|
"III.--VERSIONS OF THE SCRIPTURES IN THIS LANGUAGE.
During the period of the gradual disappearance of the
Anglo-Saxon and [crea]tion of the
English
language, as above described, England
was under papal domination, and the Scriptures were no
longer
sought after. The Anglo-Saxon versions became useless from the
alteration in the language, and
until the fourteenth century the efforts made to produce a new translation
were few and feeble.
An ecclesiastic named Orm, or Ormin, supposed from his
dialect to have been a native of the north
of England, composed a metrical paraphrase of the Gospels and Acts, in lines
of fifteen syllables,
during the latter part of the twelfth century. This work is entitled
the Ormulum, from the name
of its author, and is preserved in the Bodleian Library. A more
extensive metrical paraphrase, com-
prising the whole of the Old and New Testaments, is to be found amongst other
poetry of a religious
nature in a work entitled Sowle-hele (Soul's health), belonging to the
Bodleian Library: it is usually
ascribed to the end of the twelfth century. Another metrical
version, probably of the same date, is
preserved in Corpus Christi College, Cambridge: it comprises only the first
two books of the Old
Testament, and is written in the dialect then spoken in the north of England.
In the same College,
a metrical version of the Psalms, apparently written about
the year 1300, has been deposited: this
version adheres to the Latin Psalter,
corrected by Jerome, as closely as the nature of the composition
will admit. Several other MSS. of the old English Psalter,
preserved in the British Museum and the
Bodleian Library, are supposed to be exemplars of the same version, with the
orthography altered in
conformity with the state of the language at the periods in which they were
written. A translation of
the Psalms from the same text (the corrected
Latin of Jerome), was executed by Richard
Rolle,
of Hampole, near Doncaster, during the early part of the fourteenth
century. This version is remark-
able as being the first portion of the Scriptures ever translated into
English prose. Rolle, or Hampole
as he is more generally called, also wrote a paraphrase in verse of a part of
Job. Two other versions
of the Psalms, belonging to the same period, are likewise extant. In
Bene’t College, Cambridge, there
is a version of Mark, Luke, and the Pauline Epistles, but the translator and
the date are unknown;
and in the British Museum there is a translation of the Gospels appointed to
be read on Sundays,
written in the northern dialect.
Such were the principal translations of scriptural portions
executed before the time of Wickliffe.
A version has been commonly ascribed to John de Trevisa, vicar of Berkeley in
Gloucestershire, who
flourished toward the close of the fourteenth century; but he only translated
a few detached passages,
which he introduced in certain parts of his writings. Some texts
translated by him were painted on
the walls of the chapel belonging to Berkeley Castle.
To Wickliffe,
therefore, "the Morning Star of the Reformation,"
belongs the honour of having
produced the first version of the entire Scriptures in the English
language. His translation was made
immediately from the Latin
Vulgate, and was completed about the year 1380. So great was
the
opposition it excited, that in 1390 a bill was brought into the House of Lords
for its total suppression.
The motion, however, was thrown aside through the influence of the Duke of
Lancaster, who is
reported to have said, "We will not be the dregs of all,
seeing other nations have the law of God,
which is the law of our faith, written in their own language."
It was perhaps, about this period, that
the followers of Wickliffe revised and corrected his version: several copies
of this revision are extant.
In 1408 the farther translation, and even the perusal, of
the Scriptures was formally prohibited in a
Convocation held at Oxford, by Archbishop Arundel. Great persecution
followed this edict, and many
suffered unto death for having read the English Bible.
Although Wickliffe's version of the English Bible was the
earliest in point of execution, yet, as
the art of printing was unknown during the age in which it was produced, it
was among the latest of
the English versions in being committed to the press. The first
printed edition was published in
1731, by Mr. Lewis. This edition, which was preceded by a history of
the English biblical transla-
tions, by the editor, included only the New Testament. The same
version of the New Testament was
re-edited in 1810 by the Rev. H. H. Baber, with very valuable prolegomena.
It was again published
with extreme accuracy in 1841, as a portion of the
English Hexapla, the best
MSS. having been most
carefully collated for this purpose by George Offor, Esq.; a MS. then in the
possession of the Duke of
Sussex was used as the basis of this edition. Another edition was
published by Pickering in 1848: it
is printed from a contemporary MS. written about A.D.
