This is doubtless the reason why the American visitor in Hungary finds himself the recipient of such unstinted courtesies, courtesies and kindnesses which he feels he has personally done nothing to deserve, and which he can only explain to himself as the spontaneous discharge of those feelings of gratitude which are felt toward the country which he for the moment represents among them.

The attentions and hospitalities of my hosts were maintained till the last minute of my stay; and, when at length, beside the car-door, I said the last words of farewell to the large delegation of Koloszvar professors, students, and citizens who had come to see me off, it was no figure of speech when I told them that it seemed as if it was my own brethren from whom I was parting.

JAMES T. BIXBY.

THE REVISED VERSION OF THE OLD
TESTAMENT.

The completion of the Revised Version of the Bible is one of the important literary events of this century to all who speak the English language. Fourteen years have been expended upon it. Begun in June, 1870, the New Testament was finished in May, 1881; and the Old Testament, in May, 1884. The work has occupied the attention and study of nearly fourscore scholars, many of whom were eminent for their proficiency in Hebrew and Greek, and who represented various Christian denominations.

There was urgent need that a new translation of the Scriptures should be made. More than two centuries and a half had passed since our received version was printed in 1611; and this period was nearly twice as long as that which intervened between the appearance of Wycliffe's and Tyndale's translations, and more than three times as long as that which elapsed between the publishing of the latter and of King James's edition. In the mean time, the oldest manuscript of the New Testament had been discovered; and great progress had been made in the knowledge of Biblical

philology, geography, history, and the manners and customs of the ancient world. Other classical writings had been translated, and this book certainly deserved to be set forth in the best and most correct form possible. Many passages, as we had read them, were obscure and utterly unintelligible. Many English words had changed their meaning, or had become obsolete since the authorized version was made. The word "conversation" no longer meant "manner of life" (Ps. 1., 23; Heb. xiii., 5), nor did “ carriage" signify "baggage" (Judges xviii., 21; Acts xxi., 15), nor by "coasts would one understand "borders' (Deut. xvi., 4; Matt. viii., 34), nor was "offend" equivalent to "cause to stumble" (Ps. cxix., 165; Matt. xviii., 6), nor "prevent" identical with "come before" or "anticipate" (Ps. xviii., 18; Matt. xvii., 25). Critics agreed that there were numerous imperfections and inaccuracies in our Bible, and the church could no longer refuse to take cognizance of them. Protestants especially, who acknowledged this as their standard, were bound to see that it was really an exact copy of the original. Various translations had been put forth by individuals, but it was desirable to have one which should be authoritative and to which all could appeal.

The time was favorable for such an undertaking. There was a lull in controversy among the churches. Sectarian strife had abated. Individuals of opposite religious beliefs were willing to come together, and ascertain what was the true meaning of the sacred volume. Such an attempt, so broadly conceived and executed, would have been impossible fifty or a hundred years ago. To those who remember the opposition which the so-called Baptist version awakened, and the storm which Dr. Edward Robinson and his coadjutors encountered, it seems marvellous that this project has been successful, and that persons who were known as nonevangelical were invited to participate in it. The honor of having inaugurated the work, and carried it through to its completion, belongs to the Established Church of England; for no other body of Christians could have ac

complished it, and brought about the co-operation of so many different denominations.

There were, however, many difficulties to be overcome. Some persons regarded our English Bible with such superstitious reverence that they were opposed to any modifications of its phraseology. They had built their system of faith upon it; and, as soon as the Revised Version was issued, they anxiously looked to see if any of their favorite proof-texts had disappeared or had been impaired by it.

