Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 61, Number 123, Decatur, Adams County, 24 May 1963 — Page 9

FRIDAY, MAY 24, 1963

* ** SA I •• Mp*y? - •’• 1 | £■ ' '■ •"& * < BI ,u -\ -|B 4J| mm '■ r H iH | j •■•, *» v '#s%,»>< F* rr 'y »„ ■ 'lt > F W -' * ■ ' '■**> ® THE CHAPEL ROOM in the new Sisters of St Agnes convent is.shown above. Open house for the general public will be held from 2:30 to 5:30 p. m. Sunday.-<Photo by Mac Lean)

Modern Translation ,Os Bible Is Vital

By LOUIS CASSELS United Press International The King James version of the Bible, which was translated in 1611 A.D., has never been rivalled for poetic beauty and majesty of expression. From a purely literary viewpoint, it towers over all modern translations as Shakespeare does over a TV script. But more than 1,000 English words and phrases used in the Bi-, ble have undergone significant changes of meaning since the King James was published 352 years ago. That’s why many people feel that a good modern translation is J

Z - —- - - ..x....-..-,. --.-- •-••• . • — - -■' —- - - --•••■ v f»> <W!S3w!!Sy j < W F $ F/W/F x'jßßflEfi&KT 1 >Jr H !„PJb / jERLwi 1 F k-",'t '''WMWwl Iw W r ■ ■■’ 's>•■• SIIm a j/B HL ■•■ jKv 'H Hw> t“MA Hr //Sfifl flu.' Wzi/fl fl W fl V 4MpIOI Hr 4 W zsr_.lin _*f B __2ZZ_Z2—2ZZ~3^—-^ZZ—l—————™— Chevy II Nova 400 6-Passenger Station Wagon ~ A Chevy H wagon looks this big when you load it up :' . . ' , - • ' _. ', /.' -.-' ■—2 -• .XwJul-JtU. ,-b -—7 ■’ ' —— -----. -• . and this big when you gas it up That, in the eyes of most Chevy II wagon owners, is lowered tailgate. Try that on your surfboards, camping just about the size of it. A king-size appetite for cargo. paraphernalia and what have you. But a dainty one for gas. And for all the pepper we packed into that 6-cy Under And this, we hardly need add, is just the kind of engine (you also have a choice of an even thriftier 4 wagon we planned it to be. Just the kind that makes flHHL—_ in most models), we were careful to keep it simple, loads of sense, too, these bright beckoning days when s >V,I at Ji TWii's >V.t ?i W easy to service—and, as we say, a real stickler on fuel you feel the urge to pack up and go. fl h*iUj di LW i iN fl economy. From the way it nurses a gallon of regular, m * j, • -x • „_ xt,- -,.x_:j o „,„ frt in fact, you’d almost think it makes its own. Taut and trim as it is on the outside, we went to ■ IL», I ’ l7 . . ~ great lengths to keep it BIG where a wagon should Feel in a traveling mood? Well—happy coincidence—be BIG. The load platform extends a full nine feet this is the time of year your Chevrolet dealer feels m from the back of the front seat to the tip the AT YOUR CHEVROLET DEALERS his most generous trading mood. CHECK HIS TNT DEALS ON CHEVROLET, CHEVY H, CORVAIR AND CORVETTE L j . - - --• ■— — .■■--"■■■ -.-— • —l— ■■ IM BILL ZOSS CHEVROLET - BUICK, INC. a 305 N. 13th STREET DECATUR, INDIANA PHONE 3-3148

essential for anyone who plans to read the Bible seriously. Which modern translation you choose is a matter of taste. The chief contenders for public and scholarly favor are the Revised Standard Version and the New English Bible. The Revised Standard Version is essentially a re-write and updating of the old King James, using the same sentence structures but substituting contemporary for archaic English words where necesarry to make the original meaning clear. It is available in a vast variety of editions. One of the finest, for serious reading and

study purposes, is the new Oxford Annotated Bible (Oxford University Press, $7.95;, which has helpful footnotes on every page. — Still Being Translated The Old Testament portion of the new English Bible is still being translated, and won’t be available for some years yet. The New Testament portion has been a best-seller since March, 1961. It is an entirely fresh translation of the original Greek into contemporary, idiomatic English. While it lacks literary grace at many points, it hits the reader right between the eyes as a message addressed to him in his own everyday tongue. Those who have ceased to get any real impact out of overly-familiar passages of the King James will have the feeling that they are reading the Bible for the first time. Where you begin reading is at least as important as the choice of a translation; Many people

