare not write any,
thing which may possibly be twisted into
ignorance of any part of his grammar and lex-
con: Scholars are not always equally masters
OF the dead languages and their native tongue
Some Of them cannot write the best English if
they would, and, in translation, some of them
dare not if they could. We will give an illustra-
ton of our meaning from the Epistle to the
Romans" Tribulation worketh patience; and
patience probation; and probation hope" is
the form in which we are invited to read from
Rom. v: 3, 4. When we first saw this emenda-
ton we were sitting under the hands of respec-
table hairdresser, and no one else was by. Now,
the Bible IS for hairdressers as well as other
people, and we wondered what our friend would
make of this. So, without more ado we read
the passage, and asked whether the hairdresser
understood it. He failed. We then repeated
the words, in the form which we have known
from IRON childhood, and asked if they were plain.
oh, yes; he understood that" We again
read the correction and still he was at fault.
After minutes thought. he said he understood
the first part but somehow that last part (about
probation) didn't seem to connect with what
went before. Now, the object of reading pro-
baton here is to remind the scholar that the
word in the New Testament is dokine, fact
which he, being scholar, ought to remember of
himself. Probation" with all respect to the
Revisers) will not not do here Probation may
end in failure. Does it necessarily engender
hope? Approval" or appreciation" does.
Nor is the old word experience" SO entirely
beside the mark. A scholar mot hairdressef
reminded us that experience has two sides. The
examiner receives experience blythe examination,
no less than the examinee. And God, who has
no need of experience, sometimes proves men
to try them" =" to know all that is in their
heart"
In the New Translation there is an immense
number of manifest improvements And upon
the whole we are inclined to think that the Re-
visers have done best with the writings of St.
John. We read through these in order Gospel,
Epistles, and Apocalypse; and our pleasure in
creased as we went on.
Remains of the Inquisition: Toledos
Cathedral