At p. 217, we have a Hebrew word, again without points, and of unsuitable type. The pronunciation given is wrong. At p. 464, two Hebrew words occur, in one of which the final consonant is of a form that is always either initial or medial. The same word with the same absurd error occurs again on the next page. The vowel-points are here given. The subject-matter is extracted from the Editor's notes that are to accompany his New Translation of Isaiah. 2. The Greek. There are but very few Greek words quoted, but where they occur they are generally without either accent or breathing. We have Grunig in one place, which is about as correct as hypocrite would be without the h. At page 466, the Editor comments upon the Septuagint version of the latter part of Isaiah xviii. 6, referred to below. He also translates the passage, professing to give the first Greek word to which his translation refers, thus: “auvaxingovrai, &c.;—The birds of heaven shall be gathered unto it, and the beasts of the earth shall come unto it."" It will scarcely be credited that the Greek is here misquoted, and that there are two errors in the translation. The whole may be corrected as follows: "ayvaxthσerai, &c.;—The birds of heaven shall be gathered unto them (airous), and all (ávra) the beasts, &c."" I say nothing of the inaccuracy of the Septuagint in this passage. 3. The Latin. At p. 368, in a note by the Editor, we have "exciccantem," and in his Prospectus referring to his New Translation of Isaiah, we have, also in a note, "Lebros." But these are "trifles light as air" compared with the translation of a passage from Swedenborg's Diarium Spirituale, No. 5925, given at pp. 75, 76. The venerable Author is there made to deny the very point which he affirms. And in order to accomplish this, the translator first inserts one negative, without any intimation that he is taking a liberty with the original, and then gives emphasis to it by introducing another between brackets. The original Latin is as follows: "Inde appercepti et dejecti, inter infimos in coelesti Regno, esse potuerunt, si a diabolicis separari possunt." It surely requires but small knowledge of Latin to see that there is here not even the semblance of any negative. Let us then compare the Editor's translation: "Hence it was perceived of what quality they were; they were consequently cast down, for they could NOT remain amongst the lowest in the celestial kingdom, [NOT EVEN] if they could be separated from diabolic spirits." I think it would be difficult to find a parallel to this in the history and progress of translation. It requires no comment; but for the benefit of those who know but little of Latin, I will append a translation, which, in my humble opinion, gives the Author's meaning clearly : 'They were in consequence perceived and cast down. Amongst the lowest in the heavenly kingdom they could be, if they can be kept apart from the diabolical." 4. The German. At p. 295, in a note, we have some German, and in one line, the last on the page, three errors appear; two words are misspellt and a preposition begins with a capital: Menscheit! Nebst!! Nachweising!!! At p. 465, in the extract to which, in his Prospectus, the Editor refers with evident satisfaction, as a specimen of the notes" intended for his New Translation of Isaiah, he gives what he states to be Luther's version of the latter part of chap. xviii. 6. He adds also his own translation of it. The German and the English are, I had almost said, unique as specimens of critical inaccuracy. Luther's version is thus presented to us. "Dass des Sommers die Voegel, darin nisten und des Winters allerley Thiere des Landes darin liegen werden." Now let any tyro in German refer to Luther's Bible and he will find the passage stand thus: "Dass des Sommers die Voegel darinnen nisten, und des Winters allerley Thiere im Lande darinnen liegen." So that we have first Luther's sense made nonsense by the misplaced comma; then we have darin in two places for "darinnen;" des Landes for "im Lande;" and lastly the extraordinary addition of werden. Let us see whether the Editor is more fortunate in his English translation of the words which he gives us as those of Luther: "In summer the birds will make their nests therein, and in winter the beasts will lie down therein." One could scarcely have supposed that, in translating a passage of this kind, where special accuracy is professed, the Editor could have actually passed over, without any notice whatever, "allerley im Lande❞—or, as he has made it, allerley des Landes—giving no corresponding English to any one of the words! If he thinks that these words have no corresponding Hebrew, he had better refer to the passage again. He has, moreover, translated the sentence as if it were a principal sentence, when it is merely subordinate, and dependent upon the "dass," which in his translation he has abjured altogether. I will, therefore, translate the words of Luther as closely as they will permit : "that in the Summer the birds may make their nests therein, and in the winter beasts of every kind may lie down therein." A few more words and I have done. In the Editor's Prospectus, to which I have already referred, there is an address to the members of the New Church, beginning: "BELOVED BRETHREN." The last paragraph of it but one stands thus: "As this work should be in the hands of every New Churchman, you are respectfully solicited to become A SUBSCRIBER, and thus to help in its publication." Small assistance certainly is here requested, if the Editor's grammar expresses his meaning. I have looked in vain for any correction of these errors, but I do not find that errata are recognised by The Intellectual Repository. I will now leave it to the members of the New Church to decide, whether higher attainments and greater accuracy are not required, if her claims are to be enforced upon the clergy and the more highly educated classes of our country. THE WRITER OF THE TWO NOTICES OF THE NEW DOES SWEDENBORG TEACH THAT EVERY MAN HAS HIS FAMILIAR, OR CONSOCIATE SPIRIT? To the Editor of the "Monthly Observer." DEAR SIR,-In your last Number there is an article by "Senex," on "What is a Familiar Spirit ?" This article alludes to