Hills  #1972

  Eph. 1 Dodd, Mead

VALUE SUGGESTIONS : 

        
                                              Jehovah's Witnesses editions, circa 1950s - 1960s:  $3.00 good - $10.00 very fine

Table below is per a small first edition, leather bound, s.v. New Testament, thumbnail - "Early edition"

BINDING	NUMBER of PAGES	PAGE SIZE	PAPER INFO
leather cover , smyth sewn	516 total,  a 1910 signature on green paper is added, via YMCA,  at end.	111 mm x 85 mm, 2 columns	no ANSI info, no acidity statement, .0021" thick. white

Base Text - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  Tischendorf's transcription of Codex 01

Accuracy of translation - - - -  5/6

Value to Christian faith - - - - - 4

Value as a collectible book - - 7

Affiliation - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Holiness/charismatic associations

William B. Godbey (1833-1920) was one of the most significant evangelists in the early stages of the Wesleyan-holiness movement. He was born in Pulaski, Kentucky, and raised in the Methodist Church. In 1868, he experienced "entire sanctification", a doctrine he fervently espoused in his pastoral and evangelistic career. He also taught in public schools and assumed the presidency of Harmonia College in Perryville, Kentucky for a time. He was a prodigious author publishing more than 200 books and pamphlets on topics including doctrine, new religious movements, the Second Coming, and divine healing. (in a thumbnail on the right is a cover of one his pamphlets -"Immersionism"!, he is against most water baptisms as a means of salvation, a rather rare pamphlet!). He traveled extensively across the country and the world preaching the holiness message. He appeared to be quite a successful debater, especially against the Campbellites. He taught at God's Bible School in Cincinnati. In his prologue, he claims this effort (his NT translation) as the the summit of his labors.

His New Testament is translated entirely from Codex Sinaiticus (01). This early codex (circa A.D. 350) was a sensational discovery at the time (1859), by the famed scholar, Tischendorf.  Naturally it attracted folks like Godbey, who really believed it to be totally inspired! Godbey in many respects was a diehard Holiness or Pentacostalist. He did not believe in eternal security, nor in any water immersion/baptism. Hence, this NT may be tainted via his strong beliefs. We shall briefly examine several passages of his and see if he inserted any of his doctrinal beliefs.

John 10:27,28  (per Godbey's translation, page 84)
"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 I give to them eternal life; and they shall never perish, and no one shall pluck them out of my hand."

In the above snippet of codex 01, we note that Godbey does a fine job of translating this passage, which is one of many which suggest eternal security; which is contrary to Godbey's beliefs (he believed that a second experience was needed after admission of faith!). He did not corrupt the English rendering of this passage.  Hence it also suggests that Godbey is not prone to altering the manuscript's message. He appears to be quite objective and reliable as a translator.  (Modified image courtesy of:  www.sinaiticus.org).

However, he does alter in some instances: for example he adds the words "the (or your) love" which is NOT in the original text of codex 01. A "corrector" later added it a the bottom of the leaf. Godbey also adds it in his work, without notice.

Below, is Godbey's rendition:  (pages 261f.)

"Therefore I also, having heard of the faith among you in the Lord Jesus, and YOUR LOVE which is toward all the saints,"

Again thanks to www.Sinaiticus.org - for the sample of 01. The red dot marks where he added the words. But note that a later hand added a mark linking it to a footnote (in a later hand) a the bottom of the page - "agaphn thn".  The words are also omitted in most Latin and Bohairic MSS as well as 03 (Vaticanus) and the ancient Papyrus P⁴⁶. It is not part of the original 01 text.

At Colossians 1:12, Codex 01 has "...the Father God" or ..."God the Father",  Godbey omits "God". Apparently most of his "errors" are those which revolve around how the translation is made into clear English, hence Godbey simply has ..."to the Father". s.v. page 274.

At Mark 7:4, Sinaiticus omits "couches" Godbey wrongly inserts it. At I Corinthians 2:2, Godbey prints "testimony" whereas the original hand of 01 has "mystery". In light of these samples, Godbey's translation is not an accurate translation of codex 01 (Sinaiticus), nevertheless it is a nice readable translation, just not an accurate copy of 01.

In his original (1902?) hardcover (bottom thumbnail), he has a 3 page prologue, followed by his "Synopsis of the Harmony". This is followed by his Harmony of the Four Gospels, written in parallel paragraphs. Hence his gospels portion is in a harmony format, which is useful.

Beginning with Acts, on page 149, he presents us with a single column format. In the many footers he has added references and some translation notes. Each chapter has a brief heading. Lastly he ends with a 2 page apologue. The volume is nicely printed on an off-white paper, the paper is either highly calendared--as it is smooth, somewhat glossy--or it has some fillers; it slightly fluoresces at 380nm.. This original edition is well made, is smyth-sewn. I have seen NO publication dates in any of the original printings, 1902 suggested by Hills #2142. On some title pages of the original editions, the publishers name (M. W. Knapp) is omitted (are these the earliest copies?). All in all he does a pretty good job of rendering this manuscript (Codex Sinaiticus) into English. A very collectible volume! Also shown at right is one of his many pamphlets, this one quite rare, it is an anti-immersion tract.

