Chapter XXVI: Part TWO

V. =Early Versions.= The captivity of the Jews in Bab-y-lo'ni-a led to a change in their spoken language, so that they could no longer understand the ancient Hebrew of the Bible, and translations, or "versions," became necessary. Note that in Ez'ra's Bible class (Neh. 8. 7) translators were employed, and their names are given.

1. _The Targums_. These translations from the Hebrew to the vernacular, or common speech, of the Jews were called _Targums_. Men were trained to give them, as the sacred text was read, sentence by sentence, in the synagogue. This translator was called a "meturgeman." For centuries these translations, or Targums, remained unwritten, were handed down orally, and were jealously guarded. Not until after A. D. 200 was the writing of the Targums authorized by Jewish custom.

2. _The Septuagint._ The conquests of Al-ex-an'der, B. C. 330, made the Greek language dominant in all the lands of the east, and the Jews dispersed among these countries needed their writings in the _Greek tongue_, which was used almost everywhere in the synagogues outside of Ju-de'a. To meet this need the _Septuagint_ version arose in Al-ex-an'dri-a, beginning about B. C. 285. The name Septuagint, meaning "seventy," arose from a legend that the version was made by seventy men, each in a separate room, translating all the books; and the result showed the rendering alike, word for word! The Septuagint became the current Bible of the Jews in all lands except, perhaps, Pal'es-tine.

3. _The Vulgate._ After Rome became the world's capital, and the Latin language came into general use, especially west of Al-ex-an'dri-a, in the Christian churches came a demand for the Bible in Latin. Many versions of certain books were made, but the one that at last superseded all the earlier translations was that prepared by Jerome, about A. D. 400. This was called "the Vulgate," from the Latin _vulgus_, "the common people." This was the Bible in general use until the Reformation. But as the Latin language in its turn ceased to be spoken the Bible was lost to the common people throughout Europe, and was known only to scholars, mostly in the monasteries.

VI. =Modern Versions.= Of these multitudes have been made; but we will notice only a few of the most important in the line of succession leading to our English Bible.

1. _Wyclif's Bible._ John Wyclif was "The Morning Star of the Reformation," preaching in England one hundred and fifty years before Luther in Germany. Finding the Latin Bible inaccessible to the common people, he prepared a version in the English of his time, aided by other scholars. The New Testament was first translated, beginning with the book of Revelation, in 1357, and nearly all the Old Testament was translated by 1382, two years before Wyclif died. This translation was made from the Vulgate, not from the original Hebrew and Greek. As printing had not yet been invented it was circulated in manuscript only, yet was read widely.

2. _Tyndale's Bible._ After the invention of printing and the great Reformation there was an awakened interest in the Bible. William Tyndale, a scholar in Hebrew and Greek, gave his life to the translation of the Scriptures, was exiled, and was martyred in 1536 on account of it. His New Testament in 1525 was the first printed in English, and it was followed by the Pentateuch in 1530. No one man ever made a better translation than Tyndale, which has been followed in many renderings by nearly all the later versions.

3. _The Great Bible._ Omitting the versions of Coverdale, Matthew, and Taverner, we come to the first authorized version, made under the direction of the English prime minister, Thomas Cromwell, edited by Miles Coverdale, and published in 1539. It received its name from its size, and from the fact that a copy of it was required to be placed in every church in England.

4. _The Geneva Bible_ was translated by a company of English exiles in Switzerland, and appeared in 1560. It was more convenient in form than the earlier editions, was divided into verses, and printed in Roman letters--traits which made it popular, especially among the nonconformists in England.

5. _The Bishops' Bible_ was prepared under the direction of Matthew Parker, archbishop under Queen Elizabeth, by eight bishops of the Church of England, and appeared in 1572. It had a limited circulation, because it was really not quite as good as the Geneva Bible; but it was the official version in England from 1572 to 1611.

