LIST OF ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS THAT PRECEDED KING JAMES' VERSION.
By G. W. A.
I HAVE before me "The Paragraph Bible," published by the Religious Tract Society, London, England. It belongs to sister Fraser, of this place, and presents an entirely new selection of references to parallel passages, together with prefaces to the several books, and numerous notes. In the preface to Genesis is a list of the translations which preceded king James' version, which I here present, thinking it may be of account to the readers of the Review. To JOHN WICKLIFFE belongs the honor of first making a version of the whole Bible into English, which he probably completed about A. D. 1380; and although its circulation was greatly restricted, both by the extreme costliness of copies before the invention of printing, and by the severe punishments, amounting even to death, to which any person having it in his possession was liable, it became an engine of wonderful power, and contributed greatly to prepare the way for the happy changes which afterward took place. For the first printed copy of a portion of the Scriptures in English, we are indebted to WILLIAM TYNDALE. Unable to accomplish his purpose at home, he removed to Antwerp, where he made his version of the New Testament from the Greek: and it was published there, or at Hamburg, in 1526. Tyndale also translated the Pentateuch and the book of Jonah; but his labors were cut short by his being cruelly put to death at Antwerp, in 1536. After Tyndale's time there appeared, 1. Coverdale's Bible, printed at Zurich, and published in 1535, the first printed translation of the whole Bible in English. 2. Matthew's Bible, also printed abroad, in 1537, consisting of Tyndale's and Coverdale's text slightly altered. The name 'Matthew' was feigned: John Rogers, the first martyr in Mary's reign, having been the editor. 3. Cranmer's, or The Great Bible, 1539, published by authority, with a noble Preface by the Archbishop. 4. Taverner's Bible, in 1559, which was little more than a revision of Matthew's Bible. 5. The Geneva Bible, first printed in 1560. This was edited by several English divines, who took refuge at Geneva, during the persecutions of Queen Mary; at the head of whom was Whittingham. 6. The Bishop's Bible, 1568; so called because Archbishop Parker engaged several Bishops and other learned men to prepare it. It exhibits some material variations from former versions. 7. The Rheims and Douay Bible, made by the Romanists, who, finding themselves unable to stop the spread of the Scriptures, resolved to have a version of their own; the New Testament being printed at Rheims, in 1582, and the Old Testament at Douay, in 1610. 8. And finally, the present Authorised Version, which arose out of a recommendation made by Dr. Rainolds, one of the Puritan ministers present at the celebrated Hampton Court Conference, to king James I. By the king's command, it was executed by forty-seven learned men, who were divided into six companies, two of which sat at Westminster, two at Oxford, and two at Cambridge. According to their instructions, they followed the Bishop's Bible then in use, altering it as little as adherence to the original would permit. This work was commenced in 1607; and, after being revised by a committee of twelve, and then by Dr. Smith, who wrote the Preface, and by Dr. Bilson, it was printed in 1611. This translation is much admired by competent judges for its general fidelity, as well as for the simplicity, energy, and purity of the style. It would be too much to affirm that it is not susceptible of improvement; but, in attestation to its general excellence, it is worthy of remark that, with all the diversities of opinion on religious subjects, and the controversies which have been carried on between different denominations of Christians in our country, all have agreed in appealing to the same version, and none have in any matters of consequence objected to it.