The Wilmingtonian., 1885-05-30
HISTORY OF REVISION.
DIR. Howard Nixon Gives the Historic
Annals of the TransIations and
Early Reyfsions.

I
fort to answer those questions and criti-
cisms that naturally arise at such uncture
as this among the community in regard to
the Old Testiment revision that has Just ap-
peared.
The tendency of the arguments of the
pastor of the Central Church last Sunday
morning, was to exhibit to the ordinary
hearer or thinker the chain of evidence by
which the Christians faith and reverence
in this newly revised portion of the Bible
might remain intact. The speaker present
ed such evidence as would be naturally call
ed for in such case.
The first promptings of inquiry are in di-
rection of the questions as to the literary
and scholastic status OF the revisers them
selves. The best scholarship of England
and America has been engaged on this work
for dozen years. The English revisers
going over the text first, sent it to the Amer
lean company for their consideration, any
changes being made only by majority
vote. After careful consideration the Amer
lean company sent back the result of their
conclusions to England.
The whole Old Testament was then re-
examined a second time, and on this occa-
sion no changes were allowed upon which
a two-thirds vote could not be obtained. A
third revision for the consideration of such
points as were left undecided the second
time was then made.
The scholarship expended upon this revis-
ion comprehended advantages greater than
that of former revisions. There is a better
knowledge of the Hebrew text existing at
the present day than was possessed by the
scholars of $50 years ago. Additional light
has been gained by the discovery of ancient
manuscripts since the days of Kug James
translators.
There has been great increase in the
knowledge of antiquities in relation to Old
Testament geography and history, and kin
dred languages, as the Arabic, have been
more carefully studied
The next step would be to consider the
authenticity and credbility of the docu.
ments from which the revisers made their
revision. The Old Testament scriptures
come to us upon the authority Of Christ ant
His apostles. They were appeared to and
quoted as of divine origin. Its authority
was decisive for them. They read it in the
synagogue habitually. Christ expressly de.
clared he did not come to destroy but to
fulfill it. He enjoined upon his followers
che study of them.
The New Testament is interviewed in its
story with the old.
The next inquiry is, how do we know that
the Old Testament, as zoe hdUe IL is the very
book Jesus sanctioned? How do we know
that the 80 different books of the Old Testa.
ment are the same books that the Jews Of
our Saviour's time regarded as the script
ures? How do we know that the books be
ing the same in title are the same in con
tents, that they have not been changed o.
corrupted in the lapse of time either through
design or accident.
nd u, hnx, Hn Nbnk H.,
have been faithfully translated, 80 that they
are the same in English as when given by
God to Moses and the Prophets? AS to th,
80 books-neither Jesus nor His Apostle,
} gave any list of the books Of the Old Testa
ment. The style, manner, and multtudn
Gus quotations in the New Testament from
the Old, afford however almost all the di
rect evidence for the needed information
By clear New Testament allusion Chris
and His Apostles refer to 80 of the 80
Three of the remaining nine are among th,
twelve minor Prophets which the Jews re
garded as one book.
These three books not quoted in the New
Testament, Nahum, zephauiah, and obad
iah may be considered as carried along b,
the quotations from the nine other mino
Prophets with whom they are associated
This leaves us as the only Old Testamen
books not referred to in the New Testament
Ezra. Nehemiah, Esther, The Song of Solo
mon, Ecclesiastes, and The Prophecy o
, Ezekiel. The last, however, seems to hav
been in the mind of the writer of the Bool
of Revelations.
But again, in respect to the Old Testamen
scriptures, the Jews and Christ agreed iden
tically, SO that if we can ascertain wha
books the Jews of the time of our Saviou
regarded as the scriptures, we shall fin
what Christ had in his mind when he CON
manded his followers and the Jews t
''Search the Scriptures"
Josephus, who was cotomporary of Pau
and John says "We (Jews) have not thous
ands of books contradicting each other-bu
) we have only s2 which comprehend the his
, tory Of all former ages and are justly regard
ed as divine. Five of them proceed fron
Moses. From the death of Moses to tina
of Artaxerxes, King of Persia, the Prophet
who succeeded Moses committed to writin
in thirteen books what was done in thei