To WILLIAM TYNDALL the distinguished honour belongs, of having translated the Bible into the English language. Driven by persecution from his own country, he proceeded to Saxony, where he became acquainted with Luther and the Reformers, and finally settling in Antwerp, he completed the New Testament, and printed an edition of 1500 copies, in 1526. This edition was extensively circulated in England, and a single copy, believed to be the only one in existence, is now the property of the Baptist College at Bristol. He lived to complete the translation of the Old Testament also, which was printed in 1532, but while engaged in preparing a second revised edition of the whole Bible, his cruel enemies succeeded in depriving him of his liberty and his life. After six months imprisonment, he was burnt for a heretic, at Filford, near Antwerp, in the year 1536. His last words were-Lord open the King of England's eyes. COVERDALE'S BIBLE, 1535. This version was made by this Companion of Tyndall, not from the Hebrew and Greek, as his had been, but as it is expressed in the title," out of the Latin and the Douche, into English, 1535." No printer's name appears in it, but it is dedicated to King Henry VIII. as "the onely Head of the Church under Christ upon earth, by your Majestyes lovinge subjecte and dailyc oratour, Myles Coverdale." There was another edition of this translation printed in Southwarke, for James Nicholson, 1537. This was the first Bible printed in England; a copy of it is preserved in the Baptist Museum at Bristol. MATTHEWS'S BIBLE, 1537. This was printed at Antwerp, and was nothing more than a 2d and revised edition of Tyndall's Bible of 1532. It was edited by Thomas Matthews, a fictitious signature for Ino. Rogers, who translated the APOCRYPHA, and added it to Tyndall's Book. Had the stern reformer lived, it is not probable he would have suffered his noble work, to be thus defaced and corrupted by the addition of these fabulous and erroneous books. CRANMER'S BIBLE, 1539. Strype informs us that Archbishop Cranmer, hoping to remove the prejudices which existed against Tyndall's Bible, adopted the expedient of dividing Tyndall's edition of 1532, into separate parts, and giving a part to each Bishop for revisal. It is then said to be truly translated after the veryle of the Hebrew and Greek textes, by the dylygent studye of dyverse excellent learned men, experte in the forsayde tonges.' In this Book, the Apocrypha is for the first time, called HAGIOGRAPHA. TAVERNER'S BIBLE, 1539. In this same year, 1539, there was an edition of the Bible published by Richard Taverner, a very learned man, and remarkable for his knowledge of the Greek tongue. In the title page it is said to be "NEWLY RECOGNIZED with great dylygence after most faithful exemplars." The Bible of the Great Volume, or the GREAT BIBLE, as it was called, was printed in London in 1540. A number of exiled ministers, who had fled upon the accession of the popish Mary to the throne, ultimately settled in Geneva. Here, in 1555, they undertook a new translation of the Bible, since called, the GENEVA BIBLE. They published the New Testament in 1557, and the entire Bible in 1559; and this was the first instance of its being divided into numerical verses. THE BISHOPS' BIBLE, so called, because the translation was performed by fourteen dignitaries of the Church of England, most of whom were Bishops, was printed in a large folio volume, beautifully ornamented with maps and cuts, in the year 1568. It appears from " A plea for the Protestant Canon of Scripture, London, 1825," that in the reigns of Henry 8th, Edward 6th, and Queen Elizabeth, there were editions printed of the New Testament in 1526, 1527, 1528 or 1529, 1530, three editions in 1534, two in 1536, another, (no date) six in 1546, five in 1548, 1550, 1552, 1553, 1561, and 1566. Of the Old Testament, the Pentateuch was printed in 1530, 1534, and 1551. The whole Bible in 1532-two editions in 1537, 1538, five in 1539, two in 1540, three in 1541, six in 1549, four in 1551, three in 1553, 1562, 1566, 1568, 1569 and 1573. With the exception of Coverdale's and the Geneva, there is not a single edition of the English Bible, from Matthews's in 1537, to the present authorized version of 1611, but what should have been called TYNDALL'S BIBLE. The English Bible now in common use, and known as the " received version," was first printed in London, in 1611. Early in the reign of James I. mu was said, by different divines, of the imperfections of the existing translations of Scriptures. Whereupon the King expressed his wish that "some special pains were taken for a uniform translation, which should be done by the best learned in both universities, then reviewed by the Bishops, presented to the privy council, and, lastly, ratified by royal authority, to be read in the whole Church, and no other." In accordance with this suggestion, fifty-four individuals were selected, Forty-seven of whom entered upon the work in 1607, and finished it in 1611. To these translators, the king prescribed fifteen rules, from which they were not at liberty to depart. The first and third of these rules, read as follows. 1. "The ordinary Bible read in the Church, commonly called the Bishops' Bible, to be followed, and as little altered as the original will permit." 