HOW THE REVISED TESTAMENT WAS RECEIVED.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2590, 9 July 1881, Page 2

HOW THE REVISED TESTAMENT WAS RECEIVED.

ENGLISH OBJECTIONS. The revised version of the New Testament, published on Tuesday, May 17, was waited for with keen interest, and was received with an almost unbroken course of disapproval. The “ Saturday Review ” complains of the childish pedantry of the revisers, and describes the new version as sadly inferior to the old one in general vigor and beauty of language. It predicts that it will never come into general use. Other papers express in similar terms their grief, astonishment and regret at the revisers’ wanton disregard of the reverence and love felt by the English people for the existing text, saying that the revisers may know Greek but not English. Meantime 2,000,000 copies have been sold. The following are some of the main points of the London Standard’s ’’ review:—lt is deeply to be regretted that the revisers, judging from the work just published, have apparently forgotten the conditions under which the task was intrusted to them. It is obvious a great many of the alterations adopted have been approved by reasons of mere literary criticism, which mode is rather sceptical, as there is no infallibility in even the good taste of the revisers. They have nevertheless thought themselves justified in mending the English, and improving the grammar of passages which have struck a deep root in the hearts and memory of the English people. One word has been substituted for another at the whim of the New Testament

Company, and thus being robbed of all their value. The system upon which the revisers appear to have acted, in our judgments, is altogether erroneous and deplorable. Chicago, May 22. The entire revised New Testament was published here in the “Times” and “ Tribune ” to-day. Tonight Henry Ward Beecher, in an interview, said that as far as ho had read he was highly pleased with the work of the revisers and that ho agreed substantially .with the changes made.