The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-07-15
THE SCRIPTURE REVISION.
Report of the Joint Episcopal Com
mission on the Subject.

I -inaI Readings of the OLD and New
Northumberland Interest Felt
/ in the san Francisco Convention
/ SAN FRANCISCO. July 15--One Of the
/ most important of the subordinate bodies
I OF the General Convention of the Protest
ant Episcopal Church is that of the joint
/ commission on marginal readings in the
! Bible. and the result Of the work of this
! commission. which viii report to the ap-
( preaching convention in San Francisco, is
( being looked forward to with the deepest
. interest BY both clergy and laity- The
/ commission had its birth in the conven-
| ton of 1895, when it was instructed to re-
/ port to the next convention in lS9S- IL did
So but limited its recommendation to the
} New Testament. a resolution to continue
the commission was adopted by the
! House of Bishops and the House of Dep
uties. in order that it might prepare a
more complete report for the coHsidera-
ton of the convention Of 1901
The commission consists Of Bishops
Dudley, Of Kentucky. chairman, Gailor.
of Tennessee; Hall. of Vermont; Niles. of
New Hampshire, and Whitehead. of Pitts
burg and the Rev. Messrs- Carey, Bin
ney. Body, Packard. and Waterman. The
commission has completed its report. and
yesterday sent copies Of 1t. a printed pam
phIet Of upward Of zoo pages to the Dish
ops Of the country and to the members
! of the House of Deputies
! What the commission has done, its puT-
poses. etc, are thus described in its for
NAL report:
The commission Of bishops and pTcshy-
tiers appointed by the General Convention
of 1885, and reaproirted in 1895, 20 consjd-
CT and report what II any, marginal
readings for the English version Of the
ola and New Testaments the General
Convention may authorize for the in
structicn Of our people. respectfully re-
port that they have performed the duty
3 assigned them. and offer herewith such
marginal readings as in their Judgment
il would he well for the General Conven-
ton to authorize for peTnissive Use il the
public reading OF the Scriptures, that the
people may have larger and more accu-
rate knowledge of the Word Of God
The commission believes that this
work which it has done by order of the
/ church in convention assembled, was
worth the doing. It knows that it has
been done most carefully, and at the ex-
pense OF much time and labor on the
part of the commissioners.
/ In footuote II Is explained that five
sessions of the commission have been held
{
considering suggestions prepared before
/ hard. The suggestions Of the members
} to whom different books Of the Holy
/ Scripture were assigned were circulated
. in advance among the members Of the
commission
Continuing the report says:
The element OF SCriptdT;,l instruction
forms a large, almost the whole, of the
variable part Of our daily Offices The
I object of the commission has been TO give
! an ineligible meaning TO every part Of
: the Bible This. it IS believed. VIII be
; clear on a careful examination Of the pro
posed marginal readings. Even IN quite
= minor corrections the element of instruc-
? ton has been the primary thought
1t is hoped that this work may aid
| IN encouraging regular private study Of
: Gods Word. as well as in promoting edi-
> fcation in the public services The
: Church viii have a Bible which on the one
! hand retains the version around which
, the loving regard OF the people 50 large
~ centres. and which at the same time
: contains all such alterations in the reno
> erine Of the text as are necessary for its
intelligent use
! There is a class OF passages in Scrip
ture which, owing TO changes in taste and
: feeling. need some paraphrase to give tn
! meaning OF the passage without suggest
: ing TO the modern reader associations Of q
: disJastefuI OF distracting character.
With regard to only three passag es in
: the New Testament has the commission
/ felt called upon TO make any critical note.
/ IN these instances the commission mas
! simply stated the fact. now universally
! recognized, that the passages in question
/ are not found IN some Of the earliest man
| uscripts. These passages are the verse
| explaining the healing virtue of the pool
] at Bethesda (St- John vs. the Ethiopian
/ I eunuch-s profession Of faith before his
/ baptism CActs yiii:37J and the dOXOlogy al
the end Of the Lords Prayer, in St Math.
/ ew VIE.
| 1t should be remembered that the prin
| ciDIe OF marginal readings was distinct
! y sanctioned by the version Of 1911 (as by
: earlier English versions, in which a con
. siderable number Of alternative tranSIa.
tons were deliberately placed in the mar
Z gin and not a few TRANSACTIONS based or
. variations from the received Greek text
The revision and enlargement Of these
marginal readings with the aid OF as
3 / fuller opportunities granted in our daz
= have certain advantages (aIready referred
Z toJ over the adoption of an entirely rev
: version (as that of 5SSl). not only in pre-
= serving me familiar words and phrases
z haIIowed by long association, but also il
= that il does not commit the Church pre-
: rElatureIy to a decision on critical or lin.
I guistic questions which must for then
satisfactory solution require longer tins
/ ana -s.ier research
1T has been the object Of the commits
. sion TO sfft out OF the very large numbe
! Of alterations made in the familiar Eng
/ fish text by the revised version JhOs
] which are really important to make cIea
the sense Of Holy Scripture In man.
/ cases renderinEs preferable TO those in it
! text are found in the margin of the re
vIsed version OF these and Of the rem
- derings preferred by the American Revi
4 sion Company the commission has mad
/ use with view to the best presentation
/ Of the English Bible TO the people Of on
time and country. The American revis
/ ers often suggest words and phrases bet
ter adapted to our needs than those Of tn
1 English translators Of 1911 or 1881
/ with regard to their purpose the pres
- ent commissioners would re-eCh0 the dec
Iaration of the transiators Of 1911
The work done by the commission.
NAV be said, has had the approval 81 al
as its members so long as they have bee
J able 10 serve upon it, and the report an
recommendations now offered are sigue
=. on behalf Of the present members Of tn
"a commission. They are all agreed in cor
gu daily recommending the suggestions her