6. _The Douai Bible._ All the above-named versions, and many others, were the work of Protestants. The Roman Catholics of England found a version of their own a necessity; and, as they were not allowed to prepare and publish one in England, the task was undertaken by exiled Roman Catholics on the Continent. The New Testament was published at Rheims, in France, in 1582; the Old Testament at Douai, in Belgium, in 1610. This translation was made from the Latin Bible of Jerome, and its marginal notes set forth the Roman Catholic views. It is still the English Bible of the Roman Catholic Church.

7. _The King James Version._ In the reign of James I of England many versions were in circulation, and for the sake of uniformity a new translation was ordered by the king. This was made by forty-seven scholars, occupying about three years, and was issued in 1611. It became by degrees the standard English Bible, "The Authorized Version," as it is called. It is the Bible which is still circulated by the million every year, the Bible familiar to every reader.

8. _The Revised Version._ The advance in scholarship, the increasing knowledge of the ancient world, and the discovery of old manuscripts unknown to earlier translators, caused a demand, not for a new Bible, but for a revision of the text and of the translation in common use. The Church of England led in the movement, but invited the cooperation of scholars in every denomination of Great Britain and America. In 1881 the New Testament appeared, and in 1885 the entire Bible. Students everywhere recognized the Revised Version as a great improvement upon the Authorized Version, but it comes very slowly into use by the people.

9. _The American Revised Version._ In the preparation of the Revised Version of 1885 the American scholars proposed more radical changes than the English revisers would admit. It was arranged that the Americans should have their list of proposed changes published at the end of the version, but they should not publish any Bible containing them in the text until 1900. The American revisers continued their organization, and, aided by experience, made a new revision throughout, which was published both in England and America as "The American Revised Version," in 1901. This work is by most students regarded as, upon the whole, better than the Revised Version of 1885 and the best translation of the Bible that has yet appeared.

Blackboard Outline

I. =Name.= "H. B." _Biblia._ 39. 27. 66.
II. =Orig.= "Hi. Crit." 1. _Ora._ St. so. po. pro. trad.
2. _Writ._ 1,600 y. 40 wri. "Works of authors."
3. _Work of scr._ B. C. 400. Text not uniform.
III. =Lang.= 1. Heb. 2. Aram.
IV. =Form.= 1. Writ. parch. 2. Use in syn. 3. Use in sch.
V. =Ear. Ver.= 1. Tar. 2. Sept. 3. Vul.
VI. =Mod. Ver.= 1. Wyc. 1382. 2. Tyn. 1525, 1530. 3. Gr.
Bib. 1539. 4. Gen. Bib. 1560. 5. Bish. Bib. 1572.
6. Dou. Bib. 1582, 1610. 7. K. Jam. Ver. 1611. 8. Rev.
Ver. 1881, 1885. 9. Am. Rev. Ver. 1901.

Review Questions

Review and answer again the questions on Sections I,
II, III, IV of this lesson. What is meant by
"versions"? How did versions of the Old Testament
become necessary to the Jews? What were these versions
called, and how did they arise? How were they
preserved? What called forth the Septuagint Version?
In what language was it? When was it prepared? What
was the Jewish legend concerning it? How did the
Vulgate arise? Who made it? Why did it receive that
name? What did the Vulgate become? Repeat the names of
the three most important early versions. Name the nine
most important modern versions. Who was Wyclif? When
did he live? When did his translation of the Bible
appear? How was it circulated? What two events in
modern times increased the desire for the Bible in the
language of the people? What is said of Tyndale's
version? What was the Great Bible? Who directed its
preparation? Who edited it? When was it published?
What was the Geneva Bible? Wherein did it differ from
earlier Bibles? Give the facts concerning the Bishops'
Bible--originator, translators, date, characteristics.
What was the history of the Douai Bible? Where is that
Bible used? Tell the facts about the Authorized
Version. How did the Revised Version arise? How was it
prepared? What new version has recently appeared, and
how is it regarded?

