MODERN FOREIGN VERSIONS

MODERN FOREIGN VERSIONS
We have seen, by the preceding remarks on this subject, that, at some period prior to the promulgation of Christianity, there existed a valuable translation of the Scriptures into Greek, entitled the Septuagint, or the Seventy, from the number of individuals engaged in its arrangement. It has also been shown, that at an early period in the history of the Christian church, a Latin translation of the Scriptures was found called the Vulgate. These Greek and Latin versions of the Bible did not supersede the use of the original Hebrew Scriptures, such being ever preserved by the Jews with the most extraordinary care, and generally made use of by them in their synagogues, while the Septuagint and Vulgate, from being in more modern languages, were in more extensive use among churchmen and the people. The existence of these early versions is therefore an incontestable evidence that the Scriptures as now found in the original tongues, have not been impaired, interpolated, or abused, during the lapse of at least two thousand years.
Almost all the modern nations of Europe, and part of Asia, have had versions of the Scriptures, in whole or in part, taken from other versions, or from the originals. Arabic having become the common language of almost all the east, there are several versions of the Bible in Arabic , which, besides the Syriac version (which is understood by the learned alone), are not only used by the Maronites and other Christians in Asia, but also by the Jews and Samaritans. About the year 900, Rabbi Saadias Gaon, an Arabian Jew, translated the Old Testament, or, at least, the Pentateuch, into Arabic. Another Jew of Mauritania translated the Pentateuch, and Erpenius printed his work. Risius, a monk of Damascus, translated the New Testament. The greater part of these versions were from the Septuagint.[6] The Arabic Bible, translated by Dr. Ely Smith, and continued after his death by Dr. Van Dyck, both of the Syrian Mission, a mission of the A. B.C. F. M., is now in course of publication by the American Bible Society. This is pronounced by the best critics superior to any other Arabic version extant--Ed.
The Persians have some manuscript versions of the Bible. Rabbi Jacob Favos, a Jew, translated the Pentateuch into Persian, and the Jews printed it at Constantinople in 1546. This, with the gospels translated by one Simon, a Christian, are inserted in the London polyglot; but these gospels are far from being correctly done. There have been several other Persian versions of the Psalms and the New Testament executed in modern times, particularly the New Testament by Henry Martyn, the celebrated English missionary, translated by him in the city of Shiraz in Persia, and printed at Petersburg in 1815.
TURKISH VERSION
The Turks have likewise some translations in manuscript of the Bible in their language. In 1666, a Turkish New Testament was printed at London, for the purpose of being dispersed in the east. It is mentioned, that, in 1721, the Grand Signore ordered an impression of bibles to be produced at Constantinople, that they might be confronted with the Koran, or Bible of the Mohammedans. In the Report of the British and Foreign Bible Society for 1815, it is mentioned, that a Turkish translation in manuscript of the whole Bible had been discovered in the repositories of the University of Leyden, where it had remained for a century and a half. The author of this translation was by birth a Pole, of the name of Albertus Boboosky, and born in the beginning of the seventeenth century. While a youth, he was stolen by the Tartars, and, being sold to the Turks in Constantinople, he was by them educated in the Mohammedan faith. His name was changed to Hali Bey, and when he grew up, he was constituted the chief dragoman or translator to Mohammed the Fourth. The learning of Hali Bey was considerable. He understood seventeen languages, and he is said to have spoken in French, German, and English, like a native. He was particularly fond of the English language, and, at the request of the Hon. R. Boyle, translated the Church of England Catechism into Turkish. He also composed different works himself, several of which have been published. His chief work, however, is his translation of the whole Bible into the Turkish language, which was undertaken at the instigation and under the direction of the famous Levin Warner, Dutch ambassador at the court of the sultan at that period; and the translation appears to have been completed about the year 1666, the same year in which Seaman's translation of the New Testament into Turkish was published at Oxford.
ARMENIAN VERSION
The Armenians have a translation of the Old Testament, done from the Septuagint, by Moses Grammaticus, and two others, about 1400 years ago. In 1666, under the direction of an Armenian bishop, it was printed at Amsterdam, corrected or corrupted from the Vulgate. Theodorus Patreus procured an impression of an Armenian New Testament at Antwerp in 1668, and of the whole Bible in 1690. In 1815, the Armenian Bible, in quarto, for the accommodation of the Armenian inhabitants of Russia, who subscribed liberally for the undertaking, was printed at St. Petersburg. The Armenians are scattered all over Asia.
GEORGIAN VERSION
The Georgians have the Bible in their ancient language; but that being now almost obsolete, and themselves, in general, brutishly ignorant, few of them can either read or understand it. There has never been, till lately, but one edition of the Georgian Bible; it was printed at Moscow in 1743 in a large folio volume.
MODERN GREEK VERSION
The modern Greeks have recently received the New Testament in their proper tongue, which is considerably different from that in which the sacred work was originally written. The edition is in the Hellenistic and Romaic dialects, and was printed in England under the direction of a society. It has been approved of by the patriarch of the Greek church.
RUSSIAN VERSION
The Russians have the Bible in their Sclavonic tongue, done from the Greek by Cyril, their apostle. It was published in 1581, but being too obscure, Ernest Gluk, a Swedish captive, above one hundred years ago, began to form another. He died before he finished it. Peter the Great ordered a number of his most learned clergy to complete the work; and it is supposed that the bibles distributed by imperial authority about 1722 were of this translation. In the course of two hundred and sixty years, from the time when printing was first introduced into Russia, no more than twenty-two editions of the Sclavonian Bible had appeared, prior to the year 1815, consisting of about fifty thousand copies only.
