1850.
Chinese Version of the Old and New Testaments.
547
words El, Elouh, Elohim, and Ruach, when they correspond to the words God, a God, Gods, and to the word Spirit, untranslated; throwing upon the abovementioned parties all the responsibility of taking such action with respect to the version of the several parts of the Old Testament thus offered to the.n, as they shall severally deem best for publishing God's holy word among the Chinese.
"The Committee in making this offer of their version to the Bible Societies, and to the Protestant missionaries in China, wish it to be distinctly under- stood, that they shall expect all parties who publish editions thereof to refrain from altering the text given out by this Conimittee, who reserve to a majority of their own body the right to make any alterations therein.
"The Committee feel themselves as a body released from the responsibility of making any decision with respect to the rendering of the words Elohim and Ruach, by the action of the majority of the local Committees, by which action the right to render these words is withheld from this Committee.
"True copy,
E. C. BRIDGMAN, Recording Secretary."
There is yet one other Resolution which we are able to lay before our readers; it will bring up the point to which we alluded above. It was passed at a full meeting of the Delegates, April 2d, 1850 :—
“Resolved, that as we proceed with the revision, copies of each book, when completed, shall be sent to such of the local Committees as request them, it being understood, that the missionaries at said stations defray the expense of transcribing their respective copies, and also that they do not pub- lish the same without the consent of this Committee.”
The "revision" here spoken of is of the version of the N. T., preparing and revising which has engaged the attention of the Com- mittee for nearly three years. In a preamble to the above resolution, the object of sending copies of each book to the local Committees is stated to be, “that suggestions and criticisms may be elicited for con- sideration previously to the separation of this Committee." Now as all the delegates forming the first Committee have been elected mem- bers of the second, the period for their separation will, we suppose, terminate only with the completion of the entire work. We draw at- tention to this point, because, if we have taken the correct view of the case, the delegates for the version of the New Testament, while they, by their resolution of August, “offer the version as it now stands to the Bible Societies, &c.," do still “reserve to a majority of their own body the right to make any alterations therein." This is an im- portant provision, for by it any one, interested in the improvement of this version of the New Testament, will have opportunity to bring to the notice, and urge on the attention of the Committee every and all “criti- cisins and suggestions" he may think worthy of further consideration.