The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1885-05-16

in age and value, was not discovered until
1859, by Tishendorf, who published it to
the world in 1862.
All of this material, and much besides,
having been carefully examined by such
competent critics as Mill, Tregeles and
others, gave the Revisers of 1870 very
great advantage over the translators Of
1911, and placed them in position to give
us a more correct rendering of the Word.
THE REVISION.
The work of the Revision Committee
was given to the press in $780, 1t found
ready, sale, and formed the chief topic of
discussion in magazines, newspapers, and
by the ireside.
The changes which created such an IN
terest arose from two causes: first, from a
correction of translation; second, from a
correction of the Greek text.
Those arising from the first cause are as
follows, as previously determined by the
Commission
First, that instead of the mechanical
division into verses, to divide the books
according to the subject matter
Second, to omit italicised words when
ever possible.
Third, to print the poetic quotations in
poetic form.
Fourth, to correct manifest and acknowl-
edge errors in translation, and remove OBJ
solete and misleading terms.
In all these projected changes scarcely
any room existed for difference of opinion,
and all agreed that such constant sources of
error and confusion should be eliminated.
But those arising from correction OF
the Greek text, gave rise to greater diff
Guilty. Here the task involved the exami-
nation of hundreds of manuscripts, and
thousands of conflicting opinions scattered
through volumes.
Probably the most noticeable change in
the whole Revision is, the omission of the
"doxology" from the Lords Prayer II
seems strange to leave of, ,-"For thine is
the kingdom, and the power, and the
glory" but Biblical criticism is against it
It is not found at all in Luke, nor in the
oldest manuscripts of Matthew. The Vul
gate does not contain it, and the Greek
Church does not use it as part of tine
Lords Prayer. It's Christ rdom's ratifica
ton of the words of Christ. AS Dean Stanley
says.-"It is the thankfulness which we all
feel for the majesty, and thought, and beau
ty, which our Heavenly Father has shown
to us in the paths of nature or in the great
ness of man. With this feeling the Church
has continued to use it, until we had almost
learned to believe it to have been spoken
by the Lord himself But it is our duty
to draw the distinction between the Word
of God and the word of man. Another
and more important change Is, that founo
at 1 John 5, where both the seventh anc
eight verses bearing on the three heGDen5
qcitraesses are omitted from the text. I'm
portant as this omission may appear, it Il
one of the most indubitable results OF text
ual criticism. The verses can be proven tC
have no claim whatever to scriptnral au
thority. None of the Uncials or an
cient Versions contain them, and they
are never quoted by any of the Fathers
even when arguing on the Trinity. Eras
mus omitted them from the first two edi
tions of his Greek text, and only inserted
them afterwards to stay the adverse crltl
cism which their omission had produced
The testimony of scholars has been so over
whelmingly against their genuineness tha
the Reyisers ommitted them, without evel
so much as line to mark their former ad
mission to place in the sacred text.
Other difficulties arose in regard tt
zericography, grammar and English usage
AS they were to revise the existing
translation, and not to make new one, tn
question was constantly arising, whethe
the changes from these causes would com
pensate for any annoyance caused by tam
pering with what had been consecrated b.
the unbroken use of more than two centu
rics: and this was not always an easy task
One of the most noticeable of this clas
of changes is that found at Acts 26: 2o
where the Almost Christian is removed ant
the text of many fine sermon destroyed
Instead of being touched to the heart b.
the burning words of Paul, and sadly say
ing "Almost thou persuaded me to be
Christian" King Agrippa, with a curle'
lip and naughty countenance, says scorn
fully "With butlittle persuasion thou woulc
fain make me Christian" Many objection
come to this change; men say, if these wer
not the words of Agrippa they ought t
have been; and with this argument Civ,
their unqualified condemnation. But 1t
not for us to say what he ought to hav
said. It is our duty to take the testlmon.
that establishes the genuineness of ever.
other passage of Scripture, and abide b.
the consequences.
Another important correction arising tror
the application of grammar was in regar
to the article. One unfamiliar with tn
original can scarcely conceive of the grea
loss caused by the mistranslation of thi
little but potent part of speech; but tn
translators of 1911 blundered over it i
several respects. 1t was omitted by then
wrongly inserted, used as demonstratlv
pronoun, and in many places neglected al
together.
Many changes also occurred among tn
Greek lenses. As the Latin language ha
no article, neither had it any way of di'
tinguishing between the aorist and tn
perfect tense Hence here, also, the trans
iators of the Authorized Version obscure
many shades of meaning by often transla'
ing the aorist as perfect and the perfect
aorist. Likewise with the imperfect tens'
In regard to proper names, the Reviser
have corrected many strange inaccuracle
as at Matt. 27:10, where the Revisio
reads "And His disciples asked him, say
ing, why then say the scribes that Ely
must first come p :" instead of the readin
in the Authorized Version.
The translators of 1911 often confounde
one Greek word with another, as at jaime
I:6, where it reads, "He that acaUereh
like ,eare of the sea, driven by the wind
and tossed" The erroneous idea thi
there is some connection between the dl
ferent words of this verse is renaored in th
Revised, which reads, "He that dou6tet
is like the surge of the sea, driven by tn
,oaces and tossed. y
One of the rules of the King jaime
translation was to render the same Gree
word by variety of equivalents, for te'
E of being charged with unequal dealing t.
; wards great number of good Englis
words" This was very fertile source
e,ror oS of | Cor 2.17 where the Author