The Doctrine of the Bible, Historical English Translations.

From the Seventh Century to the Present.

A. Old English Period A.D.450 to 1100.

B. Middle English Period.110 to 1500

C. Modern English Period. From A.D. 1500 to the present.

We will look at some of the Major attempts to publish the Bible in English

A. Old English Period A.D. 450 to 1100. There were at least ten major works. We will look at just three.

1. Caedmon (who died in 680 AD)

This stable worker at a monastery in North England did not translate the Bible on paper but rather memorized great portions of it and sang it with his harp in short lines of beautiful Celtic-Saxon verse wherever he travelled. He sang oof the Creation, the Exodus,, Part of Daniel, and the Doctrines of the resurrection, the Ascension and the Second Coming of Christ; of Heaven and Hell.

Cædmon (/ˈkædmən/ or /ˈkædmɒn/) is the earliest English (Northumbrian) poet whose name is known. An Anglo-Saxon who cared for the animals at the double monastery of Streonæshalch (Whitby Abbey) during the abbacy (657–680) of St. Hilda (614–680), he was originally ignorant of "the art of song" but learned to compose one night in the course of a dream, according to the 8th-century historian Bede. He later became a zealous monk and an accomplished and inspirational Christian poet.

Caedmon's night encounter

Cædmon is one of twelve Anglo-Saxon poets identified in medieval sources, and one of only three of these for whom both roughly contemporary biographical information and examples of literary output have survived.[1] His story is related in the Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum ("Ecclesiastical History of the English People") by Bede who wrote, "[t]here was in the Monastery of this Abbess a certain brother particularly remarkable for the Grace of God, who was wont to make religious verses, so that whatever was interpreted to him out of scripture, he soon after put the same into poetical expressions of much sweetness and humility in Old English, which was his native language. By his verse the minds of many were often excited to despise the world, and to aspire to heaven."

Cædmon's only known surviving work is Cædmon's Hymn, the nine-line alliterative vernacular praise poem in honour of God which he supposedly learned to sing in his initial dream. The poem is one of the earliest attested examples of Old English language and is, with the runic Ruthwell Cross and Franks Casket inscriptions, one of three candidates for the earliest attested example of Old English poetry. It is also one of the earliest recorded examples of sustained poetry in a Germanic language. Wikipedia.com

2. The Venerable Bede (674-735 AD)

This godly monk, scholar, historian, and theologian is often called today by the title of “the father of English History. He is famous for finishing the Translation of the Gospel according to St John on the day of his death.

“The Venerable Bede (A.D. 673-735), Priest and Monk of Jarrow

At the age of seven, Bede's parents brought him to the nearby monastery at Jarrow (near Durham in Northeast England) for his education. There, as he later wrote, "spending all the remaining time of my life... I wholly applied myself to the study of Scripture, and amidst the observance of regular discipline, and the daily care of singing in the church, I always took delight in learning, teaching and writing."

Bede was ordained deacon at nineteen, and presbyter at thirty. He died on the eve of the Ascension while dictating a vernacular translation of the Gospel according to John. About 1020 his body was removed to Durham, and placed in the Galilee, the Lady Chapel at the west end of the Cathedral nave.

Bede was the greatest scholar of his time in the Western Church. He wrote commentaries on the Scriptures based on patristic interpretations. His treatise on chronology was standard for a long time. He also wrote on orthography, poetic meter, and especially in history. His most famous work, The Ecclesiastical History of England, written in Latin, remains the primary source for the period 597 to 731, when the Anglo-Saxon culture developed and Christianity triumphed. In this work, Bede was clearly ahead of his time. He consulted many documents, carefully evaluated their reliability, and cited his sources. His interpretations were balanced and judicious. He also wrote the History of the Abbots (of Wearmouth and Jarrow), and a notable biography of Cuthbert, both in prose and verse. His character shines throughout the work -- an exemplary monk, and ardent Christian, devoted scholar, and a man of pure and winsome manners. He received the unusual title ofVenerable more than a century after his death. According to one legend, the monk writing the inscription for his tomb was at a loss for a word to fill out the couplet:

http://www.stbedesla.org/whowasbede.htm

3. Alfred (King of England, 871-901 A.D.)

“King Alfred loved the Bible. He was King, lawgiver, teacher, writer and translator.

His wish was that “all the freeborn youth of his Kingdom should emply themselves on nothing till they could first read well the English Scriptures.” He translated the ten Commandments; and other old testament Laws, placing them at the head of his Laws for England. he also translated the Psalms and the Gospels” H.S. Miller in General Biblical Introduction. p.321

King Alfred the Great

2. The Middle English Period. (A.D.1100 - 1500)

Here we will examine just one name, John Wycliffe

John Wycliffe (1320-1384)

He has often been called ‘the Morning Star of the Reformation’ He was a great Oxford University teacher, preacher, reformer and translator. He was the first man to translate the entire Bible into the English language. is was the only English Bible for 145 years.

