The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1962-09-11
w. D. workmon

ion Of the Bible is being prepar-
ed-this one for probable pub
LEGATION in about four years.
The note of warning" comes
by way of admission that many
OF the changes in the forthcom-
ing new version Of the Old Test
ament will stir controversy
Certainly the most recent YER
sion Of the New Testament, pub
lished in England only last
year. caused its share Of argu-
ment.
All of this points up the some
times overlooked fact that Bi-
Bile scholarship is a continuing
process, and that the Bible it.
self, for all its antiquity, is not
a dead set of books. The Old
Testament revision which has
just been mentioned has been
under way for Is years by pan
Ell Of 10 scholars. And still fresh
in our minds is the relatively
recent emergence in America
Of the Revised Standard Version
of the Bible.
King James Version y.
The average church goer
might ask: What's wrong with
the Bible that we have? We re-
call the dogmatic acquaintance
who satisfied his own mind on
this point by insisting: IF the
King James version was good
enough for Jesus Christ, it's
good enough for me-"
His reference, of course, was
that version which still holds a
commanding position in the
minds and hearts of most
ProteStants. Unquestionably, this
version has been loved more
deeply. and by more English
speaking people, than any other
translation.
The King James version has
wound itself in and around the
daily lives of all of us, English
men and Americans. And it has
permanently enriched bot h
English and American literary
traditions.
But, to tell the truth. what we
call the King James version
owes much less to England's
first King James than it does to
numbers Of dedicated Christian
scholars who were determined
that the Word of God should be
directly accessible to every Eng
lish layman.
Finished In 1911
Now, it's true that in 1864
King James called together
about fifty scholars from OK
ford and Cambridge, and asked
them to cooperate in a complete
English translation Of the Bible
And. four years later, these
scholars did set to work. In 1911
they finished their task ana sub
mitted for publication what has
come to be called the King ia.
mes Version of the Bible.
The work of these scholars
was a major collective effort
but there had been many prev.
lous attempts to translate the
Bible into English. Among those
earlier efforts, three men stamp
ed their names and personalities
upon the English Bible ycliff
Tyndale, and Coverdale.
To John Wycliff, English Pro
testant scholar and divine, be
longs the credit for first trans
lating the complete Bible int
English about 1882. AS an early
Protestant, his main interes
was to give the ordinary person
the chance to read the Bible fol
himself, instead of having to de
pend upon a priests interpreta
ton of the Latin Bible. Wyclif
managed to die a natural death
in spite Of the enemies Of hi
work. Thirty years later, though
his bones were dug up ano
burned along with his books.
Even so, the Wycliff Bible may
be considered more Of an even
than book. For many Of its
manuscripts survived its op
position, and it remained the
only English Bible for more thar
a century.
About the time Columbus was
sailing to America, William
Tyndale was born. who was te
produce the first printed Eng
lish Bible. He was determined
as he once told prominent
churchman, that any plowboy
would be able to read the Bi-
BILE as well as a bishop could
Instead OF trans1ating the Bi-
BILE from the Latin, he went di-
rectly to the Greek and Hebrew
sources of the Scriptures, as
well as to the German of Luth-
er and new Latin of Erasmus.
He translated the New Tesla
ment and most Of the Old into
such a beautiful and simple
style that his work has formed
the basis of 80 per cent of the
English Bibles down to this cen
fury. For his pains. however, he
yr,oc efrox-J1l z-1 L..~3 -