New-York tribune., 1901-07-14
NEW SCRIPTURES REy1s1o,,
JOINT EPISCOPAL COMMISSION OF ~
LICAL SCHOLARS MAKES REpopr
RECOMMENDATIONS CONFINED tn
GINAL READINGS OF THE w.
TEsTAMENT-FULL REPORT
NEXT CONVENTION
NEXT CONVENTION.

TESTAMENT-FULL REPORT,
NEXT CONVENTION
one OF the most important of the subora,..
bodies of the General Convention of tba rs.una's
Episcopal Church is that of the io,. 'o'es'ant
on marginal reaaings in the Bible and ,h-n n
Oh the work or this commission. which viii - sle
10 'he approaching convention in San Francis "
oeing looked forward to with the deepest it. :
by both clergy and laity. The cornmisso, -, ~
birth IN the convention of 1885 whom !, - ~ Us
structcd to report TO the next convention - u -
IT did so. but limited its recommendation - ~
New Testament. A resolution 20 contfn,, =. i7
commission was adopted by the House OF R,.,sA
and the House of Deputies. in order that fl n,ss'
prepare more complete report for the co,s,s
ton of the convention of 1901
The commission consists of Bishops Dnd,a
Kentucky. chairman; GaiIor of Tennessee. u ~, "
or Vermont; Niles. of New Hampshire and vb,,a
mead. or Pittsburg, and the Rev. Messrs Carar
Binney. Body. Packard and Waterman. Tba 60
mission has completed its report and yestsrs.
sent copies of 1T, printed pamphlet of upvvars :.
three hundred pages, to the bishops of the eo,Yn+-
and to the members of the House of Deputies
What the commission has done. its purposes. stc
are thus described in it's formal report:
The commission of bishops and presbv1s-s
appointed in 1885, to consider and report wbat =.
hs old anna Ne% SeSqiPss IGT 5s fRgh b version
vention may authorize for the instruction OF on-
formed the duty assigned them. and offer herevts
suen marginal readings as in their Judgment II
tnorize Tor permissve use in the public reading Of
and accurate knowledge of the Word 81 Is
The commission believes that this work wbiS5
II has done by order of the Church in conventjon
assembled, was worth the doing. II knows tbst
1t has been done most carefully and the expsnss
or much time and labor on the part of the corr
missioners. N'A1'
In a footnote it is explained that five sessions q,
the commission have been held. with sixty-hve davs
OF common work in considering suggestions pra
pared beforehand. The suggestions Of the mem,
bers 10 whom different books of the Holy scrptu-s
were assigned were circulated in advance among
the members of the commission.
TO MAKE THE BIBLE INTELLIGIBLE
Continuing. the report says:
The element OF ScripturaI instruction forms :.
large almost the whole of the variable part OF
our daily offices. The object OF the commission has
been 10 give an intelligibe meaning to every part
OF the Bible This. 1t is believed. will be clear on
readings Even in quite minor Corrections nv i
ment OF instruction has been the primary thought.
aging regular private study of Gods Word q.
well as In promoting edifcation in the public ser
vices. The Church Will have Bible which on tha
one hand retains che version around which ths
whnS az ba ea 1ee & Pgope S4 aTss and
ions in the rendering of the text as are necessary
owing to changes in taste and feeling need soms
without suggesting TO the modern reader assOcia-
tons of a dstasteful or distracting character.
With regard to only three passages in the New
Testament has the commission felt called upon 10
commission has simply stated the fact. now unit
veIsalIy recognized that the passages in question
These passages are the verse explaining the heal
Lng virtue of the pool Bethesda lSt John v o. Tia
Ethiopian eunuch's profession OF faith before his
baptism (Acts viii. SD and the doxology at the
end Of the Lords Prayer. in ST. Matthew VI Is
marginal readings was distinctly sanctioned BY the
which considerabie number Of aifernatfve trans =
lations We're deliberately placed in the margin and
not few translations based variations from the
The revision and enlargement Of these mar
tunities granted In day have certain adyan-
entirely new version (as that OF fSs5 not e ons-
in preserving the familiar words and phras.s
does rot commit the Church prematurely 70 a de-
esion on critical or nsuistic questions which mus.
and wider research.
1t has been the object OF the commission to sift
out of the very large number OF alterations made
in the familiar English text by the revised yer.
sr tho o oy Fe n a62 S9 @
renderings preferable TO those in It's text are
these and OF the renderings preferred by the
ad ns Kth KsySloH YSq 70 ny , fae mas
the English Bible to the people of our time and
word and phrases better adapted to our needs
than those OF the English transators OF ISL ISL
missioners would re-echo the declaration Of the
translators of 1911
MEMBERS ALL AGREE
The work done by the commission il may be said.
has had the approval Of all its members long
they have been able 10 serve upon it, and the
port and recommendations now offered are signed
behalf of all the present members Of the COM
mission. They all agreed in cordially recon-
mending the suggestions here made for the ap-
proval OF the General Convention alternatives
which should be thus authoritativeiy placed before
as having all Of them righJful claim 10 such a
position There must. of course, be different esti-
on the part of individual commissioners on the
part OF the readers for whose discretionary use
IL will be seen that the recommendations on the
New Testament presented In the General CONVEX
in the way of diminishing the number OF alternate
seemed TO be the general opinion OF the Church-
We have also. as requested, marked those sugseS-
tiOns for which the commission Is more directly
responsible. as not being derived either from me
margin of the King James version O6ll from the
from the readings and renderinss preIerrea 9y 'le
American committee printed as an appenCtx. 70
without an immense amount OF additional labor to
mark throughout the exact authority on which
sources from which they are in all cases derived
We have received offer from the Kings print
tions of the Bible Containing the proposed marginal
readings. If these shall be adopted. one edition Ies
use at the lectern and a smaller one for private
use. If they shall be authorized to do this -
In conclusion. the commission would call atten-
tion to the fact that by the authorization OF such
ma rginal readings proposed no one VIII oe
obliged TO them IL he shall prefer the words OF
the existing version: while refuse such authority
is 10 wound the conscience of many who are per
suaded of the inaccuracy in certain places OF the
King James version. inasmuch as they are IN sucn
places compelled 10 read 70 their people what IS
generally felt to he Inaccurate rendering or ths
words of the inspired writer's
The commission therefore respectfully recOmmends
the adoption of the following resolution by each
house of the General Convention:
Resolved. That the marginal readings for the
English version of the Old and New Testaments re-
ported 20 this house by the joint commission ap-
pointed in 1895 and reappOinted in 1S9S 10 make
such report be published under the direction or
said commission. and are hereby authorized tor
use by the ministers of this Church in the paoho
arx-fC.a of fhe( tntrrc