The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-01-20
WILL BE THE BEST
Most Exhaustive Work Ever Under.
taken Han Required Much
Study and Extension
Work.
[By Henry Wood, Rome correspon-
dent OF the United Press

ROME, Jan. 2o.-After five years OF
constant work, announcement has JUST
been made by Pope Plus Bible re-
vision commission tina. within anoth-
er five years, the Catholic church
may hope to have its revised Bible.
When completed, the new version
will be based upon the most rfgrd
comparison Of the present text with
all existing biblical manuscripts which
previous to the comparison were sub
mitted to the most exac.ing tests of
modern criticism and research. The
new Bible, or vulgate, as 1t is known
in the Catholic church, 1T is expected
will be the mos. perfect translation
Of the holy scriptures in existence,
and 1t is also expected that 1t will
remain as one of the greatest works
undertaken under the pontificate OF
Pope Plus x
Inquiry has revealed to some extent
the gigantic proportions OF the work
undertaken. 1t was in 1907 that Pope
Plus appointed his commission for
the task and this body at once dele
gated the actual work of making the
revision to the Benedictine monks.
The work is now being carried on In
their monasteries in all parts Of
Europe, extending from the famous
monastery Of that order at Montecas-
sino in the south Of italy to that OF
Fort Augustus in the north OF Scot
land. A large amount of the work
has also been delegates to nuns ana
these women revisers are busily at
work in the converts of England,
Belgium and France.
To make possible what is virtually
the comparison with the original
manuscripts, Photographs of these
have been taken in the various librar-
les where they exist such as at Mad
rid, Paris. London, Saint Petersburg,
Rome. Amiens and Zurich For this
purpose a special camera was CON
structed which would take the photo
graph from the manuscript as it was
lying fiat on table. At the present
time there are over 1870 immense vol
umes of these photographs on file al
the home of the biblical commission
at the International college Of Saint
Anslen, in Rome.
Although the making of these pho
tographs has entailed an immense ex-
pense, 1t has presented many advan-
tages. 1t has made 1t possible for
what are practically the original
manuscripts 20 be sent to the various
monasteries and converts where the
work Of revision is being done instead
of making it obligatory on the revis-
ers to visit the various cities and
libraries where the manuscripts are
preserved and where the work woufd
have to be done under perhaps unfav-
orable working conditions. 1t has also
made possible the keeping at Rome
OF a Photographic copy of each manu-
script for later reference.
AS the second step towards the ac-
tual revision about 400 copies Of the
present text of the Bible were print
ed, two thirds of each page being ler.
blank for corrections and the entire
text being printed without capital let
tiers, punctuation, or word divisions.
With these copies, the revisers are
able to correct the existing text by
noting the changes which the original
manuscripts show necessary, merely
by adopting the usual proofreading
marks.
Up to the present time the commits
sion has received and has on file over
100 volumes Of this revised work. The
final work Of the revision which will
take place at Rome and which is al
ready under way is also interesting.