The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1882-06-21
For the Central Presbyterian.
The Revised Version of the
New Testament.
BY REV. H. c. ALEXANDER. D. D.
No. II

One or two words are all that are left
to be noticed under this head, and only
one topic then remains to be examined
before general summation of results is
attempted and broad and final estimate
is made of the two versions.
Perhaps the attention of your readers
has been called to the variations Rabbi"
" Rabboni, " Master, and Lord, where
4" Rabbi" should have been the term used
in every case.
DR.. Roberts is obviously correct in say
ing that at Acts xix: 81 the translation
ought not to be robbers of churches" but
" robbers of temples" He is however
somewhat dogmatic in the assertion that
at Rom. ii: %, the cognate verb should
be rendered " dost thou rob temples" in
stead of "dost thou commit Sacrilege.".
A volume of learning might be aceumu-
lated on this one point The reader who
consults Cremer's New Testament Lexi-
con and brief monograph of Professor
Henry B. Warfeld Gin an early number
of the PreS6yterion Revle1o) may see a
strong array CT evidence per contra, and
will be ready to admit Gn the language
OF Sir Roger de Coverley) that much
may be said on both sides of the ques-
ton
Probably the most striking instance
that has yet been pointed out in the Au-
thorized Version of failure to represent
IN English the exact shade of thought in
the Greek where this could only be done
by adhering to one word in the transla-
ton, is at l Cor. iii: 5, where King
James reads who also hath made rs
able ministers of the New Testament.
This wholly misses the fine significance
Of the original. The apostle after hay
ing exhibited the damnatory effect of the
gospel in the case of those who reject it
had exclaimed (chap. ii ICY, "And who
is sufficient for these things?" Other
statements, bearing however on this gen
eral subject, intervene. Then, in the
third chapter, he answers the question
he had himself propounded, and in these
words: Not that we are sufficient OF
ourselves to count anything as from
ourselves; but our suficiency is of God,
who ALEC made rs sufficient as ministers
of the new Covenant" etc. We have
in this translation followed the exact
steps of the Revisers.
luIlueI
pies as goodly apparel and gay cloth
ing" in the second chapter of James
where the Greek does not vary; and
@ rule and line Of things Cat Cor. K:
10, lG), as equivalents for one and the
same expression in the original. SINH
larly the identical Greek word that in
l Tim. vi: II, is rendered profession
In verse IL reappears as confession"
and one and the same Greek phrase is so
diversely given in different epistles as
" God, even the Father, God and the
Father" and the God and Father" So
too the word translated "iailor" at Acts
xvi %, is rendered Keeper of the
prison" in verse 27; and host of other
instances might be cited.
When the author of the Companion
speaks Of the Importance Of making the
English Bible as exact and accurate
transcript as possible Of the originals in
Greek and Hebrew there will be none to
oppose him but when he AYERS that this
eZactitude should be so great as to en-
able the unlettered reader to find the
equivalents i'm all cases in an English
Concordance, he speaks Of that which is
plainly utopian and chimerical. And
there can be no doubt that this effort AT
minute correspondency betwixt the words
IN Greek and English has been carried
to an extreme by the revisers. There is
something almost fnical about it. The
LanRuage Of King James scholars in their
address to the English reader (Which is
IN terms SO cordially approved by Dr.