a study of bible-第6节

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spels。　Nearly　fifty　editions　of　the　Bible；　in　whole　or　in　part；　appeared　in　those　six　years。

And　that　was　fortunate；　for　then　came　Mary　and　the　deluge。　Of　course；　she　again　gave　in　the　nominal　allegiance　of　England　to　the　Roman　control。　But　she　utterly　missed　the　spirit　of　the　people。　They　were　weary　with　the　excesses　of　rabid　Protestantism；　but　they　were　by　no　means　ready　to　admit　the　principle　of　foreign　control　in　religious　matters。　They　might　have　been　willing；　many　of　them；　that　the　use　of　the　Bible　should　be　restricted；　if　it　were　done　by　their　own　sovereign。　They　were　not　willing　that　another　sovereign　should　restrict　them。　So　the　secret　use　of　the　Bible　increased。　Martyr　fires　were　kindled；　but　by　the　light　of　them　the　people　read　their　Bibles　more　eagerly。　And　this　very　persecution　led　to　one　of　the　best　of　the　early　versions　of　the　Bible；　indirectly　even　to　the　King　James　version。

The　flower　of　English　Protestant　scholarship　was　driven　into　exile；　and　found　its　way　to　Frankfort　and　Geneva　again。　There　the　spirit　of　scholarship　was　untrammeled；　there　they　found　material　for　scholarly　study　of　the　Bible；　and　there　they　made　and　published　a　new　version　of　the　Bible　in　English；　by　all　means　the　best　that　had　been　made。　In　later　years；　under　Elizabeth；　it　drove　the　Great　Bible　off　the　field　by　sheer　power　of　excellence。　During　her　reign　sixty　editions　of　it　appeared。　This　was　the　version　called　the　Genevan　Bible。　It　made　several　changes　that　are　familiar　to　us。　For　one　thing；　in　the　Genevan　edition　of　1560　first　appeared　our　familiar　division　into　verses。　The　chapter　division　was　made　three　centuries　earlier；　but　the　verses　belong　to　the　Genevan　version；　and　are　divided　to　make　the　Book　suitable　for　responsive　use　and　for　readier　reference。　It　was　taken　in　large　part　from　the　work　of　Robert　Stephens；　who　had　divided　the　Greek　Testament　into　verses；　ten　years　earlier；　during　a　journey　which　he　was　compelled　to　make　between　Paris　and　Lyons。　The　Genevan　version　also　abandoned　the　old　black　letter；　and　used　the　Roman　type　with　which　we　are　familiar。　It　had　full　notes　on　hard　passages；　which　notes；　as　we　shall　see；　helped　to　produce　the　King　James　version。　The　work　itself　was　completed　after　the　accession　of　Elizabeth；　when　most　of　the　religious　leaders　had　returned　to　England　from　their　exile　under　Mary。

Elizabeth　herself　was　not　an　ardent　Protestant；　not　ardent　at　all　religiously；　but　an　ardent　Englishwoman。　She　understood　her　people；　and　while　she　prided　herself　on　being　the　〃Guardian　of　the　Middle　Way；〃　she　did　not　make　the　mistake　of　submitting　her　sovereignty　to　foreign　supervision。　Probably　Elizabeth　always　counted　herself　personally　a　Catholic；　but　not　politically　subject　to　the　Roman　pontiff。　She　had　no　wish　to　offend　other　Catholic　powers；　but　she　was　determined　to　develop　a　strong　national　spirit　and　to　allow　religious　differences　to　exist　if　they　would　be　peaceful。　The　dramatic　scene　which　was　enacted　at　the　time　of　her　coronation　procession　was　typical　of　her　spirit。　As　the　procession　passed　down　Cheapside；　a　venerable　old　man；　representing　Time；　with　a　little　child　beside　him　representing　TruthTime　always　old；　Truth　always　young　presented　the　Queen　with　a　copy　of　the　Scriptures；　which　she　accepted；　promising　to　read　them　diligently。

Presently　it　was　found　that　two　versions　of　the　Bible　were　taking　the　field；　the　old　Great　Bible　and　the　new　Genevan　Bible。　On　all　accounts　the　Genevan　was　the　better　and　was　driving　out　its　rival。　Yet　there　could　be　no　hope　of　gaining　the　approval　of　Elizabeth　for　the　Genevan　Bible。　For　one　thing；　John　Knox　had　been　a　party　to　its　preparation；　so　had　Calvin。　Elizabeth　detested　them　both；　especially　Knox。　For　another　thing；　its　notes　were　not　favorable　to　royal　sovereignty；　but　smacked　so　much　of　popular　government　as　to　be　offensive。　For　another　thing；　though　it　had　been　made　mostly　by　her　own　people；　it　had　been　made　in　a　foreign　land；　and　was　under　suspicion　on　that　account。　The　result　was　that　Elizabeth's　archbishop；　Parker；　set　out　to　have　an　authorized　version　made；　selected　a　revision　committee；　with　instructions　to　follow　wherever　possible　the　Great　Bible；　to　avoid　bitter　notes；　and　to　make　such　a　version　that　it　might　be　freely；　easily；　and　naturally　read。　The　result　is　known　as　the　Bishops'　Bible。　It　was　issued　in　Elizabeth's　tenth　year　（1568）；　but　there　is　no　record　that　she　ever　noticed　it；　though　Parker　sent　her　a　copy　from　his　sick…bed。　The　Bishops'　Bible　shows　the　influence　of　the　Genevan　Bible　in　many　ways；　though　it　gives　no　credit　for　that。　It　is　not　of　equal　merit；　it　was　expensive；　too　cumbersome；　and　often　unscholarly。　Only　its　official　standing　gave　it　life；　and　after　forty　years；　in　nineteen　editions；　it　was　no　longer　published。

