Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-11-23
TAX REDUCTION AND BONUS
BOTH POSSIBLE, VIEW LEADERS
CHICAGO PROFESSOR
DEFENDS N 0 D ERN
TRANSLATION Bible.

Chicago, Nov. 90 (By A. P.)-Mo-
ern translation of the Bible to make
it completely understandable to the
ordinary man of today was defended
against newspaper criticism tonight
by Professor Edgar J. Goodspeed,
professor of Biblical and Patristic
Greek and author of the American
translation of the New Testament,
speaking on the William Vaughn
Moudy Lectureship at the University
of Chicago.
"One western paper" he said,
cautiously intimateS that / am not a
better authority in the classics or in
English than is represented in what
it calls the Saint James version.
Presumably not. But it would sur
prise the editor to know how much
better Greek text we have to work
upon than any one had three hum
dred years ago. Their Greek text
was based upon a hasty study of
thirty or forty manuscripts, none of
them very old or very accurate.
Where they knew forty Greek manu-
scripts, we know four thousand, and
the best of these are vastly older and
better than any they knew of.
THE Greek language, too, is far
better understood today than it was
three hundred years ago, and the
New Testament student has immeas-
urably better helps, in the way of
grammars, leXicons, concordances,
commentaries, and treatises, than ex-
listed then. The whole vast contri-
button of the inscriptions and the
papyri was then literally undreamed
of. Are we to shut our eyes to all
this?
IAN Ohio journal causticaly re-
marks that Improvements of the
New Testament and the American
flag will hardly appeal to very many
people. Does this paper mean to
imply that the American flag has not
changed since 1911? Or has it never
heard of Betsy Ross? 1t almost
seems as though the editor must
have come to this country since the
last state was admitted. Certainly
his comparison was ill-advised.
THE editors insist that the ordi-
nary man has no difficulty in UNDER
standing the New Testament in the
traditional versions. Yet the minis
ter of the Chicago Night church re-
Gently made and printed new trans
lation of the Gospel of st. John just
because the one in ordinary use was
not Ineligible to his people. What
does1t shall turn to you for testi-
mony' mean in Luke 21:13?- y Or
They make broad their phylacteries'.
in Mathew 1916? Or The gifts and
calling of God are without repent
ance' in Romans, 11:29? Or BE not
many masters, in james 81? Or I
am He that searcheth the reins', in
Revelation 2:223?
Pages of these obscurities could
easily be collected. There is hardly
a page of the authorized version that
is free from them.
Re translation and revision of the
English New Testament have been a
continuous process in England or
America for four hundred years, or
ever since the time of William Tyn-
dale, except for a space of 60 or 20
years after the Restoration. when
English religious and moral life was
at its lowest ebb. The King James
version itself was revised three times
within thirty years, and ever since
John Wesley's fine revision of 1855.
dozens of new translations and new
revisions have been made in England
or America, by such men as Arch
les Thompson, the secretary of the
House of Representatives.,
and Noah Webster, the author of the
famous dictionary. 1t may safely be
said that in the history of English
and American Christianity every
period CT vigorous religious life has
beer attended with attempts to re-
translate the new testament.
"a New York paper declares that
Our age is no more ompetent to re-
wise the King James version than
was Sir Philip Sydney to adjust the
valve, OF gas engine One Won
ders what a man with so little faith
in the literary possibilities of his ma
tive tongue is doing in journalism.
His place would seem to be in q gar
age.F He cannot be acquainted with
the work CT such poet as William
Moudy, or he would have
more faith in the possibilities OF
American literature.
"Tto English New Testament ought
not to need a glossary and COM
mentary to make it intelligible. The
early English translators from Tyn-
dale to King James aimed to make 1t
understandable to the ordinary man
of their day. which is Just what l
sought to do for the American read
cr"