The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1885-05-22
EMENDING THE SCRIPTURES.
The New Revision Of the Old Testament
Finally Given to the Waiting Public
In London.
Synopsis Of Changes Made in the Old Familiar
Text, and a Sketch Of the Work Of
Revision.
The New Old Testament.


LONDON, May 15.-Copies Of the revised
version Of the Old Testament were given to
the newspapers at midnight last night All
the papers this morning contained extracts
from the work. The Times says:
Finally an international work of fourteep
years has come to a close. The revised version
of the New Testament was issued in May, 1881.
and now the revised Old Testament will soon
be published in all parts of the English-speak-
ing world. This revision lis the most important
event in the history OF the English Bible since
the publication of the King James translation in
1911 The success Of the Old Testament NAV
not be as great as that of the New, OF which
more than a million copies were sold on the day
Of publication, and more than three million
OF copies before the close of the year: but IL will
probably be more favorably received and less
severely criticised, for 1t involves no changes of
the Hebrew text, no older manuscripts than the
Masoret1c having been discovered, and the idiom
Of the authorized version is most carefully pre-
served out Of regard for the conservative
feeling of the church in it's attachment for the
language of the old version. All errors Of trans
lation, however, have been removed, and the
revision will be pronounced by every competent
Bible reader TO be a very great Improvement. 1t
presents the results Of the combined labor of a
large number Of the best Hebraists and biblical
scholars of England and the United States. most
of them professors of Hebrew in universities
and seminaries. 1t has, moreover, the adyant-
age of the vast advances Of the last fifty years in
Oriental philology, biblical geography, history
and antiquities, all of which were but imper-
FectIy understood by the forty-seyen translators
of King James. The new version is not a good
version in the place OF a bad one, but a great
Improvement Of a good version. The movement
for the present version was inaugurated by the
Convocation of Canterbury, the mother church
of Anglo-Saxon Christendom, May "a 1870, by
the adoption of the following resolutions:
II FIRST STEPS.
THAT it is desirable that a revision of the
authorized version OF the Holy Scripture
be undertaken: that the revision be so con-
Quoted as TO comprise both marginal render
ings and such emendations as it may be found
necessary to insert in the text of the authorized
version; that we do not contemplate any new
translation of the Bible, or any alteration Of
language, except where, in the jud gment of the
most competent scholars, such change is neces-
sary: that in such necessary changes the style Of
language employed in the existing version be
closely followed: that it is desirable that the
convocation should nominate a body Of it's own
members to undertake the work of revision who
shall ba at liberty to invite the cooperation of
any eminent for scholarship, TO whatever nation
or religious body they may belong Steps
toward the formation of an American committee
Of revision were taken almost Immediately after
the organization OF the English committees. The
first meeting of the New Testament committee
in England was held june %, 1870. On the 7th
Of July following the two houses OF con-
vocation voted to invite cooperation of
some American divines, and to Bishop WILDER
force and Dean Stanley was assigned this task.
The result was the selection of certain gentle
men who were fitted for the work, and were
likely to be regarded as authorities In biblical
learning by the American public, and the sub
mission OF their names to Bishop Ellicott and
Dean Stanley as representing the English body.
A few months later, on Jan. ID, 1871, Dean
Stanley wrote to DR.. Schaff, who was in the
United States, Offering suggestions in the way
facilitating communication between the English
and American divineS and requesting him to
present the matter to Bishop Potter of New
York, representing the Protestant Episcopal
church and arrange amode of cooperation. On
the same subject Bishop Wilberforce addressed
two letters to Bishop Potter. which were sub
mitted to the house Of bishops in New York.
That body decided to take no official part In the
work, but left individual members free to act as
they might. Final ARRANGEMENTS for the American
commission were not made until the summer OF
1872. In the autumn the commission began It's
work. Though nearly two years later than the
English companies in beginning the Work, they
passed forward with suchi activity that they
were enabled to complete 1t temporaueously
" 18th their English brethren.
THE BOOK ITSELF.
The Bible appears bound with the New Tesla
ment. The preface opens with q statement OF
the general principles on which the revision has
been conducted. The ~revisers have borne in
mind their duty not to make a new translation,
but to revise that already existing, and have de-
parted from it only when It disagreed with the
translators OK 1911 upon the meaning OF q word
or sentence. The terms OF natural history are
only changed when it is certain that the author
lied version Is incorrect. Where IL Is douptIuI,
or there is an alternative, the rendering 10
given on the margin. In some words OF
frequent occurrence the authorized version
being either inadequate or inconsistent, changes
have been introduced with as much uniformity
as practicable. For instance: Tabernacle OF
the congregation has been everywhere changed
to tent Of meeting In regard to the WORD
Jehovah" the usage OF the authorized version
Is followed, the ~revisers not thinking & II advls-
able to insert 1t uniformity in place OF Lord Q
God. which, when printed in small capltals.
represent the words substituted by, jewish Gus
tom for thd infalable name OF technical terms
from the Hebrew, or, In three seem to nave
been generally introduced. The word Grove.
Judges xviii has been replaced by "Ashera..
with it's piurals "Asherini and Ashcroft.
In the p~eetical books "shool" replaces hell
which has been changed in prose passages TO
the grove" and the pit" with -sheol' In the
msfgin. OF these re reHd ssn g a., ne orig, nsys sense rss
as used in the creed, would be a fairly adequate
equivalent for the Hebrew word. but ~ Is 50
commonly understood as the place OF torment
that to employ it frequently would lead 10 inev-
table misunderstanding In Isaiah XIV, where
hell is used in more OF its original sense, the
%revisers have left hell in the text putting
hitherto been known to English readers OF the
Bible only from the New Testament REV. * ~:
has been introduced I'm three passages-once ~
Job and twice In Proverbs. The term
MEAT oFFERING,
has been changed into meal offering, the former
term having ceased to be the general name .os
al food new plural-peopless-t1bais s becomes
dentiles when the contrast TO the cnosen poo-
pie is marked. All headings Of cnap.els nav
Deem dropped, as In the revised New
and the text has been divided into paragraphs,
but the old chapter and verse divisions nave
been retained on the margin fC1 conyenien1e =.
reference. By this means the revisers nave peea
enabled to rejoin psalm K. TO psalm TX, ana
psalm xiii. to psalm Kill, and TO Degln
lsaih Lii. at chapter liii. verse 10. Inc seveiar
days Of the creation are made more romin1n -
breaks Of q line between the verses. Inls exs
pcdient has enabled the ~revisers to MAKE use q
che dialogue form, and TO show the oranaaeac
Of which, for example, Is divided into seven
speeches. This Psalms are definitely divided inyo
hve books, The last four beginning IesPeosressy
ment is the printing az all ~poetical passages IN
poeticai form. This has been done ID the rss,ms,
Proverbs, Job and the canticles, but the frophess
nave been left in prose. however Rass,on1nvsni r,s,n
cutlery; the songs OF Lamech, jacob MTlali,
Moses, Deborah and Hannah; the psalm OF Jonah
and Habakkuk. and David's iamehs ~