a study of bible-第3部分

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It　would　be　difficult　to　exaggerate　the　influence　of　this　gift　to　the　English　people。　It　constitutes　the　standard　of　Middle　English。　Chaucer　and　Wiclif　stood　side　by　side。　It　is　true　that　Chaucer　himself　accepted　Wiclif's　teaching；　and　some　of　the　wise　men　think　that　the　〃parson〃　of　whom　he　speaks　so　finely　as　one　who　taught　the　lore　of　Christ　and　His　apostles　twelve；　but　first　followed　it　himself；　was　Wiclif。　But　the　version　had　far　more　than　literary　influence；　it　had　tremendous　power　in　keeping　alive　in　England　that　spirit　of　free　inquiry　which　is　the　only　safeguard　of　free　institutions。　Here　was　the　entire　source　of　the　Christian　faith　available　for　the　judgment　of　common　men；　and　they　became　at　once　judges　of　religious　and　political　dogma。　Dr。　Ladd　thinks　it　was　not　the　reading　of　the　Bible　which　produced　the　Reformation；　it　was　the　Reformation　itself　which　procured　the　reading　of　the　Bible。＇1＇　But　Dr。　Rashdall　and　Professor　Pollard　and　others　are　right　when　they　insist　that　the　English　Reformation　received　less　from　Luther　than　from　the　secret　reading　of　the　Scripture　over　the　whole　country。　What　we　call　the　English　spirit　of　free　inquiry　was　fostered　and　developed　by　Wiclif　and　his　Lollards　with　the　English　Scripture　in　their　hands。　Out　of　it　has　grown　as　out　of　no　other　one　root　the　freedom　of　the　English　and　American　people。


＇1＇　What　Is　the　Bible？；　p。　45。


This　work　of　Wiclif　deserves　the　time　we　have　given　it　because　it　asserted　a　principle　for　the　English　people。　There　was　much　yet　to　be　done　before　entire　freedom　was　gained。　At　Oxford；　in　the　Convocation　of　1408；　it　was　solemnly　voted：　〃We　decree　and　ordain　that　no　man　hereafter　by　his　own　authority　translate　any　text　of　the　Scripture　into　English；　or　any　other　tongue；　by　way　of　a　book；　pamphlet；　or　other　treatise；　but　that　no　man　read　any　such　book；　pamphlet；　or　treatise　now　lately　composed　in　the　time　of　John　Wiclif　。。。　until　the　said　translation　be　approved　by　the　orderly　of　the　place。〃　But　it　was　too　late。　It　is　always　too　late　to　overtake　a　liberating　idea　once　it　gets　free。　Tolstoi　tells　of　Batenkoff；　the　Russian　nihilist；　that　after　he　was　seized　and　confined　in　his　cell　he　was　heard　to　laugh　loudly；　and；　when　they　asked　him　the　cause　of　his　mirth；　he　said　that　he　could　not　fail　to　be　amused　at　the　absurdity　of　the　situation。　〃They　have　caught　me；〃　he　said；　〃and　shut　me　up　here；　but　my　ideas　are　out　yonder　in　the　streets　and　in　the　fields；　absolutely　free。　They　cannot　overtake　them。〃　It　was　already　too　late；　twenty　years　after　Wiclif's　version　was　available；　to　stop　the　English　people　in　their　search　for　religious　truth。

In　the　century　just　after　the　Wiclif　translation；　two　great　events　occurred　which　bore　heavily　on　the　spread　of　the　Bible。　One　was　the　revival　of　learning；　which　made　popular　again　the　study　of　the　classics　and　the　classical　languages。　Critical　and　exact　Greek　scholarship　became　again　a　possibility。　Remember　that　Wiclif　did　not　know　Greek　nor　Hebrew；　did　not　need　to　know　them　to　be　the　foremost　scholar　of　Oxford　in　the　fourteenth　century。　Even　as　late　as　1502　there　was　no　professor　of　Greek　at　the　proud　University　of　Erfurt　when　Luther　was　a　student　there。　It　was　after　he　became　a　doctor　of　divinity　and　a　university　professor　that　he　learned　Greek　in　order　to　be　a　better　Bible　student；　and　his　young　friend　Philip　Melancthon　was　the　first　to　teach　Greek　in　the　University。＇1＇　But　under　the　influence　of　Erasmus　and　his　kind；　with　their　new　insistence　on　classical　learning；　there　came　necessarily　a　new　appraisal　of　the　Vulgate　as　a　translation　of　the　original　Bible。　For　a　thousand　years　there　had　been　no　new　study　of　the　original　Bible　languages　in　Europe。　The　Latin　of　the　Vulgate　had　become　as　sacred　as　the　Book　itself。　But　the　revival　of　learning　threw　scholarship　back　on　the　sources　of　the　text。　Erasmus　and　others　published　versions　of　the　Greek　Testament　which　were　disturbing　to　the　Vulgate　as　a　final　version。


