25 AUGUST 1973, Page 5

A better translation

From the Rev. George Speller Sir: Martin Sullivan should check his references. He spoilt a good article by using in conclusion an illustration which when rightly understood in fact contradicts his case.

He refers to Jesus's charge at the Last Supper that, "One of you shall betray me." To which the disciples are alleged to have replied, "Is it 1?," as the Authorised Version of the New Testament puts it, On the contrary they said nothing of the sort. If the Dean had looked up the Greek he would have found that it is correctly translated by the New English Bible as, "Not j, sureiy1". The disciples of • Jesus were on toe defensive like the rest of us in similar circumstances, The Dean should form the habit, if his Greek is rusty, of using the New English Bible which would not let him down as the Authorised Version too often does.

George Speller The Vicarage, Coniston Cold, Skipton, Yorkshire