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 THE JAPANESE TRANSLATION 
 
 OF 
 
 THE BIBLE.! 
 
 MEETING TO CELEBRATE ITS 
 COMPLrnON. 
 
 February 3RD, i 
 
 Reprinted from the "Japan Daily Mail." 
 
 YOKOHAMA 
 
 1888. 
 
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THE JAPANESE TRANSLATION OF THE 
 BIBLE, 
 
 A meeting to celebrate the completion of the 
 translation of the Bible into Japanese, was held 
 on the 3rd February iji the Siiin SaUai Church, 
 Tsukiji, Tokyo. There was a large gathering of 
 foreigners and Japanese, the church being filled. 
 J. C. Hepburn, M.D., LL.D, occupied the chair. 
 The meeting was opened by the Right Rev. Bishop 
 Williams, reading the XIX. Psalm. The same 
 Psalm was read in Japanese by Mr. Honda. 
 After prayer had been offered by Rev. James 
 Williams, C.M.S., a short address in Japanese 
 was given by Rev. J. T. Ise (Congregationalist). 
 
 Dr. Hepburn then said — Dear Christian 
 friends; as Chairman of the Permanent Com- 
 mittee, I have the very great pleasure of making 
 the public announcement that the work of trans- 
 lating and publishing the Scriptures of the Old 
 Testament, which was committed to this Com- 
 mittee by the Convention of Protestant Mission- 
 aries assembled in Tokyo, in the spring of 1878, 
 has at length, after a labour of nearly ten years, 
 been, through the good hand of our God upon us. 
 
(O 
 
 successfully completed ; and I now hold a copy of 
 it in my hand. Something' of the history and 
 progress of the work of translating- the Old Testa- 
 ment may not be uninteresting, and this I will 
 endeavour to give as briefly as possible. While 
 the Yokohama Committee, appointed by the Con- 
 vention of 1872, were still engaged upon the work 
 of translatiiig and publishing the New Testament, 
 the Protestant Missionaries of the various Societies 
 residing in 'I'okyo, met on the 30th of October, 
 1876, for tlie put pose of "taking some action in 
 regard to translating the Old Testament." The 
 result of th.is meeting was the formation of a Com- 
 mittee of Translation consisting of four members 
 viz., Rev. Messrs. Thompson, Waddell, Piper, 
 and Cochran. This Committee met at regular 
 times, and after about a year's work completed the 
 translation of the first eleven chapters of Genesis, 
 which were also published. During this time also. 
 Rev. Messrs. Wright, Shaw, and Blanchet com- 
 menced the translation of the book of Isaiah, and 
 made a first diaft of about twenty-five chapters, 
 when the work was given up, owing to the return 
 home of Messrs. Wright and Blanchet. The 
 Rev. J. Piper during this time also translated the 
 books of Jonah, Haggai, and Malachi, and had 
 them published. This Committee, in June, 1878, 
 in view of the arrangements made by the Conven- 
 tion of Protestant Missionaries which met in 
 Tokyo in May of the same year, was dissolved by 
 the mutual consent of its members, and their work, 
 together with their minutes, were transferred to 
 the Permanent Committee appointed by that Con- 
 vention, This Convention met in Tokyo on the 
 loth and 13th da^'s of May, 1878, in pursuance of 
 a call originally issued by the Missionaries of the 
 
(3) 
 
 A.B.C.F.M. It was constituted of delegates fronT 
 all the Protestant Missionary Societies ie|)resented 
 in Japan at that time. Its pi incipal object was 
 *' to further the vvoi k of translating the Scriptures 
 of the Old Testajnent, and to niake some arrange- 
 ments for it." 'i"he result of this Convention was 
 the formation of a Permanent Committee on the 
 translation of the Old Testament; the Committee 
 to consist of one member from each of the Mission- 
 ary Societies represented in Japan. It was em- 
 powered with authority to select and appoint a 
 Committee for transbuing the Old Testament, 
 and also a Committee of Revision. The Perma- 
 nent Committee originally consisted of the 
 following members : — Revs. S. R. Brown, 
 Nathan Brown, D. C. Greene, Quiniby, Mac- 
 lay, Cochran, Piper, Wright, Waddell, Goble, 
 Krecker, and Dr. Hepburn. This Committee 
 met and was organized on October 23rd of the 
 same year, 1878, by the election of Dr. Hepburn 
 as Chaiiman, and Rev. G. Cochran as Secretary ; 
 and proceeded at once to make arrangements for 
 entering upon the work committed to them. As it 
 was felt to be extremely desirable to have the 
 Scriptures of the Old Testament translated and 
 published as soon as possible, to facilitate the 
 work, tiie Committee adopted the plan of assign- 
 ing portions of the Old Testament to local com- 
 mittees of Missionaries residing in the various 
 ports of Hakodate, Tok}'©, Yokohama, Niigata, 
 Kobe, Ozaka, Kiyoto, and Nagasaki. Different 
 portions of the Old Testament were accord- 
 ingly assigned to Committees in eac h of the 
 above places, and the translations were to be 
 sent to a Revising Committee appointed by 
 the Permanent Committee for this purpose. 
 