＇1＇　McGiffert；　Martin　Luther。


The　other　great　event　of　that　same　century　was　the　invention　of　printing　with　movable　type。　It　was　in　1455　that　Gutenberg　printed　his　first　book；　an　edition　of　the　Vulgate；　now　called　the　Mazarin　Bible。　The　bearing　of　the　invention　on　the　spread　of　common　knowledge　is　beyond　description。　It　is　rather　late　to　be　praising　the　art　of　printing；　and　we　need　spend　little　time　doing　so；　but　one　can　see　instantly　how　it　affected　the　use　of　the　Bible。　It　made　it　worth　while　to　learn　to　readthere　would　be　something　to　read。　It　made　it　worth　while　to　writethere　would　be　some　one　to　read　what　was　written。

One　hundred　years　exactly　after　the　death　of　Wiclif；　William　Tindale　was　born。　He　was　eight　years　old　when　Columbus　discovered　America。　He　had　already　taken　a　degree　at　Oxford；　and　was　a　student　in　Cambridge　when　Luther　posted　his　theses　at　Wittenburg。　Erasmus　either　was　a　teacher　at　Cambridge　when　Tindale　was　a　student　there；　or　had　just　left。　Sir　Thomas　More　and　Erasmus　were　close　friends；　and　More's　Utopia　and　Erasmus's　Greek　New　Testament　appeared　the　same　year；　probably　while　Tindale　was　a　student　at　Cambridge。

But　he　came　at　a　troubled　time。　The　new　learning　had　no　power　to　deepen　or　strengthen　the　moral　life　of　the　people。　It　could　not　make　religion　a　vital　thing。　Morality　and　religion　were　far　separated。　The　priests　and　curates　were　densely　ignorant。　We　need　not　ask　Tindale　what　was　the　condition。　Ask　Bellarmine；　a　cardinal　of　the　Church：　〃Some　Years　before　the　rise　of　the　Lutheran　heresy　there　was　almost　an　entire　abandonment　of　equity　in　ecclesiastical　judgments；　in　morals；　no　discipline；　in　sacred　literature；　no　erudition；　in　divine　things；　no　reverence；　religion　was　almost　extinct。〃　Or　ask　Erasmus；　who　never　broke　with　the　Church：　〃What　man　of　real　piety　does　not　perceive　with　sighs　that　this　is　far　the　most　corrupt　of　all　ages？　When　did　iniquity　abound　with　more　licentiousness？　When　was　charity　so　cold？〃　And；　as　a　century　before；　Wiclif　had　felt　the　social　need　for　a　popular　version　of　the　Bible；　so　William　Tindale　felt　it　now。　He　saw　the　need　as　great　among　the　clergy　of　the　time　as　among　the　laity。　In　one　of　his　writings　he　says：　〃If　you　will　not　let　the　layman　have　the　word　of　God　in　his　mother　tongue；　yet　let　the　priests　have　it；　which　for　the　great　part　of　them　do　understand　no　Latin　at　all；　but　sing　and　patter　all　day　with　the　lips　only　that　which　the　heart　understandeth　not。〃＇1＇　So　bad　was　the　case　that　it　was　not　corrected　within　a　whole　generation。　Forty　years　after　Tindale's　version　was　published；　the　Bishop　of　Gloucester；　Hooper　by　name；　made　an　examination　of　the　clergy　of　his　diocese。　There　were　311　of　them。　He　found　168；　more　than　half；　unable　to　repeat　the　Ten　Commandments；　31　who　did　not　even　know　where　they　could　be　found；　40　who　could　not　repeat　the　Lord's　Prayer；　and　nearly　as　many　who　did　not　know　where　it　originated；　yet　they　were　all　in　regular　standing　as　clergy　in　the　diocese　of　Gloucester。　The　need　was　keen　enough。


