The New Zealand Tablet. Fiat Justita. FRIDAY, AUGUST 6, 1897. EARLY BIBLE TRANSLATION.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXV, Issue 14, 6 August 1897, Page 16

The New Zealand Tablet. Fiat Justita. FRIDAY, AUGUST 6, 1897. EARLY BIBLE TRANSLATION.

o E referred in our issue of last week to ArchItishop Caiir's recent letter to the Melbourne ' papers, in which he corrected and refuted ( Lord Brassey's indiscreet utterance on the subject of the Church and the giving of the Bible to the people. "We gather from brief references in our Australian exchanges that his Grace's communication has, after a week of silence, called forth quite a shower of letters, and that Professor Rkxtoul in the At/r, and Canons Pottek and Beruy in the Anjvs, have all rushed into the fray. Particulars are not vet to hand as to the progress of this triangular duel but, ho\ve\er it may fare with the other combatants, we know that the Catholic cause is safe in the hands of the Archbishop, and that he will have little difficulty in shattering this great Protestant tradition in the eyes of unprejudiced and fair-minded men. We are not at all surprised that the various champions of Protestantism should make a desperate effort to keep their hold upon what has always been considered to be one of their most powerful weapons against •' Popery." As we said last week the idea that the Catholic Church is the enemy of the Bible and has always jealously withheld it from the people is one of the fixed and most cherished beliefs of Protestantism. A Protestant thinks that, however shaky his position may be in other directions, he is on absolutely safe ground here. A Catholic may wriggle out of responsibility" for the Inquisition or prove that Protestants were as bad as, and indeed worse than, Catholics in the matter of persecution, but when it comes to the question of who first gave the Bible to the people the Catholic can only hang his head and say nothing. The tradition that "Wvclif" was the first to translate the Bible into English runs through all Protestant English literature, and Protestant historians for the most part calmly take it for granted that the first English version of the Scriptures was made by him and that it\vas the glorious Reformation that first brought the light of the i Gospel to the then benighted English people? In the King's Library at the British Museum, lying in state on cushions of purple vehet and enshrined in a case of polished oak, is a large manuscript volume with this legend inscribed on a card below: "The English Bible, \Yycuk\s translation." The devout passer-by, says the London Tablet in referring to this fact, is invited to pause for a moment and contemplate in silent gratitude this relic of the Protestant past, snatched from the hands of the Inquisition, and providentially preserved to remind the nation that it owes to the martyred "Wyci.if the <Teat gift of " the open Bible."

It so happens, however, Unit this question has been made the subject of mtv careful investigation and research by one who isadmittedeven by non-Catholics to be a real historian, and in his recent work "The Old English Bible and Other EBsays" the Rev. Dom Aidan Oasqukt, D.1)., shows that this venerable volume had nothing in the world to do with Wyolif but was the work of <>oo(l Catholics, and was in fact a copy of the authorised vernacular version used by cur pro-

