The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-10-16
THE NEW BIBLE.
ONE OF THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF
THIS WONDERFUL CENTURY.
New Book VIII amount to. Nuch
More Than Trnnslation-It VIII
Rather Be Reconstruction of the
Good Book-A Great Array OF
Scholarship.
Copyright. 1896, The S. S. Mcclure
Company.)

the first volume of work that will I'M
questionably take rank as one of the
most wonderful achievements of this
wonderful century. 1t is new trans
lation of the Bible, or rather of what
is known as the Old Testament, under
taken by the greatest biblical scholars
IN the world, that will aim to sum up in
a single series of books the result of
modern biblical criticism. 1t will, in
deed, be much more than a mere trans
lation; it will amount to a reconstruct
ton of the Bible. And such is the very
revolutionary character of the work
that, although many of the editors en-
gagged upon it are, like President Har-
per, of the Chicago university, of the
orthodox faith, the books now about to
make their appearance cannot but pro-
foundry affect the ideas, the teachings
and the beliefs of all Christendom.
THIS NEW TRANSLATION
of the Bible has been undertaken in
precisely the same spirit that the plays
of Shakespeare and the early histories
of Greece and Rome have been studied.
The aim has been to apply this same
method of literary and historical criti-
cism to the sacred books of the Old
Testament; to find out by whom each
of them was written, and when, and
whether a given book was the work of
different authors and different ages; to
find out how nearly each book has
come down to us in What was probably
its original form, how it has been re-
written and added to and interpola-
tons made, and what corruptions have
crept into the text.
Just what has been done will be a
little clearer by taking specific ex-
ample. In the view of Matthew Ar
mold, who was not merely the finest lit
erary critic of his day, but a close BIZ
BILE student as well. the book of Job be-
longs to the worlds literature. But if
this book is read closely, it will be
found to contain many
STRANGELY CONTRADICTORY
IDEAS.
1t seems as if, in many cases, its author
had written in one vein at one mo-
ment, and then turned directly about
and written in exactly the opposite
vein in the very next moment, so that
q single chapter will contain senti-
n7ants that are difficult to reconcile.
one with the other Indeed, if all the
commentaries and explanations of the
Book Of Job were put together in
parallel columns. it would make one of
the strangest jumbles possible to litera-
ture.
1t is owing to all this that there has
grown up in the minds of Hebrew
scholars the conviction that the Book
of Job was not written by single
man. but is the work of several hands,
and in the new translation the at
tempt viii be made to mark out what
is probably the original text of the
book. and to separate this from the
polemic interpretations against the ten
dency of the poem, made undoubtedly
many years after Job was dead; and
from various corrective interpretations
or notes added, making Jobs speeches
to conform to the spirit of the ortho-
dox doctrine of a later day.
In Just the same way the attempt
has been made to find out what part
of the book of Isaiah was written by
that prophet, and what of it was writ
ten ir at a later day; what part or
Jeremiah is the prophets own words
and how much of it is biography, writ
ten after his death; to what age the
so-called s'Priestly Code" of the book
of Leviticus belongs and how MANY
centuries after the Law OF Holiness
was written, and so on.
AT THE FIRST GLANCE
so revolutionary a work seems merely
destructive, and furthermore, as
deadly blow at the orthodox faatn- But
certainly 1T cannot be regarded as slch
by the many strictly orthodox scholars
Of this country and of Europe, who have
engaged in IL. And the Bible is now
regarded by scholars, of many shades
of belief, not as a single book, but as
a collection of Hebrew writings, ex-
tending over a period of 1000 years or
more. II is no longer held that this
work has come down to US without be-
ing corrupted; that is to say, that every
book and every line of ii, as we now
have it, is just as it was written orls1-
nally. or was written solely by the man
by whom 1T purports to be written.
1t was from the results of this mod
ern criticism that the scheme of the
new translation sprang. 1t originated
with a young German scholar, deeply
learned in oriental lore, now the widely
known professor Of Semitic languages
and literature at Johns Hopkins univer-
sity, Professor Paul Haupt. Steadily
climbing his way to the finest posts in
the German universities, Prof. Haupt
gained ait last that standing and repu-
tation which would enable him to carry
out what came to be dream of his
life. Six years or more ago, the work
began 10 Take QSn1icbS S14chpC. NoultASAC.AN
funds for the undertaking were found
and Professor Haupt was made gen
eral editor. He was thoroughly ac-
uuainted with the special studies of diff
ferent biblical students, and to such
as had given particular attention to a
particular book, the latter was assigned.
Very often the new translation will rep
resent more or less the life work of the
translator.
SUCH AN ARRAY
of scholarship does the list include that
the authority and accuracy of the
work can never be questioned, save by
scholars of equal standing and learn
ing. The finest scholars of the world
have been engaged in the work, men
varying as widely in their beliefs as the
portions of the earth in which they
dwell The book of Leyiticus is in
charge of Professors Driver and White
Of oxford. Professor Smith of Glasgow
has taken Deuteronomy; Buddie of
Strasburg, Samuel; Stado of Giessen,
Kings; c. j. Bail of London, Genesis;
Ryle of Cambridge, Exodus; Paterson
Of Edinburgh, Numbers; Bennett of
London. Jc shua; Taylor of Winchcomba,
Amos: Andrew Harper of Melbourne,
Australia, Obadiah; Jeremios of Leip-
sig. Nahum; Russell Martineau of Lon
ion, Psalms; Muller and Kraupzsch Of
Halle. Proverbs; Kamphausen of Bonn,
Daniel; cheyne of oxford, Isaiah; Cor
niu of Konigsburg, jeremiah; Freder-
elk DeLitzsch of Breslau, Jonah; Well
lausen of Gottingen, Psalms; Siegfried
If Jeno. Job; and Kittel of Breslau,
Chronicles.
Among the American scholars en-
gagged with the books they will edit,
ire: President Harper of Chicago,
Prof Charles A. Briggs of