Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1910-06-17


God These inspired men first wrote
the Old Testament scriptures in He
brew and the New Testament scrip
lures in Greek. and our English Bible
OF to-day consists of a series Of trans
lations and revisions from the He
brew. Syriac, Greek, Latin and Anglo
Saxon languages, beginning at the
tenth century.
It is estimated that there are in
existence at the present time nearly
1000 manuscripts in whole or in parts
Of the All Of the older and
more ca etc sacred manuscripts
have become available for study only
within recent years; among these a
single leaf containing a portion of
Matthews Gospel was unearthed in
1895. This is believed to be a full
century older than the most ancient
Greek New Testament manuscripts in
existence
It was not until 1894 that the first
complete Bible was translated into
English by John Wycliffe. More than
a hundred years later this was fol
lowed by translation and revision
made by William Tyndale. which was
the first printed Bible all previous
editions having been in manuscript
only. Tyndale's Bible was followed
by the Great Bible; this was followed
by Matthews Bible. which was almost
wholly copied from Tyndale's. Still
another Bible largely based on Tyn-
dale's was issued called Taverner's
Bible Other translations and revis-
ions following in the next few cen
turtles we're the Great Bible Of Cram
mer, the Geneva Bible, which is some
times called the Breeches Bible, and
others.
The King James Version was a
translation and revision of the
previous versions mentioned above
and was published in 1911. This was
the work of the most prominent schol-
ars of that time and was really the
first translation into what may prop
erly be called the English language.
The American Standard Version,
published for the American Revision
Committee by Thomas Nelson, was
edited by the American Revision Com
mittee, composed of the foremost
Biblical scholars representing all de-
nominations. 1t is the same old
Bible that we have always used, but
it gives the exact meaning of the in
spired writer's in the language Of to-
day instead of the language used
three hundred years ago. 1t has been
tried and tested now for seven years
by all the colleges, theological sem
inaries and Bible training schools in
the United States, and has become
with them as with the editors of all
Sunday-school periodicals the author
lied standard version Of the Bible.
The demand to-day is for version
which, at whatever sacrifice, will give
clearest and purest expression to the
sense of the original documents No
aesthetic attractions, no pedigree,
however honorable, can bear out the
application of the crucial and final
test of faithfulness to the primitive
text The average reader of the Bible
in our day asks that these old Greek
and Hebrew writings should speak to
him. as they spoke TO their first read
ers. freed from the meanings imposed
upon them by later ages and from the
unconscious errors of imperfect schol-
arship. A Bible that refuses to meet
this demand may serve the needs Of a
few; it cannot speak home to wider
humanity.
If it be asked, what were the
forces which have called into being
a Bible in our time, meant to super
sede a version so rich in honor and
dignity, so rooted in popular affection
and associated with the great crises
of Anglo-Saxon history, as the King
James? the answer Is, the new scien-
tiflc knowledge of the sacred tongues
gained in the intervening centuries,
together with the higher ideals of a
translator's duty demanded by a more
delicate literary conscience. A sue
cession Of commentaries, embodying
the results of the new Biblical learn
ing and amending the King James
Version. gradually educated the
clergy, and, through them. the laity,
to the necessity of some authorita-
tive revision of what was proved to
be a faulty translation.
Besides, a vast mass of manuscript,
unknown in King James day. is now
accessible to scholars. Through the
Iabors of long line of students. from
Griesbach to Westcott and Hort, the
mass has been explored and a clue to
It's mazes discovered. Our own age
is especially rich in fresh finds and in
new insights into old materials. Only
a few years ago was published the
"Codex Vatieanus,7 the Oldest and
most valuable of all the manuscripts.
It's rival in age, the "Codex Sinaiti-
GUS was discovered in 1874. while
about the same time the "Curetonian
Syriac. a version Of the second CEN
tury in a manuscript bels lging TO the
lAAAlAs was DibuSuA " y H III duQi-
tion many manuscript were collated
and more penetrating study was
made OF the yulgate, Septuagint and
other versions,
Gradually. as a result of this new
knowledge. movement looking
toward revision began to spread.
The work of revision was begun in
England in 1870 NJ in the United
States in 1879. Stbassed thraS.p
many revisions by both the.<Fngiish
and American committees before it
was given TO world.
The American revisers are not
bound ~ traditional terminology.
They omit the title Of Saints TO the
eyanselists, and substitute Jehovah
for Lord uniformly in the Old Tes-
lament This last change they justify
on the ground that a Jewish super
stitlon which regarded the Divine
Name as too sacred to be uttered
ought no longer to dominate in the
English Or any other version, as II
fortunately does not in the numerous
versions made by modern mission
aries.
The archaisms are modernized.
The American reader is no longer
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