OUR ENGLISH BIBLE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19666, 25 June 1938, Page 8

OUR ENGLISH BIBLE

-IDOTH anniversary As almost the whole of the Christian world is celebrating the 400th anniversary of the English Bible there may be many readers who will be interested to know just what this means: and also, to be given a brief history of this priceless heritage of the English people.

• One name above all others amongst translators is honoured at this time, that of William T.vndale, by reason of the fact that by his consecrated scholarship and knowledge of the Hebrew and Greek languages be was able to open by his translations the precious truths tlant had been hidden in Latin versions and liturgies.

Nearly 400 years ago William T.vnriale, at the, age of 5(1. was treacherously apprehended, imprisoned in the Castle of Vilvorde in Belgium for 1(5 months, then chained to the stake at the martyr’s funeral pyre, strangled, and his body burned—and what was his crime? The diligent translation of the Scriptures into the English tongue and distributing it amongst the English people.

The martyr's dying prayer was “Lord: open the King of England’s eves.” Within a year of his death the first complete English • Bible was printed in England and “set forth with the King’s most gracious license.”

A year latcf, in 15118. Thomas Cromwell, Earl of Essex, Lord Chancellor. Home Secretary and Vicar General, gave orders that a sufficient number of conies of a new translation of the Bible should be printed, and placed in every parish church in the kingdom so that all could hear and read in their tongue tho wonderful works of God.

This then is the gift and circumstance for which the whole Christian world is called upon to render thanks to God during this month.

Entrancing Story

When we read our Bibles and rejoice in the guidance, comfort and crace received from that Book, we seldom realise the cost of love, life and service at which this treasure was procured; this is a story both entrancing and tragic. Martin Luther, referring to his laborious and bitterly opposed work of translation, said: “I have sweated blood to make the prophets speak German.” This for centuries has been the experience of English translators as they have suffered to share their knowledge of the Word of God with their fellowcitizens. This has been shared by everv missionary.- who has not only sought amid peril and hardship to preach the Gospel but also to give men the Word of Truth in their own language.

We must not • imagine (hat the effort to give Iho Bible to the Englishspeaking people was confined to a generation: it was the labour of centuries. It is not nossible here to give flic whole story, but merely the most outstanding incidents of that story. Translation From Latin The first great effort to translate the Latin Bible into the AngloSaxon tongue was the almost lifelong work of the Venerable Bede, who in 735 A.D.. gave to his fellows the gospel of St. John, passing to his rest a few hours after the last sentence had been dictated to his young scribe.

King Alfred in the latter part of the ninth century made a translation of the Ten Commandments and is said to have also translated the psalms.

About 950 a Monk named Aldrcd made a translation of the Gospels from a beautiful Latin manuscript which had been written by the Bishop of Lindisfarne in 875 A.D. This original beautiful vellum manuscript is now in the Britisli Museum. Tho translation, called the Lindisfarne Gospels, was another link in the chain of the translation of the Bible into English, although it was made from the Latin Vulgate and into Anglo-Saxon which few of us to-day could understand.

Little more translation was done until the close of the fourteenth century. nearly 400 years later. We know that during this period a great deal of sacred art portrayed the Gospel storv on walls and windows of beautiful churches, but the people still hungered for the Word of God and were not filled. (To be continued)