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VOL. IV.
THE
(.In address delivered by Rev. Louis Voss, Chai
Womer
The Bible is one of the most effective agencies
in all missionary work at home and
abroad. The work of translating and disseminating
the Bible begins where missionary work
brains. All evangelical churches accept the
principle laid down by the Reformation, that
tin Scriptures of the Old anil New Testaments
an* I lie only infallible and sufficient rule of
faith and practice. It is the glory of evangelical
Christendom, divided as it is into many
denominations, that it is unanimous on this
point, and it is a matter for congratulation
that all the different denominations of the same
country or language, use the same translation
of the Scriptures. Luther's masterly translation,
which fixed the German language and established
Protestantism in Germany, is still the
only version used by all Germans the world
over, and is regarded as a model of classic
( muni. The ''King James Version" of the
Knglish Bible, commonly known as the "Authorized
version," though there is no evidence
that it was ever sanctioned by any "authority,"
is still in general use among all the Eng
lisli speaking churches. It has not been disI
bleed by any of the many revisions, such as
the "Revised" and the "American" version.
While it is true that many words used in the
"Authorized" Version are now obsolete and
there ure minor inaccuracies of translation,
which are usually noted in the margin of modern
editions, the general accuracy of its transition
and the beauty and force of its language
which is regarded as a mode! of simple, vigormis
and elegant English, are such that it will
i'"' easily be displaced by any other.
The lirst work of any missionary in a new
territory is to give to the people among whom
h'- is to labor, the Word of (Joil in their own
huiguage. Without this he is utterly helpless.
III:! this; iu ii i uul/ nf' .1 dll.julfif I ??
JU ?? moil \/i aiiiwvuuuiio Ullllt Uliy . Ill
case of barbarous people he is compelled
lii'st to reduce their language to writing. He
"mst catch their sounds and words and eona
primitive grammar and dictionary.
I'oi win describes the language of the people
Terra del Fuego as "grunts, squeaks and
''" coughs." They have a word which sounds
"s if spelled "thlg." Their word for "fever"
S,"mds like "nxwx." Curious mistakes are
Sl Mietinies made in learning the language of
natives. It is related that when white
people first came to Australia they saw there a
w animal famous for its tremendous spring
""d when they asked: "What is that?" revived
the answer: "Kang garro!" which
'"cans: "We do not. understand you." Thus
animal received that name. The Bible is
"'e most translatable book, because Hebrew in
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1-ivV
NEW ORLEANS, ATLANTA, JULY
BIBLE C/
irman of the Permanent Committee on the foible C
is Home Mission Union, end Published at its req
its construction and syntax is a very simple
language. Such stories as that of the Prodigal
Son are easily translated into any language.
Put from this it must not he inferred that its
translation is without difficulty. It is said that
Luther during his work of translating it, exclaimed:
"Good God, how hard it is to make
these Hebrew writers speak German!" IIow
miieli harder must it he to make them sneak
the tongues of savage or half-civilized people!
These have names for things material, hut not
for spiritual ideas like sin, pardon, holiness,
angels, the Holy Spirit. They have no names
even for many of the animals, insects, Howers,
tress, weights and measures and other things
?Hatches <??tjer 3lsrael
lie watches over Israel?and sweeps
The fullness of His mercy into one
Great ocean of eternal deeps;
Xo helm need I, no guide,
When at my side
Is the Maker of a hundred suns.
IT J _ 7. ^ 7 I . I
lit luuicncs uutr isruti, nor sieves;
Lest I should stumble in the closing dark,
Like some poor leper as he creeps,
By rugged rut or notch.
Without His watch,
My faltering feet would never reach the
mark.
lit watches over Israel?and keeps
The greatness of llis mercy to the close;
He slumbers not, nor sleeps.
In all my little tlight.
By noon or night,
I know that lie will lead me to repose.
?Pall Mall Magazine.
used in daily life in Palestine. Fig trees and
camels are unknown in the North, frost snow
and ice in the tropics. The inhabitants of
some ot the South Sea Islands had never seen
a quadruped larger than a rat. What word,
then, could be used to translate "lamb?"
At first only parts of the Bible are translated,
such as the Gospel stories. Later the
Mpistles are added, until gradually the whole
New Testament is finished. To translate the
whole Bible is a tremendous undertaking. It
usually fell to the first missionaries sent out
to any foreign people, to do at least the preparatory
work. The first Protestant missionary
who gave the Bible to the heathen, was a German,
Ziegenbalg. He went to India seventy
years before William Carey went there, and
died at the age of dfi, but he left a complete
- l J.i; ~~ ~~ . - ?" 1 7* vestern
presbyter/am
4l Presbyterian c
'hern Presbyter/an
17, 1912. NO. 29.
\USE
?ausc, of Ch?cu> Orleans, before the Presbylerial
uest.)
translation of the New Testament in the Tamil
language, which is still used by all the native
churches in South India.
One hundred years ago there were only 50
or 60 translations of the Bible. By 1860 the
number had increased to 220 and in 1800 to
331. Now there are over 400 such translations.
The work was almost always done by missionaries
or under their supervision, though often
the initiative was taken by the Bible Soeicties
who paid for the translation or at least
assumed the expenses of publishing it.
Here is a department of missionary effort
requiring much toil, patience and wisdom and
on the skill and thoroughness bestowed upon
it depends success in the tield. It forms the
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luuiiuaiiuu iui cin silUMMJlU'Ut WOFK <111(1 IS UDsolutely
indispensihle, especially for evangelical
churches to whom the Bible is everything.
The Bible is distinctly a Protestant weapon.
The contrast between the Church of Koine autl
Protestantism in their attitude towards the Bible
is very striking. Whenever in recent years
the Pope has authorized a translation of the Bible
into the vernacular of the common people,
it was always due to Protestant example. Some
years ago, France was so filled with Bibles
that the Koman clergy petitioned the Pope to
make a French translation and a very good one
it U'!l<i l?llt lliiu I?*r
.. no IIOV L'J tuc jn:u|iic ? US MJUU CS"
topped. Koine fears the Bible and knows it
cannot afford to place it in the hands of the
people. In the Philippine Islands, where Roinan
priests hud undisputed sway for 200
years, they made grammars and dictionaries in
the Philippine languages, but gave the people
no Bible. Not a single gospel or chapter was
translated until Protestant missionaries came.
Now the population is very eager to read the
Bible. Koine is still discouraging the reading
of the Scriptures, even in Protestant countries.
It requires a special permit for a Catholic to
read it. The editor of the "Morning Star," a
Komau paper published in New Orleans, recently
advised the burning of "Protestant"Bibles!
As if the "Protestant" Bible were so
radically different from the "Catholic" Bible!
This is a mere subterfuge behind which the Romanists
hide their fear of the Word of God.
This method of suppressing the divine message
to the world has not always been the policy
of the Roman Church. At an early period
translations were made by Roman Catholics
into Latin from the Septuagint. At the end of
the fourth century, Jerome made a new version
from the Hebrew and (Ireek, the Vulgate,
which t lit' Council of Trent in 1~>4P? declared
to he the authentic rule of faith. The work of