As a sample of his English note the translation of the Lord’s Prayer:

“Our Fadir that art in hevenes,

halewid be thi name;

Thi kingdom come to,

Be thi wille done in heven so in earthe;

Gyve to us this dai oure breed over other substance,

and forgive us oure dettis as we forgyven to our detouris;

and leede us not into tempacioun,

but delyvere us fro yvel.”

John Wycliffe giving his Translation to the Lollards

Lollardy (Lollardry, Lollardism) was a political and religious movement that existed from the mid-14th century to the English Reformationled by John Wycliffe,^[1] a prominent theologian who was dismissed from the University of Oxford in 1381 for criticism of the Church, especially in his doctrine on the Eucharist. The Lollards' demands were primarily for reform of Western Christianity

Lollard, Lollardi or Loller was the popular derogatory nickname given to those without an academic background, educated if at all only in English, who were reputed to follow the teachings of John Wycliffe in particular, and were certainly considerably energized by the translation of the Bible into the English language. By the mid-15th century the term lollard had come to mean a heretic in general. The alternative, "Wycliffite", is generally accepted to be a more neutral term covering those of similar opinions, but having an academic background. Wikipedia.com

3. The Modern Period  A.D. 1500 to the Present.

1. The William Tyndale Version (1525)

Perhaps no other single man in history did as much in translating the Word of God for the People of God as did William Tyndale. He worked in constant danger, for under the Catholic Emperor Charles V. it was a crime punishable under horrible torture, burning at the stake, or actual burial alive, for anyone to read, purchase, or possess any New testament book.

But prior to his martyrdom, it is estimated that some 50,000 copies of the new testament were circulated by this fearless and faithful Servant of God.

Realy in 1526, Tyndale’s New Testaments began pouring into England concealed in cases of merchandise, barrels, bales of cloths, sacks of flour and corn, and every other secret way which could be found. For every copy of the New testament the devil burned, God would allow Tyndale to publish three more to take its place.

It is thought that Tyndale’s New testament in English was based on the printed Greek new Testament text of the great scholar Erasmus (first printed in 1516 A.D. and that hsi Old Testament text was taken in part from the Hebrew 1488 publication. he also consulted the Latin Vulgate and Martin Luther’s translation.

Born	fl. 1484–96 Gloucestershire, England
Died	c. 6 October 1536 near Vilvoorde, Duchy of Brabant, Seventeen Provinces
Cause of death	Executed by strangling, thenburnt at the stake
Alma mater	Magdalen Hall, University of Oxford
Known for	Tyndale Bible  Wikipedia.com

2. The Coverdale Version (A.D. 1535)

Miles Coverdale was born in 1488  He was converted to Christ and developed a strong love for Scripture. He was a friend of Tyndale and later finished his OT Translation and revised his New testament. It was a secondary translation; that is, it was based on previous translations of the Bible into Latin, German and English. The reason for this was that Coverdale was not familiar with Hebrew nor Greek. The first Edition came off the press on the Oct 4th, 1535. This was indeed a milestone for god’s Word, as it marked the first whole Bible printed in England.

3. Matthew's Version  (1537)

This version was prepared by John Rogers, who used the Pseudonym, Thomas Matthew. The reason for this was that Rogers was a known friend of Tundale. he felt that his work would be more acceptable to various authorities if this relationship was not known. Rogers would later be burned to death during the reign of Mary tudor un 1555 AD. Matthew’s version was the first revision of Tyndale’s Bible. It was approved by King Henry the VIII who had hated Tyndale and his work. A divine irony is seen here.

“The Matthew Bible, also known as Matthew's Version, was first published in 1537 by John Rogers, under the pseudonym "Thomas Matthew". It combined the New Testament of William Tyndale, and as much of the Old Testament as he had been able to translate before being captured and put to death. The translations of Myles Coverdale from German and Latin sources completed the Old Testament and the Apocrypha, except the Apocryphal Prayer of Manasses. It is thus a vital link in the main sequence of English Bible translations.” Wikipedia.

4. The Great Bible Version (1539)

The notes and prefaces of Tyndale’s and Coverdale’s aroused so much argument that henry VIII authorised a new version which would include no controversial footnotes. It was called the Great Bible because of its size. Due to its extreme value it was usually chained to a “reading post” within the church. In 1538 the King issued an injunction to all churches to purchase a copy of the Great Bible. This was to be paid for by the parson and the Parishioners.

The importance of the Great Bible was that it became the first official English Version, “appointed to be read in all the churches.” The King James Version is basically a revision of the Great Bible.Willmington p.807

“The Great Bible was prepared by Myles Coverdale, working under commission of Thomas, Lord Cromwell, Secretary to Henry VIII and Vicar General. In 1538, Cromwell directed the clergy to provide "one book of the bible of the largest volume in English, and the same set up in some convenient place within the said church that ye have care of, whereas your parishioners may most commodiously resort to the same and read it."

The Great Bible includes much from the Tyndale Bible, with the objectionable features revised. As the Tyndale Bible was incomplete, Coverdale translated the remaining books of the Old Testament and Apocrypha from the Latin Vulgate and German translations……”Wikipedia.com

5. The Geneva Version (1557)

During the Vicious Protestant. persecution under Mary Tudor, many reformers fled to Geneva, Switzerland. They enjoyed protection under John Calvin. It was in geneva that Calvin’s brother-in-law, William Whittingham, translated the Scriptures into the Geneva Version.

