The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-11-17
A bible in the yerraerIar.

n pItu lOI TtNElllcu DlDle, COul-
ing from one OF the younger and more
modern" Of churchmen, might be dis
missed with smile, but the ti.lc
Wanted: Bible in the Vernacular."
at the head Of an article In the BibH-
cal Repfeio, commands attention when
It Is seen that the author is DR.. DAVID
JAMES BURRELL, who for twenty seven
Of his seventy-four years has been
pastor Of the Marble Collegiate
Church.
DR., BuRRELL bases his appeal not
in change Of heart but on the neces-
stiles Of humanity, as he sees them.
He says frankly that he believes in
the truth Of the Scriptures from be.
ginning to end as the inspired Word
Of Gop." He believes that the orlg'-
nal autograph of the Scriptures was
fiawless and that the King James vel
sion Is "a very miracle Of accuracy"
so true that the scholars who eX.
amined II in 1850 were amazed to
find how few and insignificant were
the changes required by 800 years of
progress" DIR. BURRELL admits that
the style is that of the golden age OF
English literature and that the Bible
as 1t stands "is endeared to Christiaus
by Its long continued use and happy
associations" Why, then, does he
call for Bible in the vernacular? He
explains, in part, by illustration:
Not long ago q man Just out of Sing
Sing asked me to advise him how 20
build himself UP In a Christian life. 4
referred him to the Book, using the
words OF the Master: Search the Scrip
lures; for In them ye think ye have
eternal, life: and these are they which
testify Of me- He thtreupon undertook
to read and study It systematically. but
presently returned with this complaint
It's hard reading, dominic. You know
how was brought up: and when a fell
low has spent twenty years in cell
eight by four he's not all there / can
read Nick Carter and the newspapers.
but somehow this Book staggers me-
Yet this is the very sort OF man TO
whom the blessed Book should make
It's strongest appeal 1t is in his behalf
that plead for a version stripped OF
all antique words and phrases ard in
the language OF our common life"
DR.. BuRRELL's judgment Is that
Christian workers in English speak
Ing countries are handicapped by hav-
Ing to work with an old tool. or the
800 or more translations of the Bible
our English Bible is + e only one, he
believes, that is not in the vernacular
Of the people into whose hands 1t Is
put. The missionary to India goes
out with Bible in the tongue of his
prospective converts, but.Our city mis-.
sionaries so to the submerged tenth
"hampered by the necessity OF pre-
senting Cons Word in beautiful but
unfamiliar dialect which was spoken
three centuries ago"
We understand the attitude of DR..
BURRELL, but we cannot agree with 1t.
Passing over the fitness of present day
scholars to rewrite the Bible, what
great good would 1t do in the vernac.
ular, even those parts Of 1t that are
admittedly obscure and uninteresting
as they stand? No rewriting can make
interesting to the man of the slums
the list of the descendants of LEVI and
BENJAMIN. On the other hand, what
scholarly appreciation of Nick Carter
will make better detective story Of
DAvID's murder of URIAH and his fall
into the dramatic trap set for him by
NATHAN? The man out Of Sing Sing
can read the newspapers. What re-
porter at prize fight has ever given
such a concise and complete picture
Of two man battle as Is TO he found
In the thirteen verses that end with
the decapitation of GOLIATH? Who
would rewrite the Proverbs, and In
what form would they appear? II II
man will not read them as they now
stand he will not read them ever, nor
will he read any part Of the Bible.
If parts Of the Bible are dull or
dim they would not be bettered by
being put in new phrases. The parts
that are fascinating, from the first
verse Of Genesis to the last verse Of
Revelation, are the burning and eter-
nal truths that men and women still
read at their firesides at night; and
to them the language of the seven
teenth century is the language Of to-
day and tomorrow and Doomsday.
what the average nom Christian
wants" says Or. BURRELL, sis a cool
and refreshing draught of the water
Of life" Well, he can find 1t in more
cups than one in the New Testament:
he can make his choice of the styles
Of the writer's whose narratives stretch