New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-05-17
ways have and hold it is the desire of tie true
friends of the American trOtting horse.
THE REVISED VERSION.


The Revised Versio II of the Old Testament
has been received with great favor in England.
II is pronounced by nearly all the critics to be
an admirable and learned work, executed III
broader and more conservative spirit than the
Revised Version of the New Testament. Tho
textual alterations arc proportionately fewer IN
number and as a rule are not made merely Tor
the sake of change, as was often the case IN tne
earlier work. The reyisers have proceeded
more cautiously and have respected the feeling
of the English-speaking race that the historic
version of the Bible ought not to be picked to
pieces and rewOrked merely to illustrate the re-
fnements of the modern processes OF theological
study. Where there is a real change in mean
ing and something is to be gained by noting 1t,
n departure is made from the standard text.
But the habit of extreme fussiness, which the
revisers of the New Testament formed at an
early stage of their work and which vitiated the
results OF enormous labor and profound scholar
shin, has happily been guarded against by their
associates
The first chapter of Genesis, which we publish
on the eighth page, in complete form In a
special dispatch from London, illustrates the
general spirit and literary method OF the work.
There are comparatively few changes and none
without significance. "And tho earth was
waste and void takes the place OF =" And the
earth was without form and void" and is the
substitution of more Ineligible expression as
well as a more accurate reading. "The evening
and the morning were the first day is refash-
toned along with the corresponding passages
relating to the periods of the creative era.
aAnd there was evening and there was morn
tI,n Ia otrIa mn
readily to reconcile the text with the revelations
of modern science. 1t is change of real i'm
pUrtance in its bearing urOn the relations OF re-
ligion and science since it serves to define with
greater dstinctness the several stages of crea-
ton and to impart to each Il unity OF its own.
With these and few other exceptions the
Mosaic account of the beginning of the world
is allowed to stand in its simplicity and terse-
ness of Saxon diction, without emendatiOn or
trivial transpOsitiOn.
The text of the Revised Old Testament has
not yet been published here, and consequently
only brief congratulations can be attempted in
-the way of literary criticism. The cOpious ex-
tracts contained in the cable dispatches will en-
able our readers to form sound Judgment upon
the merits of the new translation and the
practical assistance it will afford to painstaking
Biblical study. The American Company has
had a large share in the arduous labors of this
great undertaking. A full account of those
labors will be found on the eighth page 1t is
from the pen of the Rev. Dr. James Strong, one
of the most active aud influential members OF
the Commission. The Americans in most III
stances recommended more radical changes
than their English associates were willing to
sanction But their scholarship, zeal and
wisdom have met with full recognition even
where their literary judgment has not been fol-
lowed to the letter