The Wilmingtonian., 1885-05-30

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End Kings, 1st and End Samuel and 1st and
2nd Chronicles, each into one book, adding
Lamentations to jeremiah, of which il is
the conclusion, and bringing the twelve mi
nor Prophets, as already said, into one
book.
Previous to Josephus, Christ had already
referred to this three-fold division of the
scriptures, the Law, the Prophets and the
Palms Subsequent to our Saviour's day,
Philo, Jew of Alexandria mentions near
| ly all the books of the Old Testament as we
have them in our Bible, as of divine ori-
gin.
Still clearer testimony is from the transla-
tion of the Old Testament made into the
Greek language about $50 years before the
birth of Christ for the benefit of the Greek
speaking Jews of Alexandria. This transla-
tion, called the Septuagint from the mum ber
of men engaged in its translation, contains
the same books as our Old Testament
There is no difference of opinion whatever
| upon the subject between Jews and Protest.
ants. The Apocrypha is not accepted by
the Jews aud there is no reason to believe
that they were endorsed by Christ and His
Apostles. At the councils of
Laodlcea and Carthage, the early
Christian Church concluded to recog-
nize the 80 books, and several of the Fathers
gave lists that correspond with the present
Old Testament.
The second point to be considered is, as to
the possibility of any falsifying of the con-
tents of the Old Testament scriptures either
through design or accident. Christ, while
on earth made many charges against the
Jews, but never that of falsfying the scrip
lures. All that we know of the Jews is in
favor of their integrity and zeal in the pres
eryation Of the scriptures unchanged. They
had too profound reverence of their sacred
books to change them by design, and in the
transcriptions we know they took the ut
most care. ITO cherish the book intact, {"
says DIR. Thompson twas the heart purpose
of the Jewish race"
They recorded the number of verses in
each book, and the middle verse in each.
The tell us how many verses begin with any
particular letter--that certain words are to
be found in the beginning and end
of verse. How often each letter of the al
phabet was found in the Old Testament.
The utmost care was taken IN transcript
tion. Every copy was most carefully ex.
amined. The least error in transcription
calling for the destruction of the whole tran.
script. Since the time of Christ there has
been no change, and Jews and Christians
have had an equal interest in its preserva.
tion. In addition to the Greek Septuagint
there was another translation of the Old
Testament, before the days of our Saviour,
into the Chaldee for the Jews Of the East, to
whom the Hebrew had become dead lang.
uage. And in the LIST and 2nd Christian
century it was translated into Syriac, for the
benefit of Christians speaking that language
and later the Yulgatc. All these transla-
tions were made separately. Their similari.
ty shows them to be from the same Hebrew
text.
Still further there exist about 1900 Heb
rev manuscripts, copied before tho art o.
printing was invented, of the Old Testament
which are identical in all essential particu
lars.
The present revisers have made few
changes of any real Importance in relation
to real or supposed corruptons of the He
brew text, notwithstanding the fact that tn,
most minute study has been given to th,
subject for the last so years. After examin
ing ever 600 manuscripts, DIR. Kennicott
who published Hebrew Bible, found onl,
small and unimportant variations, and non,
sufficient to modify the scope of doctrine o
duty. So that the Old Testament as W,
have it is the same in contents as when de
livered to the holy men OF o,d.
The question as to the integrity of th'
trauslations, whether when we read them il
English we receive the Word of God, is an
swered by remarks upon the trauslations o
the Old Testament scriptures.
The first of which We have any knowledge
is that referred to as translated into Greel
nearly 800 years before Christ. The secon,
not much later into Chaldee for the jews t,
whom the Hebrew had become dead. Thu
from the Jews came the fist princisle Of tn
lawfulness of translations of the scriptures
This principle was accepted by the earl
Christian Church and translations of bot
testaments, Old and New, are frequent fron
the earliest times
This freedom of translation has not beel
the custom. Other sacred books are no
customarily translated. This is forbidden
in respect to the Koran. Aud the Ro mai
Church since the rendering of the Vulgat
by Jerome in the fifth century has discour
aged the use of translatious into the vernac
ular.
The Reformer's best efforts were diligent