The Bay of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. MONDAY, JULY 15, 1946 MAORI BIBLE REVISION

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 99, 15 July 1946, Page 4

The Bay of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. MONDAY, JULY 15, 1946

MAORI BIBLE REVISION

A DIFFICULT TASK LAYMEN AND CLERGY COMBINE FOR WORK A task of great magnitude, but one which will, it is believed, have a potential influence upon the further development of the Maori people in relation to religious practice, commenced in Gisborne toward the end of May with the initial executive meeting of the joint committee of churchmen and laymen entrusted with the revision of the Maori Bible

The work of the committee has the services of representatives of the three missions working among the Maori people and represents the first effort for 132 years in which laymen and clergy have co-operated in a work of this kind.

The committee comprises the Very Rev. J. G. Laughton, superintendent of the Presbyterian Maori Mission, the Rt. Rev. F. A. Bennett, Bishop of Aotearoa, the Rev. Eruera Te Tuhi, superintendent of the Methodist Maori Mission, the Rev. Te Hihi Kaa, Porangahau, widely known as a classical scholar, the Rev. Wi Panapa, Ohinemutu, Sir Apirana Ngata, Ruatoria, and Mr. W. W. Bird, former chief inspector of Maori schools and a leading European among Maori linguists. First Translations in 1838

The first translations of the Scriptures into Maori was undertaken by a group of missionaries centred on the Bay of Islands. In 1838 they produced the New Testament in Maori. This work was of striking importance and reflected the industry and scholarship of the men working under the Rev. William Williams, later Bishop Williams. A great deal of work on the Old Testament was carried 'out by Dr. Maunsell, who had a station at the Waikato Heads, and whose translation bears evidence of the influence of the Waikato dialect, in contrast to the Ngapuhi influence exhibited by the New Testament translation produced at the Bay of Islands.

Other work was done on the translation of the Scriptures in later years, but it was not until 1868 that the Maori Bible as it now stands was produced as a single work, representing the first revision of the early scholars’ translation.

A further edition was. made in 1884, and in 1924 the late Bishop Herbert Williams, then Archdeacon Williams, was responsible for a further learned contribution ‘in the form of a revision published in London.

Unfortunately, that revision incor-

porated in its published form some notable typographical errors, and these claimed attention. They might be said to have given the first impetus to the present project for recasting the whole expression of the Scriptures in the Maori language.

In an endeavour to rid the 1924 version of its printing errors, a number of Maori linguists were invited to co-operate in checking the text, and while this work was proceeding so many sugestions of value were received that it became evident to leaders of the churches that they must go deeper Clearing Up Obscure Passages The committee’s intention is first to check the typographical errors, and then proceed to clear up obscure passages. The original Maori Bible was translated from English into the dialect of the Ngapuhis, the Maori

people of the north, who had one of the seven major dialects, existing among the race. To convert it into pure Maori is one of the tasks of the committee.

The procedure of the committee in making its revision will be to hold open sessions and to take, in succession, individual passages of the Bible for close study.

The work will be carried out with constant reference to the original Hebrew version, the English version with revisions, and the leading commentaries which have established the modern application of obscure portions of the original text. The Maori contribution to the cost of the work of the committee and its completion in the publication will be, it is stated, £3OOO. The committee will not sit in Gisborne all the time, but will tour the East Coast, when opportunities will be taken by the tribal leaders to arrange religious services at which visiting churchmen will take part.

Tribute to Early Scholars

At a gathering in Gisborne attended by Maori and European churchmen and others interested in the work of the committee, Bishop Bennett pointed out that he felt the committee had gone to the right place to commence their task, as near Manutuke was Whakatoa, where the seed of Christianity was first planted in the district. “Do not think we are to produce a new Bible,” he said. “We are simply to try to bring forth a version of the story of Christianity in words appropriate to the purposes of the Maori Church.” It was a matter of a choice of words, and not a reconstruction of the great truths of the Bible itself, he said. Bishop Bennett added that it was significant that the Maori clergy and people were taking so large a part in the work of producing the new version, which meant so much to the race as a whole.

There were few higher tasks ihan that of interpreting the word of God and passing it to His people, and it was deeply satisfactory that Maoris were taking now a full part in the work of revision, stated Mr Laughton.

Mr Laughton paid a tribute to the work of the early scholars, who had captured an unwitten language and produced the initial, version of the Bible in that language. He hoped the committee would be. able to produce a work which would stand for all time as a perfect expression of the perfect truth. That the work of the committee would not alter in the slightest degree the message of the Maori Bible was pointed out by Mr Kaa. “This committee' will not interfere with the substance, the spirit, or the sanctity of the Bible,” he said. “Those things will remain as they were handed down to the Maori people. In the existing version there are faults of expression, but even so it is still possible to see in its language—with such faults as might.be found—the true message of our faith.”