M.W. Knapp was an ardent holiness advocate also, and was a friend of Godbey's. Knapp also owned a publishing firm, which published many of Godbey's works as well as other Holiness authors. Per Wikipedia:

Martin Wells Knapp (1853-1901) was an American Methodist minister who founded several institutions including the magazine God’s Revivalist in 1888, the International Holiness Union and Prayer League (which became the Pilgrim Holiness Church) in 1897, and God's Bible School, later known as God's Bible School and College. He was a central figure of the more radical wing of the Holiness movement."  Full of zeal and energy, he died young at 48.

The "new reprint" (see thumbnail) was printed by Schmul of Salem, Ohio. Recent reprints are available today.

One notable rendering is at Galatians 2:16, wherein Godbey has "...the faith OF Jesus Christ", well done!

The volume was popular with Holiness folks and had been reprinted a number of times, as seen in the thumbnails. In 1861,  H.T. Anderson also made an English translation of Codex Sinaiticus:

Henry T. Anderson (1812 - 1872), studied the New Testament in the original Greek as well as in the English. He became as familiar with the Greek text of the New Testament as he was with the English text. He never ceased to study the New Testament in Greek. Many scholars have pronounced this translation the best in the English language. He was about three and a half years making this translation. It was based solely upon Codex 01 (Sinaiticus). A revision of his NT is currently available today. A review of Andersons' work is seen below (1918).

The following (modern) harmonies - - W. G. Rushbrooke's 1880 Synopticon, Broadus' Harmony (1894)  and the Huck/Finney Synopsis (1892); these all follow basically the same layout. Minor differences can be seen, but generally they agree. Certainly Godbey utilized one or more of these for the layout of his gospels. Weaver makes much ado about his harmony, but he too relied upon those preceding him.  (see Socrates Townsend Weaver below).

The NT and other works by Godbey are available for viewing or downloading at:  www.archive.org

VALUE SUGGESTIONS:

BOOK, or edition	Good condition $$	FINE condition $$
1902 God's Revivalist  first ed.	$20.00	$50.00
1973 paperback	$15.00	$30.00
reprints	$15.00	$20.00

 

Table below is per first edition

Base Text - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  KJV

Accuracy of translation - - - -  NA

Value to Christian faith - - - - - 10

Value as a collectible book - - 5

Affiliation - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - unknown

Little information (so far) is known about the editor of this useful work. He did publish several other works as well. In 1896 he produced a volume of Reference Passages of the Gospels in a gospel-harmony format, see thumbnail. Which work he later expanded into the full New Testament in 1902.

He did not produce a new translation, he used the ASV.  However his additions and tools made the work useful, and hence I examined it. I also will review several other "reference" editions which do not present another translation, but rather so enhance an existing one that it itself becomes quite valuable for its additions.

The Reference Passage NT, by Johns, in fact adds a few references seen in no other work! Hence this is another asset. For example at Acts 20:28 a reference is made to Psalms 74:2, a rather important reference; but NOT seen in Scofield, Monser, Bullinger, Berry, NIV or any other reference Bible to my knowledge.

The work has been reprinted by Moody (1953), Logos and Baker Books (1959), thus it is not rare. It is a useful study tool, as one does not need to flip through various books to look up the reference, as it is printed in full, parallel to the lemma text, see thumbnails. It is listed in Hills as #'s 2214 and 2188. In which one can see the change of address for the publisher. Alpha Publishing. (From Sunbury Pennsylvania to Lincoln Nebraska). The 1902 first edition is not easy to locate, but can be found. My copy is thumb-indexed.

The text is printed in two columns, and usually encompasses the entire folio view (both sides of the open page). Very little ghosting is present, and the text is cleanly printed. Some interesting and useful maps are at the end of the work. There seems to be no doctrinal assertions made or injected,  - for example at Romans 6, none of the references contain the word "water", which is correct.

Overall I really enjoyed using this work, with the relevant references printed "right there" on the same or facing page, is really a useful asset. Thus I give it a 10 rating for "Value to Christian faith". 

1st (1903) and 2nd ed. (1908) ed. by E. Hampden-Cook
"He who appeared in human form, and had His claims justified by the Spirit, was seen by angels and was
proclaimed among the nations, was believed on in the world, and was received up into glory."

3rd ed. (1909) ed. by E. Hampden-Cook
"--- that Christ appeared in human form, had His claims justified by the Spirit, was seen by angels and
proclaimed among Gentile nations, was believed on in the world, and received up again into glory."

4th ed. (1924) ed. by S.W. Green & others
"--- He who appeared in flesh, proved Himself righteous in Spirit, was seen by angels and proclaimed
among Gentile nations, was believed on in the world, and received up into glory."

