Xhosa Bible History (3)

**List: Xhosa Ministry **List: Zulu Ministry Bible ( weBhaybhile ) Xhosa... CAFFRE, OR KAFIR. "II.--CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LANGUAGE.    There are certain peculiarities which distinguish Caffre and its cognate languages from all other known languages: these peculiarities consist in the system of prefixes and the alliterative concord,-- ingenious contrivances, by means of which the whole machinery of declension and conjugation is almost exclusively conducted.   The prefixes are inseparably connected with the nouns; verbs, adverbs, and other parts of speech, becoming nouns on receiving these adjuncts.   Nouns seldom appear without prefixes; in fact, if divested of them, they are as incomplete as a Greek crude root, such as τυπ-, λογ-, with the non-radical part omitted.   Hence the prefix is joined even to foreign words received into the language, and such forms as umpriest, umpharisee, are frequently to be met with.   .... Zonke iziuto ezilungileyo zivela ku-Tixo: All good things proceed from God. Baza bapendula bonke abantu bati: Then answered all the people, and said, [And more....]"--The Bible of Every Land. (1860, Second Edition)   Samuel Bagster   [Info only] "III.--VERSIONS OF THE SCRIPTURES IN THIS LANGUAGE.    This language was reduced to writing by the Rev. W. B. Boyce, a Wesleyan my., author of the first Caffre grammar; but the first books of elementary and Scriptural instruction in Caffre were printed by the agents of the Glasgow My. Society.   A translation of the Scriptures was commenced in the year 1830 by three Wesleyan mies., the Rev. William Shaw, the Rev. W. J. Shrewsbury, and the Rev. W. B. Boyce; and in the course of four years a version of the Old and New Testaments was completed, by the united labour of these individuals.   This translation, how- ever, formed but the basis of that eventually published, for it was subjected to repeated revisions: all the Wesleyan mies. in South Africa co- operated in emending and improving it, and not a page was suffered to be printed till its correctness had been tested by competent native authorities.   The revision, thus laboriously conducted, delayed the publication of the work: a few detached portions were issued at intervals from the press, but it was not till 184l that the complete version of the New Testament was published.   The edition consisted of 500 copies, and was printed at the Wesleyan Mission press.    The zeal of the Wesleyan mies. in removing every inaccuracy from their version did not cease with its publication.   The translation had been drawn partly from the English version, partly from Bloomfield's Greek New Testament: it was again rigorously compared with the original; the occasional labours of twelve mies. were bestowed on the work of revision; and during several years one my. was annually set apart by the Wesleyan Society to devote his time and energies to the improvement of the Caffre text.   By these continuous efforts, a new and highly-improved trans- lation was gradually eliminated from the old; and at length, in 1845, the Caffre New Testament, having received all the emendations which advanced acquaintance with the language could suggest, was issued in an edition of 3000 copies from the Wesleyan Mission press.   The British and Foreign Bible Society contributed the munificent sum of £1000, besides several grants of paper, towards the translation of the "whole Bible" into this language: all the other expenses were borne by the Wesleyan My. Society.   The entire version of the New Testament is the work of Wesleyan mies., with the exception of the First and Second Epistles to the Corinthians, and the Epistles to the Galatians, Ephesians, and Hebrews, which were contributed by the Rev. Mr. Dohene, of the Berlin My. Society.   This version is used by the agents of the London, Glasgow, and German My. Societies, and by all mies. labouring among the Caffre tribes; it is, in fact, the only version of the Caffre New Testament in existence, no other translation having been made, except some portions executed by the Scotch mies.   The Gospel of St. Mark was printed at Cape Town, in 1841, by the Glasgow Society, and the Epistles to the Thessalonians, and perhaps to the Colossians, form the only other portions that have been published by the Scotch mies.    A new (and again carefully revised) edition of the Caffre New Testament, consisting of 2000 copies, was completed in 1854 at the Mount Coke Wesleyan mission- press, the British and Foreign Bible Society having liberally aided in its production by a grant of paper.   Another edition of 6000 copies has since been completed in England, at the sole charge of the British and Foreign Bible Society.   Meanwhile, the Wesleyan mies. stationed in Caffraria have been diligently proceeding with the translation of the Old Testament, many of the books of which have been issued in detached portions.   The entire Old Testament, in progress at the Mount Coke press from 1854 to 1859, was finished in the latter year, and has been issued in a complete form.   Throughout this work, a similar rigid process of revision to that adopted in the case of the New Testament has been followed.   The translation has been prepared from the Hebrew text of Van der Hooght, edited by Judah d’Allemand, and a rule was enforced, as in the case of the New Testament, to admit no rendering into the Caffre translation which does not occur either in the English, the Dutch, or the German versions.    Assistance has within a recent period been granted by the American Bible Society towards the task of preparing portions of the Scriptures for the use of the Zulu Caffres.   The Gospel of St. Matthew has been already translated and printed, and other portions of the Bible are in progress.   The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge have recently printed, at the request of the Bishop of Natal, a translation of the Acts of the Apostles into the Zulu language as spoken in the diocese of Natal.   The analogies between the dialect spoken by the Zulu Caffres and other members of the Caffre family are so great as to have raised the question whether one version may not serve for both people; and although the inquiries prosecuted by a committee appointed for the purpose by the Cape Town Auxiliary of the British and Foreign Bible Society lead to the conclusion that such a combination is impracticable at present, yet a strong impression as to its ultimate attainment is admitted to prevail. Other portions of the Bible, translated into the Zulu-Caffre dialect, are now in process of preparation by the Bishop of Natal."--The Bible of Every Land. (1860, Second Edition)   Samuel Bagster   [Info only] CAFFRE, OR KAFIR.--1860   S. Bagster   [Info only: n.d. John 1:1-14 unknown.] "IV.--RESULTS OF THE DISSEMINATION OF THIS VERSION.    In 1845, it was computed that at the various mission-stations established in Caffraria, there were at least 5000 or 6000 natives capable of reading the Word of God.   Within later years, education had made much progress among them, and both children and adults manifested increasing attachment to the Word of God.   [And more....]"--The Bible of Every Land. (1860, Second Edition)   Samuel Bagster   [Info only]

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