The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-22
The ENGLISH BIBLE.
Its History for the Past Five Hundred
Years.
The Celebrated Versions Of This Fa-
nous Book Down to the Revised Edi-
ton of the Present.

ton of the Present.
From the Philadelphia Press
The history of the English Bible di-
vides itself into two periods-the era of
labor upon manuscripts and its introduce
ton by means of the printing press. John
Wycliffe represents the best achievement
of the manuscript period. Almoska hun
bred years before the press he had sue
ceeded in giving the Bible to the English
people in the vernacular. Fifty years
after Claxton's rude press was in opera
ton William Tyndale issued the first
English New Testament. Traces, how
ever, of translations from the scriptures
are to be found for centuries pre-
ceding the work of Wyclife. Indeed,
the oldest manuscript in existence
is an English "Psalter' preserved in the
national library in Paris. The early mis-
sionaries to the rude tribes of Britain
translated portion, at least, Of the scrip
lures whose truths they taught. Bede,
of all these early laborers, retains for the
student of to-day the simplicity and
charm Of his native tongue The work
was continued by Alfred, who prefxed TO
his body of laws a translation of the Ten
Commandments and versions of other por-
tions of the Bible. Abbots and monks
were encouraged to present and circulate
among the people the word of God.
The Norman conquest affected English
scholarship very much as the victories of
Alaric, six centuries earlier, affected
the scholarship of Southern Europe. The
work of translating the scriptures, even
If it did not altogether cease, was
checked. A new language had to be impos-
ed upon the people. The conflict between
the Anglo-Saxon and the Norman French
was not to be settled in a day. Both
tongues can be traced in fragments of
translation yet extant; and in the end
the language which resulted from the
struggle was to all intents and purposes
the language of Wycliffe and Chaucer
Old forms still fingered, but only to stamp
him who used them as uncouth and rus
tic. The day drew near when transla-
tiOn of the whole Bible of permanent
value could be made. That such trans
lation existed already is extremely i'm
probable, although Sir Thomas More,
Fox, the martyrologist, and Archbishop
Cranmer claim that it did.
THE wYcLIFFE TRANSLATION.
It was while the language of England
was being nodded and made ready for
Chaucer and Wycliffe that the Bible re-
ceiyed the name by which we know it to-
day. For time it seemed as if Jerome
y
way to general acceptance; but in the thir-
teenth century the Greek term, THE
Book passing into the vocabulary Of the
west became by slight grammatical
Misrepresentation, no longer plural, but
singular. THE Books" in popular use,
was transformed into 1.-The Book" In
1856 John Wycliffe began the work which
has made him famous, by translating
the Apocalypse, perhaps attracted to that
book, as was Savonarola in the
next century, by the apparent
fulfllment of its prophecies In his own
land and age This was followed by the
gospels with commentary; and by 1880
he had translated the whole New Tesla
ment, including revision Of the Apo
calypso. Wycliffe was now 30 years old
but it seemed as though he had lived
many lives since his public course began.
As statesman he had supported his
sovereign in his resistance to the pope,
and had incurred disfavor for time by
his attachment to John OF Gaunt. He was
a political reformer. An incessant
worker, he labored in his parish, evange-
lied Eng land, toiled for twenty-five years
at translating and spread his doctrines
broadcast over the land.
In 1884 the Old Testament was added
10 the New 1t was completed Just in
time, for the noble old man was stricken
with paralysis on the 2Sth of December,
and died as the new year dawned.
Wycliffe's version was made from the i'm
pure text of the Latin Vulgate current in
his time. A complete revision followed,
prepared by John PJrvey The work of
Wycliffe and of Purvey was done at a
time when the thought of the nation, as
well as its speech, was in state of transi-
ton. Translating, as they did, not from
the original, but from the Vulgate, there
are traces in their version of ecclesiasti-
cal dominance and of theological error.
The word clergy, which stout James Mel
vile, the Presbyterian, said smelled of
papistry although used by the congrega-
Ilon OF believers, frequently occurs, so
does sacrament, where the latter versions
use mystery Il Tim. iii; 81, and penance
for repentance, and priests for elders
Titus i: 81.
THE TYNDALE BIBLE.
In its printed form our English Bible
was born in exile. Cations press was
In operation more than half a century be-
lore an edition of the New Testament in
the vernacular was printed in England.
William Tyndale, born in 14S4 in the west
OF England, and educated in the great
universities went in 1924 to the German
city Of Hamburg. From his earliest
years he had been an earnest and con-
slant student of the scriptures He
could find no safety in England while
translating the Bible, to which he had
determined 10 devote MS lie. During
the time he passed in Hamburg he &C
complished the task of publishing sepa-
rately the gospels of Matthew and Mark.
removing TO Cologne he engaged in is
suing the entire New Testament but
here, too, the authorities pre-
vented the publication and he fed to
Worms. Resuming there the work inter
rupted at Cologne, Tindal determined to
Issue two editions of the New Tesla
ment. The printing Of the first, quarto,
mad been begun by Guental before Tyn-
Gales flight. The second, an octave, was
executed entirely at Worms by =. Schmf-
Ter, the son OF one of the first great trium-
Elrate OF printers This edition was the first
70 be issued. Eventually the two editions
sloIe anonymously into England in 1926.
Iurning his attention 10 the Old Tesla
Ment Iyndale published the Pentateuch
20 1910. For five years he continued his
Iapors and finally brought them 10 sue
cehsiul conclusisn.
OTHER ENGLISH BIBLES.
The martyrdom Of Tyndale did not pre-
vent others from assuming the mission
nhlah mad inspired him 20 such pro
litl9us labor. Indeed the year preceding
Aia Heath bad witnessed the FIRST COM
.'ie Bible in the Euglish language. This