5th ed. (1929) ed. by J.A. Robertson
"He who appeared in the flesh, was proved righteous by the Spirit, was seen by angels and proclaimed
among Gentile nations, was believed on in the world, and received up into glory."

But he has many other works, like his 6 volume Hebrew/English prayer book for the whole Hebrew calendar!

 

BASE text - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - basically WH

Accuracy of translation - - - - - 7

Value to Christian faith - - - - - 6

Value as a collectible book - - 8 (first edition)

Affiliation - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  mixed, yet mostly Reformed

After the initial stage of the work, twelve more workers were enlisted but unfortunately their biographies were never requested, perhaps because personal conferences had to some extent replaced correspondence. Altogether, thirty-five persons were associated with the translation, including as advisers three prominent scholars : G. G. Findlay of Headingley College, J. R. Harris of Cambridge, and R. F. Weymouth, retired Headmaster of Mill Hill School.


A few of the translators were:

Henry Bazett, T. Sibley Boulton, W. Tucker Broad, John A. Barrow Clough, W. Copland, E. Bruce Cornford, William M. Crook, Peter William Darnford, George G. Findlay, Edward Deacon Girdlestone, Mary Higgs, J.K. Homer, A. Ingram, Ernest de Merindol Malan, Sarah Elizabeth Mee, and R.O.P. Taylor

K. W. Clark's article (in PDF format) can be read here, 24 pages. Just click on this line.

Those translators which we do know about are a simple cross-section of society in 1890s England. Housewives, as well as 14 clergymen. Among them are many Socialists, some self-styled Radicals, and almost all have engaged in numerous social services toward reform and uplift. They hold in common a sympathy for the mass of workers. A number of them have written articles on social and religious reforms, and some have previously engaged in translating, or at least in re-phrasing, the English New Testament. It was an era of social change, which as Clark declares does not impinge upon the text of this work, only it does sit in the cultural background.  Clark further elaborates:

The Greek used by the New Testament writers was not the Classical Greek of some centuries earlier, but the form of the language spoken in their own day. Today this is a commonplace, but Girdlestone's insight anticipated Adolf Deissmann by many years. Grenfell and Hunt were still young scholars, still digging up papyri in Egypt. It was therefore an "advanced" conception as to the nature of the Greek, which enabled these translators to set a precedent for the treatment of the New Testament text.

This Girdlestone, was a scholar who was adept at classical Greek, his full name being Edward Deacon Girdlestone; he was the oldest member, at 63, (born in 1814, in Sedgeley, Staffordshire, England) and a stalwart associate. He and his father were Anglican clergymen. After college and teaching, he was ordained at 23 ( Waldham College, Oxford) but two years later decided that this had been a mistake. In a state of indecision he continued intermittently to work and to preach. He was a well-known Fabian. [i.e. persons who advocated socialism, but gradually, not via revolution]. In his mid-thirties he married a woman of means and soon retired. Later as a widower he re-married at 50, and for a while tutored privately. He claims a number of published articles, mostly socialistic.


As mentioned the final edition appeared in 1904, showing substantial revision of the tentative form. In London, it was published by the Sunday School Union at Is. 6d., and the American publisher was Fleming H. Revell.

The passage concerning the Woman Caught in Adultery, is printed at the close of the Gospel of John with a notice. Mark 16, is included with notices, and the Gospel of Mark is printed as the first of the Gospels. First Corinthians 14:34, 35 are in the text but the women are referred to as "married women". At the beginning of the volume, lie 21 pages showing the contents as the names of the paragraph headings, (s.v. thumbnail at right).

Pages are in single column format, adequate margins, text is cleanly printed. Being smyth-sewn it lies open nicely. At the foot of each page lie cross references, and some minor notes; some of the references are to apocryphal literature! It follows WH Greek text, but adds some interpretations not seen in the Greek. For example:

 

Additionally some passages are downright awkward, for example Philippians 2:17

And yet, even if, when your faith is offered as a sacrifice to God, my life-blood must be poured out in addition, still I rejoice and share the joy of you all;

The NASB reads:

But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all.

The overall text flow is rather fractured, somewhat halting. Which may be good as it requires the reader to think about what he or she had just read! However, the text could be smoother had it been subjected to an English prose editor. The unevenness may be due to the fact that numerous translators were involved, and that communication betwixt them was slow (via mail). Occasionally British terms are encountered, such as "gaol" for "jail". Despite some of my complaints, the text is enjoyable and interesting to read. It is truly a unique translation!

Numerous editions have been published over the years, one of the rarest is the Boy Scout edition, shown here in an EBAY auction, for over $400.00:

In 1962 Moody Press reprinted the book, in paperback and hardcover format (see thumbnail). In 1961 the hardcover sold for $3.50., the softcover was $1.59, it had 449 pages. Technically the Moody edition is a revision: "Tartarus" at II Peter 2:4 is changed to "hell", unfortunately as the 1904 earlier reading  "Tartarus" is the correct Greek.

