San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1881-01-13
A Revised Bible.

revised by the Bible Revision Com
mittee, to be followed in about two
years by the revised Old Testament,
is piece of news that will be received
with great interest wherever the En-
glish language is spoken. The work
of revision was begun in 1870 at the
instanceof the Convocation ofCanter-
bury, which invited eminent biblical
scholars of many denominations to
take part in it. A Committee was
formed, and divided into two branches,
British and American. .and each branch
was subdivided intos an Old Testa-
ment Company and d Now Testament
Company. All the leading Protestant
Churches are represented ON the Com
mittee, SO the undertaking is free from
all suspicion of sectarian purpose.
The chairman Of the American Old
Testament Company is Professor
Green, of Princeton Theological Sem
mary, and the Chairman of the Ameri
can New Testament Company is Pres
ident Woolsey, Of Yale. In England
the two Companies are directed re-
spectively by the Bishop of Winahes-
ter and the Bishop Of Gloucester.
The work has made slow progress on
account of the great care taken to Sc
cure accuracy and to obtain for every
important change the assent of two
thirds of Committee numbering in
all no fewer than eighty-two persons.
The text of King James's version is
taken us the basis, and the rule gov
erning alterations is that each Com
pany shall go over the text twice; on
the first revision amajority vote to be
sufficient to make change, but on
the second revision all changes to be
approved by two-thirds vote before
being adopted as final. The Commit
tee does not seek to make changes
for the sake Of change. The language
of the received version will not be al
tered except when it's meaning can be
made more clear, or in cases where
there are manifest errors. No attempt
is made to modernize the forms of Ok
preston. The Committee wisely rec
ognHe the fact that the simple and
dlgnifed language Of King James's
Bible, though rendered somewhat
quaint and antiquated by the modi-
llcations which have taken place in
English speech in the course Of more
than two centuries and half, is 80
associated in the minds of English
speaking people all over the world
with the thoughts it conveys and the
moral and religious truths it teaches,
that any alteration made with view
of assimilating it to the forms of ex-
preston of the present day would rob
the Scriptures OF much of their force
and beauty.
The English of King Jamess tran
Station was undoubtedly the English
spoken and written by educated peo-
pie in King Jamess time. tits some
what archaic now, but it is terse,
strong and expressive, and its con-
slant use in religious discourse has
kept it from losing its original sig
niicance except in comparatively
Jew passages. Any attempt to sup.
plant it by the colloquial English OF
the nineteenth century would be re-
sented by all Bible readers.
The revised Bible will have many
strong points to recommend it to the
Churches on both sides of the Attain
tic, and if it fulfils the hopes OF the
friends of the revision movement will
soon take the place of the version 80
long accepted by all English speaking |
It will have no NEW read.
ngs made in support of the claims OF
any particular denomination; for all the
denominations are represen
led on the Committee. 1t will have
The advantage of the great progress
made during the past 27O years in
knowledge OF the Hebrew, Syriac and
Greek tongues, and of the geography
and history of the people
the Bible lands. IT is the
aim, careful, deliberate work of a
arge group Of eminent scholars and
livlnes of recognized influence IN va
'ious branches Of tine Protestant faith.
Probably it will have nothing to CON
end with except the force OF habit,
which will favor the continued. use OF
he old version. 1t must make its
way by its own merits; but King
lanes Bible had DO better chance at
he start. The King approved of the !
,lan tor a new translation, and asked ,
he Bishops to let him know whsn .
livings OF twenty pounds became
'acant, IN order that he might fill
hem from among the forty-seven per
ons engaged IN the work OF trans!l- 4
ion. The expenses were many
,Urne, however, by a printer named
; .rker, vino WAS gwen a copynght
m the book. Tne translation WAS
accepted at once, and hss ev-
r since been universally recognized
6 tue Englsh BiDle, not from any
Orce OF Authority, ecclesiastical or
ivl. but sO.e.y because Of its evident
Intrinsic merl.s-New YORK Tribune.
Gasiiy Of ~ rsng-
Soma p-or.ie haze . lr-bloa Of -nUfu-