GERMAN VERSION
The most ancient German translation is that of Ulphilas, bishop of the Goths, about A.D. 360; but he left out the Books of Kings, lest they should have excited his savage countrymen to war. Toward the end of the 16th century, Junius professed to publish an edition of it, from a manuscript found in the abbey of Verden, written in letters of silver. An anonymous version was printed at Nuremberg in 1477. Between 1521 and 1532, Luther composed his translation, but Michaelis, La Croze, and Bayer, think this was not from the Gothic version of Ulphilas, but one about 200 years later; he published it in seven parts, as it was ready. Some persons of quality, masters of the German language, revised it. Two catholic versions, the one of Eckius on the Old, and Emzer on the New Testament, and another of Ulembergius were published to depress the credit of Luther's; but the protestants of Germany and Switzerland still use it, a little corrected. About 1604, Piscator turned the Latin translation of Junius and Tremellius into a kind of German, but too much Latinized. About 1680, Athias published a Hebrew-German translation of the Old Testament, for the sake of his Jewish brethren, and Jekuthiel another; but both, especially the latter, distorted several texts relative to the Messiah, etc.
POLISH VERSION
The first Polish version of the Scriptures is ascribed to Hadewich, the wife of Jagellon, Duke of Lithuania, who embraced Christianity A.D. 1390. In 1596, the protestants published another, formed on Luther's translation. There were three other versions, one by James Wick, a Jesuit, and the other two by Socinians, published in the end of the 16th century.
BOHEMIAN VERSION
About 1506, the Bohemian Taborites published a Bible in their language, done from the Vulgate. In the end of the 16th century, eight Bohemian divines, after a careful study of the original languages at Wurttemberg and Basil, published a version from the original text.
SWEDISH VERSION
In 1534, Olaus and Laurence published a Swedish Bible, done from Luther's German translation. About 1617, Gustavus Adolphus ordered some learned men to revise it; and it has been, since, almost universally followed in that kingdom. The translation into the language of Finland is thought to have been done from it. In 1550, Peter Palladius, and three others, published a Danish version, done from the German of Luther; and there are one or two others, as also a version in the Icelandic tongue.
DUTCH VERSIONS
The Flemish or Dutch Bibles, composed by Roman Catholics, are very numerous; but the names of the translators are scarcely known, except that of Nicolas Vink, in 1548. The Calvinists of the Low Countries long used a version done from Luther's; but the synod of Dort appointed some learned men to form a new one from the originals. It was published in 1637, and is considered very exact.
LATIN VERSIONS
Since the reformation, a vast number of Latin versions of the Bible have been made by members of the Romish church. Pagnin the Dominican was the first after St. Jerome who translated the Old Testament into Latin from the Hebrew. His version was printed at Lyons in 1528. It is very literal, and generally exact. Arias Montanus retouched it, and made it yet more literal. After Pagnin came a crowd of interpreters, since the Hebrew language has been more studied. Leo of Judah, who, though not a Jew, understood Hebrew extremely well, began one, which has since been printed at Zurich; but death having prevented him from finishing his work, Theodorus Bibliander completed it. This is the version which Robert Stephens printed with the Vulgate and Vatablus's Notes, without naming the authors of it. Of Protestants, Emmanuel Tremillius, who of a Jew became a Christian, and Francis Junius, have also given a Latin translation, as also Castalio and Beza. These are considered tolerably exact, and have been frequently reprinted. Sebastian Munster also published a literal but judicious translation.
ITALIAN VERSION
In 1471, an Italian Bible, done from the Vulgate by Nicolas Malerme, a Benedictine monk, was published at Venice. Anthony Bruccioli published another in 1530, but the council of Trent prohibited it. The Protestants have two Italian versions--the one, which is rather a paraphrase than a translation, by the celebrated Diodati, published in 1607, and with corrections in 1641--the other by Maximus Theophilus, and dedicated to the Duke of Tuscany, about 1551. By an order of King James of Arragon to burn them, we find there were a number of bibles in Spanish about the year 1270, probably the work of the Waldenses. About 1500, a Spanish version was published, but the translator's name is unknown. In 1543, Driander published his version of the New Testament, and dedicated it to the Emperor Charles the Fifth. In 1553, the Jews published their Spanish version of the Old Testament, after having long used it in private. Cassiodore, a learned Calvinist, published his Bible in 1569, which Cyprian de Valera corrected and republished in 1602.
FRENCH VERSIONS
Peter de Vaux, chief of the Waldenses, published the first translation of the Bible in French about A.D. 1160. Two others were published about the years 1290 and 1380; and in 1550, by order of the Emperor Charles the Fifth, the doctors of Louvain published another. There are various other French versions, particularly of the New Testament; that of Mons, done from the Vulgate, and published in 1665 with the king of Spain and archbishop of Cambray's license, is in a most clear and agreeable style. In 1702, F. Simon published his New Testament, with some literal and critical notes, which the bishops of Paris and Meaux quickly condemned.
There are many French versions of the Bible done by Protestants. Faber's translation of the New Testament was printed for those of Piedmont, in 1534. Next year, Peter Olivetan's Bible was published at Geneva, and, having been reprinted with the corrections of Calvin and others, it is now a work of considerable exactness. After some struggling with the French Protestant clergy, Diodati published his in 1644; but, like his Italian and Latin versions, the translation is too free and paraphrastic. Le Clerc published his New Testament at Amsterdam in 1703, with notes mostly borrowed from Grotius and Hammond. The states-general prohibited it, as inclining to the Sabellian and Socinian heresies. La Cene published another, which shared much the same fate, on account of its fancies and errors.
The Bible, or at least portions of it, principally by the labors of the missionaries at Scampore, are now printed in nearly forty Indian languages, and are also to be found in Tartar, in Calmuc, and in Chinese. Upon the whole, out of the 3,064 languages which are said to exist in the world, the Bible is now to be found in more than two hundred languages.