The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1885-05-16
REVISION OF THE BIBLE.
Completion or the work ON tho Old
Testament.

LONDON, May 16.-COptes OF the
revised version of the Old Testament
We're given to the newspapers ut mid
night last night. The papers this morn
ing contain copious extracts from the
work. In the following paragraph
is presented the substance OF the semi
official article prepared for theL endon
Times, in which some account of the
work of the revision with particr'ar
reference to the American part of it
is given: "FinalIy an international
work of fourteen years has come to a
close. The revised version of the
New Testament was issued in May,
1881, and now the Revised Old Testa-
ment will soon be published in all
parts of the English speaking world.
This revision is the most important
event in the history of the English
Bible since the publication of King
James translation in 1911. The sue
cess of the Old Testament may not be
as great as that of the New, of which
more loan 1000, 900 copies were sold
on the day of publication and more
than 100000 copies before
it will probably be more
favorably received and less severely
criticised, for it involves no change
of the Hebrew text. Nc other man
uscripts than the Masorilie having
been discovered, and the ldiom Of
the authorized version is most care
fully preserved out of regard for the
conservative feeling of the church in
it's attachment for the language of
the old version. All the errors of
translation, however, have been re-
moved and the version will be pro-
nOunced by every competent Bible
reader to be q great improvement.
It presents the results of the COM
bined labor of a large num- Der of the
best Hebrewlsts and Biblical schol-
Ors of England and the United States,
most of them professors of Hebrew
in the universities and seminaries.
1t has, moreover, the advantage of
that advance of the last fifty years,
in oriental philology. Biblical geog-
raphy history and antiquitic, all of
which were but imperfectly under
stood by the forty-seven translators of
King James, although it is freely adj
mitted that they did the very best in
their day. The new version is not a
good version in the place of a bad
one, but a good improvement of a
good version. The movement for the
the present version was inaugurated
by the Convocation of Canterbury
the mother church OF the Anglo
Saxon Christendom-on May "a, 1870,
by the adoption of the following leso-
Iutions:
First.-That it is desira ole that a re-
vision of the authorized version of
the Holy Scriptures be undertaken.
Second.-That the revision be so
conducted as to comprise both the
marginal readings and such amenda-
tons rs it may be found necessary to
insert in the text of the authorized
revised version.
Third That in the above resolu.
tions We do not contemplate any new
translation of the Bible or any alter
alton of the language, except where
in the Judgement of the most compe-
tent scholars such change is neces-
sary.
Fourth.--That in such necessary
changes the style of language em-
Iloyed in the existing version shall
be closely followed.
Fifth.-That it is desirable that
the convocation should nominate
body If its own members
to undertake the work of revision,
who shall be at liberty to invite the
cooperation of any eminent scholars
to whatever nation or religious body
they may belong.
Steps towards the formation of an
committee of revision
were taken almost Immediately after
the organization of the English COM
The first meeting of the New
Company took place in
and was held in June %,
1870. On the 7th of July following,
the two houses of cOnvOcatiOn in
vited the cooperation of some.Ameri-
can divines and to Bishop Wilber-
force and Dean Stanley was assigned
soon afterwards the duty of securing
this result. They authorize I'D d.. An
gus, who was contemplating d visit
10 America, to open a correspondence
with Rev. DR.. Schaff and other
American scholars while In the
United States in regard to this work.
In August, 1870, DR.. Angus
sent letters to various American
IN which be explained
The plan of the English work and
the formation of an Amer
can committee of tw elve or
eighteen, to which the work of the
revisors could be referred for
criticism and revision. He gave
,ome hints as to how the expenses of
such q committee could be met and
nvited correspondence on the sub !
ect. DR.. Angus also had a personal I
communication with Dr. Schaf.
The result was the selection of GER
ain gentlemen who were fitted for
he work and were likely to be re-
as authorities on Biblical ,
earning by the American people
nd the submission of their names to
Bishop Elliott and Dean Stanley as {
the English body a few !
months later. Dean Stanley, made i
lie first formal communication by .
etter in the discharge of the duty as q
lHucu w u1lkS dACOA VuV voVO AZ SAO q
in July, 1870, on the /
9th of January, 1871. +
The Bishop Of Winchester had al c
eady communicated OF the subject +
With the church IN America, but as f
be general convention did not meet y
|ntil the following autumn the sub e
1ct could not formally be brought
efore the House of Bishops before e
hat time. Under date of August Z. q
ST., Bishop Wilberforce again adj a
ressed Bishop Potter, in a letter
Which was submitted to the House
f Bishops for their decision. The
louise of Bishops decided to take no ,.
ficial part in the work, but left the II
ndividual members free to act 9
8 they might, but so much time 1 !,
in the preliminary commu- y
ications between America and q
,ngland that the first arrangements y
" the American committee were not u
lade until the summer of 1872. 0
'hese arrangements were concluded 81