The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-06-23
IN scella1lenus.
OLD AND NEW.
The Different Versions of the Blble--TTsnslstiOns
and ReVlsiOns.

The Different Versions Of the Bible-TTanslatiOnS
and ReVlsiOns.
Lyman Abbott In the Christian Union.]
The first serious attempt to translate
the whole Bible into the English Ian.
guage was made by John Wickliffe,
secular priest, graduate Of Oxford,
man of austere life and manners, whose
teaching in denial Of many points of Ro-
man Catholic theology approached very
nearly that Of Luther and the other
Protestant reformers whom he preceded
a century and half. Although before
the days of printing, his translation ap.
pears to have been extensively CirCulat-
ed, and it was so highly valued that
sometimes a load of hay was exchanged
for few chapters of his work. His
translation, however, was made, not from
the original Greek, but from Il g Latin
translation, in common use in the Ro.
man Catholic church, known as the
Vulgate, made by Jerome in the fourth
century. A century and half later
William Tyndall undertook a new trans
lation of the New Testament, and his
was the first complete translation Of it
made from the Greek originals. Com.
PEELED by persecution to flee from Eng
land, he continued his labors abroad.
His first edition was bought up and pub
liCly burned by the Bishop of London.
The destruction was 80 complete that
only two copies of this version are now
known to exist; but the money from the
purchase found its way into Tyndall's
hands, who was thus able to provide a
new and mere perfect edition. He was
at length betrayed and put to death, but
his work not only survived him, but has
become the basis of all subsequent trans.
lstions. With that inconsistency which
marked the character of Henry Eighth,
he who had sought by every means in
his power to extirpate TyndalPs version
and compass the death Of Tyndsll, de-
manded of the English clergy that they
furnish the people with an English Bi
BILE, and on their refusal gave a license
to Miles Cavendish to prepare transla.
ton, which was little else than a revis.
ion of TyndalPs work, and which was
publicly sold in England, and by royal
decree ordered to lie open in every
church accessible to the people. Before
Tyndall's death other versions followed
in rapid succession, all of them modifca.
tions of Tyndall's; Rodgers Bible, 1887;
Cranmer's Bible, 1889; the Geneva Bible
1557.1560; the Bishops Bible, 1868. The
two after were in some sense rival edia
tione, the Geneva Bible being the pro-
duct of the Continental Reformers, the
Bishops Bible being prepared, as the
title indicates, under the special sanction
of the Church of England. To these
should be added the Douay Bible, trans.
lated from the vulgate, with the sanction
of the Roman Catholic church.
These prepared the way for what is
now known as the Authorized, or King
James version. There seems to be little
reason for giving King James the credit
of this great work. The original idea
did not emanate from him; he took no
part in the work, and paid nothing of
its expenses, but the fifty scholars
who were assigned to the task were ap.
pointed by him Death or resignation
reduced their number to forty.seven.
They were divided into six parties-two
meeting at Westminster, two at Oxford,
and two at Cambridge-and divided the
books of the Bible between them. Care.
ful regulations were prescribed for their
work, which Occupied seven years, A. D.,
1604-16ll--three in individual inVestiga-
ton, tYlee in united labor. The text of
the whole Bible, when prepared by their
common labor, was submitted for final
revision to six delegates, with six con.
su ting assistants, and the manuscript,
when it had passed through their hands,
was placed in the hands OF DR.. Miles
Smith, distinguished linguist who was
charged with the duty of seeing it thro'
the press. In this work not only the
former English versions, but the Chal-
daic, Hebrew, Greek, Syrian, Spanish,
Latin, French, Italian and Dutch yer.
sions were all consulted, and the product
of the labors of this eminent body of
scholars well deserves the honor which
has been accorded to it, of being for 250
years the sacred book of the Anglo Sax
on race, the inspiration of thousands of
pupils and churches, the comfort and
guidance OF a countless host of Gods
elect
Since that time, however, the English
language has undergone some material
changes, and Biblical scholarship has
made very great advances. Various at.
tempts have been made from time to
time by indiv dual scholars, with greater
or less suCC, So, to prepare an amended
version or translation Of parts of the BIZ
BILE. AT ast, in 1870, resolution was
presented to the House of ConvoCation,
of Canterbury in England, body that
may U6 u6pCI DOIt no OllO VI JuO SuulCl
parliaments of Great Britain, for a revls-
ion of the Authorized Version, and it
was resolved, after careful consideration
and considerable debate, to undertake
the work. Almost at the sRme time, in
the Congregational Union of England,
Scotland and Wales, the necessity for
such a revision was urged by leading
Clergymen of the Congregational order,
The honor of initiating the work, how
ever, belongs to the Established Church.
The ConvoCation resolved that revis-
ion of the Authorized Version should be
undertaken; that no new translation was
contemplated, nor any unnecf esary alter
alton of the language; and that o Ian
guage of the existing version be as close
" followed as possible. A committee,
consisting of eight bishops and eight
presbyters, was appointed to take the
necessary steps for such a revision; and
they were authorized to invite the CO
operation of any PERSONS eminent for
scho arship, to whatever nation or relig'