Donation of rare ‘working Bible’ comes with a word of wisdom
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
BY BARRY GITTINS
Within families and long-lasting friendships, Bibles and religious books are often passed down through generations.
Rare books, by Salvation Army standards, and significant copies of Scriptures also sometimes end up being donated to The Salvation Army Australia Museum for posterity.
Ringwood Corps Sergeant-Major Russell Webb recently passed on a New Testament more than 100 years old to the museum’s Melbourne branch.
The slim volume was inscribed: James A Smith, Salvation Army, 69 Bourke St, Melbourne. (While a common enough name, this might have belonged to Colonel J.A. Smith OF, who established the Army’s work in Kenya in 1921.)
The well-used and obviously well-loved ‘working Bible’ – including sermon notes and asides, pencilled clarifications and underlined verses – was passed down from Russell’s wife Allison’s side of the family.
Many typed and handwritten notes are contained in the copy.
It took some detective work on their part to establish provenance; at first, they thought it might have come from the library of her father, Bryan Saunders or her grandfather, Len Saunders. In fact, the Bible was in the possession of Len’s second wife, Edna (they were to marry following the death of Len’s first wife in a car accident).
As captured in the Army’s first doctrine, Salvationists believe the Scriptures are inspired by God and “they only constitute the Divine rule of Christian faith and practice”. Russell had preached on the importance of the Bible recently at Ringwood, and he later defined the problem of biblical literacy, or illiteracy for that matter, very simply: “People don’t read it.”
The Bible dates back to the early part of the 20th century.
“People try and read the Scriptures in a language they don’t understand,” Russell said, “and they get frustrated. We need to find translations and paraphrases that are accessible and accurate – faithful to the original sources – and we need to study where and when they were written, because God can help us understand the Bible through its content, its context and subtext.”
We may not know without doubt the identity of the particular Jim Smith who owned this New Testament, nor can we clearly ascertain how it came into the possession of Allison’s family. But we can agree with Russell that reading and abiding in the written word of God brings us closer to following and obeying Jesus, the living Word.
Interested in Salvation Army history? Then make a trip to either of The Salvation Army Australia Museum branches in Melbourne or Sydney. Details below.
