Preface to the King
James Translation of 1611 |
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Submitted by Elder
Bill Allen |
(Not Copyrighted)
Part IV The Translators To The Reader
The Translating of the
Scripture into the Vulgar Tongues
Now though the Church were
thus furnished with Greek and Latin Translations, even
before the faith of Christ was generally embraced in the
Empire; (for the learned know that even in S. Jerome's time,
the Consul of Rome and his wife were both Ethnics, and about
the same time the greatest part of the Senate also) yet for
all that the godly-learned were not content to have the
Scriptures in the Language which themselves understood,
Greek and Latin, (as the good Lepers were not content to
fare well themselves, but acquainted their neighbors with
the store that God had sent, that they also might provide
for themselves) [2 Kings 7:9] but also for the behoof and
edifying of the unlearned which hungered and thirsted after
righteousness, and had souls to be saved as well as they,
they provided Translations into the vulgar for their
Countrymen, insomuch that most nations under heaven did
shortly after their conversion, hear Christ speaking unto
them in their mother tongue, not by the voice of their
Minister only, but also by the written word translated. If
any doubt hereof, he may be satisfied by examples enough, if
enough will serve the turn. First S. Jerome saith,
Multarum gentium linguis Scriptura ante translata, docet
falsa esse quae addita sunt, etc. i.e. The Scripture being
translated before in the languages of many Nations, doth
show that those things that were added (by Lucian or
Hesychius) are false. So S. Jerome in that place. The
same Jerome elsewhere affirmeth that he, the time was, had
set forth the translation of the Seventy, suae linguae
hominibus, i.e., for his countrymen of Dalmatia. Which
words not only Erasmus doth understand to purport, that S.
Jerome translated the Scripture into the Dalmatian tongue,
but also Sixtus Senensis and Alphonsus a Castro (that we
speak of no more) men not to be excepted against by them of
Rome, do ingenuously confess as much. So, S. Chrysostom that
lived in S. Jerome's time, giveth evidence with him: The
doctrine of S. John (saith he) did not in such sort
(as the Philosophers' did) vanish away: but the Syrians,
Egyptians, Indians, Persians, Ethiopians, and infinite other
nations being barbarous people translated it into their
(mother) tongue, and have learned to be (true) Philosophers,
he meaneth Christians. To this may be added Theodoret, as
next unto him, both for antiquity, and for learning. His
words be these, Every Country that is under the Sun, is
full of these words (of the Apostles and Prophets)
and the Hebrew tongue (he meaneth the Scriptures in the
Hebrew tongue) is turned not only into the Language of
the Grecians, but also of the Romans, and Egyptians, and
Persians, and Indians, and Armenians, and Scythians, and
Sauromatians, and briefly into all the Languages that any
Nation useth. So he. In like manner, Ulfilas is reported
by Paulus Diaconus and Isidor (and before them by Sozomen)
to have translated the Scriptures into the Gothic tongue:
John Bishop of Sevil by Vasseus, to have turned them into
Arabic, about the year of our Lord 717; Bede by
Cistertiensis, to have turned a great part of them into
Saxon: Efnard by Trithemius, to have abridged the French
Psalter, as Bede had done the Hebrew, about the year 800:
King Alfred by the said Cistertiensis, to have turned the
Psalter into Saxon: Methodius by Aventinus (printed at
Ingolstadt) to have turned the Scriptures into Slavonian:
Valdo, Bishop of Frising by Beatus Rhenanus, to have caused
about that time, the Gospels to be translated into Dutch
rhythm, yet extant in the Library of Corbinian: Valdus, by
divers to have turned them himself, or to have gotten them
turned, into French, about the year 1160: Charles the Fifth
of that name, surnamed the Wise, to have caused them to be
turned into French, about 200 years after Valdus his time,
of which translation there be many copies yet extant, as
witnesseth Beroaldus. Much about that time, even in our King
Richard the second's days, John Trevisa translated them into
English, and many English Bibles in written hand are yet to
be seen with divers, translated as it is very probable, in
that age. So the Syrian translation of the New Testament is
in most learned men's Libraries, of Widminstadius his
setting forth, and the Psalter in Arabic is with many, of
Augustinus Nebiensis' setting forth. So Postel affirmeth,
that in his travel he saw the Gospels in the Ethiopian
tongue; And Ambrose Thesius allegeth the Pslater of the
Indians, which he testifieth to have been set forth by
Potken in Syrian characters. So that, to have the Scriptures
in the mother tongue is not a quaint conceit lately taken
up, either by the Lord Cromwell in England, or by the Lord
Radevile in Polony, or by the Lord Ungnadius in the
Emperor's dominion, but hath been thought upon, and put in
practice of old, even from the first times of the conversion
of any Nation; no doubt, because it was esteemed most
profitable, to cause faith to grow in men's hearts the
sooner, and to make them to be able to say with the words of
the Psalm, As we have heard, so we have seen. [Ps
48:8]
The Unwillingness of Our Chief
Adversaries, that the Scriptures Should Be Divulged in the
Mother Tongue, etc.
Now the Church of Rome would
seem at the length to bear a motherly affection towards her
children, and to allow them the Scriptures in their mother
tongue: but indeed it is a gift, not deserving to be called
a gift, an unprofitable gift: they must first get a licence
in writing before they may use them, and to get that, they
must approve themselves to their Confessor, that is, to be
such as are, if not frozen in the dregs, yet soured with the
leaven of their superstition. Howbeit, it seemed too much to
Clement the Eighth that there should be any Licence granted
to have them in the vulgar tongue, and therefore he
overruleth and frustrateth the grant of Pius the Fourth. So
much are they afraid of the light of the Scripture, (Lucifugae
Scripturarum, as Tertulian speaketh) that they will not
trust the people with it, no not as it is set forth by their
own sworn men, no not with the Licence of their own Bishops
and Inquisitors. Yea, so unwilling they are to communicate
the Scriptures to the people's understanding in any sort,
that they are not ashamed to confess, that we forced them to
translate it into English against their wills. This seemeth
to argue a bad cause, or a bad conscience, or both. Sure we
are, that it is not he that hath good gold, that is afraid
to bring it to the touchstone, but he that hath the
counterfeit; neither is it the true man that shunneth the
light, but the malefactor, lest his deeds should be reproved
[John 3:20]: neither is it the plain-dealing Merchant that
is unwilling to have the weights, or the meteyard brought in
place, but he that useth deceit. But we will let them alone
for this fault, and return to translation.
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