Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1851-05-01
From the Commonwealth.
The Bible.

, tant history, and inner strains OF poetry ana elo
quence, than can be collected from all other books
: in whatever age or language they may have beer
written"
The New Testament was first translated into
the English language by Wickliffe, about the yeal
1890 The next translation was by William Tyn.
dal who was educated at Oxford and early EN-.
braced the doctrines of the reformation. Having
by his opinions subjected himself to the censures
of the church, he secluded himself from public OBJ
servation in the house of an alderman in London,
and devoted himself to the translation of the New
Testament into English. But England being at
that time, no safe place for such labour he with
drew to Antwerpt where with the assistance of two
others, friar by the name of Roger and John Fry,
he completed the work, and had it printed in that
city in 1926; 8 10 and without a name. The
greater part of the work was sent to England
There it had wonderful spread among the peo-
pie, but was so dstasteful to the Church Dignita-
ries, especially the Bishops, that they complained
of it to the King, (Henry VIII,) who issued a
proclamation calling in all the copies in June 1880
at the same time promising more correct transla-
ton should be published. But the curiosity of the
people was excited, and five successive editions
were printed in Holland, to supply their wants.
The Bishops bought up and burned all they could
lay their hands on, but many copies were privately
circulated and dispersed among acquaintances and
! friends. Tmdal was still engaged in transating
the Old Testament, and in want of money, which
Bishops Warham and Tunstall especially, unwit-
tingly supplied him with in purchasing so large a
portion of his work for the flames He did not,
however, live to complete the work, having been
burnt at the stake, as hereto at Augsburgh. in
1886
Archbishop Cranmer reviewed and corrected
this translation and hence it was sometimes called
Cranmer's bible. This bible was reprinted in
English with this title The Holy Bible, which is
all the Holy Scriptures in which are contained the
Olde and Newe Testament truelye and purelye
translated into English, by Thomas Mathew
This was fictitious name, but the Bible was hence
often called Matthew's Bible.
Cranmer sent portions of the work, as he reyis-
ed it, to many of the learned men of his day, for
with the exception of the Acts of the Apostles.
which had been entrusted to Stokesly, Bishop of
London who wrote thus to Cranmer, I" | marvel
what my Lord of Canterbury meaneth, that he
thus abuseth the people, in giving them liberty to
read the Scriptures, which doth nothing else but
infect them heresy. | have bestowed never an
hour upon my portion, nor ever will. And there
fore, my Lord shall have this book again, for |
Will never be guilty of bringing the simple people
into error''
When Cranmer expressed his surprise (says
Strype in his life of Cranmer) at the conduct of
Stokesy, he was replied to by Mr. Thomas Law
ney. 81 can tell your Grace, why my Lord of
London will not bestow any labor or pains this
way. Your Grace knoweth well, that his portion
is piece of the New Testament: but he being
persuaded that Christ has bequeathed him nothing
IN his testament, thought it mere madness to bes-
tow any labor or pains where no gain was to be
gotten And besides this, it is the Acts of the A.
postels, who were simple poor fellows, and there
fore my Lord of London disdained to have anything
to do with any of them"
But Bishop Stokesly was hot singular in his
ideas of Scripture reading In the latter part of
the reign of Henry VIII, the Bible was prohibited
by statute to be read in any English church, and
the reading thereof in English was prohibited also
to all women, aItfcers, apprentices, journeymen,
sowlngmen, husbandmen or laboureres
The next edition was called the Geneva Bible. |
The translators were Coverdale, Goodman, Gilby. |
and several others, all of them exiles from their
native country, during the reign of Queen Mary.
This was the first Bible printed with numerical
verses and was published in 1857
Complaint having been made of this translation
Archbishop Parker projected new one, committed
its execution to the dgntaries of the Church from
whence it was called the Bishops Bible 1t was
printed in folio in 1861 with maps and cuts
Our edition of the English Bible which has been
the standard now for upwards of three hundred
years, succeeded the Bishops Bible.
Of this translation, DR.. Adam Clarke, one ofthe
best nguists and most learned commentators of the
18th century, remarks: " Those who have COM
pared most OF the European translations with the
orlgmal have not scrupled to say that the English
Of the Bible, made under The direction
Of King James L., is the most accurate and faitl-
full Of the whole. Nor is this its only praise; the
translators have seized the very spirit and soul
Of the original and expressed this almost every.
ybara with natbos md pnaryy Rasidoc o,r tron.