William Whittingham (c. 1524 – 1579) was an English Biblical scholar, Bible translator, and Marian exile. A well-connected friend of English reformers and publisher of the Geneva Bible, he became an English Dean, preacher before Queen Elizabeth, and a Protestant, Reformed and Anglican reformer.

William Whittingham, Translator, Dean o Durham, Reformer Protestant

The Importance of the Geneva Version

1. It was the first version to divide the text into verses.
2. It was the first to omit the Apocrypha.
3. It was kissed by Queen Elizabeth (daughter of Henry VIII) at her Coronation, a policy that is still followed by English Kings and Queens.
4. It was the most loved Bible of the Common People up that time and went through 160 Editions.
5. e. It was the Bible of Shakespeare and John Bunyan.
6. It was the Bible the Pilgrims carried to America on the Mayflower in 1620
7. The text of the Geneva Bible was based upon the Great Bible.

6. The Bishop’s Bible.

It was written because of the following:

1. They did not like the notes in the Geneva Bible.
2. .It was translated by Matthew Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury, aided by nine other Bishops; thus its name Bishop’s Bible.

This was the Second ‘Authorised Version’ of the church, but it was not accepted by the common people. In fact Queen Elizabeth simply ignored it. It was the most unsatisfactory and useless of all the Old Translations. Willmington p.808

7. The Rheims - Douai Bible. (1582)

This was an attempt by the Pope to win England back to the Roman fold, but it utterly failed. It was headed by Gregory Martin and William Allen, two protestant turncoats from Oxford University.

The name comes from the Two places where the Old Testament and the New Testament were produced.  The Douai version was therefore, the first Catholic English Bible and was taken almost literally from the Latin Vulgate.

The footnotes in this version strongly attacked “all Protestant heresies” and defended all Catholic doctrines and practices.

The Douay–Rheims Bible (pronounced /ˌduːeɪ/ or /ˌdaʊ.eɪ ˈriːmz/[1]) (also known as the Rheims–Douai Bible or Douai Bible, and abbreviated as D–R and DV) is a translation of the Bible from the Latin Vulgate into English made by members of the English College, Douai, in the service of the Catholic Church.[2] The New Testament portion was published in Reims, France, in 1582, in one volume with extensive commentary and notes. The Old Testament portion was published in two volumes thirty years later by the University of Douai. The first volume, covering Genesis through Job, was published in 1609; the second, covering Psalms to 2 Machabees plus theapocrypha of the Clementine Vulgate was published in 1610. Marginal notes took up the bulk of the volumes and had a strongpolemical and patristic character. They offered insights on issues of translation, and on the Hebrew and Greek source texts of the Vulgate.Wikipedia.com

8. The King James Version (1611)

When King James I became king of England at the beginning of the 17th Century he tries to reconcile the different Religious parties within his kingdom. This new version began with a request from Reynolds of Oxford for a new English version. The king agreed because he did not like the footnotes in the Geneva Bible.

King James I of England from Encarta

The King appointed 54 men as translators. They had to be proven Bible Scholars. The names of 47 were preserved as the other 7 probably died before the Translation began.

There were six groups : two at Westminster, two at Cambridge and two at Oxford. One group at Westminster had genesis to 2 Kings , the other group there had Romans to Jude. One group at Cambridge had 1 Chronicles to Ecclesiastes while the other had the Apocrypha. One group at Oxford had Isaiah to Malachi while the other had Matthew to Acts and Revelation.

Each reviser made his own translation, then passed it on to be reviewed by each member of his group; then when each group had completed a book, a copy was sent to each of the other five groups for their independent criticism.

Thus each book went through the hands of the entire body of revisers. Then when the version was finished it went before a select panel of six, two from each of the three companies which ironed out ultimate differences of opinion and put the finishing touches to the version before it went to the printers.

Here is the essence of the 15 rules which governed the translation.

1. The Bishop’s Bible shall be followed and as little altered as the truth of the original will allow.
2. The old Ecclesiastical words shall be retained.
3. The Chapter divisions shall not be changed, unless very necessary.
4. No Marginal Notes at all, except for the explanation of Hebrew and Greek Words which cannot be expressed in the text.
5. Whenever the Tyndale,Matthew, Coverdale, the Great Bible, or the Geneva Bible agrees better with the Text than the Bishop’s Bible, they are to be used.

H.S. Miller, Biblical Introduction pp. 363,364 in Willmington p.808

The King James version made use of the Four available printed Old Testament Hebrew Bibles and the fifth Edition of Erasmus’ Edition of the Greek New Testament.

It was the most beautiful, beloved and popular Edition of all time. It is probably the only Translation in which no parties had an axe to grind. However, it was not immediately accepted.  The Roman Catholics said it favoured the Protestants; the Arminians said it leaned towards Calvinism and the Puritans disliked it because of words like bishop;ordain;and Easter”. But after 40 years it overtook the Geneva Bible in popularity.