New-York tribune., 1911-02-27
THE BIBLE TERCENTENARY
English Commemoration The
King James Version.
london, Eehri1arv q

l "a.
This will be the three hundredth ami.
versary Of the completion Of the author.
ICED version of the Bible. An arbitrary
date in March has been assigned for the
celebration, because there Is no record Of
the precise day Of issue OF the first
conference at Hampton Court. commits
stoned fifty-four divines to undertake the
revision. Seven Of them died before the
work was systematically arranged, but
in 1905 the books were distributed among
the remaining bishops and scholars and
during the next five years the labor CT
| translating and comparing the various
texts was prosecuted with ardor and pa.
tience. The final proofsheets were read
and the complete work was issued from
the press of Robert Barker during tho
spring Of 1911, with a laudatory dedica.
ton to King James. That is the event
which Is to be commemorated by an ex-
hibition OF translations Of the Bible. old
and new. in many languages. by a spe.
cial service in st. Paul's Cathedral by
public meetings in Albert Hall and
throughout the kingdom and by hun.
dreds Of sermons from Protestant pull.
pits.
The exhibition, with the resources Of
the British Museum, the Bible Society
and private societies, ought to be ex-
| ceptionally interesting 1t will contain
all the versions to which the revisers
had access In completing their work.
| There will be the Latin Bible printed by
Gutenberg, Tyndale's version Of the New
Testament from the Greek, Coverdales
translation OF the Old Testament and
several editions of the Matthews or
Cranmer's Bible. which was the author
lied text in use during the short reign Of
Edward VI There will be several copies
OF Bishop Parker's Bible, which was tho
basis Of the revisers' labors. and also of
the Genevan version, with which ii was
diligently compared. Luthers German
| translation will also be seen, and tha
text of Erasmus and portions OF Bedes.
Wyckliffes, Purveys and other versions
will be exhibited with the Douay or
Roman Catholic text based on the Vul.
gate. To ancient manuscripts. medieval
parchments and dictionaries and illurni-
mated script of the Gospels and Psalms
may be added translations OF the King
James version into all known modern
languages. During the last century there
have been the most systematic methods
for distributing the Bible wherever there
is branch OF the human family and for
enabling men and women to read II IN
the mother tongue. q.
The public meetings and religious SER
vices connected with the coming ter
centenary will tend to promote the spirit
of liberation which the authorized ver-
sion was originally designed To create.
King James was an opportunist as wcll
as pedant He had pledged himself to
grant better treatment to Roman Catho-
lies than they had received during Queen
Elizabeth's reign. and he was eXasper-
atcd by the persstency Of the Purtans in
;, demanding pcrmissive modification Of the
services of the State Church. He want
cd to get on peaceably with all religious
|
controversies in which disputants quoted
texts from their own versions, and there
Twas no agreement OH definitions and prin-
ciples. When the conference at Hampton
Court between the bishops and the Puri-
tan representatives. did not enable him
to act as successful mediator he was
eadily persuaded TO authorize d standard
version OF the Bible. DiSliking eXtrcm-
lists, with we'll balanced impartiality, ped
ant as he was. he was n good enough
scholar To forecast tho beneficial effects
of a common text Of the Icbraic and
Christian writings. The authorized ver-
sion when It was in general use helped
! toward lessening religious disscnsions
and making men more tolerant i'm their
| opinions and judgments.
Free Churchmen have not perhaps sps-
| cial cause for gratitude to the memory
Of the monarch. who considered Episco-
lpacy the foundation Of practical religion
and declared in an Incorporating tone:
II shall make them conform themselves
or 7 will harry them ont OF the land
Yet hc conferred upon them the inesh'
Unable benefit of an appeal from ccclesiaa-
ticisn9 10 the familiar text of the bids,
| i'm English pure and undefiled. for every
matter Of faith and conscience. To that
| text they have always "conformed them
selves" while repelled by the Formally
of an elaborate ritual and by tho doc
! trlnal compromises Of the Book Of Com
mon Prayer For that reason they haye
the strongest incentives for joinins
churchmcn Of every shade of belief ard
practice in the coming celebrations of the
! tercentcnary Of the authorized King
James version. At the Albert Hall Bible
meeting. as at the recent Worlds MIS-
sionary Congress in Edinburgh. there VIII
be practical demonstration Of Christian
unity ard fellowship.
! The enormous circulation Of the au-
| thorized version and translations OF II
is a fact to be emphasized I'm England
where there is evidence that the pulpit
has lost its grip upon vorshippers ana
| that the churches can no longer be fllled.
While clergymen not too well trained at
the universities for their work are Ia
menting the decline Of faith and the lack
| OF interest taken I'm their library homilies'
there is the record of hundreds OF Binle
societies, with hundreds of millions OK
copies in all languages and lands. as
practical proof that Christianity, despite
''the foolishress of preaching Is pro-
gressve, continuous force. Other ver'