A
BRIEF HISTORY OF BIBLE TRANSLATION – FROM GREEK TO ENGLISH
Jerome
and the Latin Vulgate
As language changed, new
translations needed to be written. Around AD 382, in an effort to make the
Scriptures once again available to ordinary people, the Pope commissioned his
secretary Jerome to create a new translation in Latin. With great seriousness
and trepidation, Jerome accepted the task. He was passionate about this
assignment and tradition credits him as saying, “ignorance of Scripture is
ignorance of Christ.”
He learned Hebrew and was
able to access biblical texts in both Hebrew and Greek, thanks to the works of
Origin. Jerome’s finished product is what we call the Vulgate. Many of our
biblical terms in English such as, Scripture, salvation, justification and
regeneration, come from this version. The Vulgate Latin Bible became the
standard used by the Roman Catholic Church for 1,000 years.
John Wycliffe and the First English Bible
Efforts to translate the
Bible into Old English (Anglo-Saxon) began in the 8th century, first with the
book of Psalms and then the Gospel of John. Other parts were translated as
well, but these efforts were brought to a temporary halt with the Norman
Invasion of England in 1066.
In the 14th century,
Oxford teacher and priest John Wycliffe challenged the growing power and
privilege of the Catholic Church, which was now firmly anchored in the long
held tradition of the Latin Vulgate. Wycliffe began translating the Bible to
Middle English, the common language, so Christians could read it for themselves
without having to depend on the Church. His followers completed the task and
nearly 200 copies of his manuscripts have survived.
Unfortunately, the early
missionary perspective on Bible translation had shifted dramatically. The
leaders of the Church now thought only learned scholars and men of intelligence
should have access to the Bible. Consequently, forty-four years after
Wycliffe’s death, the Catholic Church officially excommunicated him. His body
was dug up, burned, and dumped into a river.
Nevertheless, Wycliffe’s
vision spread through Europe inspiring the Czech priest and philosopher Jan Hus
and others to produce Bible translations in Hungarian and Bohemian. As a
result, in 1415 Hus also was declared a heretic and burned at the stake.
William
Tyndale and the First Printed English Bible
With the invention of
the printing press in the 15th century, Bible translation changed
radically. William Tyndale was an English chaplain, tutor and scholar who
worked on the first printed English translation of the New Testament in 1526.
This iconic translation would form the base for most future translations.
Tyndale had a gift for
language and was able to communicate powerfully. He coined many common phrases
including: ‘land of the living,’ ‘the parting of ways,’ and ‘apple of my eye.’
He worded the familiar verses, ‘fight the good fight,’ and ‘the spirit is
willing but the flesh is weak.’ The word ‘at-one-ment’ was his invention and
his use of the archery term for missing the mark, ‘to sin,’ was ingenious.
Sadly, of the 3,000
copies of the New Testament Tyndale printed, only two have survived, due to the
Catholic Church of England’s active suppression and burning of the books.
Around 1529, Tyndale
began a translation of the Old Testament in Europe. By 1535, he had finished
the Pentateuch and nine other Old Testament books when he was captured and
burned at the stake. His last words are reported to be: “Lord, open the King of
England’s eyes.”
Coverdale, Matthews, and The Great Bible
Miles Coverdale continued
Tyndale’s effort and finished the printing of the first complete English Bible
in 1535. Not being proficient in Greek and Hebrew, he used Latin and German
translations, as well as Tyndale’s unpublished works, including his partial Old
Testament. In the preface of the Bible, Coverdale praised King Henry VIII, who
on account of his new Queen, Anne Boleyn, had split with the Catholic Church of
Rome and set up a Church of England. The Coverdale Bible was the first Bible
licensed by King Henry VIII for use in England. Later Coverdale was authorized
to translate The Great Bible of Henry VIII in 1539.
