National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-05-24
BIBLE REVISION.
WHAT IS THOUGHT ABOUT 1T HERE.
Talk with 4 Catholic Father, Who Praises the
Scholarship Of the Hork-Continued De-
maad for the Book-History Of
the English Bible.

The demand for the revised edition OF
the New Testament continues in this city, and the
sales yesterday were quite equal to those OF Satr-
day. Il is estimated that between two and three
/ thousand copies have been sold already in this
city. The new edition IS being compared with the
old, and the changes made are the subject of more
or less discussion. Among those best qualified TO
judge either to the adyisability of the changes
made or the scholarly character of the work
opinions are not freely expressed as they have not
had sufficient time 10 make thorough study Of
(! the revision. As rule
The CLERGY
expressed satisfaction with the.revision, and any
objections TO ii are rather on account OF changes
made in portions that familiar and valued De-
cause Of associations Of personal and reyered char
acter. Such objections, it is claimed, are mere
matters of taste. and can only be overcome
/ By time and usage of the new revision.
The idea advanced in some quarters that
the revision vii; impair the reverence and
authority which the Scriptures command is
not seriously entertained because the revision does
not change any Of the essential doctrines, and is
not new translation Of The old manuscripts and
not a new Bible. The REPUBLICAN, DESTROYS of
Gscertaining the views Of those who not called
upon to accept the revision as to the merits of the
work, had & talk last evening with
FATHER WALTER,
the pastor Of 81. Patrick's Church In reply to
question as 10 what he thought Of the revision he
said:
The revision does not concern our church. We
do not accept it nor the King James version, and
50 We have nothing 70 do with l."
But what do you think Of the revision from the
standpoint Of scholar =" queried the reporter
We'll, have not had the opportunity 10 give it
a very thorough examination as yet The King
James version was full of errors and needed re-
vision. have noticed some changes which are
highly GeStTa1ir FU- :I;.;aTcr tuey aa-c left out
the doyolOgy 10 the Lords Prayer for thine is the
kingdom and power &c. Hneycr belonged there,
was mere insertion. and ought 70 have been left
out. They have also omitted the passage III St
John known a. thc Three Testimonies This e
Of course, a disputed passage. The church never
denied that. But it is said that this passage was
inserted 70 establish the doctrine Of the Trinity
Ofcoursc that is not 50. Tbs words of our Divine
Master establishes that
What do you think Of the changes in the
words used? ,"
A large number of these were made necessary
because the words have become obsolete or lost
their former meaning. This proves the wisdom of
the church in retaining the Latin version Of the
Bible, as it is a dead language and not
subject to changes On the whole, the revision
as the work OF scholars Is very creditable; but
they evidently intend 10 make money out of it,"
SOME HISTORY.
It Is expected that this revised edition
ofthe New Tes.iTnent will shortly be followed by
the revised clifton of me Old Testament. This
will give new edition Of the Bible 10 the Protest
ant world The revised edition Of the New Tesla
ment just published IS the result Of ten years of
faithful work BY the most eminent Biblical schol
ars Of England and America, and as such will
meet the views Of al students in both lands,
q NJ he Clla
ton Of The King james version Will probably be
objected 10 by thousands Of earnest Christians who
have been brought UP To look upon the Book as
the inspired word Of God. and have NOT considered
the fact that the English Bible i a translation
and that into all translaliOus errors are liable to
creep. The old familiar text which has been the /
authority Of the English speaking Christian world
since 1911 Will be found III many cases to have ;
been changed In some instances the changes /
which have been made give All
ENTIRELY DIFFERENT MEANING
70 the texts, and 70 those who have been taught 10
look upon the English Bible as the one source of /
religious authority changes of this nature Will ap-
pear marsh and rcpul5ive. But il IS to be noted /
that III all the corrections made in The revised yer
sion there i not u single one which does away
with any main fact which has been accepted by
the Christian world since the King James transa-
ton made. The fundamental doctrines of the
degree by the new version. Everything which /
people Of The present generation were taught as
children to look upon the teachings Of Christ Is
faithfully preserved. and our children and our
child-e'ls children vii find iii the Revised New
Testament the same d0ctrinal principles although
perhaps in different and more easily conlprchended
phrases, that their fathers and graudfathcrs had to
nstr1lc; them in the Sunday schools of the past
NO centuries.
HILL l. not ABOLISHED
n the new version. as has been announced pre-
in the public press. All that has been
lone in this connection is to expunge the word
hell " whe7e1t had been Improperly translated,
md 70 substitute for i the proper word. the Hades
If Greek mythology. which simply means the
cmporary abiding place Of departed spirits In
III passages in which the Greek word "Gehenna"
appears it is faithfully translated "hell" The
iev the Prince OF Darkness, still holds his place
II the Bible under the translation Of the revised
.dition of the New Testament but he holds some
What subordinate one. He does not enter SO largely
nto the complications of human affairs as in the
Id version. The expression which has been trans
ated for over two centuries
"P0=sEssED or THE DEVIL"
translated i'll the new version possessed OF a !
lemon and is shown to refer simply to peculiar
ind of disease, which in our day and generation l
5 called madness. Wherever the word devil - >
efers to the Prince of Darkness the title is faith
ully preserved i'll the revised edition The ney
which Is given to the public under
be sanction and authority of the Convocation of U
aHtcrbury contains about ten thousand .
hangcs from the original text as found in the ,
ling James version. Some of these changes will I
frs: be found to be disagreeable to the English
aader. Some of the old familiar rhythm is
estroycd and words to which the car has become .
are lcft out But the translators have
aken the broad ground tina: the Word of God (
mould be kept as pure possible, and they have
tTetully sacrificed every word and expression j
hch could not be verified IN the original editions
pom which their work IS based q
THE FiPsT ENGLISH BIBLE l.
The first English Protestant Bible WAS in man. "
script and the translation the work of John Il
yckltfe, the great pioneer Of the English Refor- II
aton. His translation Of the New Testament was Il
jmpleted in 1891, and was followed by his version
the Old Testament about two years later. As II
'pieS could only be made by the slow process of Il
FtiFg they were, ofcourse scarce and costly and 81
lie price for copy OF WyckliFe's Bible was usr- n
ly FIVE marks and upwards, or about 500 in II
nited States gold. Then came al
THE FIRST PRINTED EDITION II
the Book OF Books in Tyndale's translation of III
e New Testament, 5000 copies of which were
cTetiy printed at Cologne and Worms in lj2j. -
luggled into London in bales of merchandise.
III steGlthfly sold these "pernicious books" as :
ey were then styled, being interdcted by the !"
ing and clergy and an act of Parliament which v
clared that these books shall be clearly and "
1erly abolished, extiHguished and forbidden TO So
kept and used iii this realm or elsewhezafn any tn
the Kings dominions' Other eiftio-,s - nr ny Pi
,s.-sl Dio.s iGilo"eo acxt in order being =:
ION the Dutch and Latin ~
men was 5 Nr;ned in Antwerp in 1885. This =
'iiSieE embraced tho y.
~ the first English yorSio,, 80 - NJ
riptures published in a single volume. "
Iatthews' Bible was published some two years Ge
er. in 1857. It was a revision of the two last Ia