1380, formerly in the monastery of Sion, and
now preserved in the collection of Lea Wilson, F. S. A. The Old
Testament of Wickliffe's version
remained in MS. till within the last few years; but a complete edition of
both Testaments was published
at Oxford, in 1850, under the editorship of the Rev. J. Forshall and Sir F.
Madden.
We now come to the history of our authorised
version of the Scriptures, which may be said to
date from the year 1524, when the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Mark, the
first portions of
Tyndale's
translation, were printed at Hamburgh. Tyndale's version, which has
served as the basis of all
succeeding versions of the English Scriptures, was executed directly from the
sacred originals. It was
produced in the midst of persecution, and furnishes a wonderful example of
the result of steadfast faith
and firm determination of purpose. Though opposed by the
combined power of the King of England,
his whole council, and the emperor Charles V., William
Tyndale contrived to elude their vigilance
until the great work, upon which his heart was set, was accomplished.
"Having from the first con-
sulted only with God and his own conscience, he possessed an indescribable
severity of conviction that
he had but one thing to do, and though perpetually exposed to seizure
and death, not a day was to be
lost by him, nor was lost." And although he finally sealed his
testimony with his blood, (for he was
martyred at Vilvorde, near Brussels, in 1536,) yet he died in the midst of
victory; for before he
expired no less than fourteen editions of his version of the New Testament
had been published, the
last of which, being the first edition of the English Scriptures ever
printed in his native country, was
passing through the press in London "before or at the very
time that he was receiving at Vilvorde
the crown of martyrdom."
It seemed as if all who had been concerned in this first
translation of the English Scriptures from
the original tongues were to be admitted to the glory of martyrdom, for
John Fryth, who had
yielded
some assistance in the work, was afterwards burnt to death in Smithfield; and
William Roye, who had
at one time been Tyndale's amanuensis, was put to death in
Portugal on a charge of heresy. Although
the enemies of the truth thus succeeded in removing the translators from the
earth, their efforts to
suppress the translation, by destroying all the printed copies, were utterly
unavailing. On one occa-
sion Sir Thomas More, who was then chancellor,
inquired of an individual who was suffering imprison-
ment for conscience sake, how Tyndale subsisted abroad, and who were the
persons in London that
abetted and supported him: the prisoner replied, that it was the Bishop of London who maintained
him by sending a sum of money to buy up the impression of his New
Testament. The chancellor
admitted the truth of the statement, and suffered the man
to escape."--1860 S. Bagster [Info only]
"COVERDALE'S
VERSION of the entire Scriptures was published in 1535: it
was printed on the
continent, but at what place is uncertain. In producing this version,
Coverdale, by his
individual
energy, accomplished what the combined efforts of the king, of the two Houses
of Convocation, and of
Archbishop Cranmer, had been unable to effect; for in 1533 an edition of the
complete English Bible
had been resolved upon, and actually commenced by Cranmer, but the attempt
proved utterly abortive.
In his preface, Coverdale states that he had used five different
Latin and "Douche" (or
German)
versions in the formation of his own. It is also
certain from internal evidences that he availed
himself largely of the labours of Tyndale. "His style," observes Scrivener, "is
vigorous; the
renderings of particular texts are very perspicuous, though they are often
questionable and diffuse;
while an air of freshness and novelty pervades the volume, since no one of
our translators has ventured
on such bold interpretation as Coverdale, and but little of his peculiar
diction was adopted by those
who followed him." This translation, happily, was regarded with
favour by Henry VIII., and was
the first English Bible allowed by royal authority. This capricious
monarch further directed, in 1536,
that a copy of the whole Bible in Latin and in English should be laid in the
choir of every church
throughout the realm, "for every man that would, to look
and read therein.""--1860 S. Bagster [Info
only: Beware of any Latin Vulgate readings even in the NT; See 1911.]
