The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-04-23
BY MAMlNE BAYS.

out his life he worked TO give England
translation of tho Bible. not from
! the NulGate. as was WycliTcs, but from
the lIebi wv and Greek and so well did
he perform his work that much OF il is
read day in the King james Version.
Failing to realize his hope of enter
Ing the service of Tunstnll. Bishop OF
London. Tindale turned his back upon
England and spent number OF years
on the Continent. although he did not
loso his love for England. He was a
4 thorough scholar. and he made two re-
! visions OF the New Testament after
the first issue, and his influence has
had much to do with making the pres
cnt version of the Bible popular, not
only with those who are learned. but
with he masses as we'll, his inpress
being found in the simple dialect which
IS endowed with pcrmanenco.
| y period OF sevcnty-fivc years elapsed
between the death of Tindnle and pub
lication of the Authorized Version of
| the Bible. In which the perfection OF
his labor is seen. During these seven.
iy-ilVe years there were eight versions
l535l. Matthews (1537l. Taverncr's
| G552), the Great Bible U53a-'40).
J Whittinghams New Testament C557),
tie Ccnevan Bible (1560). the Bishops
Biblc n56S), Rheims and Douay Yer
sion (l6S2- 500. Then in 1911 came
in the chain of versions. The version
known as the Great Bible" was so
called on account of It's size. fifteen by
nine inches. II was largely n revision
of Matthew's Version, made by Cover
dale.
The Gencvan Version was the work
of English eNiles. who were COM
panions in tribulaton for the Word
OF God and for the testimony OF Jesus
| Christ. This was the first English
/ iiiblc printed in Roman type, Instead
of the usual black letter. and 1t was
the first also to break the paragraphs
into verses as they appear in the King
James Version OF to-day. The name
.Gcnevan Version is taken from the
time in which it was issued, and is
/ significant The focus for the learn
ing of the day al that time was the
! school of John Calvin, and thithcr the
| victims of religious persecution fed
Gcncvan Version was Whttingham's
Translation Of the New Testament ac-
companicd with a stirring Introduction
from the pen of Calvin. Nottingham
married the sister of Calvin. and it
Is impossible to estimate The extent OF
the influence Of tho great scholar and
! thcoloGian over this translation Of
The New Testament, which was the
forcrunner Of the Gcncvan Version.
The C;cnevan Version was adapted to
the needs Of the common people, and
IL contained marginal notes and n
running commentary on the text. the
4 commentary being Calvinistic In tone.
This version became the household
Bible the peoples book. not only in
England, but in Scotland also, where
John Knox took it i'm place Of Tin
dalcs Version, which he Ind used up
to that time. .
When King James l. came to the
nc IN ella in
thirty six years OF age, and for thirty
five years he had boon King of Scot
land. lie called n conference on
ecclesiastical matters in January. 1904,
in Hampton Court Palace.
Even then there were divisions in
the church which were soon to rend
i the nation. One occasion for the call
ing of the conference was the petition
from the Puritans. signed by 500
clcrEymcn. Puritanism was growing.
and the petition asked for tho doing
! away OF tho sign Of the cross in bap-
> tism, the use of the ring In marriage
the reform of the church courts, a
better observance of the Sabbath, and
!, provision for the training of preaching
i, ministers. The conference continued
for three days, January II. IL and is,
hut not one or the requests of the pctl
! lion were granted. The King was one
Who claimed TO possess much theoloGi-
cal learning. and he enjoyed displaying
the same before the conference. Sir
Walter Scott says that King James |.
was repnted to be the most learned
fool in Christcndom." One act, how
ever. which stands to his credit MAS
that he indorsed the suggestion OF DR..
John Reynolds when he made obJec-
ton to the" Bishops" Bible which was
at that time the authoritative version
of the Bible, and approved the sug-
: gestion of pr. Reynolds that learned
men OF oxford and Cambridge should
take some special pains in behalf OF
one uniform translation The King
had something 10 10 With the sclcc-
ton OF the men who were 10 he the
| translators. or with the approval OF
the list. The list was made up by
: June 80. following the conference in
January. and Bancroft. Bishop OF
London, who had objected to tho
translati lion. was notified by the King
| himself. Fifty-four men were appoint
+ ed on this list of translators but tho
: work was done by forty-scvcn. This;
= number Included the principal Hebrew
!. and Greek scholars OF the Kingdom. It
got to work. and they were four years
t engaged With the task before 1t was
ready for the press.
The first edition was large folio.
!, the text In black letter, illuminated
: with beautiful Initials, the first one
2 significantly hearing the Scotch thistle.
Y The transators furnished also pre-
4 faces, tables of lessons and senealo-
l gics but the real value of the book
| lay not IN these. the real value lay
. in the text itself !, is believed that
: at least three hundred copies Of this;
N first edition of Inc King James Version