THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
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ROME AND THE BIBLE
them, word for word, from the Septua gint and Peschito. It is aso true that in the earliest ages of Christianity the Church of Rome was not as hostile to the Bible as she has been since she has adopted so many errors that are not found in the Scriptures. In her purer age she had not, therefore, so much oc casion to set the Bible aside. Hence, we have the old Itala, that is the Bible translated into Latin, perhaps in the second century. This was almost uni versally used in the Roman Empire un til the Latin Vulgate was published in the fourth century, which has ever since been the standard in the Church of Rome. At an early period— indeed, as fast as the nations became converted to Christianity— the Bible was translated for the use. of the people; hence as early as 370, Ulphilas, bishop of the, Maeso- Goths, translated the Bible into the Gothic. In the eighth century, the ven erable Bede translated the Scriptures into Anglo-Saxon. Many other transla tions were made, and thus God’s Word was scattered over the world. There were, moreover, always pious sects, like the Vaudois, Waldenses and Albi- genses, who kept the Word of God pure and unspotted, so that we owe nothing to the Roman Church for our Holy Scriptures. Romanism and the Bible have no fel lowship, for if one is true, much of the other must be false. Hence, Popes, bishops and priests do not wish to en courage their people to read the Bible, because they are well aware that Rom anism, as it notv exists, is not found in the Word of God. A general reading of the Bible among the members of the Roman Catholic Church would be like ly to make a great change in it in ten years.*—H. A. Sullivan.
O WE owe anything to the Roman Catholic Church for the preservation of the Holy Scriptures? We think not, and we will give the reason for our opinion. We know it is the boast of the Church
of Rome that the whole world is under many obligations to her for having pre served the Sacred Scriptures during the long ages between the time of Christ and the Reformation. For the preservation of the Scrip tures containing the Old Testament we are indebted to the Jews. To pre vent them from being corrupted by' any defection that might have taken place among them about 250 years B. C., Ptolemy Philadelphus, King of Egypt, who seems to have been a great patron of learning, appointed seventy-two learned men to translate the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek. This translation, known as the Septuagint, is still extant, and was more in the keeping of the Eastern or Greek than in the Western or Latin .Church; so we are under no obligation to the Roman Church for the preservation of the Old Testament. The New Testament with perhaps the single exception of the Gospel of Mat thew, was written in Greek. At the close of the first century, or perhaps quite early in the second, the Syrian version was made. This version is called the Peschito, and is still extant. A translation of it was published a few years ago in this country by Dr. Mur dock, a copy of which can be found in the Chicago Public Library. This ver sion, which is perhaps as correct as any we have, has been the text-book of the Eastern Christians for 1800 years, and it has been carefully preserved by those Christians who have never been under the influence of the Church of Rome. If the Greek Scriptures of the New Tes tament and the Hebrew of the Old had been entirely lost, we could restore
If God writes “ opportunity” on one side of a door, he writes “ responsibil ity” on the other.
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