Flemish Bible History (3)

**List: Flemish Ministry

the Bible ( de Bijbel )
Flemish...
FLEMISH.

"I.--GEOGRAPHICAL EXTENT AND STATISTICS.

FLEMISH, though merely a dialectic variety of the Dutch, is entitled to prior consideration on
account of its being the older dialect of the two.   It is spoken in East and West Flanders, in Antwerp,
and in part of Limburg, the collective population of which, according to the latest census (1856), exceeds
2,000,000.   It is also spoken in the arrondissements of Brussels and Louvain, in Brabant, and even in
parts of the neighbouring departments of France.   In the other provinces of the kingdom of Belgium,
(namely, Liege, Namur, Hainault, part of Luxemburg, and the arrondissement of Nivelles in Brabant,)
Walloon, which is derived from the French of the thirteenth century, is spoken.   German is exten-
sively spoken in portions of Luxemburg and Limburg; but Modern French is the language of the
court, of the legislature, and of general literature, throughout Belgium.   It is extensively cultivated by
the educated classes, and, even in the proper Flemish provinces, all government notices are drawn up
in French as well as in Flemish.   The dominant religion in Belgium is Roman Catholicism: during
the frightful persecutions of the Duke of Alva, under Philip II. of Spain, the Protestants of Belgium,
having no alternative between recantation and martyrdom, fled the country; and it was not until the
period of the French revolution that Protestantism was even tolerated.

II.--CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LANGUAGE.

   One language, sometimes called the Belgic, a branch of the Platt-Deutsch, or Low German, was
originally common to the people of Holland and Belgium.   It was introduced into this country by
various Germanic tribes, among whom may be mentioned as the most remarkable the Batavi, celebrated
as the brave allies of the Romans, and the Saxons and Salian Franks, who, on the fall of the Roman
empire, dispossessed the Batavi, and established themselves in their territories.   The Belgæ, from whom
the whole country received its ancient denomination, are by some regarded as a Celtic, and by others
as a Germanic, race; while others contend that they were a mixed race of borderers.   It is, however,
generally admitted that the present language of the Netherlands results from the coalescence of the
petty dialects of numerous tribes of Germanic extraction, among whom the country was subdivided.
In the thirteenth century, the language then predominant in Holland as well as in Flanders received
the appellation of Flemish on account of the flourishing state of the Flemings, and the superior diction
and grammatical accuracy of their writers; and by this name it continued to be frequently designated,
until the language we now call the Dutch, from being a mere provincial dialect of the Flemish,
acquired the dignity of a written and polished tongue.   "Even at the present day," says a recent
writer, "Flemish appears nothing more than the Dutch of the preceding century."   Flemish differs
from Dutch chiefly in orthography and pronunciation; and owing, perhaps, to the great ascendancy
of the French language in Belgium, it has adopted many French words.

III.--VERSIONS OF THE SCRIPTURES IN THIS LANGUAGE.

   Brandt, in his History of the Reformation, speaks of certain Protestants in the Netherlands
turning the Scriptures into Low Dutch rhymes, in the early part of the thirteenth century, "according
to the custom of these ages, and in imitation of the Old Germans, who used to record their most
memorable transactions in verse."   A prose version of the Scriptures is also said to have been
executed about the year 1300, and Le Long gives the following short list of ancient MSS.:--

  1. Pentateuch, Joshua, Judges, four Books of Kings, Tobit, Daniel, Judith, Esdras, Esther, and
    Maccabees, in Belgic; folio.   In the Colbert Library.
  2. Four Gospels, written 1472.   In the Bodleian Library.
  3. Epistles of Paul, the Acts, and the Apocalypse; also in the Bodleian Library.
  4. Apocalypse in the Brabant (or Flemish) language.   In the Basle Library.

   The first printed edition of the Belgic, or Flemish, Bible appears to have been that published in
two volumes folio, at Delft, in 1477, and again at Gouda, in folio, in 1479.   It is unknown when the
translation was executed; Le Long says, that the text is the same as that of 1300.   It is evidently
translated from the Latin Vulgate, and the Gouda edition of 1479 contains several fabulous narratives
intermixed with the text.   Other editions were printed at Antwerp in 1518 and 1525.
   In 1526 another translation of the Scriptures into Belgic was made by several learned men, whose
names, unfortunately, have not been transmitted to us, and was published at Antwerp.   It seems to
have been collated with such parts of Luther's version as had then been published; and in later
editions was rendered still more conformable to that celebrated version.   The printer, Jacob {a-} Lies-
veldt, published several successive editions of this Belgic translation at Antwerp, but he was at last
condemned and beheaded, because, in the annotations of one of his Bibles, he had said that "the
salvation of mankind proceeds from Christ alone."
   The next edition was that of the Old Testament by William Vosterman, who represented it as
having been printed from a very carefully corrected translation of the Latin text; but Le Long says,
that "it sometimes departs from Luther's version, and in other cases follows it."   The Old Testament
was published at Antwerp, in folio, in 1528, and the New Testament in 1531, and again in 1533.

