Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-05-23

First Part Of the Hebrew Text in the Hands
Of Its Editor.

From the New York Times.
BALTIMORE, May 20.-The new American
Bible is in the press, and the first part Of the
Hebrew text has been placed in the hands of
a few friends of Prof. Paul Haupt of the Johns
Hopkins University, who is the editor and NOV
ing spirit Of the enterprise. Advance notices
appeared in the fall of 1891 in the New York
Times. telling of this monumental undertaking,
which is to be to the school Of higher criticism
what the revised version was to the church.
The title Of the publication is "The Sacred
Books Of the Old Testament" and the portion
already finished is the text of the Book Of Job,
part Of the new critical edition in Hebrew.
Prof G. Siegfried of the University of jena
has reconstructed the text, and Prof. R E.
Brunnow Of Heidelberg has translated into En-
gllsh the very copious notes, giving the
scholar 8 reasons for the changes he has made,
going deep into comparative Scripture, text,
study and Semitic philology for them.
EACH BOOK A MOSAIC.
1t is generally conceded by scholars that each
Of the many books of the Bible is n mosaic, the
work not Of one author, but rather an inter
wea wing of several distinct contributors, writ
ten at several periods, put together by final
editor. In order to show off the individual por-
tions of a composite text Prof. Haupt has de-
the same impression. the black letters OF the
text are printed. Thus in the present work
may be distinguished by their color those paraI-
lei passages believed to be later additions to and
insertions into the original text, several strata
OF different dates and authorship being appar-
ent. Another color marks polemical interpoia-
tons into the text directed against the tend
ency OF the poem. put in to darken its meaning
for doctrinal purposes.
As one scholar urges Of a like work, the syna-
gogical authorities seem to say OF the original
text: Let US save this attractive book for the
congregation, but we will pour some water into
the authors strong wine" Yet again there are
| indicated by red blocks what Prof. Siegfried
believes to be passages correcting interpola-
tons conforming the speeches of Job to the
orthodox doctrine Of retrlbution.
1t has been deemed necessary to rearrauge
the order OF the poem very materially; thus
Elihu's speeches, chapters 80 to 81. are rele-
! gated to the end as special appendix while
many passages are taken directly from the body
OF the text and used as foot notes. They are
supposed to be additions merely, to explain or
| supplement the text, or to illustrate it by way
OF quotation. A distinguished Catholic theo-
Logan said recently OF similar confusion in
| another scriptural book. Ecclesiastes, that i,
! was probable that the binder Of the original
manuscripts had made a mistake in misplacing
the quires. for the disarrangement scarcely
seems accidental
dations, with reasons therefor, are to appear in
| the introduction to the new translation, to get
ont which this fall Prof. Haupt has gone to
Germany to work at his publisher elbow. The
| new English translation will be a counterpart
| Ill order OF passages and otherwise of the crit
ical Hebrew text. Concordances accompany
each tex. for comparison with the received
version.
Through the munificence of Mr.. Jacob II.
Schiff OF New York. who, after giving $40, 900
to the Semitic Museum at Harvard. placed
$1,000 at Prof. Haupt's disposal for this work.
The work Is to be put on the market at from :
| to 81 80 for each of twenty parts, with limited
edition de luxe in quarto. The Johns Hop
kins Press and Hinrichs of Leipzig are the
joint publishers.
RESULT OF YEARS OF STUDY.
Prof. Haupt believes that the work should be
o, value in class rooms and in semlnaries where
| the ancient versions are studied and real to
| Bible students who have no knowledge of He.
! brew. However, it must attract much atten-
| ton among the many students who want &c
know the result of years of study o; the best
representatives OF higher criticism in the world
and 1t Is thus that interest in the Bible will bt
stimulated. however much the disagreement al
| to the truth of the radical teachings of this
modern school.
There has never been gathered together, ii il
| safe to say. grander array OF scholarship thar
under Prof Haupt's direction to bring ont THU
| work. The contributors all represent the schoo
| Of higher criticism. which believes not in the
commonly accepted view Of Divine inspira tor
| of this Bible. and which assigns each Of the
| books not even to the pen Of one intensely
human man. but to many, and not to ont
period. bat to several 1t believes that the
Bible, moreover. is book Of seven seals to
most people; that the average reader canno,
connect its facts into whole so as to read it al
| v.Nrl- ft,n~ hill, e.,
quently looked up to as a manual of splendid
quotations, many Of these in both the author
zed and revised versions are hopelessly obscure
The contributors have al! been impressed with
| the necessity of approaching the work with due
reverence. and. while making sacrifice to in
accuracy. to avoid giving needless pain to those
who think of the work Otherwise than they do.
Still i. is not desired to lay aside the matchless
beauty OF the English in King James version
except for good cause. nor to omit the beautiful
swing OF the lines, now become real poetry.
To do this ii was at first proposed tn lay the
translation before a committee consisting oil
William Hand Browne OF the Johns Hopkins
Mr.. Talcott Williams of the Philadelphia Press
| and Mayer Suizberger of Philadelphia. This
may yet be done.
THE BOOKS OF MOSES.
In the five books Of Moses the greatest havoc
may be expected. for this is now believed to be
oHo WIN ooehua. ioituiHS tuc hcAateuCu-
Here the composite character of the text will
call for many ten colors, and tho Eobst
the Jahvist and the older Jahvistie portions
must each be pointed out. There must be wide
disparity. too from current views as to the
dates of authorship and the occasion Of their
appearance.
Prof. Haupt says: my one purpose is to lay
before the lovers OF the Bible all available lelr
in convenient and accessible form. Facts will
be presented in a free, faithful translation OF
| the original text, accompanied by explanations
not OF homiletic or eXegetic character. but
| taken from history, geography and archaeology.
The readee of the Sacred Book is thus put in
the place Of the people for whom it Was origi-
naily written: in other words. he is furnished
historical background. Pictorial representa-.
tions Of biblical sights and implements and
exact reproductions of finds ard fac simiies OF
| important monuments will make the narrative
more realistic. hope to keep from the trans
lation all matters not easily Ineligible to the
lay reader"
THE CONTRIBUTORS.
OF the thirty-fve parts into which the work
has been divided, in addition to Profs. Haupt
and Seigfried, the following men are making
ready their contributions: The Revs. Charles A.
Briggs and Francis Brown Of the Union Theo-
logical Seminary and W. H. Ward Of the hide
pendent. all of New York; Geo. F. Moon of An
dover. &. H. Toy Of Cambridge, author oil
christianity and Judaism;" T. L. Curtis, the
successor of Prof. Harper at the Yale Semitic
Seminary and w n Harrar nf tho Ch;cano