Naming　one　other　English　version　will　complete　the　series　of　facts　necessary　for　the　consideration　of　the　forming　of　the　King　James　version。　It　will　be　remembered　that　all　the　English　versions　of　the　Bible　thus　far　mentioned　were　the　work　of　men　either　already　out　of　favor　with　the　Roman　pontiff；　or　speedily　put　out　of　favor　on　that　account。　Thirty　years　after　his　death；　Wiclif's　bones　were　taken　up　and　burned；　Tindale　was　burned。　Coverdale's　version　and　the　Great　Bible　were　the　product　of　the　period　when　Henry　VIII。　was　under　the　ban。　The　Genevan　Bible　was　the　work　of　refugees；　and　the　Bishops'　Bible　was　prepared　when　Elizabeth　had　been　excommunicated。　That　fact　seemed　to　many　loyal　Roman　churchmen　to　put　the　Church　in　a　false　light。　It　must　be　made　clear　that　its　opposition　was　not　to　the　Bible；　not　even　to　popular　use　and　possession　of　the　Bible；　but　only　to　unauthorized；　even　incorrect；　versions。　So　there　came　about　the　Douai　version；　instigated　by　Gregory　Martin；　and　prepared　in　some　sense　as　an　answer　to　the　Genevan　version　and　its　strongly　anti…papal　notes。　It　was　the　work　of　English　scholars　connected　with　the　University　of　Douai。　The　New　Testament　was　issued　at　Rheims　in　1582；　and　the　whole　Bible　in　1609；　just　before　our　King　James　version。　It　is　made；　not　from　the　Hebrew　and　the　Greek；　though　it　refers　to　both；　but　from　the　Vulgate。　The　result　is　that　the　Old　Testament　of　the　Douai　version　is　a　translation　into　English　from　the　Latin；　which　in　large　part　is　a　translation　into　Latin　from　the　Greek　Septuagint；　which　in　turn　is　a　translation　into　Greek　from　the　Hebrew。　Yet　scholars　are　scholars；　and　it　shows　marked　influence　of　the　Genevan　version；　and；　indeed；　of　other　English　versions。　Its　notes　were　strongly　anti…Protestant；　and　in　its　preface　it　explains　its　existence　by　saying　that　Protestants　have　been　guilty　of　〃casting　the　holy　to　dogs　and　pearls　to　hogs。〃

The　version　is　not　in　the　direct　line　of　the　ascent　of　the　familiar　version；　and　needs　no　elaborate　description。　Its　purpose　was　controversial；　it　did　not　go　to　available　sources；　its　English　was　not　colloquial；　but　ecclesiastical。　For　example；　in　the　Lord's　Prayer　we　read：　〃Give　us　this　day　our　supersubstantial　bread；〃　instead　of　〃our　daily　bread。〃　In　Hebrews　xiii：　17；　the　version　reads；　〃Obey　your　prelates　and　be　subject　unto　them。〃　In　Luke　iii：3；　John　came　〃preaching　the　baptism　of　penance。〃　In　Psalm　xxiii：5；　where　we　read；　〃My　cup　runneth　over；〃　the　Douai　version　reads；　〃My　chalice　which　inebriateth　me；　how　goodly　it　is。〃　There　is　a　careful　retention　of　ecclesiastical　terms；　and　an　explanation　of　the　passages　on　which　Protestants　had　come　to　differ　rather　sharply　from　their　Roman　brethren；　as　in　the　matter　of　the　taking　of　the　cup　by　the　people；　and　elsewhere。

Yet　it　is　only　fair　to　remember　that　this　much　answer　was　made　to　the　versions　which　were　preparing　the　way　for　the　greatest　version　of　them　all；　and　when　the　time　came　for　the　making　of　that　version；　and　the　helps　were　gathered　together；　the　Douai　was　frankly　placed　among　them。　It　is　a　peculiar　irony　of　fate　that　while　the　purpose　of　Gregory　Martin　was　to　check　the　translation　of　the　Bible　by　the　Protestants；　the　only　effect　of　his　work　was　to　advance　and　improve　that　translation。

At　last；　as　we　shall　see　in　our　next　study；　the　way　was　cleared　for　a　free　and　open　setting　of　the　Bible　into　English。　The　way　had　been　beset　with　struggle；　marked　with　blood；　lighted　by　martyr　fires。　Wiclif　and　Purvey；　Tindale　and　Coverdale；　the　refugees　at　Geneva　and　the　Bishops　at　London；　all　had　trod　that　way。　Kings　had　fought　them　or　had　favored　them；　it　was　all　one；　they　had　gone　on。　Loyal　zest　for　their　Book　and　loving　zeal　for　the　common　people　had　held　them　to　the　path。　Now　it　had　become　a　highway　open　to　all　men。　And　right　worthy　were　the　feet　which　were　soon　treading　it。



LECTURE　II

THE　MAKING　OF　THE　KING　JAMES　VERSION；　ITS　CHARACTERISTICS

EARLY　in　January；　1604；　men　were　making　their　way　along　the　poor　English　highways；　by　coach　and　carrier；　to　the　Hampton　Court　Palace　of　the　new　English　king。　They　were　coming　from　the　cathedral　towns；　from　the　universities；　from　the　larger　cities。　Many　were　Church　dignitaries；　many　were　scholars；　some　were　Puritans；　all　were　loyal　Englishmen；　and　they　were　gathering　in　response　to　a　call　for　a　conference　with　the　king；　James　I。　They　were　divided　in　sentiment；　these　men；　and　those　who　hoped　most　from　the　conference　were　doomed　to　complete　disappointment。　Not　one　am