Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1886-04-22
FACTS ABOUT THE BIBLE.
ITS TRANSLATION INTO TWO HUNDRED
AND SIXTY-THREE LANGUAGES

1t is interesting to note demand that
still exists for some of the earliest versions
of the Bible which, though antiquated in
form, are still used in church services and
by scholars. Among these are the Syriac,
Coptic, Ethiopic, Armenian, Georgian and
Latin. Versions were made at an early
date in Arabic, Persian and Amharic also.
A large number of versions came into
being in connection with the reformation,
and before the year 1850 every country in
Europe except Portugal, Russia and Tur-
key had at least the New Testament, and
generally the Bible, in language spoken
by great majority of its people. The ver-
sions originating outside of Europe, with a
few exceptions, have been made almost
within the lifetime of men now living, and
they illustrate the dependence of modern ef-
forts to evangelize the world upon the
printed scriptures and the desire Of mis-
sonaries to furnish them to their adhe-
rents.
It should be remembered, however, that
only small part of the work of translating
has yet been done. Numerous languages
and dialects are spoken, especially in Afri-
ca, which have not even been studied by
scholars from Christian lands, and one hum
dred and seventy translations of the Ameri-
can Bible society represent but fifty-six
translations of the entire Bible, of which
thirty-five were circulated in Asia, nine in
Africa, nine in the islands Of the Pacific
and only three on the continent of America.
Since the era of Bible societies began,
the Christian scholarship of the world has
produced not far from 800 versions of the
Bible or parts of it, and 263 languages and
dialects have thus, for the first time, been
enriched with the literature of the book.
For the making of new versions, involving
as it has, in many cases, the reduction OF
language to writing, the compilation of
dictionary and the construction of gram
mar, has engaged the philanthropy and in
defatigable zeal of Christian missionaries OF
various lands.
Few persons appreciate the difficulty OF
rendering the scriptures from the original
Hebrew and Greek into languages that
have not been previously pervaded and
nodded by Christian thought. In laying
foundations for generations that are to fol-
low, one may we'll devote to the work the
energies of a lifetime. The translation of
the Bible into Arabic by DR.. Eli Smith and
DR.. Van Dyck, required the labor ofsixteen
years. DIR. Schauf1ler, of Constantinople,
completed in 1874 the translation of the
Turkish version, which he began as long
ago as 1860. Fifteen years of continuous
labor were spent by DR.. ScherescheWsky IN
rendering the Old Testament into the Man
DARN colloquial. After forty years of mis-
sionary work, DIR. Williamson and DIR.
Riggs completed their Dakota version, and
one of them estimated that he spent, on an
average, full thirty minutes on each verse
he translated. Protestant missionaries were
sent to Japan in 1859, but twenty years had
passed before their translation of the entire
New Testament was ready for circulation.
These are illustrations of the labors expend-
ed by Christian missionaries in the prelim-
mary work of preparing new versions OF
scripture.