Other translations
followed with the goal of keeping the language common and being more accurate
to the original Greek and Hebrew. John Rogers, a friend and editor of Tyndale,
incorporated Coverdale’s work and produced the Matthews Bible in 1537. In the
latest wave of back and forth violence, the new Queen Mary went on a rampage to
return England to Catholicism, and Rogers was burned at the stake for being a
Protestant in 1555.
The Geneva and the Catholic Rheims-Douai
Versions
Because of persecution,
hundreds of Protestants fled to areas in Germany and Switzerland, especially
Geneva, where eventually the Geneva Bible was produced in 1560. This
contemporary English version accomplished many firsts. It was the first to use
a team of translators, number verses, have commentaries in the side margins,
and contain maps and illustrations. The Geneva Bible was the most accurate
version at the time and became the primary Bible of 16th century Protestantism.
When Queen “Bloody Mary”
was succeeded by her sister Elizabeth I, an updated version of The Great Bible
was created as an attempt to compete with the popular Geneva Bible. A panel of
bishops prepared this translation in 1568, aptly calling it the Bishops’ Bible;
nevertheless, the Geneva Bible continued to be the most popular version in
England.
Then finally, in 1582,
the Catholic Church who had fought so hard to keep Latin as the only language
for the Bible, beside its original sources of Hebrew and Greek, produced its
own complete English translation from the Latin Vulgate Bible called the
Rheims-Douai Bible.
The King James Version of 1611
In 1603, King James VI of
Scotland assumed the throne of England as King James I of England, and during
an ecclesiastical conference at Hampton Court it was decided that a new Bible
translation needed to be made to replace Elizabeth I’s Bishops’ Bible. Problems
among Protestants, Catholics and new denominations were emerging and the goal
was to make a scholarly version of the Bible for all Christians to be able to
use.
The plans for the King
James Bible were elaborate. A group of 47-54 translators were gathered and
given 15 rules as guidance. The Bible was not to include Geneva Bible type
commentaries. The translators were to base their work on the Bishops’ Bible,
but the other major English versions were also considered and the whole was corrected
from original Hebrew, Greek and early Latin texts. The translators were divided
into six companies with each company assigned specific books. Completed
translations were sent to other companies for review and the final needed
agreement among all translators.
The KJV Bible was not
immediately popular but in 1660, with the restoration of the English monarchy
under King Charles II, public fondness for the king was rekindled. The KJV
eventually gained widespread popularity in England, the Anglican Church, and
the American colonies.
Genesis 1 Translations Comparisons
John
Wycliffe Bible 1384
In the firste made God of
nouȝt heuene and erthe. The erthe forsothe was veyn with ynne and void, and
derknessis weren vpon the face of the sea; and the Spiryt of God was born vpon
the watrys. And God seide, Be maad liȝt; and maad is liȝt.
William
Tyndale Bible 1529
In the beginnyng God
created heauen and erth. The erth was voyde and emptye, and darknesse was vpon
the depe, & the spirite of God moued upon the water. Than God sayd: let
there be lighte and there was lighte.
Geneva
Bible 1560
In the beginning God
created ye heauen and the earth. And the earth was without forme & voyde,
and darkenes was vpon the depe, & the Spirit of God moued vpon the waters.
Then God saide, Let there be light: And there was light.
Conclusion
The good news of the
Bible was meant to be shared and read by everyone, just as Jesus went out of
his way to include outcasts and lowly people. To best understand God’s word
each person should have it in their native language. The missionary work of
producing versions of the Bible for all people was a hard fought battle, but
with persistence and God’s help it moved forward.
We must be thankful for
the abundance of English versions we have to choose from which allow us to best
understand the original Bible. Plus, we are beyond blessed to have access to
the earliest Hebrew and Greek texts online. As language inevitably changes
throughout time, Bible translations need to as well, to best follow the ultimate
goal of spreading God’s word of forgiveness and hope in a way that each person
can understand.
Copyright : https://wycliffe.org.uk/story/a-brief-history-of-bible-translation
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