In a review of this NT, Robert Bratcher* pointed out a few other changes:

Along with Bratcher, one wonders why the Moody edition made numerous changes?? Perhaps for copyright purposes??

VALUE SUGGESTIONS:

BOOK, or edition	Good condition $$	FINE condition $$
pre 1904 volumes	$15.00	$20.00 - $30.00 each
1904  NT	$30.00	$45.00
Moody  and other  reprints	$15.00 or new market  value	$20.00
Boy Scout edition	$75.00	$300.00

  sample contents page

Galatians 2:16

 Moody, 1961 dust jacket

BASE text - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - WH

Accuracy of translation - - - - - 8

Value to Christian faith - - - - - 6

Value as a collectible book - - 9 (first edition 1889 - 1901)

Affiliation - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  basically Episcopalian

Frank Ballentine (not to be confused with the Ballentine of the Riverside New Testament of 1923) produced a good translation of the Westcott Hort Greek text. I am unable to evaluate the physical volumes as they are fairly rare, I have yet to find one which I can purchase, so I rely on the texts as provided in the www.archive.org database. The full title of the first editions are: The Modern American Bible, The Books of the Bible in Modern American Form and Phrase with Notes and Introduction. Hills [#2102] gives some information on each volume with pagination.


Frank Schell Ballentine was born in 1859, died in a VA hospital in 1936 (basically due to prostate cancer).  Frank married Emily Swift Ballentine (born Slocum) in 1882,  in Pennsylvania, they had 5 children (so he was a family man).  When she passed, Frank then married Maria Wurtz Ballentine (née Muir) in 1908, at age 48.

Frank earned a Bachelor of Divinity at the University of Pennsylvania, and he obtained post-graduate degrees there and the University of Boston. He held a BA, MA, B.D., D.D.. An Episcopalian, he served as rector at the Church of the Good Shepherd, and Christ Church in Scranton. His last church [1906-1913] was at historic St. James Church in Perkiomen, now Evansburg, PA. He had some problems there with his bishop and his congregation -  which finally caused him to resign from the St. James Church. It was reported that he did not dress properly when not preaching (et al), he was pictured as wearing denim bib over-alls, which was improper back in those days, and he appears quite obstinate. In  my study of the man, he seems to be nicely stubborn.


It is certain his doctrine did differ from orthodox Episcopalian views especially after he married Muir, as can be gathered from his writings. He did dabble in the beliefs held by Mary Baker Eddy! But none of his radical beliefs are seen in his New Testament - per my investigations and readings.


Only the NT was ever produced. The whole work was issued in five volumes, but in 1909 it was issued in a single 461 page volume - printed by the Perkiomen Press of Perkiomen, Pennsylvania. Supposedly 10,000 copies were printed [Hills #2193], but after 3,000 were sold it was withdrawn. Then in 1922, it was reissued as A Plainer Bible for Plain People in Plain America - by the Plainer Bible Press, Jersey City, New Jersey. [Hills #2258]. Both the 1909 and 1922 editions were poorly printed, Hills states that some pages were printed upside down, some missing page numbers, et al.. Both the 1909 and 1922 editions are quite rare, especially the 1922 edition, yet being so poorly printed the real value lies with the 1899-1901 first edition.

In his introduction to one of his gospel texts he states:

We have used our every effort to leave off everything peculiarly English and to put in its place what is distinctively American. For this version of the Gospel Story is addressed to Americans, not Englishmen. It is addressed to Americans of this year of grace, not to those of the 16th century. It is addressed to Americans in their every day walk and conversation, not to them as scholars and churchmen alone. It is addressed to all Americans of whatever cast or class who do not find themselves entirely at home in reading the present versions of the Gospels. It is addressed to you, interested reader, if you are ready to welcome a rendering of the Gospel Story talking to you in your own distinctively American words and phrases,—the words in common use on the street and in the mill, the phrases ordinarily heard on the road, in the store, and at the desk.

Well one could argue that the gospels were addressed to Israelites and Gentiles in the first century AD, in Greek. He means to imply that this ENGLISH rendition is to be seen distinctively as "American" English. It is addressed to those who can read (or read to others), yet no class distinctions are to be recognized. Ballentine makes his point, and one wonders if he is a illusory socialist? Elsewhere he also stated:

In the introduction to the edition of 1897, Ballentine states that his work was inspired by Henri Lasserre’s modern French paraphrase of the Gospels, Les Saints Évangiles (Paris, 1887), whose suppression by the Vatican was a cause célèbre of the time. This inspiration involved the literary form of the text, displaying poetry as such, and generating a text which was free of verse divisions.

Ballentine's first edition was printed in a single column, with no verse numbers (at the top of each page was listed the  beginning verse). (See thumbnail at right). Following each book was a nice assortment of notes concerning the text, especially of a theological nature. (see thumbnail at right). These notes are fairly orthodox, and lead the reader on a healthy path of understanding. One rendition which caused some notice was Luke 5:27-30, he renders it as:

After this he went out and saw a saloon-keeper
named Levi sitting in his saloon, and said to him :
" Follow me."
He left everything, got up, and began to follow
him.
Levi gave him a great reception in his house
and there was a great crowd of saloon-keepers and
others who were with them at table. And the
Pharisees and their Scribes kept complaining to his
disciples and saying
" Why do you eat and drink with saloon-keepers
and prostitutes ?

