The Cecil Whig., 1881-05-28
REVISED NEW TESTAMENT.
The Public Curiosity Now Gratified Some
of the Changes Made.

The revised New Testament has been
! placed on the market and will doubtless
'Somc 6f the Changes" the Philadel-
phia Times says:
1t may be that at first not few OF the
! changes or omissions in the revised YER
sion, due to Il change i'll the original text
will be felt disagrecable by the English
reader. The old familiar rhythm is dis
ttubcd and the car longs for the words
to which it has been accustomed. 1t
must be owned. too, that there arc some
changes and omissions due to the cause
referred to which may worthily seem
matter of regret. THUS, We can hardly
exchange the beautiful precept BE cour-
taouS," found at l Peter >: s, in the au-
thorizcd version, for the apparently tanner
| expression, humhle-minded." in the re-
vised version, without feeling that some
| loss has been incurred. And we cannot
read Mark 9: ,, or Mark 9: 24, without
with tears" which add to the graphic
style of the narrative, had been retained.
IN the majority of cases, however, the
changes caused by change of text will,
on consideration. commend themselves as
improvements. They will be found to
! impart greater clearness. tcrsenesS. or
force to the version. Thus. there is Il
viyidncss at Mark / -, And they were
all amazed, insomuch that they ques-
toned among themselves, saying. What
| is this! new teaching! with authority
he commanded even the unclean spirits,
and they obey him., which does not be
long to the authorized ycrson. Thus,
again it will be felt to be with the re-
markahle variation which occurs at >
Cor. |: %, where we read i'll the revised
version. For how many soever be the
promises of God. IN him is the yea: where
fore. also, through him is the Amen. unto
the glory Of God through us" As has
been well observed, the "yen here "dc-
notes the fultillment Of the promise on
the part of God, and '.Imcn the recog-
milton and Thanksgiving on the part of
the Church. distinction which is oblit-
Grated by the received reading. So, at |
John y Is. it is al obvious gain to get
rid of the clumsy and almost absurd repc-
titlcn which occurs in the authorized ver-
sion and to read simply. These things
have written unto you that ye may know
on the name of the Son of God But
whether the true readings be deemed i'm
provements or not. they should always
be welcomed simply on the ground of
genuineness. TO find out what is true is
the supreme object of biblical science.
and while, no doubt, there may often
seem an artificial attractivenesS about
what is erroneous, there should always
be felt sovereign majesty in truth.
With these remarks let us look at some
Of the minor changes which have been
made III the revised version owing to a
change of text:
ST. .Nother'S Gospd. At chapter ): %
the revised version omits the words with
out Il cause At chap. IS: / we read i'll
the revised version, "Why askcst thou
me Of that which is good? One there is
vino is good: but if thou wouldest enter
into life. keep the commandments" The
external evidence is decidedly in favor of
this reading, embracing, as it does, B. D.
etc. but it is the internal evidence which
is conclusive. We formerly saw how
prone copyists were to conform parallel
passages, and here st. Mathews text. rs
represented i'll the authorized version, has
been harmonized with those Of st. Mark
and st. Luke. Besides, the question of
the younger ruler, What good thing
shall | do IS aptly answered by the
words, ''Why askcst thou me Of that
which is good?''
81. Mrh'< Gospd. At chap s: % we
read in the revised yers, on, "IIerod feared
John, knowing that he was just man
and holy. and kept him safe; and when
he heard him hc trn~ wnch perPlrrcd. and
heard him gladly Here the common
reading, And did many things" is un-
donbtedly supported by many of the best
authorities; but the case is such that we
cannot conceive Of the unusual Greek
word for perplexed " being substituted
for the very common word for did,
while the converse supposition that a
transcrber here, meeting with an unfa-
miliar expression, changed it into one
with which he was we'll acquainted is
easy and natural. At chap. 9: 222 %, we
read i'll the revised version. 1T thou
canst do anything. have compassion on
US and help us. And Jesus said unto
him, if thou canst. all things are posi-
bic to him that belicveth. y
ST. Luhc's Gospel. At chap. Ii: 9 we
find the interesting change Of 1T for
"ye," aud read in the rev ised version,
Make to yourselves friends out of the
mammou of righteousness, that. when
it shall fail. they (the friends whom you
have thus made) may receive you into
the eternal tabernacles.' At chap. n F.:
Il II somewhat different turn is given to
the narrative by the insertion of L Greek
| verb in the text. and we read thus III the
revised version. What communications
are these that yc have one with another
as We walk? And they stood still, looi;-
ing sad Again, at verse 4G Of the same
chapter, the proper reading is, Thus it
is written that the Christ should suffer. =
ST. Joha'S G"Spd. At chap. s: II we
find in the common text an obvious case
of accommodation to the parallel passage
in Matt. II: 10. and the verse properly
runs as i'll the revised version, ".Iesus
therefore took the loaves. and having
| given thanks, he distributed to them that
were set down. At chap. IS: "A we have
in the revised version characteristic
uttcrance of st. Peter which is lost in the
| ordinary text. He seems to have I'M
agined that John, as the contilant of
Christ. would know what the disciples
wished to ascertain. and exclaimed: "Tell
us who it is of whom he speaketh.' At
! chap. 20: 1G the amended text has re-
stored the expression in the Hebrew
tongue" which, by the exception which
it specially marks out, serves to indicate
the language generally made use of i'll