Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1911-03-16
TERCEN1BARY Of KING JAMES BIBLE.
Greatest Of Anniversary Ce|e.
brations Of 1911 TO Be OBJ
served In March by Church.
es Of America and England

S6Iv0u III UQ'V" W VuuSOu-
es Of America and England
BY JAMES A. EDCERTON.
"HE present year cannot quite
! vie with 1909 in the matter Of
centenaries, but has the edge
over any other year Of the new
century. II this thing keeps up W.
shall get the centennial habit: There
will be centenaries every week OF
births, Of deaths and of notable hap
penings between centenaries Of coro
nations and inaugurations, Of war and
peace, Of inventions and revolutions
Civilization will come to look like q
garden Of century plants with some
festival or celebration constantly burst.
ing into bloom.
In 1911 1t Is the semicentennial Of
the first Inauguration Of Lincoln and
the centennial of the birth of many
notable men-to wit: Charles Sumner,
Jan. 6; Horace Greeley, Feb. 3; Meis-
sonier, the celebrated Napoleonic paint
er, Feb. 81, all Of which, by the way,
are over and gone; David Hume, the
British free thought historian, April
28; William Makepeace Thackeray,
July IS; Franz Liszt, Oct. %; John
Bright Nov. 16, and Wendell Phillips.
Nov. %.
Nor does this end the list. On Nov.
we celebrate the centennial Of Har-
rison's victory at Tippecanoe and on
Dec. q the tercentenary Of the Access
sion Of Gustavus Adolphus. I had al
most forgotten the bicentenary Of the
appearance Of Addison's Spectator on
March 1.
Last and greatest Of all is the ter
centenary Of the first issue Of the King
James version Of the Bible. Nobody
knows exactly in what month the orig
inal publication occurred, so the cele-
braton will be observed at different
times in various parts Of the world.
In England and America it Is flxed for
March.
foundations Were Numerous.
There had been several English
translations Of the Bible prior to the
King James or authorized version,
but none Of them had been quite sat
isfactory. The first Of these worth
mention was the Wycliffe Bible, trans
lated by John Wycliffe, the original
English reformer and martyr, in the
fourteenth century and circulated in
manuscript. William Tyndale, anoth-
er reformer and martyr, followed this
with another translation in the SIX
teenth century. It is somewhat Sig
nificant that both Of these translators
were counted heretics, and not the
least Of the charges against them was
this very desire to give the Scriptures
to the common people. Tyndale was
prescribed and went to live at Worms
with Luther, whose follower be was.
There his translation was completed.
The Tyndale Bible became in large
degree the basis Of subsequent Eng
lish versions. It was published In
1925, and during the same century six
other translations were made and a
seventh begun. The reformation was
bearing abundant fruit.
The next translation after Tyndale's
was that Of Miles Coverdale, which ap-
peared in 1885. It has been claimed
that Coverdale worked with Tyndale,
but this is in dispute. In popular
parlance the Coverdale version has
come to be known AZ the "bug'' Bible
because Of the following translation
Of q verse from one Of the Psalms:
10 that thou shalt not nede to be
afraid for any Bugges by nighte nor
for the arrow that hyeth by day."
The Matthews Bible followed In
1857. It was translated BY John Rog>
I'D, another Protestant martyr. The
raverner Bible, named for one Of it's !
publisher, Richard Taverner, appear |
"a in 1850.
Cromwell Bible Next.
The next year, 1910, came the
great Bible, likewise called Crom.
Wells, also CranmerA This was e.
Oevsrdale's translation with
/ fsw changes. II was published by
Thomas Cromwel1's order and was the
Int Bible appointed to be used in
10 churches," likewise the first to be
:hatned to the reading desks. No
wonder there was q subsequent
movement for religious freedom when
10 Bible was in chains! i,
Twenty years altar the publication
Il the great" Bible appeared the Gene
'an t1anslation made BY some English.
'sdgious refugees who had Joined John
JA1vfn at Genova. This was the FIRST
10 printed In Roman type and divid-
Il INTO yefses, likewise the first to
i've supplied words In italics. II r.
nained the most popular edition until
he APPEARANCE Of the King James
'eesion, Q matter Of fifty years. To
ollectors this II known 40 the ''beeech.
- RlHlA hnrar,na ~ tn rnllnV1n1 n0a. |