He explains the above text thusly in his introduction (Luke, page 7):

 LUKE 5 : 30.
"Saloon-keepers and prostitutes."

BASE text  - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  Westcott and Hort (Greek New Testament)

Accuracy of translation  - - - - 5

Value to Christian faith - - - - - 3

 "...messengers of God ascending and descending unto the Son of Man"

Note the preposition "unto" [i.e. to], the Greek reads epi and is usually translated as "upon". Here is his footnote:

He refers to the usual translation "upon" as "grotesque". Odd. He must be viewing these angels as physical being, as opposed to spiritual beings. Spiritual beings who may alight upon the shoulder of the good Lord to whisper a message in His ear. Is this not more reasonable? They moved up and down upon Him.

At I Peter 2:24 he translates epi as:

Here again epi with an accusative, Christ bore our sins UPON the tree [i.e. cross]. Donaldson's "Motion with a view to superposition"; vague, but this is a grammar for classical Greek, and in the Attic dialect epi can indicate movement more so than in the Koine. For example at Luke 1:17, we find " to turn the hearts of the fathers TO the children".  The above quote of John 1:51 shows some non-physical movement. Were our sins moved or bore TO the tree? Certainly the typical meaning of "upon" as in "upon the tree" is more realistic and accurate. Was His body "to" the tree, or "upon" the tree? My question is why make this complicated? In Rotherham's day, the Koine was just being grasped, and freed from its classical shackles, consequently Rotherham is simply an innocent grammarian of his times. Yes, in some scenarios "to" is accurate, but "upon" shows the result, at times a place of rest, a location upon which something or someone was positioned. His body was attached TO a tree, but the sins were UPON Him, not the tree. The tree was/is not our sin-bearer. Being poetical I might state: The tree did not die for me.

Certainly the phrase"...from our sins getting away" (in the above quote), is confusing, to say the least. We are "dead to sin" that is simple and clear and accurate, again why did Rotherham conjure up this mishmash?

As for the Hebrew, he exhibits the same the ineptness with a similar preposition (b-) he is stuck upon using it as "in-", which it often means, but not always... for example he has "in a (certain) day", as opposed to "on a certain day"; s.v. Isaiah 10:20, 11;11, et al. Or "IN Mount Horeb" as opposed to "ON Mount Horeb", I Kings 8:9. etc. etc.. It appears quite that probable that he relied upon reference works which were a bit outdated.

He is guilty of simply of moving phrases around and alternating with a variety of synonyms. Lots of work, but indicating a poor knowledge of the Greek. The same goes for his effort on the Hebrew OT.

After reading considerable chunks of Rotherham's OT and NT translation, I am left with the reality that the effort is not worth the time to try to make sense of it. Why try to put the word order of the Greek into English dress, this completely hampers the reader's ability to understand God's Word? His early work may be collectible, but I cannot recommend it as a good representation of God's Word, in the Greek or Hebrew. For more detailed information on his life and work - a book about life and  his reminiscences, is available for download - copy and paste this link into your browser.

http://www.teleiosministries.com/rotherhambible.html

VALUE  SUGGESTIONS

BOOK, or edition	Good condition $$	FINE condition $$
pre 1916 volumes	$10.00	$20.00 - $30.00 each
1916  (4 in 1)	$20.00	$35.00
Kregel  and other  reprints	$15.00	$20.00

data below is from a 1959 Kregel reprint of his New Testament-

BINDING	NUMBER of PAGES	PAGE SIZE	PAPER INFO
hard cover, smyth sewn	276 pages which includes 1 page preface, 5 page appendix	165 mm x 240 mm	nice off-white, .0034" thick. text in 2 columns, no ghosting, adequate margins

The Modern Reader's Bible
Richard G. Moulton (1907)

Base Text - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  1881 English Revised Version

Accuracy of translation - - - -  7 (he does modify the ERV)

Value to Christian faith - - - - - 6

Value as a collectible book - - 6

Affiliation - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Methodist

Perhaps its in the genes, but Richard Moulton's family was remarkable. He was the youngest brother of 4 brothers (with 2 younger sisters). All were brilliant. Students of NT Greek need no introduction to his brother - W. F. Moulton. Our Richard Moulton was also the uncle of the celebrated J. H. Moulton (who died after his ship was torpedoed during WW I, in 1917; i.e.  in the same lifeboat was James Rendel Harris, who did survive.)  Richard Green Moulton died at his home in Tunbridge Wells, England.

He received degrees from: the  University of London, University of Cambridge, and University of Pennsylvania. After teaching at Cambridge, the American Society Extension University, and the London Society for the Extension of University Education, he became a professor of English literature at the University of Chicago in 1892.