Reformation forefathers. Father Gasquet begins by showing that the whole case in favour*of Wycuf's direct or indirect authorship of the only two vernacular versions of the Scriptures really rests on the assumption that there was no Catholic version at all. Now in the first place there is nothing whatever in the text to suggest that the translation was made by one holding Lollard views. Nowhere are controversial passages translated so as to favour the well-known tenets of Wyclif and his folllowers. Then there is the positive evidence of Sir Thomas More that Catholic versions did in fact exist before Wyclif's time "As for old translations, before Wyclif's time," he writes, " they remain lawful and be in some folks' hand-s. Myself have seen and can show you, Bibles, fair and old, in English which have been known and seen by the Bishop of the diocese and left in layraans' hands and women's." " The whole Bible was long before his (i.e. AVyclif's) d;iys by virtuous and well learned men, translated into the English tongue and by good and godly people with devotion and soberness, well and reverendly read." This is at least conclusive evidence that in Sir Thomas Mork's day Catholic versions of the Bible in English did exist. The very manuscript now exhibited in the British Museum was the property of Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester, a firm friend of the Catholic Archbishop Arundel. There are many instances, moreover, in which copies of the English Bible were left by wills publicly proved in the public courts of the Bishop, and others were given to churches and religious houses. Is it likely that good Catholics would make a legacy of an heretical version of the Bible or select it as a suitable gift for a monastery or convent ? Further, Bishop Peacock, in a work specially written to confute the Lollard?, or followers of Wycmf, in all his quotations from Scripture invariably uses what is now called the Wyclif Bible, and also takes for granted that the laity read the Scriptures. Can it be supposed that he would himself have systematically used an heretical version or allowed his Mock to do so ? Father Gascjuet sums up the question thus : — " The ecclesiastical authorities in England so far from prohibiting the English Scriptures, most certainly approved of various copies of the actual versions now known as AVyelifite. This official, or quasi-official, approval of the version was given, be it remembered, at a time when there was a distinct prohibition, by ecclesiastical authority, enforced vigoiously by the civil power, of all Wydifito literature. Moreover, these copies hive, in fact, in many instances come down to us from Catholic sources, whilst, in no single case, so far as 1 can discover, has any copy bjen traced to a possessor of distinct Lollard opinions. In the fji>;u of ilu e\ ldence the fact that the known versions were regarded as orthodo\ by prelieformation Catholics, ecclesiastical and lay, cannot be questioned. This we have uKo on the testimony of Sir Thomas Mori,, and to his word as to the eircul.it ion of the vernacular Scriptures in pre-Reformation times, we may add that of Archbishop Cranuiir himself. The whole force of the Archbishop's argument in fa\ our of allowinir the Bible in English re.-,ts on the well-known custom of the Church, and the fact that copies were in daily use (Preface to the Bible)." In the f.ice of such facts the truth of the statement quoted by Archbishop (\i>r from the well-known Anglican writer Dr. Bu xt, will be quite appuvut. "There has been much wild and foolish writing," he says, " about the scarcity of the Bible in the ages preceding the Reformation. It has been taken for granted that the Holy Scripture was almost a scaled book until it was printed in English by Tyndal and Coveiwau;, and that the only real source of knowledge respecting it before then was the translation made by Wjckukke. The facts are . . . that all laymen who could read were, as a rule, provided with their Gospels, their Psalter or other devotional portions of the Bible. . . . The clergy studied the Word of (Jon and made it known to the laity; and those few among the laity who could read had abundant opportunity of reading the Bible, either in Latin or English, up to the Reformation period."

AT a meeting of St. Joseph's choir on Thu -sday night a new set of rules, framed by the committee and approved by his Lordship the Bishop, were read by the so:retary. and after some discussion formally adopted by tho choir.

DuKINd tho past woek tho following subscriptions to the South Dunedin Catholic Oiphainue Fund h.uobccn ivc\ iwd :— Rev. Father Fau\ol (Tomuka), tl ; Mt>«rs Hurk-y l!iu<. (W.ukau),

£2 2s ; Mr. Liston (Danedin), £2 2s ; A. Morrison Esq (Caversham) £ls Is ; Mr. Millan. 10s. Contributions towards the erection, of the Orphanage will be thankfully received by the Sisters of Mercy of South Dunedin, and by the Catholic clergy of Dunedin, and will be duly acknowledged in the columns of the TABLET.