"MATTHEW'S
BIBLE was edited by John
Rogers, the ardent friend
of Tyndale, and the proto-
martyr of Mary's reign. The whole of the New, and the first part of the Old Testament, as
far as the
end of the Second of Chronicles, was merely a reprint of Tyndale's
version with a few orthographical
alterations. Tyndale had also translated a number of
chapters from the Prophetical Books, which had
been printed along with the New Testament. These Rogers
inserted, and the portions which Tyndale
had left untranslated he supplied from Coverdale's version. The
printers, Grafton and Whitchurch,
bore unaided the entire expense of the publication of this work; and from prudential motives Rogers
affixed to it the fictitious name of Thomas Matthew. It was printed in
folio in 1537, probably at
Marlborow in Hesse. It is remarkable that up to the day of its
arrival in London, the very existence
of this Bible was unknown to Henry and his
ministers. During the previous ten years this version
had been denounced and proscribed; the copies
surreptitiously imported into England had been
searched for and burnt; even the persons by whom they had been read had been
committed to the
flames, and, only the year previously, the translator himself had been put to
death; and yet,
no sooner was the entire version, "the desire of Tyndale's
heart," printed for the first time in one
volume and sent to England, than the hearts of those who had
heretofore been persecutors were over-
ruled to receive and sanction it. The volume received the royal
license, and enactments were forth-
with issued commanding the clergy to place copies in all the churches that
the parishioners might
obtain constant access to them." --1860 S. Bagster [Info
only:
Coverdale's OT section had used the Latin Vulgate.]
"CRANMER'S
GREAT BIBLE (so called from its
containing a prologue by Archbishop Cranmer,
as well as from its size) is a revision of Matthew's
Bible. The edition was commenced at Paris, where
the paper was better and cheaper, and the workmen more skilful, than in
England. But before the
work could be completed at press, the Inquisition
interfered, and the edition, consisting of 2500 copies,
was seized and condemned to the flames. Some
copies, however, were rescued and brought to
England; the French printers were prevailed upon to bring their types and
presses to London, and
the edition was completed under the correction and revision of Coverdale in
1539."--1860 S. Bagster [Info only:
"Thru the Vulgate several additions were made"..."unpopular w/ the reformers"
per HSM]
"TAVERNER'S
BIBLE is likewise a revision of Matthew's Bible, edited, as the name imports, by
Richard Taverner.
It appeared in folio in 1549, and was dedicated to the king."--1860
S. Bagster [Info only: See Matthew's Bible.]
"THE GENEVA VERSION of the
Bible is a revision of Tyndale's version, executed after the
immortal work of Tyndale had been again diligently compared with the
Hebrew and
Greek texts. It
was usual to ascribe this translation to the principal reformers who had
taken refuge in Geneva during
the persecutions of Mary. Anderson, however, has shown
that so far from this version being the
collective work of several individuals, the New Testament
can in all probability be correctly attributed
only to one individual, the Rev. William Whittingham, afterwards dean of
Durham; while in the
translation of the Old Testament, the names of Gilby and Sampson only are to
be associated with that
of Whittingham. The Old Testament appeared in 1540. The New
Testament was published at
Geneva in 1557, and is the
first in our language which contains the distinction of verses by
numerical figures."--1860 S. Bagster [Info only:
1560 Bible.]
"ARCHBISHOP
PARKER'S OR THE BISHOPS' BIBLE was completed in 1568, after having been
in course of preparation during three years. Several individuals were
engaged in the work, for the
Bible was divided into at least fourteen different portions, each of which
was allotted to persons
of learning and ability: eight of the individuals who thus took part in the
revision were bishops;
hence the edition is generally known as the "Bishops'
Bible." Archbishop
Parker, the promoter of
this revision, employed other critics to compare the version with the sacred
texts, and he directed and
reviewed the whole work himself. His object in setting forth this
edition was, not to produce a new
version, but to test and correct Cranmer's Bible, the translation then
commonly in use, by a critical
examination of the inspired originals. This Bible was in 1571
appointed to be used in churches, and
for forty years it continued to be the Church version, although the Geneva Bible was more generally
used in private houses. A reprint of the Bishops' Bible,
published in 1572 in large folio, with cor-
rections and prolegomena, is commonly called "Matthew
Parker's Bible.""--1860 S. Bagster [Info only: See
Cranmer's Bible.]