Here is a snapshot of his siblings and parents:

• Father.  James Moulton    wife - M.  Catherine Fiddian

1. William Moulton1835 - 1898

2. James Egan Moulton 1841 - 1909
   

3. Mr John Moulton1844 - 1921

4. Richard Moulton 1849 - 1924
   

5. Sarah Ann Moulton

6. Elizabeth Green Moulton

 thin at .0019" we will note some ghosting

It is similar to today's paper towels. Despite this, with care it is a pleasure to read and hold.

Moulton's reorganizing of the textual formats, produces a variety of responses, some appear to promote and easier to read format, hence easier to understand. Thus is these cases he provides a worthy improvement! But in other cases, one wonders if his arrangement is an improvement. Note this page of John 1:1-18, I added the red marks:

I myself do not perceive the result as an improvement, others may declare that the author's intent is clearer. When I read the Psalms in Moulton's work, I do notice an improvement in comprehension. But especially so in Ecclesiasticus. In addition to the standard 66 books of the Bible, he includes: Tobit, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus. All of the work is in a single column format.

Richard Moulton spent an immense amount of effort on this work yet the beauty of it would have been improved had he used the KJV as his base text. The melody and nobility of the KJV fits his type of arrangement much better (I noted this comment in an Amazon review of this book by anonymous). The ERV and the ASV are not gems of eloquence, both though accurate, are rather flat in their warmth. Richard considered this work as his "life's work",
which is quite revealing as he had these publishing statistics: not counting the individual 21 volumes!!

52 editions published between 1907 and 1994 in English, this just for his Bible (all in 1 edition)

33 editions  of  "Shakespeare as a dramatic thinker"

16 editions of his "Bible Stories Old Testament"

113 editions of: "The literary study of the Bible : an account of the leading forms of literature represented in the sacred writings, intended for English readers"

23 editions of: "Bible Idyls"

25 editions of:  "World literature and its place in general culture"

17 editions of:  'The moral system of Shakespeare : a popular illustration of fiction as the experimental side of philosophy'

 
He also had numerous other books published dealing with literature, Shakespeare, and the Bible, the above statistics are provided by www.Worldcat.org. Even more impressive is the fact that the above statistics relate only to the English language publications! He was a busy man. 

The editions are not rare, the single volume edition was reprinted a number of times, I do highlight two volumes for exceptional value — the 1924 and 1926 reprints. (thumbnails at the right). Some of the earlier 24 volumes may be difficult to locate, in which case their value increases. 

Table below is via the all-in-one volume of 1907

BINDING	NUMBER of PAGES	PAGE SIZE	PAPER AND PAGE  INFO
hard cover smyth-sewn	1734 pages	200 mm x 135 mm	off-white, 1 column, .0019" thick, lays flat, some ghosting, the printing is even and clean. Top edge gold gilded, fore edge rough trimmed. No fluorescence.

Holy Bible in Modern English
Ferrar M. Fenton (1903)

Base Text - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  Westcott/Hort (WH)

Accuracy of translation - - - -  6

Value to Christian faith - - - - - 4

Value as a collectible book - - 7 (1903 NT, and Bible)

Affiliation - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - British - Israelism

The late 19th century scholar, Ferrar Merricmac Fenton, (1832 - 1920) began in 1853, a half-century of earnest labor on his translation of the Scriptures, finally publishing the NT in 1903 (also 1895 a first edition), as well as the complete Bible. This review is based upon his 1906 Bible. He had prior published his Bible in various parts, beginning with Romans in 1882, the NT in 1895, the Five books of Moses, 1901, and the whole Bible in 1903.

Fenton was a child prodigy who (it is claimed) from the age of seven read the Bible only in its original languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. This he claims helped him to eliminate any translator bias toward other popular English versions, so that his resulting work was not impinged.

He was a businessman practicing "commerce" in London and an autodidactic as concerns Koine Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic (or, Chaldee). He was also a student of philology and linguistics and religion.  In the title page of his various editions he lists the following "titles" - MCAA (Member of the Cambrian Archeological Association) and MRAS (Member of the Royal Asiatic Society). 

An example of the beautifully printed work of his is seen in the 1895 edition of the Five Books of Moses: the actual text is much sharper than this reduced sample, and  has wider margins.....

partial quote from: Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church,  page 241.

Many unique and interesting features of this Bible translation are not to be found in any other Christian Bible of which we are aware. I will briefly list just a few fascinating aspects.

The order of books is set out in the proper Hebrew arrangement:

1st. The books of Moses or Torah,

2nd. The “early reciters” or historians, called in Hebrew, “Nebiim Rishonim,”

3rd. The major prophets, or “Nebiim Akheronim”

4th. The sacred writings, or “Kithobim,” being the Psalms, Solomon and Sacred Writers.

           As Jews and Messianic Christians are well aware, these early divisions give us the Hebrew name of the Old Testament, called the TaNaKh, an abbreviation for Torah, Nebiim, and Kithobim. Fenton stated that he “decided to follow this order of the books rather than that of the wild muddle in which the European translators of the Dark Ages had mixed them in the Latin and Greek versions.”