＇1＇　Obedience　of　a　Christian　Man。


About　1523　Tindale　began　to　cast　the　Scriptures　into　the　current　English。　He　set　out　to　London　fully　expecting　to　find　support　and　encouragement　there；　but　he　found　neither。　He　found；　as　he　once　said；　that　there　was　no　room　in　the　palace　of　the　Bishop　of　London　to　translate　the　New　Testament；　indeed；　that　there　was　no　place　to　do　it　in　all　England。　A　wealthy　London　merchant　subsidized　him　with　the　munificent　gift　of　ten　pounds；　with　which　he　went　across　the　Channel　to　Hamburg；　and　there　and　elsewhere　on　the　Continent；　where　he　could　be　hid；　he　brought　his　translation　to　completion。　Printing　facilities　were　greater　on　the　Continent　than　in　England；　but　there　was　such　opposition　to　his　work　that　very　few　copies　of　the　several　editions　of　which　we　know　can　still　be　found。　Tindale　was　compelled　to　flee　at　one　time　with　a　few　printed　sheets　and　complete　his　work　on　another　press。　Several　times　copies　of　his　books　were　solemnly　burned；　and　his　own　life　was　frequently　in　danger。

There　is　one　amusing　story　which　tells　how　money　came　to　free　Tindale　from　heavy　debt　and　prepare　the　way　for　more　Bibles。　The　Bishop　of　London；　Tunstall；　was　set　on　destroying　copies　of　the　English　New　Testament。　He　therefore　made　a　bargain　with　a　merchant　of　Antwerp；　Packington；　to　secure　them　for　him。　Packington　was　a　friend　of　Tindale；　and　went　to　him　forthwith；　saying：　〃William；　I　know　thou　art　a　poor　man；　and　I　have　gotten　thee　a　merchant　for　thy　books。〃　〃Who？〃　asked　Tindale。　〃The　Bishop　of　London。〃　〃Ah；　but　he　will　burn　them。〃　〃So　he　will；　but　you　will　have　the　money。〃　And　it　all　came　out　as　it　was　planned；　the　Bishop　of　London　had　the　books；　Packington　had　the　thanks；　Tindale　had　the　money；　the　debt　was　paid；　and　the　new　edition　was　soon　ready。　The　old　document；　from　which　I　am　quoting；　adds　that　the　Bishop　thought　he　had　God　by　the　toe　when；　indeed；　he　found　afterward　that　he　had　the　devil　by　the　fist。＇1＇


＇1＇　Pollard；　Records　of　the　English　Bible；　p。　151。


The　final　revision　of　the　Tindale　translations　was　published　in　1534；　and　that　becomes　the　notable　year　of　his　life。　In　two　years　he　was　put　to　death　by　strangling；　and　his　body　was　burned。　When　we　remember　that　this　was　done　with　the　joint　power　of　Church　and　State；　we　realize　some　of　the　odds　against　which　he　worked。

Spite　of　his　odds；　however；　Tindale　is　the　real　father　of　our　King　James　version。　About　eighty　per　cent。　of　his　Old　Testament　and　ninety　per　cent。　of　his　New　Testament　have　been　transferred　to　our　version。　In　the　Beatitudes；　for　example；　five　are　word　for　word　in　the　two　versions；　while　the　other　three　are　only　slightly　changed。＇1＇　Dr。　Davidson　has　calculated　that　nine…tenths　of　the　words　in　the　shorter　New　Testament　epistles　are　Tindale's；　and　in　the　longer　epistles　like　the　Hebrews　five…sixths　are　his。　Froude's　estimate　is　fair：　〃Of　the　translation　itself；　though　since　that　time　it　has　been　many　times　revised　and　altered；　we　may　say　that　it　is　substantially　the　Bible　with　which　we　are　familiar。　The　peculiar　genius　which　breathes　through　it；　the　mingled　tenderness　and　majesty；　the　Saxon　simplicity；　the　preternatural　grandeur；　unequaled；　unapproached；　in　the　attempted　improvements　of　modern　scholars；　all　are　here；　and　bear　the　impress　of　the　mind　of　one