THE DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT, DECATUR, INDIANA

make the mistake of trying to read the Bible straight through from beginning to end, as if it were an ordinary book or novel. If you do that, you are very apt to get “bogged down in the begats" when you reach the dull and endless geneaologles of the Old Testament. It is more accurate to think of the Bible as a whole library of books, written at various times over a span of 1,500 years. These books differ enormously in literary style, historical value and spiritual depth. Except in a very broad sense, they do not tell a consecutive narrative, so there's no need to “begin at the beginning” and plow straight through. Begin In Middle Instead, you can begin in the middle, with the part of the Bible which to Christians is the most important and exciting news ever reported upon this earth — the story of Jesus Christ. “The Bible is a book about God; it tells what He did for men, especially in Jesus Christ His son,” say§ Prof. Floyd V. Filson of McCormick Tehological Seminary. “Read the whole Bible by all means, but get to the heart of the biblical message at the start.” Prof. Filson recommends beginning with the New Testament books of Luke and Acts. They were written by the same author, and although they are now separated in the Bible, it is clear that they were originally intended to go together, for they tell a single, connected story. The first part — the Gospel according to St. Luke — is the story of Christ’s life, death and resurrection, written especially for a Gentile audience by a man who seems to have been a very careful reporter with an eye for vivid detail and a gift for poetic expression. In the Acts of the Apostles, the same writer tells how the Christian church came into being under the awesome impact of the resurrection, and traces its spread throughout the Roman Empire, with particular attention to the missionary voyages of the Apostle Paul, with whom Luke

travelled extensively. Proceed To St. John After reading Luke-Acts, you may want to proceed to the Gospel according to St. John. Here you’ll find less concern with events and sayings, more emphasis on meaning and significance. To over-simplify, you might say that Luke is the reporter who tells you what Jesus did and said, while John is the theologian who tells Who Jesus was and why He came. St. Paul's letters could well come next — especially those addressed to the young churches at Corinth and Rome. After that you can finish the other Gospels and Epistles of the New Testament in almost any order that appeals to you. Eventually, you'll want to read the whole Old Testament, for Christianity cannot be truly comprehended, without a thorough acquaintance with the Jewish scriptures which Jesus said he came “not to destroy but to fulfill.” But it may be best to ease your way into the Old Testament by reading first the book of Psalms —the greatest collection of devotional poetry the world has ever known. After the Psalms, try Isaiah, the noblest and most moving of the Hebrew books of “prophecy.” Then, when you’re well acquainted with the sublime heights to which the children of Israel are destined to move in their knowledge of God, you can go back to Genesis and begin tracing the early story of this remarkable who were chosen by God for a special role as light-bearers to mankind. Chose Good Commentary Whatever sequence you follow, you will find far more meaning in the Bible if you read it in connection with a good commentary. Before beginning to read any book of the Bible, find out from the commentary what scholars have discovered about its date and authorship, and the historical circumstances under which it was written. This background information will enable you to understand many otherwise-baffling passages. There are dozens of Bible com-

.-I CLASSROOM— The study hall, one of several classrooms located on the lower level of the new convent, is shown in the above photo.—(Photo by Mac Lean)

mentaries on the market. One new and relatively inexpensive one-volume commentary which has already found wide favor among Bible scholars is Harper’s Bible Commentary (Harper & Roe, $5.95). Two other valuable reference works that are available in inexpensive paperback editions are “A Theological Word Book of the Bible" (Macmillan, $1.95) and “The Modern Reader’s Bible Atlas” (Association Press Reflection Books, $1.50). Place-Dropping Is A Gay Little Spoil By DICK WEST United Press International WASHINGTON (UPI) — Placedropping is a gay little sport, the rules of which are very similar to those of name-dropping. The main difference is that in place-dropping the players win points for where they have been, rather than for who they have been with. It is possible to place-drop and name-drop at the same time, but this tends to get complicated and should only be attempted by the more advanced players. Place - dropping points are awarded in two categories—the fashionable and the remote. For example, Monaco has a rating of

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30 points in the fashionable category and Samarkand is worth 50 points for remoteness. Scores In Both Categories Some places, such as Hyannis Port when the Kennedys are at home, are classed as remotely fashionable and are scored in both categories. A player must, of course, be able to drop the place into a conversation in order for the score to count. During my recent trip to Venezuela (10 points), I traveled with a group of highly skilled and dedicated players, all of whom were more far flung than I. I found myself badly outclassed and, in desperation, began to drop places I had been as a soldier in World War 11. Resorting to involuntary wartime military travel is considered bad form When the other players discovered what I was doing, I was ejected from the game for unsportsmanlike conduct. The winner by a wide margin was Myron Glaser, a far flung travel writer for the Washington Daily News. However, it was a tainted victory. Considered Professional His occupation give him professional status and amateur placedroppers ordinarily do not compete against the pros except in open tournaments. Glaser took a commanding lead tn the third round, or chukker, by dropping Old Rag Mountain, Va. It caught die other players com-

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pletely off guard. He not only scored 15 points for remoteness, but received a 25-point bonus for dropping a place where the other players hadn’t been and a 50-point bonus for dropping a place they had never heard of. After the match, I asked Glaser if such a place actually existed or whether he had been bluffing. “Yes, Virgil, there really is an Old Rag Mountain,” he said. “Some day I’ll take you there.” Our expedition is scheduled to get under way within a few hours from the time I write'this. The current American expedition to Mt. Everest may overshadow ours somewhat, but we are not doing it for the glory. If all goes well, my next dispatch will come from the summit of Old Rag. Don’t miss it if you can. Broken-Dish Cement One of the strongest and handiest homemade mending cements for powdered alum by holding it in a broken dishes is alum. Melt the spoon over a gas flame. While it’s still soft, rub the melted alum over the edges of the two pieces you want to stick together; then press them together, and let it dry. It’ll be okay to wash the dish in hot water after it’s put back into use. If you have something to sell or trade — use the Democrat Want ads — they get BIG results.