Greeks in America - eBooks4Greeks.gr

EUROPEAN BACKGROUND 71the University of Athens with the result that therewas a riot in the streets with bloodshed. Corruptpoliticians made political capital out of it. Thecabinet fell and the Synod put the ban on all translationsof the N. T. into modern Greek. But thewhole thing was a linguistic and political questionrather than religious. The purists feared theymight lose ground and the sacred language of theoriginal New Testament might be desecrated bytranslation. The Synod held that the original NewTestament Greek was as clear and intelligible to thepeople as any translation, which is not the case.Under the Venizelist government the Scriptureswere circulated in translations in spite of the banstill in force. Both the government and the Synodwere planning to abolish the ban with the first opportunity.The present government is enforcing theban, but there is reason to hope a more liberal policywill prevail in the end. Besides the ban is forthe old kingdom of Greece, and does not apply toregions that were once Turkey.When Archbishop Meletios Metaxakis visited theUnited States in 1918 he told me he would have noobjection to the circulation of the Scriptures, butwelcomed it, and would do the same to transktions.He said he would prefer that the Bible societies inBritain or America should cooperate with the HolySynod of Greece, helping it to print and circulatethem with its sanction. He thought the Synod wouldgladly undertake the translation. At the headquartersof the American Bible Society he reiterated hisviews and wishes in bidding farewell to Dr. W. I.Haven, one of the secretaries of the society, beforehe sailed for Constantinople when he was electedpatriarch.There is no doubt the Greek Church does not barthe Scriptures or any part of them, as such.The Greeks were lukewarm at first, if not actively