Campbell, A. The Sacred Writings of the Apostles and Evangelists of Jesus Christ, commonly styled the New Testament. Translated from the Original Greek, by Doctors George Campbell, James Macknight, and Philip Doddridge. With Prefaces, various Emendations, and An Appendix, Containing various translations of difficult passages - some Critical Notes on the Language, Geography, Chronology, and History of the New Testament - and Miscellaneous Tables designed to aid every candid reader of the volume in acquiring a satisfactory knowledge of its contents. Bethany, Brooke Co., VA: Printed and Published by Alexander Campbell, 1832. Third Edition: Revised and Enlarged. [12553]
Full tree calf, gilt lines & brown leather title label to spine, joints fine, a little fraying at the top of the spine, corners rounded, slight bow to front board, 8 3/4 x 5 1/4 inches. Front paste-down filled with a long partly-illegible inscription describing ownership by the Massie family, with "Jonathan Massie was the owner of the book 1834. He was one of the founders of the Church of Deerfield under A. Campbell." The title page is signed "Jonathan Massie, June 20th 1834." 517, [3], 100 pp.; two folding hand-colored maps; page edges dyed yellow; moderate foxing throughout. Very good. Hardcover.
The maps are engraved by H. Anderson of Cadiz, Ohio. Hugh Anderson (1782-1866), an engraver in Philadelphia c. 1811-1824, and later at Clairsville, Ohio. He is thought to have been an emigrant from Scotland. - Stauffer, American Engravers upon Copper and Steel.
The original owner, Jonathan Massie (1787-1876), b. Greenbrier Co., Virginia; sometime migrated to the Western Reserve area of northern Ohio and later established a farm in Mason Township, Lawrence County, in southern Ohio. His son, mentioned in the inscription, was Benjamin Franklin "B. F." Massie; and his grandson, also mentioned, is W. K. Massie.
The inscription says that Massie was one of the founders of the Deerfield Church, which was in the Western Reserve of Ohio, Portage County. Walter Scott, a co-worker with Alexander Campbell, was the leader of a revival that led to the establishment of the church, which our inscription says was founded by "A. Campbell."
Walter Scott (1798-1861), along with Thomas Campbell, Alexander Campbell, and Barton Stone, is remembered as one of the four founders of the Stone-Campbell Movement. "Scott's preaching in the Western Reserve brought more than 3,000 converts into the Stone-Campbell Movement." - The Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement, p. 675.
"1827-28 was a year of victory...Deerfield was also the scene of a great awakening. Jonas Hartzell lived here, a most zealous and successful preacher. Indeed it was a current saying through the Western Reserve that all the male members of the Deerfield church were preachers. Everywhere Scott's labors aroused the greatest interest...Services were held in barns, groves, dwellings. Baptismal scenes occurred often at night by the blaze of torches or the light of the moon. Nearly every convert became a preacher and every Disciple carried his New Testament, which he used as the Sword of the Spirit. They became known as 'Men of the Book,' or 'Walking Bibles.'" - Power, Sketches of Our Pioneers (1898), pp. 56-57.
Hills, The English Bible in America, no. 796. "Alexander Campbell (1788-1866) was born in Ireland and educated at the University of Glasgow. He came to America in 1809 as a Presbyterian minister, but soon became a Baptist and later founded the Disciples of Christ. He was greatly impressed by a New Testament published in London in 1818 which contained the Gospels translated by George Campbell, the Epistles by James McKnight, and the Acts and Revelation from the Family Expositor of Doddridge. He failed in his attempt to arrange for its publication in America and undertook to produce an improved version of that text. He admired the translation principles of George Campbell but also took suggestions from the works of other scholars. However, he based his text mainly on Griesbach's Greek NT, particularly in the 1809/10 edition." Note on the first edition of 1826, Hills 567.
"Campbell was an indefatigable student of Greek, honest in dealing with it, and courageous in presenting its meaning. I agree with the author's statement that he 'was aware of the basic principles of interpretation and translation which were accepted by the best scholars of his day and which have proved valid by the testing of over a century of critical study.'" - Cecil K. Thomas, Alexander Campbell and His New Version (1959), quoted by Hills.
"In 1826 Campbell published a translation of the New Testament popularly known as The Living Oracles. It was based on a translation by Scottish scholars and included extensive critical notes. He made some daring changes, some of which did not go well with his followers. One was the omission of Acts 8:37, a favorite Baptist proof text. The use of 'immerse' for 'baptize' might have pleased the Baptists, but 'John, the Immerser' removed their name from the Bible. He used 'congregation' for 'church,' eliminated 'thy,' 'thou,' and 'thine,' and changed 'repent' to 'reform' and 'preach' to 'proclaim,' making his translation too different from earlier ones to for most people." - The Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement, p. 122.
A unique copy with historic provenance - add this one to your collection.
