Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-02-15
THE OLD TESTAMENT,
The New Revision of the Old Testament
Soon to Be Published-Old Versions
Curious Renderings of the Scriptures.

k11A V1ID 11AC "A Az
The New Revision of the Old Testament
Soon to BE Pub~lished-Ol Versions.
Curious Renderings of the Scriptures.
The New Revision of the Old Testament. be.
gun in 1870, with the New Revision Of the New
Testament, the publication Of which two
ceare aEo w and t w;,i Se EN- a mnbli 81 the w daS, IS 8 now 1;ow
weeks, This New Revision was instituted by
the Convention Of Canterbury in February,
1870. by which a committee was appointed fol
the purpose, who were authorized to invite
the cooperation OF any persons eminent fol-
scholarship, to whateNer nation OF religious
body they might belong: On these two com.
for the New-were many of the most dis
tinguished Biblical scholars of all religious
denominations. The first meeting of the New
Testament Company was held jun q, 1870,
and thatof the old Testament Company June
80, 1870. From that time forward until the
completion OF their work both companies held
Deanery Of Westminster, one occupying the
celebrated Jerusalem Chamber.
Shortly after the Canterbury Committees
began their labors, the cooperation of dis
and under the direction OF DR.. Philip schatf
OF the Union Theological Seminary OF New
YORK. a company composed exclusively OF
Americans was formed, The Old Testament
Company was constituted as follows: DR.. L.
J. Conant Baptist), Brooklyn, n. Y: DIR. E
Day ,Congreg,ltionalist, New Haven, Conn.
pr. J. Dewitt !Retormed),. New Brunswick
delphia, Penn: DR.. {. p. krauth Nutheran)
Philadelphia. Penn; DR.. J. Packard Episco-
palian). Fairfax, Va: DR.. C,::E: Stowe, Con
Strong Methodist), Madison. N. j.; DR.. C. A.
Van Dyck, missionary. BerOut, Syria, CORE.
spending member; DR.; 7. Lewis lReformed)
later added: Dr.. c. y. Aiken, OF Princeton, N
j.; DR.. {. NJ. Mead, of Andovcr, Mass: DR.. H.
Osgood, Flushing, =: ]. This company entered
upon their work in October. 1882.
For their guidance in the prosecution Of
their labors the %revisers, both English and
American, adopted a programme of genera
principles, OF which the more important were
into the text OF the authorized version TOR ono
now i'll common use among Protestants
consistent with faithfulness: to limit. as tal
as possible, the expression of such alterations
to the language Of the authorized and earlier
English version: that each. company shout
60 20 twice over the portion to be revised; tina,
the text adopted be that for which the evil
dencc should be decidedly preponderating;
that to make no change in the text except
upon a two-thirds vote. and TO revise the head.
ingS of chapters, pages, paragraphs, italics
and punctuation.
J The character Of the alterations that will be
made i'll the New Revision of the Old Test;,-
mcnt is, 10 some extent. Indicated in the New
pal defects of the present version corrected
will be the doubtful renderings of words, in.
correct rcndcring>. needless distinctions
IlluuCs ISdi ulSllucllOlS tuttccN, llultSO OF gram
mar, faults of photography, treatment OF
proper names, official titles, arch;eisms, de
feGts i'll English and errors of the press. To
as well as Il wider knowledge Of the history
and geography Of the Bible texts than were
accessible TO the %leviscrs Of former years.
There have been Il number OF versions of
the Scriptures, only a few of which, however,
have obtained celebrity. and fewer still have
been adopted for use. The oldest and most
important translation Of the Old Testament
| il tho SnNf1luipf which was rraf1a in A1.vn,
dIli. Egypt. about three hundred years before
Christ, The trnnsiators are unknown. There
isa tradition that it WAS made by command
OF King Ptolemy. who employed for this pur
pose seventy-two Hebrew elders sent to him
from the Jews of Jcrusalgm. 1t was highly
esteemed by the Hellenistic Jews before the
Elne OF Christ. and an annual festival was
held at Alexandria to commemorate its com.
Rletion. Among the later versions of the Old
Testament have been the following: The
tctus Latina, supposed TO have been made in
Africa in the second century. The Vulgate,
made by Jerome, was the first book printed
from movable types by Gutenberg, which
took place between 1850 and 1855, many cen
turtles after Jcrome's death.
WycliHe's Bible was the first translation Of
the entire Bible into English. This was made
about 1850; and was prepared for the common
printing within a century after Wyclitfe's
death, no part OF his translation was printed
until ISL, nearly five hundred years after il
printed until 1850. Tyndalc's Bible was begun
in l525. and printed secretly. Miles Cover
d.le's Bible was translated between l529 anC
by Jacob Van Mctercn. "'Matthews' Bible,
the real editor OF which was John Rogers
was printed in 1887. 1t was chiefly valuable
for its numerous marginal notes and com
Incnts; .Irarcrncr's Bible was the tls,nsia
ton OF an eccentric lay preachcrof that name
1t was printed in l54o. THE Great bible" was
name from its size, the pages being fifteen
inches BY nine, and larger than those of any
othcr then in existence. BY order OF the
t6is IS SnGn r "a was provided with a copy OF
within the. church. and the people were urged
to read it. The Genevan Bible, published i,
scholarly refugees in Geneva, and was mainl,
the work Of William Nottingham, Anthony
Ellny ana Ihomas Sampson: 1t WAS the tlrs1
M ing isibie printed In Roman type; Tho
tho present %rersion; the first to use italics Il
represent words supplied by the trunslators
a she 1 family hysf b IL em of t It's daS' Tbs n,l i wa:
Bible, issued in 1868 by Matthew Parker. va
the product Of the abors of twelve or tiftceI
1nealIneu men. the majority, Of whom wer,
!isnops, hence the name. A d~istinguishin.
leature or this yer'ion was the classification
OF the books of the Bible into "lcgal," .his
to oia n"sapiential, and ~",prophetic.'' Pas
punIic were marked, so that they might b.
onlttca. The Rheims and Douay version
wnich Is mat used BY the Catholic Church, wa
wv ;" " NieSofy MARTINI, rs
sisted ny a number OF distinguished Biblica
scholars. 1t derives its name from the loca
ton or a theological seminary in whicl
Gregory Vas an instructor first at Douay
then ut Rheims, and atterward at Douu,
agaln; The authorized version was trans
iatea ny special of James L.. AM
was published in 1911. Fifty-four Of the mos
learned men OF the realm were engaged upoI
II. II was based upon the Bishops Bible, the
Cne ordinary Scriptures read in the church
una mas lone more to educate the English
speaking people than any book ever written
Mhat the 81. James version did for the En-
gllsn,speaking world Luther's Bible has don
ior the Herman-speaking world. 1t was nmf
nsneo IN 1924, and has ever since been. ana !
Protcstants. = '""'
me history, of the development and growt1
numerous versions of the Old and New Tests
mSnts, as found n manuscripts and oil