Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-07-05
By BISHOP
Warren A.
Gambler

they have made themselves at home
among the English-speaking nations; they
have Influenced those nations as have not
any, or all, of the great masters of Eng
fish literature. Herein is a fact OF
great significance which bears upon the
inspiration of these Scriptures in the orig
inal tongues from which they have been
translated for us. and also upon the great
excellency of the Authorized Version.
With a certain class OF pseudo-scholars
and pulpit pretenders there has been a
fashion of discrediting the King James
Version These men have offered in the
pulpit and the printed page all sorts OF
emendations and Improvements OF the
form of the Scriptures with which the
people are familiar until they have i'm
pressed many plain men with the idea
that their Bibles are very untrustworthy.
The fact should be proclaimed that there
is no ground for any such notion.
1t is true that the King James translat-
ors did not have the three great manu-
scripts known as the Codex Vatlcanus,
the Codex Sinaiticus, and the Codex Alex
andrinus to which scholars now have &C
cess. Many other treasures which modern
textual critics possess were not In their
hands But when all is said that can be
reasonably claimed on this account. 1t re-
mains true that the translators of the
Authorized Version did not fall into any
very serious plumbers of text or transla-
ton Not one essential doctrine drawn
from their version is affected by all the
boasted versions of the last twenty-five
years
This explains why that noble piece OF
scholarly work, the Revised Version, has
not been able to supplant the Authorized
Version. 1t did not propose changes OF
enough Importance to justify the disuse
~ ha VprGiOn. the
matter Of English style 1t is distinctly In
ferior to the older version.
Nor need we be surprised by this fact.
The King James translators were men OF
great learning. He shows himself igno-
rant who would seek to pour contempt
upon their scholarship. Moreover these
learned men were seven years working
upon the translation which they put
forth. and they diligently compared" all
the former TRANSACTIONS that had come
before their time. Among them were men
of different parties. and every man knew
his fellow-laborers would search most
thoroughly everything which he proposed,
and that they would expose IL, II IT did
not rest on the most solid foundation. Al
ter seven years they brought forth YER
sion which was accepted by every party
and sect, and which today unites the
Protestant churches of the English-speaK-
ing world as does nothing else. Is II
strange that such a work has so Few
blemishes? 1t may be doubted II the
Holy Scriptures have ever been so sue
cessfully translated from the original
tongues in which they were written into
any other language whatsoever.
While sitting as one of the editors OF
the tercentenary edition of this wonderfui
version which the oxford Press proposes
1 heard one of the most famous scholars
of our country Ca man of international
reputa tom say, THE King James Yer
sion is the greatest version which ever
has been made" l am not able to offer
one fact in refutation of his statement.
Certainly no version has ever been more
influential. II we take into account the
present position and prospective power
of the English-speaking nations, as the
great missionary nations of modern
times and then remember that this King
James Version has been the bread upon
which they have fed while growing to
their greatness, we can hardly over-estl-
mate the influence of the English Bible
which is found in all our homes. That
here and there through its pages minor
inaccuracies may be found no intelligent
man will deny. That it contains some
words which have grown obsolete, and
therefore misleading, is quite true; as for
example, where il uses the word pre-
vent" to convey the simple idea of going
before, without any suggestion of him
dering There are in it also some words
less delicate than modern usage demands.
But when all it's blemishes are summed
up and set down without any abatement
whatsoever, the result remains a version
too good to be put aside for any transla-
ton which has come after 1t.
Hence the Oxford Press. which has a
financial interest in the Revised Version.
and no ms.tive, therefore, to discredit IL,
or diminish its popularity, proposes in 1911
nothing more than an edition" OF the
King James Version to mark the ter
centenary of its first publication In 1911.
This edition will eliminate obsolete words,
substitute indicate terms, and note I'M
disputed and unquestionabe errors OF text
and translation. But the elevated style
of the King James Version will not be
modihed Words which though old are
still well understood will be retained, and
forms Of expression. grown dear to all
hearts by long use and in no wise mis-
leading, will remain. To recur to the
words of my Presbyterian friend. in this
edition II is proposed to avoid the blum
ders and blemishes of all 1.-The slang b.
bles." No Revised Version is proposed,
but only an improved edition OF the dear
old Authorized Version.