(4 
 
 Under this arrangement, Mr. Fyson of Niigata 
 sent in a translation of the book of Joshua; Mr. 
 Dening of Hakodate sent a translation of ist and 
 2nd Samuel, but, these being returned to him for 
 more careful revision, they were not again returned 
 to the Permanent Committee. Mr. Davidson also 
 sent in a translation of 2iid Kings, Mr. Thompson 
 of Genesis, and Dr. Hepburn of Proveibs. All 
 these books were carefully revised, corrected, and 
 afterwards published. But this plan of translating 
 by local Committees was found not to succeed ; as 
 with the above exceptions, none of the Mission- 
 aries responded to the request of the Permanent 
 Committee. Thus about four years were spent in 
 vain expectation of better results. Consequently 
 the Permanent Committee, at a meeting in January 
 1882, adopted a different arrangement, appointing 
 three of its members as translators, viz.. Rev. 
 Dr. Verbeck, Rev. P. K. Fyson, and Dr. Hep- 
 burn. Dr. D. C. Greene was also appointed, but 
 declined to serve owing to other important duties, 
 and his residing so far from the other members of 
 the Committee. Besides acting as a translating 
 committee, these three persons were appointed also 
 as a Revising Committee; thus every book that 
 was translated passed under the revision of at 
 least two of the members. As it was understood 
 that our Japanese brethren, with a very natural 
 and commendable ambition, were desirous of parti- 
 cipating in the work of translating the sacred 
 Scriptures, at the Conference held in Osaka, in 
 April, 1883, it was recommended that the Perma- 
 nent Committee "give their careful consideration 
 to any communication which it might receive from 
 the native church in reference to old Testament 
 translations." Accordingly, after considerable cor- 
 
{ 5 ) 
 
 lespondence, in the following year, 1884, a stand- 
 ing committee and a committee of tin ee translators 
 were appointed by an assembly of the native 
 brethren. The translating committee consisted 
 of Messrs. Matsuyama, Uemura, and Ibuka, but 
 owing to a want of support froin the native 
 churches, and other important duties pressing 
 upon some of the membeis, and especially the 
 want of acquaintance with the original text, the 
 committee were not able to accomplish what they 
 had hoped to do, and were finally dissolved of their 
 own accoid, and ceased to co-operate as a com- 
 mittee in the } ear following, 1886, after having 
 translated about half of the book of Lamentations, 
 and made some critical notes on Dr. Hepburn's 
 translations of the books of Hosea and Joel. The 
 failure of our native brethren, however, did 
 not interfere with the progress of the work in 
 the hand of the Permanent Committee. The 
 time and something of the order in which the 
 several books of the Old Testament were trans- 
 lated and afterwards published is as follows: — in 
 1882, Joshua, Jonah, Haggai, Malachi and 
 Proverbs; 1883, Genesis, I. and II. Samuel, I. 
 Kings, and Jeremiah; 1884, Judges, Ruth, II. 
 Kings, Ezekiel, Exodus, Ecclesiastes, Leviticus, 
 and Numbers ; 1885, Deuteronomy, Daniel, Hosea, 
 Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, 
 Zeplianiah, and Zechariah ; 1886, Job and Esther; 
 1887, I. and II. Chron, Ezra, Nehemiah, Isaiah, 
 Psalms, Lamentations, and Song of Solomon. 
 This year also the books of Genesis, Joshua, Pro- 
 verbs, Jonah, Haggai, and Malachi were put 
 through a second revision and published. The 
 Permanent Committee cannot but regret that 
 almost ten years should have elasped since it was 
 
