The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-04-08
THE BIBLE BEFORE LUTHER
REPUTABLE PROTESTANT HIS
TORiANS DENY THAT LUTHER
DISCOVERED" THE BIBLE
TRANSLATlONS BEFORE THE
REFORMATION.

According to his biographers, Mar
tin Luther, who precipitated the Prot
estant Reformation, discovered" the
Bible one day while he was ruminat-
ing in the library of the Augustinian
monastery at Erfurt. Way down IN
der inches of dust he found this pom
derous tome, all dirty and neglected.
1t was a long, long while before he
knew the nature of his discovery,
because for some reason Or other, he
had never seen the book before. >
Thus narrates Mathesius, one of his
biographers.
BY way OF exposing this myth, we
will set down the statements Of a few
reputable Protestant authorities who
have Investigated the question.
The Athenaeum Of the date Of Aug.
"A, 1889, speaking of the number of
editions of the Bible printed prior to
the Reformation" says: Long be
fore the Reformation, every Catholic
nation all over Europe had versions
CT the Bible in the vernacular of the
country. Between 1477, when the first
edition of the French New Testament
was published at Lyons, and 1885,
when the first French Protestant
Bible was published, upward CT 20
editions Of the Bible issued from the
Catholic press
Since Luther appears 70 have in
stituted his reform" chiefly because
of alleged suppression CT the Bible, it
would seem that if he had lived i'll
Franco instead of Germany, King
Henry VIII. would never have had
an opportunity of gaining that well
known title Of English monarchs De
fender of the Faith. Surprised in
deed are we to find that a closer
pcrusal of the authority just quoted
brings to light the fact that: IN
Germany prior to the publication OF
Luther's Bible in 1874, no fewer than
so Catholic editions of theS entire
Scriptures, and parts Of the Bible ap-
peared in the German vernacular
In Italy two complete TRANSACTIONS
Of the Bible were published in 1872,
and during the stormy days Of the
Reformation several mere appeared.
If YOU have Protestant friend who
is disposed to doubt the truthfulness
Of these statements, refer him to Dean
Maitland's work. THE Dark Ages
Gondon, 1S4D. This author, in d
few pages entitled additional Proof
CT Scriptural knowledge" says: The
writings of the Dark Ages are, if
may use the expression, made Of the
Scriptures do not merely mean the
writer's constantly quoted the Scrip
lures, and appealing TO them as au-
thOrities on all occasions, as others
have done since their day, though
they did this, and it is a strong proof
of their familiarity with them; but
mean that they thought and spoke and
wrote the thoughts and words and
phrases of the Bible, and they did
that constantly, and habitually, and
as natural mode of expressing them
selves" page 400.
1t is evident that in order 10 sc
Dermeatc the literary life of the mid
die ages, the Bible must have been
a very common and widely read book
Karl Pearson writes: in the 15tl
century it (the church, certainly die
not hold back the Bible from the folk
" we are inclined to think il
made a mistake i'll allowing tho
masses such a ready access to the
Bible (The Academy, Aug. I, 1885
p. So
Concerning alleged enmity between
the Church and the Scriptures in the
Middle Ages, Dean Maitland in the
work we have just quoted, says: .
do not recoIlect any instance i'll which
it is recorded that the Scriptures, OF
any part Of them, were treated will
indiguity, OF less than profound re
speCt.'
This is but small fraction OF tht
abundant evidence which disproVes
the familiar erroneous contention tha
the Catholic Church. suppressed the
Bible and that this sacred volume die
not come to its own until the SO
called "Reformers' rescued it from
oblivion.