The International Monthly, Volume 4, No. 2, September, 1851Various
History
The International Monthly, Volume 4, No. 2, September, 1851
Various
Art, Modern -- 19th century -- Periodicals; Literature, Modern -- 19th century -- Periodicals; Science -- History -- Periodicals
A new version, by which it is _not proposed to displace the common
one_, is to appear from the press of Mr. Colby, in this city, and the
high reputation of its author for learning and judgment, is a
sufficient assurance that what he does at all he will do in a very
masterly manner. The Rev. Dr. Conant, Professor of Biblical Literature
in the University of Rochester, says in a letter to his publisher:
"It has long been a favorite object with me to furnish a
translation of the Holy Scriptures for unlearned readers,
which should accurately express the meaning of the original
by the aids of modern scholarship in the style and manner of
the early English versions. The translation is intended,
therefore, for the benefit of the common reader of the
Scriptures, to aid him in more clearly understanding them
wherever our common version is for any reason obscure. In
other words, it is to do directly by a translation what has
long been attempted by the awkward and circuitous method of
a commentary; viz. to make the Scriptures plain to the
unlearned reader. I should for many reasons regard it as
undesirable, and it certainly is impracticable, to supplant
the common version to any extent as the received version for
the church and the people, or the common English Bible and
common standard of appeal for those who use only the English
language."
Dr. Conant will preserve as nearly as may be the manner of the old
translations, endeavoring only to combine the fidelity and exactness
of modern scholarship with the simplicity and strength of the common
version. To such an effort, by such a man, we see no objections. The
reputation most at stake is that of Dr. Conant himself, and those who
know him do not fear that that will suffer. It will at least be
interesting to mark the differences between his renderings and those
of King James's translators.
* * * * *
Mr. Putnam publishes for the coming holidays a new impression of the
_Memorial_, which is incomparably the most interesting literary
miscellany ever printed as a gift-book in this country. The proceeds
of the sale, it is known, are to be appropriated for the erection of a
monument to the late Mrs. Osgood, in Mount Auburn Cemetery. The book
is made up of original articles by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Chancellor
Walworth, N. P. Willis, Bishop Doane, G. P. R. James, S. G. Goodrich,
John Neal, W. G. Simms, Richard B. Kimball, George P. Morris, Dr.
Mayo, Mrs. Sigourney, Mrs. Embury, Mrs. Oakes Smith, Mrs. Hewitt, Mrs.
Lynch, and indeed all the best and most brilliant writers of the time;
and it is beautifully illustrated.
* * * * *
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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