(6) 
 
 organized to take this work in hand, ere it was 
 brought to completion. It has had to encounter 
 many difficulties. Its very desire to expedite the 
 work, at first only proved a hindrance, and post- 
 poned its accomplishment. Besides, sickness, 
 attended with unavoidable absence, and other 
 necessary engagements of the members of the 
 translating committee, caused serious interrup- 
 tions. Still, we cannot but see that the delay 
 which we regretted has resulted in much bene- 
 fit to the character and quality of our work. 
 Although it was perhaps not so contemplated by 
 the Convention that gave the authority, it was 
 found impossible to form any other Committee of 
 Revision, than by appointing the same persons who 
 were engaged in translating, to this office. This 
 also has proved to be a great advantage, in that 
 it has been the means of securing greater 
 uniformity of style, and oneness in the various 
 books. The style of the Old Testament has 
 been made to conform to that of the New, so 
 that there is complete uniformity in this respect; 
 as much, I may say, as if both translations had 
 been the work of one person. This has been 
 effected mainly through that kind Providence 
 which furnished the Committee with the same 
 two native assistants, Mr. Matsuyama and Mr. 
 Takahashi Goro, who were such invaluable helpers 
 to the Yokohama Committee in translating the 
 New Testament. These brethren, both Christian 
 men, and accomplished scholars in their own 
 language, sat with the Yokohama Committee 
 throughout the six years and more during which 
 they were engaged upon the New Testament, and 
 where they received the training which made them 
 such efficient workers in the work upon the Old 
 
(7) 
 
 Testament, and enabled the Coniiiiittee to attain 
 uniformity and agreement in the style and 
 cliaracler of the wliole book, quite equal to that 
 of the Revised English version. This is indeed a 
 a matter for which we, and also the Christian 
 people of Japan, have great reason for congratula- 
 tion and thanksgiving. May I not also add that 
 we have every reason to believe the pure native 
 and simple style and latiguage of this sacred 
 Book, so easily understood by the most unlearned, 
 so chaste and free from Chinese and foreign terins, 
 and read by the millions of this people, will have 
 a powerful influence in preserving the native 
 tongue in its purity, much like what has been done 
 for the English language, by the pure Anglo- 
 Saxon of the English Bible. I may state 
 further in regard to this translation that the Com- 
 mittee has endeavoured to adhere faithfully and as 
 literally as possible to the Hebrew original, de- 
 siring not only to give its true meaning, but also 
 to retain the beautiful and instructive figurative 
 language in which God has conve}ed his mind to 
 the children of men. In all obscure and difficult 
 passages they have sought light from every avail- 
 able source; from such ancient and modern ver- 
 sions as were at hand ; from the best critical and 
 grammatical works, and especially compaiing their 
 work with the revised version of the English Scrip- 
 tures, as embodying the renderings of the most 
 scholarly men of the time. They have had no 
 peculiar difficulty in their work, except it be in 
 finding satisfactory equivalents for some of the 
 animals, birds, insects, trees, flowers, and precious 
 stones mentioned in the Bible; but they trust 
 that in these respects also they have attained to 
 the true meaning as nearly as most of the modern 
 
( 8) 
 
 versions. As to the names of tlie Hebrew weights, 
 measures, and months, instead of endeavouring to 
 reduce them to their equivalent values in Japanese, 
 they have followed the method adopted in the 
 translation of the New Testament, and I believe, 
 of all other versions, of merely transferring the 
 Hebrew term into Japanese kana. The Com- 
 mittee would not forget, on this occasion, thank- 
 fully to acknowledge the cordial sympathy ex- 
 tended to them by the British and Foreign 
 Bible Society, and the National Bible Society 
 of Scotland, as well as the Christian liberality with 
 which they bore the necessary expenses incurred in 
 the work of translating the Old Testament, just as 
 the Ameiican Bible Society had previously so 
 generously extended to the Yokohama Committee 
 in their work of translating the New Testament. 
 And now, my Christian brethren, it only re- 
 mains for me to take this translation of the Old 
 Testament, the woi k of the Permanent Committee, 
 unite it with the tianslation of the New Testament, 
 the woik of the Yokohama Committee, into one 
 Bible in the name of the whole body of Protestant 
 Missionaries in Japan, and I may say, of the whole 
 Church of Christ in America and England, and 
 make it a loving present to the Japanese nation. 
 What more precious gift, more precious than 
 mountains of silver and gold, could the Christian 
 people of the West bestow on the people of this 
 land ! May this sacred book be to the Japanese 
 what it has been to the people of the West, a foun- 
 tain of life, a messenger of joy and peace, the 
 foundation of a true civilization, of social and 
 political prosperity and greatness. Ma}' it be to 
 them like the river which Ezekiel saw proceeding 
 out from the throne of God, which, wherever it 
 
(9) 
 
 flowed, brought life and healing. And shall we not 
 now call upon our souls, and all that is wilhin us, 
 to thank our God and Father for this, his wonder- 
 ful gift to the children of men, that in his loving 
 kindness he has sent it to this people." 
 