There was also the power of association, which was recognized by all, and made them wish that our noble version should not be unnecessarily altered; for this is a model of simple, strong Saxon speech, which has become endeared to all classes of readers by its dignity, beauty, and melody of expression, and has won the highest encomiums from those who regard it purely as a literary classic. Any change which should mar the felicity of its diction in those sentences which were so admired, or were associated with the profoundest thoughts and experiences, would be justified only by necessity. And yet style must yield to truth; and fidelity to the author must be maintained, even though it should be attended with loss of vigor. It was not enough, however, to bring out the exact meaning of the words, if one did not catch and preserve the spirit which dictated and animates them. This is the great merit of Martin Luther, that he always seizes the soul of a passage. As has been well said: "After all, Luther remains the greatest translator. He threw his own individuality right into the chants of the ancient prophets and singers. He, therefore, was the very man to reproduce in incomparable beauty the fiery arrows of the Hebrew patriots. Being at the same time capable of great tenderness, he also followed the ancient writers in their gentler and more melting moods, and gave a soul-stirring expression to the outcries of their sadness and despair. He had real enemies to contend with, and had no qualms of conscience about asking God to annihilate them by His thunders. He was in profoundest sympathy with the Biblical writers, so that Moses Mendels

sohn could truly say, Even where he erred, he erred grandly; that is, where he mistook the text, his mistakes were equal to the grandeur of the text.''

The revisers went through each one of the books of the Bible twice; and their purpose was not to make a new translation, but to improve the excellent one we already had. They adopted the principle that as few alterations as possible, consistently with faithfulness, should be introduced; and that, on the first examination of passages, no change should be made, without the approval of the majority; while, on the second review, the consent of twothirds of those present must be obtained. There was afterward a third consideration of such passages as had not previously been agreed upon, and the final decision in regard to those points which remained unsettled was made by the English company. Where there seemed to be good. reasons for a different reading from that given in the text, it has been placed in the margin; and some renderings, which the American revisers preferred, but which were not accepted, are printed in the Appendixes to the Old and New Testaments. Both of these classes of notes are important, and they should be consulted by every one who would arrive at the exact meaning of any phrase or sentence.

It must be accounted a great improvement that, in the new version, there are no divisions into chapters and verses (for there are none in the original manuscripts), but only paragraphs, corresponding to the various subjects treated. The Epistles, as well as the historical narratives, can now be read connectedly, as they should be read. The titles or headings of the chapters, which form no part of the Bible and were often misleading, have also been omitted. The poetical books and other rhythmical pieces are printed as poetry. The strophes are marked by spaces in many cases, and the parallelism is indicated, and this gives to the volume the appearance and attractiveness almost of a new book. The song of Deborah, the prayer of Habakkuk, and portions of the Book of Job are now presented in their full force and beauty. Some of the earliest snatches of

song are printed in their original ballad form (Num. xxi., 17; Judges xv., 16). The famous passage where Joshua is represented as commanding the sun and moon to stand still, appears as an extract from a poem (Joshua x., 12, 13), thus plainly showing its origin and suggesting its true interpretation. The Book of Psalms is divided here, as it is in the Hebrew, into five books; and the fifteen Songs of Degrees are now rightly called Songs of Ascents (Ps. cxx.-cxxxiv.), since they were sung by the pilgrims as they ascended or went up to Jerusalem, to participate in the great festivals.

Several other important emendations have been adopted. The word "heaven" etymologically means what is heaved up; and it was first applied to the blue arch over the earth, and then to the habitation of God and angels. The word "hell" was the antithesis of this (Job xi., 8), and signified originally what was hidden or covered; and it was used with reference to the hollow vault, which was believed to exist beneath the surface of the earth, and to be the residence of the departed. When our Bible was translated, this latter word designated the abode of the dead, but not a place of torment, as is evident from the article of the Apostles' Creed which declares that Jesus "descended into hell"; for it is expressly added that one may say instead, He went into the place of departed spirits," which is considered as having the same meaning. The revisers have generally substituted for hell the original Hebrew and Greek terms,- Sheol and Hades,- because these do not involve the idea of punishment. This is absolutely required in such passages as Ps. xvi., 10,—

66

"Thou wilt not leave my soul to Sheol,"

and Ps. cxxxix., 8,—

"If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there;

If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, thou art there,"

where the Psalmist could not have had in mind a place of hopeless misery.