FOOTNOTES:

[1] The chronology of the Bible is not a matter of the divine revelation, and scholars are not agreed with respect to the dates of early Scripture history. The system of chronology commonly found in reference Bibles is that of Archbishop Usher, who lived 1580-1656, long before the modern period of investigation in Bible lands. According to this chronology A'dam was created B. C. 4004, the flood took place B. C. 2348, and the call of A'bra-ham was B. C. 1928. But it is now an attested and recognized fact that kingdoms were established in the Eu-phra'tes valley and beside the Nile more than 4000 years before Christ. All of Usher's dates earlier than the captivity of the Jews in Bab'y-lon are now discarded by scholars. We give in these lessons no dates earlier than the call of A'bra-ham, which is doubtfully placed at B. C. 2280, and regard none as certain before B. C. 1000.

[2] When the birth of Christ was adopted as an era of chronology, about A. D. 400 a mistake of four years was made by the historian who first fixed it. Hence the year in which Christ was born was in reality B. C. 4.

[3] We give Mount Hor the traditional location, east of the Desert of Zin; but there is strong reason for finding it west of the Desert of Zin, near Ka'desh-bar'ne-a.

[4] Called in the Revised Version "guilt offering."

[5] This is called in the Revised Version "the meal offering"; that is, the offering to God of a meal to be eaten. It might be called "food offering."

[6] According to Josephus; the fact is not stated in the Bible.

[7] The ecclesiastical year began with the month Abib, or Nisan, in the spring: the civil year with the month Ethanim in the fall.

[8] The Old Testament name for the Sea of Gal'i-lee is Chin'ne-reth (ch as k), a word meaning "harp-shaped."

[9] The account of the sun and moon standing still is an extract from an ancient poem, and is so printed in the Revised Version. The subject is discussed in Geikie's Hours with the Bible, footnote with chapter 13.

[10] With regard to the destruction of the Ca'naan-ites: 1. Such destruction was the almost universal custom of the ancient world. 2. It was observed by the Ca'naan-ites, who were among the most wicked of ancient peoples. 3. It was necessary if Is'ra-el was to be kept from the corruption of their morals, and upon Is'ra-el's character depended the world in after ages. 4. As a result of failing to extirpate the Ca'naan-ites a vastly greater number of the Is'ra-el-ites were destroyed during the succeeding centuries.

[11] With Jeph'thah is associated the only instance of human sacrifice offered to Je-ho'vah in all Bible history; and this was by an ignorant freebooter, in a part of the land farthest from the instructions of the tabernacle and the priesthood. When we consider that the practice of human sacrifice was universal in the ancient world, and that not only captives taken in war, but also the children of the worshipers, were offered (2 Kings 3. 26, 27; Mic. 6. 7), this fact is a remarkable evidence of the elevating power of the Is'ra-el-ite worship.

[12] With regard to Da'vid's crimes against U-ri'ah and his wife, note that no other ancient monarch would have hesitated to commit such an act, or would have cared for it afterward; while Da'vid submitted to the prophet's rebuke, publicly confessed his sin, and showed every token of a true repentance.

[13] Notice that while the prophets had been friendly to Da'vid, they were strongly opposed to Sol'o-mon, and gave aid to his enemy Jer-o-bo'am (1 Kings 11. 29-39).

[14] The dimensions as given in the Bible are all in cubits, a measure of uncertain length, which I have estimated at eighteen inches; consequently all the figures given in this study are to be regarded as approximate, not exact.

[15] There is no mention of either the table or the candlestick in Sol'o-mon's temple, but instead ten tables and ten candlesticks in the Holy Place (2 Chron. 4. 7, 8). The table and candlestick were in the tabernacle, and were also in the second and third temples; but it is uncertain whether they actually stood in the temple of Sol'o-mon.

[16] Nearly all the material in this lesson is drawn in an abbreviated form from The Literary Study of the Bible, by Richard G. Moulton (Boston D. C. Heath & Co.), a masterpiece on this subject, strongly recommended to the student. I have, however, ventured to vary from Dr. Moulton's classification on some minor points--J. L. H.

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Transcriber's Notes:

Obvious punctuation errors repaired.