Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1881-03-10
TIE REVISED BIBLE.
Examples of the Changes Made.

SAND ERRORS AND VAR.
ATOMS
Prom the Philadelphia Times.
President Chase, of Ilavcrford Col
lcge, Il member Of the American
branch Of the committee on the re-
vision Of the New Testament, lecturcd
on the subject of that work in the
hall Of the Academy Of Fine Arts on
Tuesday evening Of last week. The
arrangements for the lecture were
made months ago, the time being II
few days after the new edition Of the
Bible was expected to be placed before
the public, but for some reason the
bringing out Of the work has been
postponed until May, although private
copies are already III the hands Of the
members Of the committee. The in
structions with regard TO them are
strict, however, and nothing could in
duce any member Of the committee 10
make public any material portion OF
the work before the appointed time.
President Chase, in his lecture, gives
clue to many OF the changes and the
reasons therefor.
President Chasc'- first point was to
show why the present rcvisers claimed
superior knowledge TO the older trans
lators Of the New Testament in regard
to the genuine original text. His next
step was to demonstrate how that orig
inaI text became perverted and how 1t
could be restored.
In the economy Of hcavcn-with
reverence be it spoken-"therc Is no
waste Of miracles" A. the inspired
words of revelation were given forth
in human language, with all it, neccs-
sary impcricctiou- and limitations, and
recorded by finite human instruments,
so their preservation has been cntrust-
ed to human fidelity in accordance
with that great Law Of our religious
life, that it is left for man in his sub.
ordinate sphere to cooperate with God.
Nor have men been wanting in the
faithful endcayor to preserve the rec.
ords of Divine revelation uuimparcd
Yet with the very means Of pre-crya.
tion came in the possibility Of yaria-
tiou- and crrors--a liability which has
not been completely obyiaied even by
the invention of printing. II is not
likely that any two editions Of our
English Bible to-day, or the Bible in
any other language, are entirely alike
in every letter and mark Of punctua.
ton. IN spite OF the greaie-t care
and watchiulne,s curious and some
times even shocking mi-priut- have on
various occasions cTcpt IN. ] rcmcm.
Der -crihbling off some year, ago for a
manuscript paper published by a col
lcgc society some lines entitled The
Skaters which had sung themselves
TO me when a few evenings before, un-
der clear starlight sky. had Joined
a party of students in skating on Nor
ri- Pond and left all the poetry of
youth and the motion Of winged feet
on the rc-ounding ice and the ringing
steel. | had almost forgotten having
written them, when found q so-called
copy of them a number of years after.
ward in an album handed me for a
contribution. The piece had been
copied from book to book from year
to year, and the change it had under.
gone in the process was surely some.
thing rich and strange not in Shakes.
peares scnsel. Some lines bad no
sense at all in others an omission or
slight modification had utterly per
verted the meaning and the metre
which ~as, perhaps, the pieces strong
point, if it had any--had become in
several places the most excrutiating
| disCord.
10000 ERRORS.
The danger of such variations, how.
ever, was undoubtedly vastly less in
the case of the New Testament than
in that of any merely human compost.
iion. The sacred text has always been
regarded with a reverence which is
calculated TO inspire copyist with a
profound sense of his responsibility
and very great care was taken in the
/ comparison and revision OF copies, n
work often entrusted TO a different
hand from that of the transcriber.
Notwithstanding all this care. however,
variations and errors crept in TO the
amount of no less than 100000 At
| first hearing this number startles us.
We almost tremble for our precious
inheritance. A little examination,
however, reduces its terrors. Ninety
nine in a hundred-nay, perhaps /
may say nine thousand nine hundred
and ninety-ninc in ten thousand, are
practically of no importance as in.
volving any point of faith or practice.
The majority of the different readings
in this formidable enumeration are
mere differences in spelling. Next
come slight differences in grammatical
form, not affecting the substantial
sense then differences in the greater