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versions of certain books were made, but the one that at last superseded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.