   This edition was followed by others, almost too numerous to be here specified.   Many of these
editions were afterwards prohibited by the Inquisition, and their continued publication was suspended
by the edict of Charles V. in 1546, which ordered that "none should presume to print any books
unless they first obtained from the emperor a license for exercising the trade of a printer, &c., on pain
of death."   It was, however, found impossible to withhold the Scriptures from the people, and certain
divines of the University of Louvain took upon themselves the task of revising and correcting the
Belgic version according to the last revision of the Latin Vulgate.   Nicholas von Wingh, a regular
canon of Louvain, was the principal conductor of this work; an edition of the whole Bible was
published by him and his assistants, in folio, at Louvain and Cologne, in 1548.   This version was
examined and approved by learned doctors of the faculty of theology of Louvain, deputed by Charles;
and it was published under the sanction of that emperor.
   After numerous editions of this version had been issued at Antwerp, it was revised and corrected by
the doctors of Louvain, according to the text of the Vulgate, as revised by order of Pope Clement VIII.
This revised translation was printed at the celebrated Plantin press, at Antwerp, in 1599; again at
Cologne in 1604, and at Antwerp in 1626: and it may, perhaps, be regarded as the standard Flemish
version.
   Several other revised editions of this version followed.   In 1717 another version of the Belgic
Scriptures was published, with short notes on difficult passages, by Ægidius Wit, a Ghent divine.
This version chiefly follows the Vulgate, but in certain parts the original texts have been consulted:
the idiom in which it is written is that of the provinces of Flanders and Brabant.
   About the same time another translation of the Belgic Bible was commenced by Andrew
Scurrius of Gorcum, licentiate of the University of Louvain.   Two volumes were printed at Utrecht
in 1715-1717: but the death of the translator in 1719 put an end to the work, when he had carried
it only as far as the Second Book of Kings.   It is said to be in the purest dialect of the Flemish.
   Several other translations of the whole, or parts, of the Scriptures into Flemish might be
enumerated, but little is known concerning them beyond the mere name of the translator, and date
of execution.   In 1689-90 a Flemish version was published at Emmerick, which had been made by
Andrew Vander Schuren, from the French edition of Mons, the first edition of De Sacy's French
version.   This version went through several editions at Emmerick and at Antwerp.   Another
Flemish translation according to the Vulgate was printed at Antwerp in 1717, and again at Utrecht
in 1718.   This is the last Flemish version mentioned by Le Long.
   In 1820, in accordance with the wishes of the people, permission was given by the Archbishop
of Malines to an individual to print an edition of the Flemish New Testament, translated by Maurentorf,
without note or comment, for the use of the Roman Catholics; and it was at the same time stated that
no such edition had been printed since the year 1717.   The edition sanctioned by the archbishop
appeared at Brussels about the year 1821; and an edition of the whole Bible was printed at the same
time from the Louvain edition of 1599.   This latter edition found a wide circulation, the Bible
having, from the scarcity of copies, become almost an unknown book in the Flemish provinces.   It
does not appear that the British and Foreign Bible Society granted any assistance in the publication
of this edition; but owing to its favourable reception, an edition consisting of 2656 copies was printed,
by order, it is generally supposed, of that Society at Brussels in 1825.   It was printed from the
Antwerp edition of the Flemish Testament published in 1717, and in the same 12mo. form.   Owing
however to the overthrow of the Orange family, and the consequent increased influence of the priests,
this edition remained very much as a dead stock upon the hands of the Society, until the arrival of
Mr. W. P. Tiddy in the country about the year 1833.   Affected with the state of Belgium, and its
awful destitution of the Scriptures, he made several applications for small supplies in French and
Flemish, which were cheerfully granted.   At length, in 1835, he was invited to settle at Brussels as
the agent of the Society, when he very soon disposed of the remaining copies of the Flemish Testament.
A second edition of the Flemish Testament, of 8000 copies, was printed under his superintendence

at Brussels in 1837, followed by a third edition of the Testament, and an edition of the entire Bible.
Another edition (of 5000 copies) of the Flemish Testament issued from the Brussels press in 1854.
The total number of copies issued by the Society up to the beginning of 1860 have been 5000 Bibles,
and 78,750 Testaments.
   The active agency of Mr. Tiddy on the Bible Society's behalf-- extended over a period of above
eighteen years (1835 to 1854)--has been productive of highly important results in connexion with the
distribution of the Word of God.   Besides the central depository at Brussels, depositories for the sale of
the Scriptures have been opened at Amsterdam and Cologne, and the total issue of copies of the
Scriptures from these three depôts, for the supply of Belgium, Holland, and Northern Germany, in the
respective languages vernacular to each, amounted up to the commencing portion of the year 1854 to
the extraordinary number of 899,568 volumes.   Since Mr. Tiddy's retirement from this post, in 1854,
the separate agencies have been maintained, and with a like measure of success."--The Bible of Every Land. (1860, Second Edition)   Samuel Bagster   [Info only: W. P. Tiddy?]

FLEMISH.   [BRUSSELS.]--1860   S. Bagster   [Info only: "1838" John 1:1-14 {correct eenig-geboren = "only begotten" @ 3:14}.]

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