           In the New Testament the usual standard order found in our Christian Bibles is preserved, except that the Gospel of John has been moved to the first position in the Gospels. The reason for this is that Fenton’s own research into the text led him to the conclusion that it was the first Gospel to be written, and is to be dated as one of the earliest books of the New Testament. Today scholars are still divided on that subject,[ ! ] but it is at least interesting that Fenton’s conclusion would explain the subtle differences in Greek word usage between John’s Gospel and his Apocalypse.

“Masah and Meribah” by its English equivalent, “Trial and Strife.” (Numbers 17:7)

 
One needs to recall that Fenton was a prodigy, he had a command of over 25 languages, classical and oriental; he also studied philology, history and had access to numerous Biblical manuscripts, which he utilized (during his years of trading/commerce). Armed as such he was able, for example,  to render the Psalms in poetical form, which was one of his strong features, see thumbnail.

BOOK, or edition	Good condition $$	FINE condition $$
5 vol set 1895	$70.00 (all 5 vol.)	$100.00  (all 5 vol.)
pre 1903 volumes	$20.00 each	$30.00 each
1903 NT	$20.00	$35.00
1903 Bible	$25.00	$40.00
post 1903 editions	$20.00	$30.00 +

Data below per the 1925 edition

BINDING	NUMBER of PAGES	PAGE SIZE	PAPER AND PAGE  INFO
hard cover smyth-sewn	1332 pages which includes all the prefaces	N/A

Genders - Holy Bible for Daily Reading
John William Genders - 1908

Base text - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  Westcott/Hort (WH)

Accuracy of translation - - - - -NA

Value to Christian faith - - - - - NA

Value as a collectible book - - 9 (first 1908 edition)

Affiliation - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - mostly Baptist

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Information concerning Rev. Genders is scarce, but it is noted that his children suffered some type of health problems as seen in this snippet:

Apparently he had at least 4 children, and he actively supported Baptist missionary endeavors. He was also talented in growing congregations, he often began with a small group and deftly expanded it over the years. Arguably due to his ministry, he must have been very capable. Besides these attributes, he seemed to be a man devoted to the Lord Jesus Christ. Quite devout!
 

Below, from an EBAY posting /2022

The University New Testament
Socrates Townsend Weaver (1909, reprint 1911)

Base Text - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  ERV, ASV, KJV

Accuracy of translation - - - - - (1909 edition, follows 1881 ERV quite well)

Value to Christian faith - - - - - 6

Value as a collectible book - - 8

Affiliation - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Methodist/Freemason

Upon this earth from 1864 to 1938, dwelt the ambitious Socrates Townsend Weaver. He produced 3 books of the New Testament. His first from 1909 titled:

The University New Testament in modern historical and literary form, for the church, the school, and the home, embracing the life of Jesus Christ in the words of Mark, Matthew, Luke and John, and the church of the apostles according to Acts, the Epistles and Revelation historically harmonized.

The Scofield Reference Bible
Cyrus Ingerson Scofield (1909, reprint 1945, 1967)

Base Text - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  KJV

Accuracy of translation- - - - - 9

Value to Christian faith - - - - - 8

Value as a collectible book - - 9 (1909 edition, and sealskin edition)

Affiliation - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Plymouth Brethren/Dispensationalist

Cyrus Scofield (1843 - 1921) lived an extraordinary life (I mean many folks do, but read on...). While in Tennessee, in 1861 he joined the Confederate Army, he fought for 1 year and was released as he was not born in the south, he was born in Michigan. However some records indicate that Cyrus deserted the Confederate army! He found sanctuary in the North, with family in St. Louis, Missouri. Eventually granted release papers, he married the French lady, Leontine, who was a devout Roman Catholic. This in 1866. They had two girls. 

The quote below is per Glenn R. Goss: - The Scofield Bible, and C. I. Scofield. quote:

In 1869 he and his family moved to Kansas, where he was admitted to the bar to practice law. He was elected twice to the Kansas legislature, in 1871 and in 1872. President Grant appointed him as the United States District Attorney of Kansas June 9, 1873. He affirmed, in the oath of office, that he had never voluntarily born arms against the United States . . . He evidently had no problem with that claim, even though he had fought in the Confederate Army. He resigned December 20, 1873, amid charges and counter-charges of political corruption. That ended Scofield's political career.

After that "career" he began or continued drinking, incurred a divorce, and faced several legal problems. His wife noted that he had abandoned her and his daughters, which was true! He landed in jail several times over unpaid bills, and also incurred some debts. Scofield was living a dreary life, a change was needed, and a change did arrive in the man - Thomas McPheeters, a Christian businessman. In a Y.M.C.A. shelter, in 1879, Cyrus Scofield began trusting the Lord Jesus Christ, he never looked back. He viewed his first marriage (to a Roman Catholic) as a mistake, but it was she who left - or who filed for divorce, he complied. Thus this chapter ends.