3. "The old ecclesiastical words to be kept, as the word church not to be translated Congregation." An edition of King James' Bible was printed in 1769, under the superintendence of Dr. Blayney, who bestowed great pains to render it as accurate as possible; and for many years, this was looked upon as the standard edition. The editions, however, of Eyre & Strahan, printed in 1806 and 1813, and the quarto Bible printed by the American Bible Society in 1834, are now generally considered standard editions of the English version made by King James' Forty-seven translators. TREASURER'S REPORT. Moneys, received by WILLIAM COLGATE, Treasurer of the "American and Foreign Bible Society," 1836. Thomas Roberts, jr. Middletown. 150 00 J. Francis, New-York, Mrs. J. M. Talmadge, Rev. I. Orchard, 240 00 Mulberry-st. Baptist Church, 30 00 Jas. Sadgebury, N. Y. 30 00 M. G. 20 00 Friends in the Catskill Bap, Ch. N. Y. 132 00 Mrs. S. E. Bleecker, 5 00 Coxsackie Bap. Ch. 30 00 J. S. Gilbert, 5 00 Sand Lake do. do. 18 00 M. Dodge, Jas. Wilson, 30 00 Frans. Secor, 5 00 Ch. H. Gregory, M. D. 30 00 Children and Soldiers at the Mission Mrs. K. Gregory 30 00 Hudson Bap. Ch. 2 43 Females of the 16th Bap. Ch. N. Y. 30 00 Westkill, do. 10 75 Wm. Colgate, 150 00 Second Bap. Ch. Broome 2.00 Bowles Colgate, 150 00 Athens, do. 10 00 Female Bib. Soc. of the North Beriah Thos. Purser, N. Y. 150 00 Bap. Church, N. Y. 180 00 Elijah Withington, N. Y. 150 00 June. Geo. Colgate, John Colgate, Zebedee Ring. R. Pegg Luke Davies Friends in the 1st Bap. Ch. Brooklyn, 240 00 30 00 150 00 Edw. Smith, N. Y. 150 00 30 00 150 00 Sylvia Ann Griswold, N. Y. 30 00 Rev. O. Winslow 30 00 Joseph Miles, Milesburg, Pa. 30 00 Luke Barker, M. D. 30 00 S. Newland, Stillwater 30 00 A Friend in New-Jersey 90 00 Wm. Tracy, South Bap. Ch.. N. Y. 30 00 Robert Edwards 100 00 Luke Davies Sen. N. Y. 15 00 A Friend in Oliver-st. to pure and Females of the Sansom-st. Baptist Ch. Saratoga Baptist Association 11 50 150 00 2d Bap. Ch. & Cong. Danbury, Ct. 30 25 Friends in the North Beriah Bap. Ch. 330 00 Edward Probyn WM. COLGATE, Esq. Treasurer, 6 Dutch-street. Rev. CHARLES G. SOMMERS, Corresponding Secretary, 82 Madison-street, N. Y. This publication is periodical, contains a half sheet, and the postage, for any distance under 100 miles, is 11-2 cents; for any distance over 100 miles, 2 1-2 cents. Baptist Ch. East Avon, Livingston Bethlehem Associa. Alaba. through the Rev. J. Mercer, Col. A. James,tr. Remitted by the Rev. A. Maclay, on account of Collections and Subscriptions in Cincinnati Remitted by the Rev. A. Maclay, on account of collections ir. Kentucky Jno. H. Raymond, by a friend in Oli 30 00 105 00 600 00 519 80 ver-street 30 00 Porter Clay, Jacksonville, Illi. 100 00 13397 56 Ar the organization of the Society, May 13th, 1836, the following resolution was unanimously passed, viz: "Resolved, That the first annual meeting of the Society be held in Philadelphia, the last Wednesday in April, 1837, and that the doings of this meeting and of the Society be submitted to such brethren from different parts of the United States, as may then and there meet in Convention, for the purpose of securing the combined and concentrated action of the denomination in the Bible cause." In accordance with this resolution, NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that the Ainerican and Foreign Bible Society will meet in Philadelphia, in the meeting house of the First Baptist Church, on Wednesday, April 26th, 1837, at 3 o'clock, P. M., when a brief abstract of the operations of the Society for the current year, will be laid before the proposed Convention. And we do most affectionately and earnestly solicit all those, throughout our country, favourable to the printing and circulation of faithful versions of the whole Bible, to assemble by their Delegates, and after free discussion and mature deliberation, to adopt such measures, and cordially unite in such efforts, in the great work of Bible distribution, as obvious duty may demand. By order of the Board, New-York, March 1st, 1837. CHARLES G. SOMMERS, Cor. Sec. PHILADELPHIA BIBLE CONVENTION. The undersigned, appointed a Committee by the Conference held in Hartford, April 28th, 1836, to make the necessary arrangements for a Bible Convention, do hereby announce to the public, that the proposed Convention will meet in the meeting house of the First Baptist Church, Philadelphia, on Wednesday, April 26th, 1837, at 4 o'clock, P. M. The Committee, on republishing the above notice, take occasion to obviate a misconception which, they regret to learn has, to some extent, prevailed. It has been said, that since the action of those who constituted the American and Foreign Bible Society at New-York, in May last, the original purpose of calling the Convention has been forestalled and its duties anticipated, and some of our brethren have, on this account, manifested an indisposition to attend the Convention. To correct this misconception, the Committee beg leave to state their full and decided conviction that the whole subject of a Bible organization for the Baptist denomination, is entirely open for the deliberation and action of the proposed Convention. They do therefore most cordially and earnestly entreat Baptist State Conventions, Associations, Churches, and Bible Societies throughout the Union, to send their delegates, and in free Convention at Philadelphia, adopt such measures, in reference to the Bible cause as shall, on consultation, be deemed expedient. MY DEAR BROTHER,-I have availed myself, with much pleasure, of this opportunity, by our mutual friend Mr. Tomes, to forward you a small box, containing co pies of various versions of the Sacred Scriptures, which our Committee request the Board of the American and Foreign Bible Society to accept, as a small token of brotherly and grateful esteem. |