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"III.--VERSIONS OF THE SCRIPTURES IN THIS LANGUAGE.
Dr. Buchanan, who visited the
Syrian Christians of Malayala in the
beginning of the present
century, found that several attempts had been made by them at different
times, though without
success, to effect a translation of the Scriptures into Malayalim,
their vernacular language. At the
suggestion of Dr. Buchanan the design was at length carried into execution,
and the [respect]able bishop
Mar Dionysius engaged to superintend the translation. On his second
visit to Travancore in 1807,
Dr. Buchanan had the gratification to find that the version of the Four
Gospels had been completed by
Timapah Pillay, and Rembar, a catanar or priest of the
Syrian church, under the
direction of the arch-
bishop. The translation had been made from the
excellent Tamul version of
Fabricius, and an edition
of 5000 copies of these Gospels was printed soon afterwards at Bombay, at the
expense of the British
and Foreign Bible Society. Timapah Pillay was subsequently placed
under the superintendence of the
Rev. Mr. Thompson at Madras, in order to complete the translation of the New
Testament from the
version of Fabricius, and he
accomplished the work in 1813.
Inquiries, however, instituted by Mr. Thompson among persons
versed in the language, soon con-
vinced him that this version, originally intended for the Syrian Church, was
not calculated for general
circulation. It was found to abound with words familiar to the Syrian
Christians, but almost unintel-
ligible to other classes of the Malayalim population. An entirely new
translation was accordingly
projected without delay, and Timapah Pillay was sent to the coast of Malabar
for the immediate
commencement of it, under the superintendence of a gentleman well qualified
for the undertaking.
The progress of the work was retarded by the opposition of the Catholic
archbishop of Cranganore, and
by various other obstacles, and when at length completed it was still found
open to the same objections
that had been brought against the original translation. It appeared in
fact, on farther investigation,
that the language of Malabar varies so much from the purer dialect spoken in
Travancore, as to
render two separate versions desirable, if not indispensable, for the
respective parts of the country.
Mr. Spring, chaplain at Tellicherry, therefore proposed to
enter upon a complete revision of Timapah
Pillay's version, so as to render it acceptable to the
natives of Malabar; while Mr. Bailey, who was
stationed at Cottayam, engaged to execute a new translation for the
benefit of the inhabitants of
Travancore. Mr. Spring was assisted by two learned
natives who translated from Dr. Carey's
Sanscrit
New Testament: their work was afterwards submitted to a committee of natives
all versed in Sanscrit,
and one of them acquainted both with
English and
Tamul, while Mr. Spring had before him
the
Greek text and various critical
works. Mr. Bailey was assisted in his translation by the catanars
and
nairs of the Syrian Church: it
was executed partly in the peculiar idiom of the Syrian Christians, and
partly in a medium style adapted for general usefulness. It was
finished in 1819, and on being sub-
mitted to the Madras Translation Committee was preferred to the purer Malayalim version executed
by Mr. Spring.
In consequence of the great anxiety manifested by the Syrian
metropolitan, his clergy, and people,
to obtain some portion of the Scriptures in their vernacular language, an
edition of Mr. Bailey's version,
to consist of 5000 copies, was commenced at Cottayam, at the expense of the
Madras Bible Society.
The Gospel of St. Luke, the first portion printed, was completed at press in
1827; other portions
followed, and in the year 1830 the whole of the New Testament had been
printed. This edition was
printed with types cast for the purpose by Mr. Bailey: he had never even seen
a type foundry or its
apparatus, but derived all his information from books, and had no assistants
but a common carpenter
and two silversmiths, yet his success was complete. The translation of
the Old Testament was like-
wise completed by Mr. Bailey in 1830, and this work was submitted to a sub-
committee, formed in
1832 in connection with the Madras Bible Society, for the publication of a
Malayalim version of the
Old Testament. About the same period an edition of 3000 copies of the
Psalms was begun at press:
the translation had been made by the Rev. T. Norton, and revised by the Rev.
H. Baker. In 1834
an edition of 5000 copies of the Gospels and Acts, with 2000 separate copies
of St. Luke and the Acts,
was printed in London with types belonging to the Church My. Society, and at
the expense of
the British and Foreign Bible Society. The edition was carried through
the press by Mr. Bailey, the
translator, who had been compelled to visit England on account of his health.
On returning to
Cottayam, he took with him the entire edition for distribution, together with
a supply of paper for
printing the remainder of the New Testament at the mission-press.
Complete editions of both the Old and New Testaments in
Malayalim have since issued from the
Cottayam press, besides large numbers of particular portions of the
Scriptures. The version previously
in current use was, however, admitted to stand in need of farther revision,
and a publishing committee
was appointed, a few years since, for the purpose. The duty undertaken
by this committee has since
made steady advance, and it is stated in the Bible Society's Report for 1860,
that the task is com-
pleted. The entire Malayalim Scriptures, in this revised form, are now
ready for the press."--The Bible of Every Land. (1860, Second Edition)
Samuel Bagster [Info only]
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