We sometimes hear the assertion that "The Bible has been changed in making so many translations"; and that "We don’t know whether the Scriptures as we now have them are like they were when they were first written." It is not so easy, however, to change books and history as one might think,—especially the Bible, held in high esteem by the masses as the sacred word of God.

In time of war, the militarists would, be quick to oppose the spreading of pacifist literature; but they would not think of destroying copies of the New Testament, even though it teaches us to ‘‘love our enemies,’’ and to ‘‘turn the other cheek,'' and to "overcome evil with good." During the middle ages, the Inquisitors might have burned Bibles published by Protestants, and done so with a ' conscience; but they would not think of burning their own time-honored Greek Bibles and their Latin translations, which lay in their monasteries. Thus, it is easy to see how the word of God has been preserved.

Living languages (such as the English) are constantly changing. This makes new translations, or revisions of old ones, necessary. The following quotation gives an idea of what the English language was like in King Alfred’s day (871-901):

"Uren Faderdhi’~ art in heofnas Sic gehalyed dhin noma.

To cymedh dhin nc, Sec dhin willa sue is in heofnas and in eardhs."

In the time of Wyliffe (A. D. 1367), the same passage read:

"Our Fadir that art in huenes

Halewid be thi name.

Thi kingdom comme to

Be thi wille done, as in huen, so on earth."

In the time of King James, it read:

"Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done, in earth as (it is) in heaven."

We of today could not read, with profit, an English version made in King Alfred’s day,—although it might be in perfect harmony with the original, and the Ancient English perfect. But the language has changed. We could not get a great amount of knowledge from Wycliffe’s version, although it was greatly blessed of God in its day. But the English language of today is far different from that of Wycliffe’s day.

Some may suppose that one translation has been made of the Bible and then two or three hundred years later another translation has been made from that one, with no attention being paid to the ancient manuscripts. If this were the case there would naturally be numerous changes (perhaps even in the sense); but look on the front page of any Bible and you will see something like this: "Translated out of the original tongues, and with the former translations diligently compared

and revised." The translators have had access, not only to the former translations (with which to diligently compare their own), but to the ancient Hebrew and Greek manuscripts, and there are many of them.

If the people of England had not had the Bible and faith in Christ they might have gone through a reign of terror as bloody as that which swept over France. In these times of unrest and perplexity, the crying need is to get back to the faith simplicity which is in Christ. It is important, therefore, that we know that the Bible we have is reliable and that it is indeed the word of God. There is little difference between our King James Version and the Rheims-Dousy (Catholic) Version. A variety of translations, made by different scholars and wholly independent of each other, but each guided by the same Hebrew and Greek MSS., and giving the same sense to every passage of Scripture (although some may be clearer on some points than are others), assure us that what we have is in truth God’s blessed word. Any of the modern translations of the Bible will give us a better idea of the teachings of Christ and of the will of God than we will be at all likely to live up to.