The dedication of this version is to the Most High and Mighty Prince James, who accession to the throne is likened to the sun in its strength while Queen Bess is spoken of as "that bright occidental star." To the minds of most persons, the praise of the king in this dedication is rather more than he deserved, and we can only hope that the authors meant all they wrote. Although this version is known as the "Authorized" Version, and is said to have been published by his Majesty's command, it was never approved by Parliament, nor even submitted to it, nor to the Privy Council, nor to Convocation. Within half a century it had driven all other versions from the field, and taken its place as the Bible of the English people. It is read today in every quarter of the globe. There are more copies of it issued than of all others put together. Its characteristic words are those of Honest William Tyndale, and most of its many excellencies were impressed on it by him.
We now come to the history of the "Authorized Version." At the period of the accession of James I, there were very strong controversies between the Puritan party and their opponents in the Church of England, and the king was by no means unwilling to play the part of mediator, so he resolved to convoke an assembly, where these discordant opinions be freely discussed. This conference was held at Hampton Court in January, 1604, and, in the proceedings, Reynolds, the Puritan, suggested to King James the project of a new translation of the Bible. James disliked exceedingly the Geneva version, and consented. A list of scholars was presented to him of which he approved. They were divided into six companies, meeting at Westminister, Oxford and Cambridge. There were forty seven persons engaged in producing the first revision which occupied about four years. The second examination was made by twelve: two selected out of each company. This took nine months, and the sheets were two years passing through the press.
It was found by the Roman Catholics impossible to prevent the circulation of the Scriptures in England. They now determined to produce a version for the use of their own people. This work was published in 1635, and is commonly known as the Rheims or Douay Bible. The translation was made from the Latin Vulgate by William Allen and Gregory Martin, at the English College of Douay, in France--a college founded with the object of organizing missionary work in England. As might be expected, we find in this version various words which were evidently translated for the purpose of favoring Roman Catholic doctrines, but on the whole the translation is a fair one, the Romish doctrine being, however, strongly taught in the notes that accompany it.
In the monasteries, the Scriptures were read and studied every day. During meals, the monks who could read well were appointed in turn to read to the others. The long winter evenings were spent listening to God's Word. The Book of Genesis was read in a week, Isaiah in six evenings, Romans in two. The reader sat on an elevated platform, and the hearers were ranged on benches along the walls. There was no light except where the reader sat. As there was danger of some of the hearers falling asleep one of the monks was appointed to walk around with a wooden lantern open on only one side. If any brother was found asleep, nothing was said, but the latern was set down with the light falling on his face to wake him. As soon as he was aroused he knew he had to take the latern and go around until he should find another monk asleep to take his place.
Persecutions scattered Christian communities and forced their members to become missionaries. Many went to Scotland, and some settled on the Island of Iona, where a church was built called the Church of the Savior. Part of its walls are to be seen in ruins at the present day. Later, Iona became a celebrated seat of Christian learning under the great and good Columba. From this centre of learning and missionary zeal, Christian men went out and founded, it is said, one hundred monastaries and three hundred and sixty-five churches. The very soil of Iona was supposed to be sacred. It became the burial place of kings. So much was this the fact, that its "fair kirk yard" is said to contain the tombs of forty-eight Scottish kinds, four Irish kings, some kings of Norway and a great many lords of the isles.
The earliest portion of Anglo-Saxon sacred literature extant is the paraphrase of Caedmon, a monk of Whitby, who lived in the seven century. Caedmon had been a cow-herd. He was well on in years and entirely deficient in the facility for verse-making, common among his fellows. His deficiency troubled him greatly. So on a certain occasion he returned from a rude feast, in great distress because he could not sing, and went to sleep among his cattle. And then he had a vision. Some one appeared to him. He told him to sing,
Monasteries and nunneries were established in England, as elsewhere, for the purpose of securing centres of religious influence. They were founded by good and pious people and in their day did an incalcuable amount of good. Among other things we owe to these pious monks and nuns the preservation and reproduction of copies of the Holy Scriptures. For it was through them, for the most part, the Holy Scriptures were handed down to us. They spent years in writing exact and beautiful copies of the Word of God, many of them most elaborately ornamented.
This style of illumination prevailed from the fifth to the ninth century. The existing specimens are chiefly Irish and Saxon manuscripts. The outlines are mostly simple with elaborate details. The Durham Book and the Lindisfarne Gospels are notable illustrations of this style and illumination.
In this illustration we show graphically the source and transmission of the Bible. Starting with Divine Inspiration, we see how it has been preserved and translated. Here we see the process by which today we can read it in our own language, and there are none who dare harm us or make us afraid.
The Bible being now ready, a set of injunctions was issued to the clergy by Cromwell directing them to provide, before a certain day, a copy of the same, and to set it up in some convenient place within the church where the parishioners might most commodiously resort to it and read it, the charge to be borne, one-half by the parson and the other by the parishioners. Six Bibles were placed in St. Paul's by Bishop Bonner. A picture, painted by George Hervy, R.S.A. shows us a gathering of the people in the crypt to hear the Scriptures. The reader is Porter, who was selected because he had a good voice and could read well. He was afterwards arrested by Bishop Bonner on a trumped-up charge and was sent to Newgate, where, for teaching his fellow-prisoners what he had read in the Scriptures, he was put in a lower dungeon, fastened by the neck to a wall, and so oppressed with bolts and bars that in eight days he was found dead. We also see in this picture, Humphry Monmouth, who had befriended Tyndale year before, and Asker, who bravely suffered Martyrdom at Smithfield some time after. But such cruelties as these only advertised the Scriptures the most effectively. They were eagerly bought by the people. The price was about three dollars. The first edition consisted of 2500 copies, and seven other editions were speedily published. Many copies of the great Bible have been preserved, and the British Museum contains one of each of the seven editions. The liberty thus accorded to the laity was too remarkable to be of long duration. The opposition of the bishops was only slumbering, and soon after Cromwell's disgrace they got Parliament to pass an "Act for the advancement of true religion." The real purpose of this act was to restrict the reading of the Scriptures, which was only allowed as an indulgence to noblemen, gentlemen, and ladies of high quality, while the lower classes were altogether forbidden to read for themselves. Obedience to these injunctions was enforced by penalties and on all sides prescribed Bibles were sought and destroyed. This reaction was, however, stayed by the death of Henry in January, 1547.