He began to study the Bible, he was tutored by Dr. James H. Brookes, a famed limited-dispensationalist*. Scofield made good use of his sharp analytical mind and learned fast. Early on he saw the joys of understanding the Bible in a dispensational manner, noting who was speaking, to whom, when, and why, and about what. (The best method of Bible study!). 

He was licensed to preach by the Congregational Churches of St. Louis. Later he moved to Dallas and began pastoring a small church. In 1882 it had 11 members, in 1896 it had 815 members. During this time he married Hettie Hall and they had one child. He began research on his "project" a reference Bible. He traveled to Europe for research purposes, a number of times; in fact he traveled extensively gathering data, as well as touring, which he enjoyed. With the help of Frowde, Arno C. Gaebelein and R. A. Torrey the 1909 reference Bible was published. Oxford publishers thought well of it. And it paid off. The Scofield Reference Bible was Oxford's BEST selling book, in two weeks over one million copies were sold. From 1915 to 1921, Oxford University Press, paid $76,847.63 in royalties to Scofield. In his will he left it to his 2nd wife Hettie and his one son, Noel Paul. Also to be noted is the fact that sales of the Scofield Bible helped the Oxford University Presses to survive WWI.

According to Goss, we do not know how many copies of the 1909 edition were printed.  Today the original 1909 edition is rather scarce. My copy was owned by E. B. Buckalew, who worked at Moody Bible Institute. It was a well- used volume. Overall, over 6 million copies of the Reference Bible have been printed/sold!

Failure to recognize when the church of today (this age) began is probably my biggest complaint with all of the Scofield Bibles. But however, his note on page 1252 appears to contradict such a shortcoming seen above. On the Pentecost of Acts 2, no Gentiles were present, just Jews and proselytes, hence no union. The union of Jew and Gentile, into one new man, was revealed by Paul and first demonstrated in the church at Antioch.

That the Gentiles were to be saved was no mystery Romans 9:24-33; Romans 10:19-21. The mystery "hid in God" was the divine purpose to make of Jew and Gentile a wholly new thing--"the church, which is his Christ's body," formed by the baptism with the Holy Spirit 1 Corinthians 12:12; 1 Corinthians 12:13 and in which the earthly distinction of Jew and Gentile disappears ; Ephesians 2:14; Ephesians 2:15; Colossians 3:10; Colossians 3:11. The revelation of this mystery, which was foretold, but not explained by Christ Matthew 16:18 was committed to Paul. In his writings alone we find the doctrine, position, walk, and destiny of the church.

In the 1967 edition "alone" is omitted, thus leaving open all sorts of assumptions. Such as: perhaps other books of the NT are directed to us (as opposed to being for us); or, one can follow the dictates seen in James for example, In reality Paul is the apostle to the Gentiles (not James or Peter, or Luke, et al). Alone is a meaningful word here.

In the long note to Acts 2:4, section "f" in the 1917 edition states:

the 1967 edition says:

Church truth does not appear, the ground of gathering only being stated (Hebrews 13:13).

In the 1967 edition, this phrase above is omitted. The book of Hebrews is written to "Jews" not the church, which is not a popular truth today, thus its omission.

Finally Scofield was charged (wrongly so) of promoting racism, these deluded critics usually point to the 1909 note at Genesis 9: 1, in the notes we point out item number (5):

(5) A prophetic declaration is made that from Ham will descend an inferior and servile posterity (Gen, 9: 26,27).

The 1967 edition changes it to read:

(5) A prophetic declaration is made that descendants of Canaan, one of Ham's sons, will be servants to their brethren. (Gen. 9:25, 26).

A "servant of servants" may also be rendered as "the lowest of servants", the argument is not against Scofield, but rather the Bible! The Hebrew verb - "shall he be" is a Qal imperfect, suggesting ongoing action, not a settled historical event. Perhaps even today these "descendants" are still under the curse?

Many more examples could be shown, rarely the text of the KJV been occasionally altered, note I Corinthians 9:20, wherein "not being myself under the law" is added in italics in the 1967 edition.

___________________
* "limited-dispensationalist"  - is the belief that today's church began in Acts 2, hence also the beginning of the "church age" or "age of grace"; when in fact a true dispensationalist recognizes the birth of today's church (i.e. this age) with the beginning of Paul's ministry (Acts 9 - 13).

Base Text - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -KJV

Accuracy of translation - - - - - NA

Value to Christian faith - - - - - 8

Value as a collectible book - -  8 (1910)

* Several paragraphs of the Cross-Reference Bible Preface,
* An entire page pertaining to abbrievations indentifying New Testament manuscripts (such as part of the description of
  Codex Alexandrinus, as well as the entire description of Codex Vaticanus, and numerous other Codices),
* A two page section called "Analysis of the Pentateuch",
* Extracts from the "Preface to the American Standard Version",
* Index to "Nelson's Bible Atlas",
* Index to "Littlefield Maps",
* Color maps associated with the two map indexes.