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

3tl 1t is Satc TO SayYtnat no anniversary
10 be celebrated during tho year 1911
will be OF such world wide and such
lntcrdcnominati onal interest as that OF
the tcrcentenary of the English Bible,
1t Is 4 we'll known fact that for al
most 500 years the whole of Anglo
Saxon C!lristcndom has been nourished
mainly on that translation of the HOLY
Scriptures falniliarly known as the
King James o. authorized Version
The year 1911 will mark the compile
lion of the third century of this YER
sion Of the Biblc and the American
Btbie society. The British and Foreign
Bible Society. and all other orEaniza-
lions of similar import have taken
Steps to have this anniversary obscrv-
"a in an appropriate manner the world
around. ana sunday, April IS, is the
5sy that has been designated rs the
anniversary day. II5a
Tie history Of biblical translation
:nkes the reader back TO the seventh
century. when Cacdmon, the BenedicT
tine monk, paraphrascd in Anglo san
On verse portions Of the Scripture.
whlc a ilittle later .Nldhelm and Guth-
lnc each translated the Psalms into
The same language.
Tho next translator OF whom history
makes record in this connection was
tho venerable Bede t675-1;--): OF whom
Cuthheri. his scholar. has handed down
A tOuCninS anu impressive. pict"iS "
his las, day on earth, Cuthbcrt was
MI eyewitness and from him ii Is
learned that Bede finished his life as
he tinishcd the translation of the Cos
uol Of John. and expired With the
name OF the Holy spirit on his lips,
chanting the Gloria Eatria.
Then came Alfred the Great, in the
ninth century. who prehxed 10 me
laws n paraphrasc Of the Ten Com
mandmcnts and who at the time OF
lis death in vol Twas engaged In max
ing d version Of the Psalms. lie was
followed BY iladrith. Bishop Of Lands
farno (6So) and Aelfric in the tenth
century, who was the author OF the
ormultim, a paraphrasc Of the Cos
pcls and the Acts of the Apostles
Other translators followed these In
that early period which is designated
as The darkest hour Just before the
dawn that darkness having been dis
pelicd by the Reformation in which
.Iohn Wyclifrc. called its morning
star was a prominent factor.
History is uncertain regarding the
date Of Wyclimc's birth. although 1921
IS the generally accepted Year Very
little is known of his early life, but
he was a student Of Oxford. beginning
his academic career very early. and
holding through his life high univcr-
sity Offices and diEnities. lie was
Master of Ballot. and was one of the
chaplains of Edward ILL., lie was also
pne OF the commissioners whom Ed
ward H. sent 10 confer With the dele
gates appointed by Pope Gregory IL.
regarding ecclesiastical authority in
England. Wyclinc was priest In or
ders. but ali his life he was pro-
i tcstant. and Increasingly as lie grew
older He disputed against transub-
sanitation. and with great boldncss
lie rejected papal usurpation. Natur-
ally. this brought him into disfavor. AS
n consequence he was tried for hcresy.
and his escape from execution was due
TO the intervention OF tho Queen
Mother. iW
Vi Wycliffc has been designated as ono
Of the quaternion of great schoomcn
by Dir. John Iiadic. the Scotch historian.
who classes him with Isradwardine.
OCEAN and Duns scotus The interest
Il of WycliTc IN Bible translation was
not so much academic or scholastic as
u WAS the result of a deep heart cXpe :
rience of divine grace. lie began his
translation Of the Bible with the
Apocalypse. and had completed the en-
tire New Testament i'll 1851, trnnslating
the whole from q he Latin NulEatc. His
death occurred in 1854 before he had
completed his translation of the old
Testament, and his friends and follow
crs, Nicholas dc Hereford and John
Purvey. revised and completed this
work which he had hcg,n.
The versions OF Wyclinc had n large
influence. not only upon his own imme-
dSte supporters the I.ollards, hui also
upon the masses Of English people.
Critics do not arroe regarding the re-
lation that the Wyclffe version sus-
tains to that of Tindalc. but ii is gen
orally conceded By scholars that Tin
dale was influenced to a large degree in
his work Of translation by Wyclifc.
and Professor George p, March. an en-
inent authority. goes so far as to say
IN his connection: "Tindaic is merely
a full grown Wycliffc,'' and adds: .,'rhe
inhucncc OF Wyciiffc upon Tindale is
too nalpahie:'- TO. he. mistaken. and it
cannot be disguised by the grammatical
differences. which arc the most impor-
tant points Of discrepancy between
them"
William Tindaie (iisi-l5sG) is rec
orni2ed al the next great landmark in
the history of the English Bible after
Nycliffc. His life story was a tragedy
( worthy OF perpctuation. 1t was while
he was a student at Oxford that he
K gave the flrst evidence OF what he was
to be, and this was emphasized when
ne went 10 Cambridge, and when. about
1000, he became tutor in tho family
OF Sir John Walsh. of Little Sedbury
lie began his controversies with a
learned man. who said I'VE were bet
Ter 10 be. without Gods laws than the
.Pope's,' and Tindale replied: "I defy
The Pope and all his laws" and said
further: IF God spare my life. ] will
eaYseHa boy that drircth a pillow shall
snow more Of tho Scriptures than thor
dnstn His ifr WAS spared. and he full
filled his promise ahundantiy. Through