RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Bible Societies
determined upon with the unanimous approval of the board of managers was accepted generally by the public and for several years Bibles printed accordingly circulated without the slightest objection. But in 1856, and more decidedly in 1857, the right of the society to circulate such an edition was sharply challenged. Considerable public excitement followed; the matter was debated in religious and even secular journals as well as in ecclesiastical bodies, and the board of managers after long consideration, and debate finally took action, Jan. 28, 1858, as follows:
Resolved, that this society's present standard English Bible be referred to the standing committee on versions for examination; and in all cases where the same differs in the text or its accessories from the Bibles previously published by the society, the committee are directed to correct the same by conforming it to previous editions printed by this society, or by the authorized British presses, reference being also had to the original edition of the translators printed in 1611; and to report such corrections to this board, to the *nd that a new edition, thus perfected, may be adopted as the standard edition of the society.
The committee reported in 1859 and 1860; and from this "standard edition" all the society's English Bibles are now printed.
The constitution of the society originally restricted it to circulating only " the version now in common use," in the English language. In 1904 at the annual meeting of the society on the recommendation of the board of managers the constitution was amended so as to permit the publication of the Revised Version of the English Bible, either in its British or American form, and under this permission some editions of the American Standard Revised Version are now published by the society under an arrangement with the publishers. John Fox.
2. The American and Foreign Bible Society and the American Bible Union: The American and Foreign Bible Society was organized at Philadelphia in April, 1836, by Baptists who felt aggrieved at the action of the American Bible Society concerning the translation of the Greek baptizein, referred to above (see III, 1, § 5). Rev. S. H. Cone was made president. The society was declared to be " founded upon the principle that the ■originals in the Hebrew and Greek are the only authentic standards of the Sacred Scriptures, and that aid for the translating, printing, or distributing of them in foreign languages should be afforded to such versions only as are conformed as nearly as possible to the original text; it being understood that no words are to be transferred which are susceptible of being literally translated." The constitution adopted declared (art. ii) " that in the distribution of the Scriptures in the English language, the commonly received version shall be used until otherwise directed by the society." Dissatisfaction with this policy led to the secession of certain members and the formation in 1850 of the American Bible Union, which demanded that the principle of circulating " such versions only as are conformed as nearly as possible to the original text " should be applied to the English version, and avowed as its object "to procure and circulate the most faithful versions of the Sacred Scriptures
in all languages throughout the world." The Union secured the services of a number of Baptist and other Biblical scholars, especially the Rev. Drs. H. B. Hackett, A. C. Kendrick, and T. J. Conant. The entire New Testament and portions of the Old were revised and published. Italian, Spanish, Chinese (Ningpo colloquial), Siamese, and Sgau- Karen New Testaments were also prepared. The Union ultimately reunited with the American and Foreign Bible Society, and in 1882 the latter passed over its work and good-will to the American Baptist Publication Society (Philadelphia), which since then has performed the duties of the Bible Society, and is carrying on the work of revision inaugurated by the earlier societies. The revision has now (1907) reached the Book of Ezra, and will be completed, it is hoped, by the end of 1908.
3. The Bible Association of Friends in America was organized in 1830. It has been, in the main, a distributing agency, circulating the Scriptures printed by others, but in 1905-06 printed an edition of 2,925 Testaments and Psalms. In 1906 it reported total receipts of $3,930.59 and payments of $2,412.06. Its distribution in that year was 6,534 volumes, of which 2,030 were Bibles. The headquarters are at 207 Walnut Place, Philadelphia, Pa.
Bibliography: On the general question consult: Abriss der Geschichte des Ursprungs und Wachsthums der Bibelgesellschaften, Barmen, 1870; Summary Notice concerning Bible Societies in General and Those of France in Particular, from the Fr., Northampton, 1827; W. H. Wyckoff, A Sketch of the Origin, History of Bible Societies, New
York 1848.
On the BFBS consult: W. Canton, Hist, of the BFBS, 2 vols., London, 1904; idem, Story of the Bible Society, ib. 1904; J. Owen, Hist, of the Origin and First Ten Years of the BFBS, 2 vols., ib. 1816; Papers Occasioned by the Attempts to Form Auxiliary Bible Societies in Various Parts of the Kingdom, ib. 1812; Jubilee Memorial of the BFBS, ib. 1854; G. Browne, Hist, of the BFBS, 2 vols., ib. 1859; La Societe biblique britannique el etrangcre, 1804-89. Notice au point de vue historique, philosophique, et religieux, Nantes, 1889; H. Morris, Founders and Presidents of the Bible Society, London, 1895; Bible House Papers, ib. 1899 sqq. (in progress); Behold a Sower. Popular Re-
port of BFBS for 1900-01, ib. 1902; T. H. Darlow and H. F. Moule, Catalogue of the Printed Editions of Holy Scripture in the Library of the BFBS, 2 vols., ib. 1904; T. H. Darlow, There is a River, ib. 1906; Bible Association Reports. By Helen Plumptre, Worksop, 1843.
The organs of the society are the Monthly Reporter of the BFBS, London, 1858-88, succeeded by the Bible Society Monthly Reporter, 18S9 sqq. The other British Societies issue various publications, such as Annual Reports, Quarterly Records, and Occasional Papers, in which their history may be traced.
For the foreign societies there are also available their reports, besides which the following may be consulted: C. F. Hezekiel, Geschichte der C ansteinschen Bibel Anstalt, ed. A. H. Niemeyer, Halle, 1827; O. Bertram, Geschichte der Cansteinschen Bibelanstalt, ib. 1863; W. Thilo, Geschichte der preussischen Haupt-Bibelgesellschaft, 1814-64. Berlin, 1864; E. Breest, Die Entwickelung der preussischen Haupt-Bibelgesellschaft, 1864-91, ib. 1891.
For the American Bible Society consult: The American Bible Society's Manual, containing a Brief Sketch of the Society, New York, 1865, revised ed., 1887; W. P. Strickland, Hist, of the American Bible Society, ib. 1849; American Bible Society's Reports, 1816-71, 4 vols., ib. n.d. (a reprint); American Bible Society. Report of the Transference of the Library of the Society to the New York Public Library, ib. 1897. The organ is the Bible Society Record (a monthly).
Bible Text.