The Leavenworth weekly times., 1877-11-01

..Then sal relief from the bleak cO3st that
hears IN e German Ocean roar.
ID. .ep. blooming, strong and yeilow-haired,
Tie blue-eyeJ Saxon came
The Britons were soon over
powered; some OF them fed west; some Of
them, il Is supposed, abandoned their native
country altogether. The remainder, with
ont distinction OF rank or sex, were, with
/ their lands, divided among the conquerors,
and Were assimiiated into the Anglo-Saxon
race, and they became one people with one
language. Ibis language was the founda-
! ton OF our language, but would De alto
gether uninteiiigiDie to you and me. Into
this language, Bede-Venerable Bede-
translated the Psalms and the Gospel Of
John, finishing his labors on the day of his
death, in the year .35 \. ID.
After him, Alfred, the most distinguished
of the West Saxon kings, who drew to his
court learned men from other parts OF Eu-
rope, and translated several important
works into his own language, and thus gave
it character, translated portions of the Old
Testament, and was engaged on the Palms
at the time of his death, in the wear 9Ol.
The Anglo-Saxon language was still fur
ther modified by the Northmen, who for
three centuries harassed the Anglo-Saxons,
and. at one time, held the government for a
short time. During this time, there is no
account OF any further attempt at translat-
ing the Bible.
In the year loco, A. d., William, Duke
of Normandy, from the northwestern part
OF France, having landed with an army of
60,G00 men, at the battle of Hastings, killed
Harold, the king, and defeated his army,
and put an end to the Anglo-Saxon dynas-
ltx- Hr- .nllaw.r- iaH tv the
principal Offices OF trust, and by the estates
of the nobility. As result, their Ian
guage, the Norman-French, became the
principal language OF the superior classes
OF society For three centuries, the two
languages were gradually intermixed, the
Angio-Saxon gaining somewhat the ascen-
dency. Into this resulting language, the
celebrated John Wicklifie, who has been
called the morning star of the re 'ormation,' y
translated the whole Bible, finishing his
work some time before his death, which took
place in 1894. This was the first whole
Bible translated into the English language,
and it. too, would be almost uninteliigible
TO you and me.
| Wicliffe was not sufficiently acquainted
with the Hebrew or Greek languages TO be
able TO translate from them, but translated
1
this was before the discovery Of the art OF
printing, very few copies of this version
were produced, and these were so rare that
a copy of the New Testament was worth 4
sum equivalent in value TO 300 at pres
ent. 1t was 40 offensive to those who were
disposed to take away the key Of knowledge
that a bill was introduced into the House
of Lords in 1890 for the purpose OF sup
i Vl,,I- - \ sLA
Kings uncle, made an earnest appeal in Its
favor, saying: "We will not be the dregs,
seeing other nations have the law of God
which is the law Of our faith written in
| their own language" Others seconded
his efforts and the bill was defeated. After
wards, however, this book was prescribed.
1t was decreed in a convOcation held by
Archbishop Aomsdel at Oxford, That no
one should translate any text Of Holy Scrip
ture into English by way OF book or little
book or tract; and that no book of this
kind should be read, that was composed
lately in the time OF Wicliffe or since his
death" This led to persecution, and many
were punished severely, and some even with
death for reading the scriptures in English.
-(Lewis History, p. 1-l0.)
The next version we are called to notice
is that of William Tyndaie. lie transla-
ted the first parts of the English Bible
which were printed The first book of any
kind printed in the English language was
issued in Ii7l by William Caxton. About
half century after this, Tyndale removed
to Antwerp IN Flanders and by the aid of
John Fry, who was burnt at the stake in
Smithfield in 1552, and of a iriar named
William Rove, who also suffered death be-
cause he was charged with heresy, he trans
lated the New Testament from the original
Greek into English, and published it in the
year I5-G
Several editions were issued in Eol-
land, some Of which were imported into
England and burnt. Portions Of the Old
Testament followed shortly aiterward, and
met with the same fierce opposition from the
Komish church.
In 1884 he was seized ard imprisoned by
King Henry WILL. and after confinement
of year and hall, he was condemned TO
death by the emperors decree and was
strangled soon after near Brussels, and his
body reduced to ashes. He expired pray
ing repeatedly and earnestly, Lord Open
the King of England's Eyes"
In the next thirty years there were no
less than four versions of the Bible transla-
ted and published in the English language,
by Miles Coverdale, Archbishop Cranmer,
John Calvin, and Archbishop Parker. In
deed some writers speak OF other copies than
these as produced during these year. Dur
ing these wears now Romanism and now
Professionalism was the religion Of the crown.
Henry VIII, who. by his zeal for Roman
ism had won for himself the title, The De
fender of the Faith" in his later years
established the Anglican church. or the es-
tabished church Of England. as a compro-
mise between Romanism and Protestantism,
Il e mother church from which our REFORM
ed churches have sprung.
Miles Coverdale dedicated his Bible to
the every man who had secured the death
of William Tyndale His son, Edward VI,
was a warm friend of the Reformation, He
reigned for but five years, and was succeed
ed by Queen Mary often called Bloody Mary,
bigoted Romanist. John Rogers, and
and Bishops Ridley. Lalimer and Cranmer
and hundreds of others suffered martyrdom
during her short reign of five years. With
her died the cause of Popery in England as
a dominant power.
About this time Romish version Of the |
Bible was published in England, the |
New Testament in 1882, and the Old |
Testament in 1909 at Douay.
The only other translation of the Bible |
that We need mention is the one now in Use,
commonly called King James, Bible. He |
succeeded to the throne in 1902, and mas
much as the Bishops Bible so called be-
cause it had been prepared byeight Bishops |
was imperfect, he gave orders in 1908 for
the undertaking of a new translation, and
ffty-four men were appointed TO this i'm
portant labor. But before the work had
actually been commenced seven Of these
were either dead or had declined the task
tor the list as given by Fuller, comprises
but forty-seven names. All of these, how
ever, were pre-eminently distinguished for
piety and for profound learning in the orig
NAL languages of the sacred writings. They
were divided into six classes and TO each of
these certain portion of the Scriptures
were given. Letters were sent by all the
Bishops to the clergy under their care. di-
recting all who had skill in languages to
send their observations to these seyeral |