West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1904-01-28
THE BIBLE.


OF tue History of the Bible and especially of
the New Testament. II would require much
more than our allotted space(of 3, 600 wo,ds)
to present the Overwhelming eircamstaneeso
whose force seemed to the Catholic minds
to verify the Lords promise TO the true
Church, to exalt her In due time; the Bible
seems TO show auother's workmanship.
While they retained the bible Il was for
their own controversies. The earlier MSS
were destroyed, the Bible was withheld
from the people. and only given 20 the
clergy whose education "undes resnls,lons' %
was provided for. A few thousand (, sml.
hence were no, neglected but the Roman
world of FIFTY millions was left as In former
centuries. in ignorance aud superstition, the
bulwarks of oppression and tyranny.
Thus for 500 years the Bible seemed TO
be lost to mankind. The two witnesses
which had gone forth however siin gave
their testimony In sack cloth. Though
their bodies lay unburied in the eilytgoyern.
mentl they were not altogether siIenoed Ia
the wilderness.
On the western side of the Alps, from a
certain point of survey, can be seen four
dihereu, valleys diverging. clusone, to.
wards the North, with St. Martin in the far
distance. The Valley Of Luzerne on the
Wesltwith branch Angrogne.) On the
South the Vally Of Bora. These form the
Protestant Valleys Of Piedmont. In this
small area exists today a people that have
retained their primitive appearance and
manners to greater degree than almost
any other European community. They
have always been noted for simplicity and
purity and absolute freedom from the ignot.
anee, superstition and vice which have
cursed the countries around them. These
people became converts TO tho faith preach
ed by 81. Paul soon after the introduction
Of Christianity into Italy by the firs, preach
eB that ''werc scattered everywhere" OF
their Apostolic descent there can be no
doubt. Both they and the Church at Rome
we're under the guidance Of Paul, and II the
Vadofs had been seperaie from Il from The
beginning they could not have been Apos-
tolIc themseIyesi II they had separated With
on, previous independent existence, their
existence would have dated from the time
Of their separation. While Chrisiendom
was being established over the earth, the
Bible was preserved simple. free aud pure.
The rulers Of the world were too busy taking
advantage Of overwhelming circumstances"
to be aware Of the what the ones ''scaIiered
abroady were doing. The FIRST general
persecution against the Vsdois was not until
1909, and this was more Of political than
religious warfare. Not until 1903 was the
attack made upon their conseiences and not
until February ~, rs4s. was issued the
final decree. granting liberty and equality 10
he Vadcis and the Jews.
During all these centuries The Vadois
Church sent forih their MINISTERS, two and
two, young man and an old one. They
tssyeFsed Italy having organized stations
and secret adherenis In most OF the towns
They had the Gospels Of Matthew aud
John, the general episiles, and part Of those
Of Paul, committed to memory They were
trained to speak IN Latin, 10 The Romance
Language and in Italian. They went every
where. In Hungary, Bohemia, France,
England, Scotland, as well as in Italy.
They were working with tremendous though
silent power, Lollard, who paved The
way for wyeiiGe in England. was from these
valleys Wyeline's Bible is The oldest
known IN EnelIsh Iiisa verbatim copy
Of the old Latin, translated without any
regard 70 the idiom Of languages. II had
existed in Manuscript from 1867 until Il
was printed in 1871. wyciiae was CON
demned 10 ball sent to the Oxford Uni.
versity by Pope Gregory His work is
therein styled, "a deieslible kind Of wick.
edness {"
Tyndaies translation was published be-
fore tina, Of wyclifie's, in Is7o. At Antwerps
or iIamburg. Il Is commonly said that
Tyndaie translated from the Greek but him.
self did not publish Il 70 be 50. An edition
Of 1888 not published by him has the title
"rhe New Testament diligently corrected
and compared with the Greek, by william
Tyndale." Comparisons show that Tyn-
dale translated from the yuiga,s Latin. The
old Latin translation vas made in the and
century and st,l existing in various forms
The earliest MSS are lost, the Oldest now
known belong to the 4lh and sih cep,arles.
The vulgaie Is the old Latin revised by
Jerome, with The help Of Greek MSS IN A.
D. 5s5-3SS. The Old Testament wss done
mainly from the Hebrew. aud completed in
a. y. 4os. Jerome died about szo. The
oidss, existing MSS are Of the 9th century
The earlier being iostt9) Or destroyed.
coyerdale published The whole Bible in
English in 1895, adopting Tyndaie's version.
with few alterations. Both Tyndale and
Coyerdale belong 90 the second period Of
Engiish literature, The sge Of Csxon, 400
1880. Tyndale was burned By order If
Henry VIII. Matthew Biblep was same
IS the former, pubiished under the name of
Thomas Matthews. New Tesmmes, vas
printed 10 1888 both IN LATIN and Eaeiisa
after ibe velgaie isxt, 70 which Coyerdais
pfe6sed = dedication to Henry VIII. sThe
Great Bible" - called on account Of iis sire
Published IN is50 was simply revision Of
the former with q few smsil alterations
"cranmers Bible" took iis name on accoua,
Of few corrections he bad made 10 81.
'frhe Ccuega Bible" was published si
Geneva 10 .fs6o. The New Testament IN
| 1887. Covcsdaie was one Of the Geneva
bfetheru who issued Ct. The bishops
Bihie7 wass revision Of the Engllsb Bible
| BY The bishops IN sos and compared with
lhe originals
tIo 81 eeoHaaSHJ