The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-09-17

The revised version OF the New Testament
has now been before the world moro than
year. and although 1t was at frs. received with
almost unanimous approval the fire OF criti-
cism soon opened. and has been kept up with a
good deal of vgor. 1t is well. of course that
the work should be subjected to sharp scrutiny
for In any translation executed by number of
hands there could hardly fail to be inconsistent
cies and inequalities. and the rcyisers thcm-
selves did not put forth their translation as
final and perfect, but simply as an improve
ment ON that in common Use. Whether they
are justified in this relatively modest claim Is
the point on which the controversy must turn
and it is now acknowledged by the great ma
jority OF competent judges that. although some
| objections are well taken, the assailants of the
new translation have wholly failed TO inpcaeh
its general superiority to the so-called author
iZod version.
Besides the Quarterly Reriere.'. whose ron-
slauGht was marked by positive fcrocity Sow
eral English critics of some pretcnsiors to
scholarship, including Dr.. Field and DR.. Ma
lam have at least recognized the fundame ntal
question at issue, and have lcycllcd their blows
mainly at the changes introduced by tho re>is-
ers in the Greek text known rs the Tattus Re
ceptus. which formed tho basis of tho X ing
james translation. DR.. Malan has declared
that out Of sixty changes made in one chap
ter. only one was justifable and one other adj
missible. while all tho rest were unwarranted.
OF 1Oi alterations examined by DR.. Field eight
were pronounced questionable. thirteen UNI
necessary. nineteen faulty. and sixty
four changes for the worse. AS for
the Quarterly Reriere,'. after citing one
of tho best grounded corrections introduced in
the new version lao protests that il the Church
OF England wore to adopt this and thousands
OF other Disbursements of the sacred page she
would deserve to be pointed at with scorn by
the rest of Christendom." The very violence
of this datrbe however defeated its purpose
for when the Anonymous author arraigned the
whole body of rcviscrs as singularly deficient
in their critical acquaintance with Crock" the
reader was Naturally prompted to examine the
names of the men thus castiGatcd. The list is
found to have included tho most distinguished
Greek scholars in England. such us the Bishops
of Salisbury. of Gloucester. and of Durham.
the Archbishop of Dublin Dean Stanley the
Deans Of Rochester LANDAU. and Lincoln, the
Archdeacons of Dublin and Oxford, DR.. Scriv-
n"r. Canon Kennedy. Dr.. Humphry, DIR. An
! gus. DR.. Vance Smith and others scarcely
| less qualified for their task. Canon Farrar
| who is himself Greek scholar Of more than
ordinary emlnence. points out that there is not
one OF the men Just mentioned whose separate
opinion would not bc at least us valuable as
'lIdl u lheli Hipst Ncuciucnt antagonist. Willie
their collective judgment cannot but BE- re-
garded as possessing the very highest author
ity. Instead of answering the attacks aimed
at the methods and results OF their tcXtual
criticism, the revisers were content to leave
the defence OF this part Of their work to two OF
their number. Dr. Wes;cott and DR.. Hort. who,
in an appendix 70 their own edition Of the
Greek Testament. set forth ut length the prin-
ciples by which .he reysers had been guided
, in their cancellations of the Old Erasmian text.
That treatise is considered the most remark
able exhibition Of scholarship which has been
made by any Englishman in our time and it
has cfIcctually silenccd the attempts to i'm
pugn the accuracy of the corrections made in
tho Greek original.
Other opponents aware that. there is such
thing as a science of tcXtual criticism, and
conscious Of their inability TO cope with the
revisers in that hold took the ground that
even admitting tho new Greek text to be
warranted. the English translation did not
correctly reproduce it, Among those who
have confined themselves to this safer line of
attack. the most respectable is Sir Edmund