"KING JAMES'S BIBLE, as
our present authorised version is sometimes called, was commenced
with the sanction of that monarch in the year 1604. It was
undertaken on account of several objections
having been made to the Bishops' Bible at the Conference
held at Hampton Court during the
preceding year. Fifty-four men,
selected on account of their eminent classical attainments, were
appointed to execute the work; but from death, or some other cause, only
forty-seven eventually
engaged in it. They were divided into six companies, to each of whom a
separate portion was assigned.
They met periodically, for the purpose of conferring on the result of their
individual labours; and at
these meetings, says Selden, "one read the translation, the
rest holding in their hands some Bible,
either of the learned tongues, or French, Spanish, Italian, etc. If
they found any fault, they spoke;
if not, he read on." The basis of the excellent version thus
produced still continued to be Tyndale's;
for, according to the directions given them at the outset, the translators
followed the Bishops' Bible
(which, as we have shewn, was based on that of Tyndale) as closely as the
original would permit; but
they compared it with the early editions of Tyndale's version, and with Coverdale's, Matthew's,
Cranmer's, Taverner's, and the Genevan Bibles, and adopted from each
the renderings which were
the most faithful to the sacred text. Our present authorised version,
therefore , so far from being a
new translation, was a compilation from previous
translations; but its inestimable value arises from
the fact, that it is a compilation founded on a collation with the original
Scriptures, conducted by men
duly qualified for so momentous an undertaking. And it may be said to
be, on the whole, the best
substitute there is for the Hebrew and
Greek originals. It was commenced
in the spring of the year
1607, and was completed at press in 1611. Selden, Lowth, Horsley,
Middleton, and other learned
men who have critically examined this Bible, bear testimony to its great
excellence. Dr. Adam Clarke
justly remarks, that "the translators have seized the very
spirit and soul of the original;" and that, of
all European translations, King James's version is "the
most accurate and faithful." Although this
precious volume bears the name of
King James, we are
not indebted to him even for pecuniary aid in
its production. Its publication was a mere business transaction; the
entire expenses of the work were
undertaken by Robert Barker, patentee of the office of king's printer, and it
was printed and published
by him as a speculation in trade. This Bible of 1611
is, with some trifling emendations and ortho-
graphical alterations, the Bible of all who use the English language
at the present day.
It must be observed, however, that the Roman
Catholics have a version of their own, which is in
general use among them in preference to ours. Their version of the New Testament was printed at
Rheims in 1582, and that of the Old Testament at Douay in 1609-10. The
real character and object
of this version can only be learned from the preface and notes: the text does
not contain many real
departures from the Vulgate, although a
studied obscurity involves the entire diction. A great
number
of Greek words, such as azymes, pasche, etc., are left untranslated, for the
purpose, no doubt, of mis-
leading and perplexing common readers. And the notes breathe such a
spirit of treason, and such
a recklessness of assertion, that now they are commonly omitted in reprints.
The text has been
frequently revised and printed for distribution among Roman Catholics,
and from time to time it has
been rendered more and more conformable to our own authorised text.
The Socinians have also a version of the
New Testament: it was published in London in 1808,
by anonymous editors, professedly on the basis of Archbishop Newcome's
translation; but his authority
is disregarded in all passages where their peculiar sentiments can be
obtruded.
Several translations of portions of the Scriptures have been
executed in English since the year
1611; but our venerable authorised version has not
hitherto, in whole or in part, been superseded by
any. Passing over the translations of Bellamy
and Geddes, which are too extravagant to deserve
mention, several translations of particular books of Scripture by Lowth,
Newcome [CT], Horsley, Lee,
Henderson and others, might be enumerated; yet these can scarcely be called
versions in the popular
sense of the term, being adapted rather for the learned than for the people.
At the present time, there
are associations established in America for the revision of King James's Bible, to meet the
pretended
wants of the Christian public there. But judging from the specimens
put forth by those associations,
the Authorised Version has nothing to fear. It rises
high above the cavil of all its assailants in dignity
and in force of language: in beauty of expression, and in an easy and free
flow of words, to which no
other version can aspire. We notice also a
similar movement in this country, raised by persons who
are little aware of what they desire, in wishing for a new
version of the Bible. All our version requires
is to be carefully revised, in order to fit it
for public reading, leaving the frame and body of the whole
work untouched." --1860 S. Bagster [Info only:
The KJV only needs to be carefully read, studied, believed, and obeyed!]
|
