Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-02-13
A FAD or VERSIONS AND
THE TRUE VERSION OF A FAD
BY BISHOP WAR Rem A. GAMBLER.

Twentieth Century New Testament"
is the substitution of the word "sena-
tor for the word elder" wherever the
latter occurs in the book of Revelation
of ST. John. Now, neither to ancient
nor to modern readers could the word
senator by any possibility correctly
express the conception of an elder as
set forth In the Revelatfon-least of all
to a modern English reader for whose
special benefit professedly this raw
publication has been brought forth. The
conception of "a senator as a mod
ern reader conceives one, 1T is quite
safe to say, never entered st. Johns
mind-no more than st. Johns concep-
ton of IAN elder seems ever to have
entered the conceited Uranium of this
twentieth century paraphraser.
Further citations and comparisons
are unnecessary-and unpleasant. 1t
sickens a sound soul to recount these
profane performances-and they are
profane; as profane as the proposal of
Simon Mogus to make revenue from
the gifts of the Holy Spirit. These men
are taking advantage of Gods people
to make a speculation on Gods word.
The Northwestern Christian Advo-
cate, an ably conducted paper publish
ed at Chicago. has the following judi
cious comment upon this fad, which
commend TO all concerned:
These so-called modern Bibles are help
full as commentaries to the average reader,
but as substitutes for the version which
the people arc wont to accept as the holy
Scriptures, no one of them has yet justified
such a place. 1t is almost inconceivable
that men should expect some Of these to
be considered seriously as the Bible. II
such renderings are continued TO be pre-
scented to the Bible-reading and Bible-lov-
ing world, every man who has ability to
write and may be unsatished with the Bible
x4rffh f1u hnxr ali w
appeared may produce a Bible in his own
language and present as good claim for its
acceptance as those which preceded 1t.
The Bible is not a book to be put In
the language of the common people and TO
be so presented as the word of God 1t is
unique book in origin, purpose, and spirit
and should be as unique in diction. 1t
should be interpreted into the language of
the people so that they may understand II;
but If ii is to be rewritten TO conform
10 the ever-changing language Of the peo-
pie for many it must needs be filled with
slang which is more nearly than any other
the language of vast numbers.
ITO impress the world AZ a divine book
the dignity Of the language of the Bible
must be maintained. and, in this respect
no Improvement can be made upon that
of the King James version, which has been
practically the making OF the English lam
guage except in the substitution OF words
which may be understood in the language
of today for obsolete words, and the cor
rectiOn of such Tenderings as the revisions
of the original texts may. show to have
been enormously translated" =.
Let the people know that the old
King James version, the forms and
phrases of which run like golden
threads through English literature and
law, and the cadences of whose sub
lime periods have filled our memories
from childhood with strains of sacred
music-this venerable version so faith
fully expresses the meaning Of the
original tongues that all these revisers
of it have not been able to find one es-
sential truth omitted from it nor one
erroneous doctrine included in It.. Its
defects are few and small: its excel
lencies are many and great. Nothlng
better has yet appeared nor is any,
thing better likely to appear soon.
Emerson used to say of the rich
Cambridge library. It seldom go there
without renewing the. conviction that
the best of II all is already within the
four walls of my study at home. :.
The crowds and centuries of books are
only commentary and elucidatiOn,
echoes and weakeners of these few
great voices of Time" So also plain
people may SIT down with, the old En-
glish Bible of their fathers, the Bible
by which many of them were taught
to read at the knees of now sainted
mothers, and rest in the conviction
that the best found in all the later
versions is there and that these ambi-
tious reVisions are only moderately
good OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES only weak
eners of this great voice Of Time.
These revisers are not so much
prophets as academic pettifoggers.