The Washington times., 1920-04-14
&C. ss$A,ES@% ss$A,!E!SsH@% WASHINGTON TIMES --z
$1,000 For a Bible
II There Were Only One Copy in the World, How Much
Would 1t Be WORTH

few days ago book collector paid $500 for q copy
Of the first printed Bible in Engishthe TRANSLATION com
pleted by Miles ooverdae and his five assistants In 1886
Four years later ooverdae was employed by Cromwell to
assist in the preparation of the Great Bible which was
ordered placed In all English churches.
In the Coverdale translaons the strange spell
ngs which gave special to later editions such as the
Bug and the "Treacle Bibles.
These resulted from his rendering of passage
in Psalms Thou shalt nede to be afrayed for any
bugges by night" and in Jeremiah, There is no more
treacle Galaad The King James version which is now
most commonly used reads in case Thou shalt not be
afraid for the terror by night and in the other lis there
r Coverdale did not make the first translation of the
Scriptures This done by group of men associated
with John Wyclie But just they were finishing the
work Wyce compelled to stand trial for heresy, and
the translation put in type although copied and
read widely in manuscript.
The story the Bible from the time of the existence
Of the ancient manuscripts down to the latest TRANSLATION in
Mandarin Chinese is tale filled with romance and tragedy
Men have given their lives to preserve the text Of the
Scriptures and have copied it when the detection OF their
labors would have meant most painful punishment As
result of their fahfuess the Bible is printed in
than five hundred modern languages and dialects In the
three hundred and eighty five years since the first English
edition than two hundred and fifty million copies have
been printed and distributed
No other book in all history has approached this
her Of prnngs has been translated into that
earth. j.a/
The reason for this Wide demand and reading u.s. Of
the fact that the Bible the foundation Of the Chris
an religion and the basis upon which the laws of the whole
world are founded.
Despite the complicated legal language Of the world
statutes and the volume Of the worlds laws they
all summed in the Ten Commandments in the twent
eth chapter Of Exodus
you obey those ancient instructions you in little
danger Of visiting the courts to for any msdeeds
But aside from its sacredness inspired writing the
Bible is book of remarkable interest and value pure
literature
There is no more wonderful poetry in all the worlds
writings than Davids Psalms the wonderful Song Of
Songs" of Solomon.
you would rather read great prose- turn to the Book
of Job and read what he wrote of human suffering and its
....~
The Bible has inspired than any other great
book in the world.
The greatest picture painted is the Sistne
Madonna, and Raphael according to Italian legend
ceived his inspiration in dream after he had prayed for
power to portray what he had read in the Bible
The painting which contends for first place with
Raphaels masterpiece is another perturbation of Biblical
scene, Michael Angeles Last Judgment. This artists
statues among the greatest produced are almost all
inspired by characters from the Scriptures The
colossal figure of David the unfinished S Matthew" "
and show how closely this artist studied the
Bible.
No needs be highly educated read the Bible and
enjoy it. The story of creation is told almost wholly in
words Of not more than two syabes The Sermon the
Mount is simple and plain that child comprehend
it. The Gosp- of St. Mark is the best example Of concise
writing in the English language.
One translator who worked for twenty years the
Chinese text of the Bible said that there word
phrase in which could not be correctly rendered in that
difficult language proof of its simplicity and drecness
The value of the Bible work of literature has not
only been established by the opinions of scholars but has
been vouched for by courts of law.
Stephen Girard, who founded the college which bears
his in Philadelphia provided in his will that form
of religion should be taught in the college endowed by his