The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-04-24
DR.. James E. TaImage, Noted
Mormon Scholar, Discusses
History of Scriptures.
OUTLINES STRUGGLE IN
MAKING BIBLE PUBLIC
Declares Latter-Day Saints Un-
questionably Accept Holy
Book as Gods Work.

Declaring that while the Revised Ner-
sion of the Holy Scriptures might in nu
merous instances be more literally accu
rate, it was lacking in tho force and
vitality the power and pathos the poetry
and beauty of the King James version.
which / believe was inspired" Dr. James
T.. Talmaee. formerly or the University
OF Utah. one of the foremost scholars
OF the Mormon faith. yesterday after
noon discussed the history of the Holy
Scriptures at the regular tabernacle
services, DIR, Talmage was tho only
speaker OF the afternoon. and for an hour
and twenty minutes held the closest at
tention Of the large congregation; His
thoughts were couched In such plain and
simple English that even those who were
not students appreciated the meaning |
OF every sentence and closely followed |
him. The speaker touched not at all up
on doctrinal subjects. combining his ad- |
dress to general survey OF the vast
subject.
Tercentennary Date.
In beginning his address. DR.. .Talmage
pointed out this Sunday marked the
three hundrcdth anniversary of the COM
pletion of King James version of the Old
and New Testaments. work on which
was begun in 160I and finished in 1911.
He said that Christian churches through
out the world were following the sus-
gestion of tho Bible societies and taking
up this question. one that he believed to
be most appropriate Beginning his his
torical review with a statement that in
1904 the English church recognized the
tnaccuracy and incompleteness OF the
translations then in use. and recitng how
under the seal Of royal approval, the
great work OF putting the Bible into Its
present form was begun DR.. Talmage
would not take UP time to defend the
Bibe. FOR II needs no defense he de-
clared.
Views of Mormon Church.
I'VE accept the Bible as the word OF
God. as the sacred holy Scriptures" he
I'VE place upon II no private !
or peculiar interpretation. We raise no !
issue except in cases OF known mis- {
trnnsla lions There is no Mormon in s
Of many, there is no such thing as a I
Mormon Bible" z
More than any other church in the
world today. the speaker declared the (
Mormon people accept the word OF God
literally. believing at the same time in =
his later revelations and with equal faith !
the Same time that God would continue !
TO reveal his will unto his chosen people. T
he agreed with the theologians Of the !
day that In spite o: the best and most !
careful work Of devoted men. errors and !
had crept into the va
rious. editions of the Bible as now pub /
Too Late Now to Doubt. a
Briefly but with cIeaness, DR.. Tall [
mage disposed OF the matter OF doubt re- 4
sarding what is the Bible. He said II
was too late now To raise the issue of
The authenticity of the Scriptures in their
present form. He held that the Old :,
Testament 800 years before Christ was '
n practically tho. same form as II is to- :
eepted by the Jews. The apostles the y
,arly Christian teachers and even Jesus
linself, quoted the Old Testament and
never questioned the correctness of the /
etter of the text.
AS to the New Testament. he held that S
ne ne conditions OF the time I'm the first I
unity later afforded for the comparl- a
ION of manuscripts. made II possible to II
WIZ certainty silt the genuine and real
many Instances in early Christian his
ory 10 substantiate this statement, He
hoWed that the early copyjsts attached Z
lon To the next copyist not to change a v
Jingle word. but to verify every portion
u The work done by the most careful
omparson
Errors Inevitable.
And yet: he showed that IL was newt +
hould creep in proving this by cIta-
IONS ION, OF curious mistakes made even
f!er ~ & the art OF printing had attained
dition OF the Bible IN which David is h
made to say: Printers have prosecuted n
mother. the wicked Bible in which
he word not is omitted from the
erenth commandment. n
DR.. Talmage then passed ia q review
I tho history OF the fourteenth and fif- II
eenth centuries. when. he said, the
hurch set the full force Of It's organized II
over against the multiplication of copies II
! the scriptures. and cited n,any in
tances OF The persecution and punishment II
J. those who attempted transla tious or II
no had copies Of the Bible in their pos II
ession He traced the growth OF the |
ptrit OF reformation showing how IT i
naily triumphed. so that In the end the
'ible was accessible TO every ono who ><
ought to read 1t. and then made his -
omparlson between the revised version
nj the King James version declaring
nat in his opinion. the hand OF God
,as surely In the work OF preparing the
itter he concluded his discourse bv
eadlng, with fine expression. the Twen- 81
y-tnird psalm, which. he declared. was
ppncahie to all times and to all condi- &C.
President Joseph r Sr,ytL ~..-t.., . re