 On the desk was lying a beautifully bound copy 
 of the whole Bible in five volumes presented to Dr. 
 Hepburn by the National Bible Society of Scot- 
 land, on the last day of last year, immediately 
 after the completion of the translation. 
 
 In the course of his remarks, Dr. Hepburn, suit- 
 ing the action to the word, took the New Testa- 
 ment in one hand, and the Old Testament in the 
 other, and reverently placing them together laid 
 the book down — a complete Bible. Knowing that 
 he had spent the last sixteen years almost entirely 
 on this work, and knowing the deep interest which 
 he has in it, the audience was visibly moved at the 
 simple but touching action which seemed to unite 
 the work of the two Committees into one. 
 
 The Rev. G. F. Verbeck, D.D. gave an address 
 in Japanese, which was practically a translation of 
 the above. 
 
 The Rev. Geo. Cochran, D.D., on being called 
 on by the Chairman said — The history of ver- 
 sions of Holy Scripture is interwoven with the 
 history of ihe progress of the Kingdom of God. 
 This is amply shown in the appearing of the more 
 noted versions in important crises of the pioviden- 
 tial history of mankind. When the canon of Old 
 Testament Scripture was duly closed, and the 
 living waters of Divine Revelation were about to 
 burst beyond the narrow limits within which 
 hitherto they had been long confined, all things 
 were by the hand of Providence prepared and 
 
( 10 ) 
 
 ready for the great event. The dispersion of the 
 Hebrew people carrying with them their sacred 
 writings amongst the nations round about; the 
 diffusion of the Messianic hope, kindling afresh 
 the desire of the nations to study it for themselves; 
 the spread of the Greek language, the fittest 
 medium of the time in literature and civilization ; 
 these gave the occasion and provided the channel 
 for the first gi eat version of Holy Sciiplure, the 
 Greek translation of the Old Testament, known as 
 the Septuagint, which spread over many nations 
 the dawn of an auspicious day, that quickly 
 brightened and broadened into noon, as the "Sun 
 of Righteousness," in the New Testament, flung the 
 splendour of perfected revelation upon the world. 
 Then, as Christian evangelism moved outward 
 in obedience to the divine command, from Jeru- 
 salem, Judea, and Samaria toward the ends of the 
 earth, the way of the gospel messenger was pre- 
 pared by the Syriac versions in the East, and by 
 the Latin versions in the West. These were 
 followed by others, for example, the Coptic, Gothic, 
 Saxon, of less importance it may be, because of 
 narrower range, but which seemed to spiead and 
 to perpetuate the knowledge of the trutli during 
 the paralysis of progress and the eclipse of faith 
 that fell upon the Church in the mediaeval night of 
 Christendom. I need not tell you at length for 
 you know so well, it was the translation of the 
 Bible into the vernacular, and its circulation 
 amongst the people, that brought back the thrill of 
 life and inaugurated the era of evangelism, which 
 has continued with increasing power to the present 
 day. Luther's version, upon which, in the maturity 
 of his strength, he spent twelve loving, earnest, 
 laborious years, furnished a people's book, to which 
 
( " ) 
 
 the language, literature, and national growth of 
 the German empire is more indebted than to 
 any other agency whatever. The English bible 
 in the version of King James has rendered a 
 similar service to all who use the English tongue. 
 It has created the magnificent structure which we 
 proudly call our English literature. In the latter 
 part of the eighteenth centur\', ihiough the power 
 of an evangelical revival, Chi i.slianity renewed her 
 youth, as in the days when apostles preached 
 and martyrs bled; the church awoke to a sense 
 of her responsibility to obey hei- Lord's command, 
 *' Go preach the Gospel to every creature, disciple 
 all the nations." Then were organized those mighty 
 agencies, the missionary and Bible Societies of 
 Ciiristendom, that like twin sisters, fellow liand- 
 maids wailing upon our Lord, shall not rest, nor 
 be discouraged until the word of life is in the 
 hands of every cieature upon earth, and the 
 preacher of the word shall tell the story of God's 
 love in Christ to every one who has an ear to hear. 
 India was given in charge to the English nation, 
 not simply as a source of wealth, or as a stage for 
 the display of statemanship and power, but that 
 in addition to a government on the whole benefi- 
 cent there might cojne to the millions of that 
 vast peninsula the blessings of an open Bible in 
 the vernacular, and the preaching of the gospel 
 of the grace of God. In this the highest ministry 
 of man's goodwill toward man, the English speak- 
 ing people of Britain and America unite their 
 strength, and tlie result of their endeavour may be 
 seen in ihe moral change quietly but sui ely spread- 
 ing the sunshine of Christian civilization over the 
 face of that fair land, which shall yet rejoice and 
 blossom as the garden of the Lord. China, the mam- 
 
