The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-06-05
SALT LAKE DAILY SUNDAY FOURTEEN PAGES

linen IOlIOmeu Cn6 struggle o.
Wolsey for the papacy, and Crom
well opposed; the Bible could M
longer be suppressed; the King haC
all he could do in marrying anC
executing wives; so it resulted, tina
after many cruel prosecutions. anC
not a few burnings at the stake
Henry, himself, near the close O.
his reign, authorized the publication
of the Scriptures in English. anC
commanded it to be read in the
churches. In the short reign of hi
successor, Edward VI. (Only six anC
a half years., nearly forty editions
of the New Testament and dozer
or SO of the whole Bible were
issued. Queen Mary included the
Bible in her mad scheme of sup
pressing heresy, but the copies were
too numerous, and she made no real
effort to eXterminate them. 1t was
simply impossible.
OTHER VERSIONS.
Tyndale's translation was made
from the original Greek and
Hebrew, and, considering the cor.
ruption of the manuscripts at his
command, is a marvel of accuracy
One may find whole chapters that
do not vary scarcely in a word from
the King James version. It has
been and ever will be the first book
of reference for all translators and
commentators. Its English is I'M
equaled for consciseness and robust
vigOr. But various circumstances
mostly of a political nature, led to
other editions. The first was Cover
dale'S, who obtained a license from
royal authority. His translation
varied not much from Tyndale's. 1t
was known us the "Great Bible
and was appointed to be read in
the churches" The next was Tav-
erner's Bible. done from Tyndale's
by Richard Taverner, a young
Greek scholar, under the patronage
of Cromwell (the prelate, not the
prOtectOr). 1t was merely revision,
and was published with Henry's
sanction. Following this came
Cranmer'S Bible. This was only a
revise of Tyndale, with a special
effort to support the church system
of episcopacy. About tie same
time came the Book of Common
Prayer.
Soon after Mary came to the
throne an English translation or re-
vision was published by the English
refugees and their friends in Geneva,
with John Calvin as one Of the ad-
visers. This was known as the
Geneva Bible, and met the favor Of
Princess (afterWard queen) Eliza
beth, to whom it was dedicated.
Elizabeth was not much more re-
gardful of the church than was her
imperious father. She neither bowed
before nor trod upon it. Her cold
nature was not likely to fire up at
religious controversy. So long as the
church was useful in a political
way, it was well enough if it were
not useful it was not much matter.
Early in her reign the English
church suffered disruption that
has never been healed, and never
will be. It was divided into a state
church and an independent church,
into TitualiStS and nOn-ritualists,
conformists and nOn-confOrmists.
At that time the Bible authorized to
be read in the churches was Gran
mer'S revision, and the "Great
Bible" But in scholarship and
accuracy it was far exceeded by the
GeneYan version, which became the
Bible of the Puritans. So the
church leaders got up committee
of fifteen learned men, mostly bish-
ops, who made still another revision
which became known as the "BiSh-
ops Bible" There is nothing pecu-
liar about this Bible, except, per-
hapS, that it leans strongly toward
the endorsement of Episcopacy.
One more translation will bring us
down to the one we are now using.
In 1882 the Roman Catholic Church,
finding the people of England would
have the Bible in their native
tongue, made and printed at Douay
a translation in English of the Vul-
gate. This is in the main fair and
faithful rendering of the standard
Latin, and the differences between
1t and the Protestant version
are much less important than peo-
pie generally imagine.
PROGRESS OF RELIGIOUS LIBERTY.
Of the King James, or common
version, in use from 1910 to our
time, we need not say a word. But
what a change in three and half
centuries! Then fragments of the
Bible were read in secret, with fear
and trembling. Now millions on
millions Of copies, in every tongue
under heaven, are cast upon the
world every year, almost without
money and without price.
Wycliffe divided his version into
chapters, probably according to the
Vulgate, but he had no headings or
running title, nor did he divide into
verses. Tyndale followed Wycliffe
in this respect, emitting verses and
headings. The division into verses
was first made in some later-prob-
ably the Geneva-edition, and was
introduced to facilitate reference by
some commentator. At first the
verses were not separated as in our
version, but the figures ranged
down the side of the page, leaving