Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-05-22
THE OLD TESTAMENT.
ITS REVISION AT LAST FINISHED.
After Fourteen Years of Assiduous Labor
the Task is Ended-The Semi-Ohicial
Article in the London Times-The
History of the Work.

LONDON, May 15.-Copies of the revised
version of the Old Testament were given
to the newspapers at midnight last night.
A semi-ofiicial article prepared for the
London Times reads substantially as fol
lows:
"Finally an international work of four
teen years has come to close. The re
yised 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 speaking world.
The success of the Old Testament
may not be as great as that of the new, of
which more than million copies were
sold on the day of publication and more
than three millions of copies before the
close of the year. But it will be more
favorably received and less severely criti
ciSed. Tor II involves no changes OF the
Hebrew text.
"All errors of translation have been re
moved and the revision will be prOnoun-
ced toy every competent Bible reader to be
a very great Improvement. 1t presents
the results of the combined labor of Il
large number of the best HebraiSts and
biblical scholars OF England and the Uni
ted States The new version is not Il good
version in place of Il bad one, but
a great improvement of a good version.
The movement for the present revision was
lnaururated by the cOnVOCatiOu of Canter-
bury, the mother church of Anglo-SaXon
Chrstendom, May p, 1870 and steps to-
wards the consummation of acompletc re-
vision were almost Immediately taken. 1t
was voted to invite the cooperation of
some American divineS. The result was
the selection of certain gentlemen who
were fitted for the work and were likely
to be regarded as authorities in biblical
learning by the American public and the
submission OF their names to Bishops FL
lott and Dean Stanley as representing
the English body, and in the autumn of
1872 the committee began its work. two
years later than the English committee
Although the American committee were
two years behind in their work, they
pressed forward with such alacrty that
they finished their labors with their En-
glish brethren.
'"rhe meetings of the American commit
tee We're held every month from Septem
Der to May inclusive in each year at
rooms in the Bible house, New York y
meeting was held in the month of July,
usually at New Haven or Princeton.
The whole Of the New and the Old Tesla
ment was infinitely considered and dis
cussed. The work was reviewed in a
very careful manner twice. from begin
ming to end. An arrangement was made
between the English committee and the
officers connected with the University
presses of oxford and Cambridge by
which the revised version III Great Britain
became the property of those institution.
on condition that the large expenses Incl
dental to the preparation of the work il
that country should be paid by them. The
copyright in Great Britain accordingly
passed into their hands. The American
committee refused to sell their copyright
The attitude of the English committe,
toward the suggestions of the American
revises was always that of readiness Il
give them most respectful consideration
a large proportion of the suggestions o
the American committee were adopted
and embodied in the revised version.