( 12 ) 
 
 ber of whose millions we toss lightly off our tongues, 
 but of whose deep distress as she has lain for ages 
 inswathed in the mummy cerements of a strange 
 and meaningless conservatism, we can form but a 
 faint conception, has also received the word of 
 God in several well adapted versions; and though 
 the progress of the gospel is sadly hindered through 
 prejudice engendered by the opium traffic and the 
 coolie trade, the day of her redemption draweth 
 nigh ; the dawn already shudders through the 
 gloom ; the voice of life and hope is heard through- 
 out the land. Japan, at peace with all the world, 
 appropriating with swift and ready adaptation to 
 the genius of her people the material and intellec- 
 tual civilization of the West, in a manner which 
 excites tlie wonder and delight of all observers, 
 and they are legion, has in the year of grace just 
 closed received in the vernacular of her thirty- 
 seven millions a complete version of Holy Scrip- 
 ture, the united gift of American and British 
 scholarship and Christian love. Only a few years 
 ago the ploughshare of revolution passed through 
 the land, freshly turning up the generous soil. 
 By tlie open furrows gathered quickly a numerous 
 band of gospel husbandmen, waiting ready to cast 
 in the imperishable seed. The translators have 
 put into the hands of these husbandmen the 
 seed basket, full, replenished for all time; 
 now the labourers may broad cast this seed, 
 the Word of God, wherever they will, and it shall 
 surely grow; watered by the dews of Heaven, 
 nourished by the Sun of Righteousness, it will be 
 ready soon, and they who have sown and they 
 who reap shall rejoice together over the abundant 
 harvest gatliered for the garner of the Lord. Who 
 can estimate the value of the gift, the word of God 
 
( -3 ) 
 
 in the vernacular, given to tliis whole nation ; 
 henceforth it is the people's book; its principles of 
 holy truth and love shall weave themselves into 
 the thought and speech and life of each successive 
 generation, they shall enter into the new imperial 
 constitution, into the laws and customs of the land ; 
 and by virtue of their healing, quickening power, 
 this ancient empire shall put on moral stiength 
 and may endure with vigour till the last courses 
 of the sun. We may well rejoice together as 
 Christians of this and other lands while we give 
 thanks to Almighty God for his watchful care over 
 the faithful men who have laboured patiently and 
 with success at their noble task. We congratulate 
 them here to-day, upon the happy issue of their 
 toil. They have wrought a work which cannot 
 perish : a work which forms an accumulating moral 
 treasure increasing the sum of human happiness 
 while life and thought and being last or im- 
 mortality endures. He who can pursue the swift 
 silent sunbeam and trace without omission every 
 lineament of grace and beauty which it paints 
 upon the leaf and flower and living thing, may 
 tell the blessings that accrue as the light of 
 life is cast upon the pathway of the millions whom 
 otherwise the darkness had bewildered and des- 
 troyed. Every letter in the record of this version 
 of God's word shall be a regenerated soul, every 
 stone in its testimonial shall be a redeemed famil}', 
 every note in its paean an angel's joy. " All flesh 
 is grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of 
 grass. The grass withereth and the flower thereof 
 falleth away ; but the word of the Lord endureth 
 forever;" and this is the word presented now, in 
 the vernacular of the pveople, a free gift to the 
 empire of Japan. 
 
( H) 
 
 After a short address in Japanese from the Rev. 
 Mr. Inagaki, Pastor of the Kai^an Church, Yoko- 
 liania, prayer was offered by the Rev. Mr. Okuno, 
 Paster of the Church in Yokosuka, and the bene- 
 diction was pronounced by the Rev. JULIUS Soper, 
 American Methodist Episcopal Mission. 
 
 During the meeting several pieces of sacred 
 music were rendered in good style by a choir of 
 Japanese young ladies. 
 
PAMPHLET BINDER 
 
 mZZ Syrocuse, N. Y. 
 -— — — Stockton, Calif. 
 
BS460.J3J3 , ^ „,^, 
 
 The Japanese translation of the Bible 
 
 Princeton Theological Seminary-Speer Library 
 
 1 1012 00081 8486 
 
 ■''km 
 
 
 *