versions wherever available" ; while for the New Testament the "Delegates' Version" was to be the basis, Bridgman and Culbertson and Goddard's versions also being employed. The translation was to be made from the original texts underlying the English Revised Version, with the privilege of deviations therefrom in accordance with the Authorised Version. This work is still in progress, although three members of the original Translation Committee have been removed by death, the Rev. T. W. Pearce and Rev. LI. Lloyd having been elected to fill the place of two of these.
Before closing this article, mention should be made of
an edition of the four Gospels issued by the Roman
Catholics from their Hongkong press in 1892-93. It
contains the official sanction of the Roman Catholic Bishop
of Canton and a dedication to the Virgin Mary.
A translation of the Acts in 1887 and of the New
Testament in 1897, made by C. P. Laurent, Ly. S.J., was
printed near Sicawei ^ (Shanghai). The Roman Catholics
have also published several summaries of the Old Testament
and Liturgical Gospels.
Easy Wen-li Version
Easy Wen-li is a language with the archaic words and allusive phrases of High Wen-li omitted. It is generally employed by the Chinese for the popular literature and newspapers.
The need for a version in a literary style which was less stiff than the High Wen-li led the survivors of the Peking Mandarin Committee to undertake such a work on the
1 Sicawei is literally Sii-Kia-wei, that is, the hamlet of the family SU. This Sii is the famous Paul Su who so greatly assisted the early Jesuit missionaries at Peking. His wife, named Candida, was actually deified and is now worshipped at Shanghai.
The British and Foreign Bible Society's documents upon which this section is based have been by that Society compared with the British Museum's Catalogue, with their own Society's Historical Catalogue. They have also been revised by Dr. J. C. Gibson, Dr. Griffith John, and the Rev. G. H. Bondlield.
