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THE RIVERSIDE NEW TESTAMENT. PREFACE: THERE are millions of people
who understand no language readily except the living English of
to-day. Surely they ought to have the New Testament the most
important of books in that language. The majesty and beauty of the
old King James Version the Westminster Abbey of English literature
should not blind us to the fact that, for inquirers eager to know
the divine message, it is three hundred years behind the times.
Since King Jamess day the tireless researches of scholars have
given us a more correct copy of the Greek original and a clearer
under standing of its meaning than our forbears possessed. Then,
too, in the course of these centuries the English language has gone
on changing, until now many words once familiar have been long
forgotten and many still in use have taken on new significations.
Present-day readers of the old version meet with many sentences
that convey to them no meaning at all or a meaning that is
mistaken. As long as fifty years ago, it was recognized that the
situation had become an impossible one, and the Convocation of
Canter bury led off in the movement for revision. Out of this came
the English Revised Version of 1881 and the American Revised
Version of twenty years later. But these revisions did not aim to
be more than revisions. They corrected faulty details while leaving
the broad fundamental disadvantages untouched. Common people never
could be much interested in them. To meet the present urgent need a
number of translations Into modern English have recently been put
forth Some of these are of great merit, and yet every one of them
seems to leave something still to be desired. The present attempt
sees the light much asSt. Lukes Gospel did. Inasmuch as many others
have been trying their hands at the task, it seemed good to me also
having devoted many years to Biblical studies, to offer my
contribution In fact a profound sense of obligation compelled it.
For whoever enjoys the privilege of knowing divine truth is a
debtor to all who use the same language. This translation has been
made directly from the original Greek, Nestles text being generally
followed. In the English phrasing originality has been neither
sought nor shunned. The translator owes much to The Twentieth
Century New Testament, Weymouths New Testament in Modern Speech,
and Moffatts New Translation of the New Testa ment and of course to
the Revised Versions and the old King James Version. How freely he
lias departed from any and all of these a slight examination will
show. The ideal of a translator is to serve as a plate-glass window
through which the man who does not read Greek will see in English
just what he would see if he did read Greek. But the realization of
this ideal is far from possible. Changing the figure, we may say
that to translate from one language into another is like playing on
the piano what was written for the violin. The fundamental melody
may be faithfully reproduced but many subtle effects which the
composer intended are inevitably lost, and effects which ho did not
intend arc added. The effort to reproduce Greek overtones has led
to inueh un natural straining of the English language in all of our
versions No one knows better than a translator himself how far his
work falls short of perfection, and how open it is to jmt
criticism. Many defects spring from the vary natum of what is
attempted. No one can avoid them.But d f ct due to ignorance or
oversight can bo corrected in future editions, and the translator
will be most grateful to have his attention called to them by any
of his readers. Proper names have been left as they are in the
American Revised Version. Whimsical and haphazard change in uamoa
are unscholarly in themselves and annoying to readers a the use of
maps and works of reference...
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger
Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain
imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed
pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we
have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting,
preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger
Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and
hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!
THE RIVERSIDE NEW TESTAMENT PREFACE THERE are millions of people
who understand no language readily except the living English of
to-day. Surely they ought to have the New Testament the most
important of books in that language. The majesty and beauty of the
old King James Version the Westminster Abbey of English literature
should not blind us to the fact that, for inquirers eager to know
the divine message, it is three hundred years behind the times.
Since King Jamess day the tireless researches of scholars have
given us a more correct copy of the Greek original and a clearer
under standing of its meaning than our forbears possessed. Then,
too, in the course of these centuries the English language has gone
on changing, until now many words once familiar have been long
forgotten and many still in use have taken on new significations.
Present-day readers of the old version meet with many sentences
that convey to them no meaning at all or a meaning that is
mistaken. As long as fifty years ago, it was recognized that the
situation had become an impossible one, and the Convocation of
Canter bury led off in the movement for revision. Out of this came
the English Revised Version of 1881 and the American Revised
Version of twenty years later. But these revisions did not aim to
be more than revisions. They corrected faulty details while leaving
the broad fundamental disadvantages untouched. Common people never
could be much interested in them. To meet the present urgent need a
number of translations Into modern English have recently been put
forth Some of these are of great merit, and yet every one of them
seems to leave something still to be desired. The present attempt
sees the light much asSt. Lukes Gospel did. Inasmuch as many others
have been trying their hands at the task, it seemed good to me also
having devoted many years to Biblical studies, to offer my
contribution In fact a profound sense of obligation vi PREFACE
compelled it. For whoever enjoys the privilege of knowing divine
truth is a debtor to all who use the same language. This
translation has been made directly from the original Greek, Nestles
text being generally followed. In the English phrasing originality
has been neither sought nor shunned. The translator owes much to
The Twentieth Century New Testament, Weymouths New Testament in
Modern Speech, and Moffatts New Translation of the New Testa ment
and of course to the Revised Versions and the old King James
Version. How freely he lias departed from any and all of these a
slight examination will show. The ideal of a translator is to serve
as a plate-glass window through which the man who does not read
Greek will see in English just what he would see if he did read
Greek. But the realization of this ideal is far from possible.
Changing the figure, we may say that to translate from one language
into another is like playing on the piano what was written for the
violin. The fundamental melody may be faithfully reproduced but
many subtle effects which the composer intended are inevitably
lost, and effects which ho did not intend arc added. The effort to
reproduce Greek overtones has led to inueh un natural straining of
the English language in all of our versions No one knows better
than a translator himself how far his work falls short of
perfection, and how open it is to jmt criticism. Many defects
spring from the vary natum of what is attempted. No one canavoid
them. But d f ct due to ignorance or oversight can bo corrected in
future editions, and the translator will be most grateful to have
his attention called to them by any of his readers. Proper names
have been left as they are in the American Revised Version.
Whimsical and haphazard change in uamoa are unscholarly in
themselves and annoying to readers a the use of maps and works of
reference...
This book is a facsimile reprint and may contain imperfections such
as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages.
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