the Tract 67, adopted in the Manchester Series, "On the Word of God and Spirit Manifestations; shewing that the Scriptures condemn open Intercourse with Spirits as injurious to Man's Progress in Regeneration," written by the Editor of the Conference Magazine. The Tract was published by request, and at the expense of one generous individual, in order to shew the evils and the dangers arising from seeking to have open intercourse with Spirits, and to demonstrate, that the seeking after such open intercourse is directly opposed both to the Scriptures and to the writings of Swedenborg. The tract consisted chiefly of a Paper written by the Editor, when the subject of "Spiritualism" attracted so much public attention in 1853, and was inserted in the Conference Magazine in August of that year. This, let "Senex" observe, was printed three years before the same appeared as a Tract in 1856, without any alteration as to the statement respecting the "familiar spirits" against which "Senex" objects. The article had been read by the late Rev. D. Howarth, and the readers of the Magazine, probably NO. XXVI.-VOL. III. 6 by "Senex" himself, and so well approved of by Mr. Howarth and others, that it was suggested that the same, somewhat enlarged with a quotation from Swedenborg, of what he has said respecting the dangers of open intercourse with spirits, might be useful at that period as a Tract. It was, however, not then published in this form; but three years afterwards, the request having been made to the writer, accompanied with the liberal proposal above-mentioned, to publish the Paper as a Tract, he immediately revised and enlarged it for that purpose. This shews that "Senex" is under an erroneous impression, when at page 25 he says, "That the Tract was accepted by the Committee without that examination which it ought to have received, and I have reason to know, without the approbation of the late David Howarth:" whereas the only point in the Tract, objected to by "Senex," had been, as already shewn, three years before the public, without any objection having been alleged against it. But what does Swedenborg really teach respecting every man having his consociate or familiar spirit? "Senex" denies that Swedenborg teaches any such doctrine. Let us see whether "Senex" is right. "There are (says Swedenborg) attendant one very man, two spirits from hell, and two angels from heaven, who cause communication with hell and heaven, and cause also man to be in freedom." 4.C. n. 5976. But, besides these two spirits from hell, and these two angels from heaven, Swedenborg also teaches, "that with every man there is a consociate spirit (spiritus consocius), for a man without this consociate spirit cannot think analytically, rationally, and spiritually; thus he would not be a man, but a brute.* There is a difference between angels and spirits, as in the above extract, "attendant (apud) upon every man," and "a spirit consociate (consocius) with every man.” But "Senex" not having accustomed himself, I presume, to read Swedenborg in his own language, labours, in this respect, under obscurity as to the author's real statement and meaning. Now that this doctrine of a consociate spirit, which in plain English is a familiar spirit, is the teaching of Swedenborg is clear from n. 137 of the same work, of which doctrine he adduces two instances, and describes the consociate or familiar spirit of Dr. Ernesti, and of Dr. Ekebom. In the "Documents concerning the Life and Character of E. Swedenborg," at page 113, we read as follows:"Swedenborg then informed me (says Dr. P. M. Indugine) that every man has either his good or his bad spirit, who is not only constantly * See T. C.R. n. 380, the Latin of Swedenborg for the translation, by substituting associate for consociate, does not fully represent Swedenborg's statement. with him, but sometimes a little removed from him, and appears in the world of spirits. But of this the man still living knows nothing; the spirit, however, knows everything. This familiar spirit has every thing in accordance with his companion upon earth; he has in the world of spirits, the same figure, the same countenance, and the same tone of voice, and wears also similar garments." More might be said in proof of this statement of Swedenborg, but enough has been shewn to demonstrate the statement in the Tract to which "Senex" objects. But the fallacy under which "Senex" labours appears to be this:That because it is said that every man has his "familiar spirit," therefore, every man must have open intercourse with his "familiar spirit," since it is presumed that the term familiar necessarily implies "open intercourse." But this is by no means the case. For, as Swedenborg says, "the man still living knows nothing." Thus "Senex" has his consociate spirit like every other man, but of this, for the reason assigned by Swedenborg, he knows nothing. Now, open communication, when it takes place, is first effected with this spirit, as stated in the Tract, and through this spirit, as the proximate medium with the angelic spirits who, on the one hand, are attendant (apud) upon man, and, on the other, with the evil spirits who are present with him from hell. The influx both from above and from below is thus adequately and most exactly accommodated through this proximat or consociate spirit to the man in the world, so as to enable him "to think analytically, rationally, and spiritually," and also in perfect freedom. Should another edition of this Tract be called for, and we hear that it is nearly out of print, the writer, we doubt not, will have no objection to substitute the term consociate for familiar, which may probably remove the objection of "Senex." VINDEX. Notice of Banks. The Reo. C. H. Spurgeon's Illustrated Almanack and Christian's Companion for 1859. London: Alabaster and Passmore. One Penny. The Newchurchman's Almanac and Christian's Companion for 1859. London: W. White,-Pitman,—and of the author, 20, Richmond Crescent, Barnsbury, N. One Penny. To be notorious-run after-wondered at, is thought to be an object so worthy of attainment that men are to be found who will pursue any means to compass it; and one who has arrived at that envied position |