The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-06-29

How It Is Regarded from the Israelit Ish
Stand-Point--An Interesting Criticism


Jewish Advocate.
TO the Jewish community the issus of this
revised version Of the Bible cannot be matter
of indifference. eat the outset, it is gratifying
to us as race to observe the high value SET
upon our literature by our Christian friends.
Christian respect and Difference toward the
Jews, people, during the past centuries and
at the present time cannot be regarded as OBJ
trusive; we have indeed heard at times COM
plants of Christian scorn and contempt for the
race; but there is no reason to deplore want OF
Christian appreciation of Jewish literature The
fact that the ablest Christisn scholars in thel
world have thought the works of our sacred
writer's Of so much Importance that fifteen years
of labor were well given to the work of produc-
ing better translation of them, is tribute OF
homage of no slight significance. We cordiallv
appreciate this evidence of Christian esteem, and
it would have been pleasant to reciproeate the
compliment by rendering the revisers assistance
IN their efforts, had it been desired. That such
| assistance would have been valuable cannot ba
denied. A Jewish scholar sitting st their board,
having an intimate knowledge from his child
hood of Hebrew idioms and living practical ac-
quaintance with details of Jewish ritual, could
have shed light on some obscure passages which
have evidently puzzled the worthy doctors. But
that vas matter for their consideration, and
no inSitaton was extended. So far as we have
seen, 40 explanation has been given of their
omission to seek assistance which unbiased per-
sons would naturally regard as OF exceptional
value The suspicion might have been enter
tanned, if the revisers had been less eminent
than they are that their course in this matter
was prompted by prejudice, which sometimes
does operate on the theological mind with more
potency than logic. But the revisers are able
and learned men Of high character, who have no
prejudceS.
very slight examination of she revised
! Bible. aided by our obliging guide, Dr. Cham
| bers, shows that whatever faults the revisers
! may have had, they cannot be charged with
| iconoclasm. They appear to have gone about
| their work with a caution approaching timdty.
| We have not noticed q single change whica S~
| not aburdantly justified. One very notable Inn
! provement which will render this version more
| acceptable to Jewish readers, is the omission or
| the headings of the chapters. These were inter-
| polatons, conveying in the most unblushng way
distinctively Christian teachings, remarkable for
it's ingenuity rather than its connection with the
text Their intrusion was the more Objectionable
because uneducated people might be led to be-
| lieve, from the position the headlines occu-
pied, that they were OF equal authority
with the chapters themselves. Some of these
headings were really extraordinary in their In
| genuity, and would have done credit to the man
who tried to extract sunbeams from cucumbers
| Here is one taken at random from the Canticles:
| At the head of the fifth chapter, perhaps the
| most beautiful of that exquisite drama, stand
| these sentences: Christ awaketh the church
| with His calling; The Church, having taste OF
Christ's love, is sick of love; A description of
| Christ by his graces." All such absurdites,
which intelligent Christians as we'll as Jews have
| come to recognize in their true character, have
been swept away, and the Bible is the better for
their absence. In addition to this change is the
| mechanical Improvement, which is in the line of
| the Jewish practice of printing the poetical
| books in the poetical form. The whole Bible
also, is arranged in PARAGRAPHS decided inn
provement on the verse arrangement which
often broke the thread of the thought, and de-
stroyed the meaning of a passage.
The most significant part of the work, howev-
| er, is in the margin of the pages A study OF
those marginal annotations is rese7stN-s-
one read the text alone, one might say that
Christian scholars were growing in their knOwl-S
! edge Of Hebrew, but they had still much to
learn; but when we refer to the margin, we find
that they possess a knowledge of the language
which the text does not indicate. We have re-
| ferred to a large number of well known passages,
which in the old version are VIGOROUSLY mis-
| translatons, and find them left unaltered, while
| the correct translation is given in the margin
/ After calling attention to some of the imper-
| fections of the work. the writer concludes:
We give, however, cordial welcome to the re-
vised Bible, in spite of the blemishes I'VE have
| pointed out The Christian Church is evidently
| moving, and that in the right direction Tbs
| changes are in the line of Jewish exegesis, and
| are vindication of Jewish scholarship. Had
| the marginal renderings appeared in the text.
| the progress would have been still more
marked; but their appearing in the work
at all is a significant admission, which deserves
| recognition The whole tendency OF the revisers
work is toward the disappearance of Christology
| from the Bible. 1t is comparatively slight in the
text, the test passages being for the most part
unchanged but it is strongly marked in the
margin; perhaps after the lapse of time we may
| have Bible with the present marginal notes in
| the text, and the correct renderings in the mar
| gin, which will be only step from the abso-
lutely accurate translation. If we interpret
rightly the attitude of the most advanced Chris
tian theologians, we may predict that the inter
val between this and the next revision will not be
| 270 years, as it was between this and the
previous one. AS practical lessons are the order
of the day. We may, perhaps, be allowed to sug
gest one in this matter. liz so, it would be that
| the interest taken by the Christian divines and
the Christian community generally. in our sacred
| literature, is an example worthy of imitation in
| our own ranks. We disclose secret when we
| say-though we say it with profound regret
that the average Christian layman is far better
| acquainted than is the average Jewish layman
| with the writings of the Jewish teachers and
| prophets. The fact is not creditable to us, and
| we may reverse it with advantage to ourselves
| and the whole Jewish community.
Private Information About Russia.