There was a large attendance at the Provincial Hall last evening (says the Nelson Colonist of the 29th ult.), when an excellent concert and most enjoyable social, under the management of St. Mary's Church Choir, were held. The Very Rev. Father Mahoney presided, and expressed his pleasure at seeing so many present. He thanked the public for their liberal patronage and expressed a hope that all present would enjoy themselves. Songs were contributed by Mrs. Howe, Miss Larkins, Mrs. A. P. Burns, Mr. A. Light and Mr. Corrigan. The vocalisation was decidedly good, and several of the singers (Mrs. Howie, Miss Larkins and Mr. A. Light) were recalled. A pianoforte duet was well played by the Misses Scott, and Mr. Light gave a 'cello solo and a mandoline solo, a repetition of the latter being demanded. The selections given by Mr. Martin's orchestra were very enjoyable and the performers well merited the applause accorded. It is a great failing with many persons comprising Nelson audiences as soon as orchestral music is begun for them to start talking as hard as ever they can, consequently the sweetest parts of the music are often marred by the hum of voices. Those who do not care for orchestral music might keep quiet and let those enjoy it who like music, and at the same time show some respect to the players. The orchestral music given last evening was a decided treat. The Very Rev. Father Mahoney thanked those who had contributed to the programme, also to the captain of the barque Brussels for the loan of a large number of flags with which the hall was decorated. The committee of ladies and gentlemen handed round the refreshments and did all they could to add to the enjoyment of the numerous company.

Ox Thursday of last week Mr. Thomas Dixon dud at his residence, FeiMing, in his sixty-seventh year. He bore his last illness with great fortitude and resignation. Despite the closest care and attention by doctor and relatives, and the tinrernitting attention of his family he succumbed, dying the death of the just soon after he received Holy Viaticum and the last rites of the Church. Everyone brought into contact with him during his last illness was struck by the patience and resignation displayed by the deceased during the whole time of his illness. He served fully 21 years in the Artillery and was one of the first pioneers of the Feilding Block settlers. He a\ as much esteemed and respected by all in Feilding, and all denominations had a kind word for him— all admiring- his straightforwardness, honesty and integrity. He passed away calmly and peacefully on Thursday after his spiritual director had attended him.— ll.l.P.

A nojin evohange is responsible for the following- :— '■ The Earl of Ranfurly. the new Governor of New Zealand, is taking out ,1 large party consisting of :)() people. They sailed from (hveneok on July :\. and will travel vm Canada, Vancouver, Honolulu, I'iji, Sydney, and thence to Wellington. They have an enormous quantity of baggage with thorn, consisting 1 of four carriages, <">i>'> Ciws of win -s and all kin Is of sporting appliances, for there is good fi-hing, a kind of salmon running up to ISOlb. being very abundant. Deer and wild duck and pheasant aro also plentiful. Lord and Lady Ranfurly propose camping out a great deal, for which purpo-e they are taking several tents ; altogether they have more thin sivy tons of luggage. Lord Rmfurly has been to Xcw Zetland twiu-j and to Australia throe timus. He was tho fir-t to -tart iruit-farming in Austiuhn. Hi. fruit farm at Mildurn, on tho Murray river is in a very flourishing condition. Lady Ranfurly's two pretty daughters, Lady Constance and Lady Eileen Knox, are going out, bnt Lord Northland will remain in England to continue his studies at Eton." This little par is simply delightful in tho news it conveys. The salmon up to ;solb. is good, but far better and more important i.s the intelligence we gain that Lord Ranfurly was the " first to start fruit-farming in Australia."

Thk announcement that the Assistant-Bishop of Sydney has recovered from his severe illness, says the Freeman of July 24, will bo welcomed, we are &ure, not only in the Sydney diocese, but throughout New South "Wales and in the neighbouring colonies. It h, perhaps, not quite correct to use the word recovered. This, however, wo are in a position to .state, that his Lordship ha^ happily reached a stage of convalescence at which all cause for alarm disappears. On Tuesday Dr. Higgins loft by steamer for Northern Queensland. Tho change to a warmer climate was ordered by his liKdioil attendant. There is every reason to hope that, after a few weeks' rc-t ;uid "health-making" m Queensland, his Lords-hip will return to l.i.s duties in Sydney with i\ netted energy and increased strength.

We are thankful to be able to announce that his Eminence the Cardinal has recovered from his late heavy cold, and has gained renewed vigour from his forced few days rest. — Catholic Press.

Owinu to the pressure on our space a letter to the editor and other matter is unavoidably held over.