study of the king james bible(钦印〈圣经〉研究)-第2节
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value； that there was natural demand for a Latin translation that should be
authoritative。 So came into being what we call the Vulgate； whose very
name indicates the desire to get the Bible into the vulgar or common
tongue。 Jerome began by revising the earlier Latin translations； but ended
by going back of all translations to the original Greek； and back of the
Septuagint to the original Hebrew wherever he could do so。 Fourteen years
he labored； settling himself in Bethlehem； in Palestine； to do his work the
better。 Barely four hundred years （404 A。D。） after the birth of Christ his
Latin version appeared。 It met a storm of protest for its effort to go back of
the Septuagint； so dominant had the translation become。 Jerome fought for
it； and his version won the day； and became the authoritative Latin
translation of the Bible。
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For seven or eight centuries it held its sway as the current version
nearest to the tongue of the people。 Latin had become the accepted tongue
of the church。 There was little general culture； there was little general
acquaintance with the Bible except among the educated。 During all that
time there was no real room for a further translation。 One of the writers＇1＇
says： 〃Medieval England was quite unripe for a Bible in the mother tongue；
while the illiterate majority were in no condition to feel the want of such a
book； the educated minority would be averse to so great and revolutionary
a change。〃 When a man cannot read any writing it really does not matter to
him whether books are in current speech or not； and the majority of the
people for those seven or eight centuries could read nothing at all。 Those
who could read anything were apt to be able to read the Latin。
＇1＇ Hoare； Evolution of the English Bible； p。 39。
These centuries added to the conviction of many that the Bible ought
not to become too common； that it should not be read by everybody； that it
required a certain amount of learning to make it safe reading。 They came
to feel that it is as important to have an authoritative interpretation of the
Bible as to have the Bible itself。 When the movement began to make it
speak the new English tongue； it provoked the most violent opposition。
Latin had been good enough for a millennium； why cheapen the Bible by a
translation？ There had grown up a feeling that Jerome himself had been
inspired。 He had been canonized； and half the references to him in that
time speak of him as the inspired translator。 Criticism of his version was
counted as impious and profane as criticisms of the original text could
possibly have been。 It is one of the ironies of history that the version for
which Jerome had to fight； and which was counted a piece of impiety itself；
actually became the ground on which men stood when they fought against
another version； counting anything else but this very version an impious
intrusion！
How early the movement for an English Bible began； it is impossible
now to say。 Certainly just before 700 A。D。； that first singer of the English
tongue； Caedmon； had learned to paraphrase the Bible。 We may recall the
Venerable Bede's charming story of him； and how he came by his power
of interpretation。 Bede himself was a child when Caedmon died； and the
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romance of the story makes it one of the finest in our literature。 Caedmon
was a peasant； a farm laborer in Northumbria working on the lands of the
great Abbey at Whitby。 Already he had passed middle life； and no spark of
genius had flashed in him。 He loved to go to the festive gatherings and
hear the others sing their improvised poems； but； when the harp came
around to him in due course； he would leave the room； for be could not
sing。 One night when he had slipped away from the group in shame and
had made his rounds of the horses and cattle under his care； he fell asleep
in the stable building； and heard a voice in his sleep bidding him sing。
When he declared he could not； the voice still bade him sing。 〃What shall I
sing？〃 he asked。 〃Sing the first beginning of created things。〃 And the
words came to him； and； still dreaming； he sang his first hymn to the
Creator。 In the morning he told his story； and the Lady Abbess found that
he had the divine gift。 The monks had but to translate to him bits of the
Bible out of the Latin； which he did not understand； into his familiar
Anglo…Saxon tongue； and he would cast it into the rugged Saxon measures
which could be sung by the common people。 So far as we can tell； it was
so； that the Bible story became current in Anglo…Saxon speech。 Bede
himself certainly put the Gospel of John into Anglo…Saxon。 At the
Bodleian Library； at Oxford； there is a manuscript of nearly twenty
thousand lines； the metrical version of the Gospel and the Acts； done near
1250 by an Augustinian monk named Orm； and so called the Ormulum。
There were other metrical versions of various parts of the Bible。 Midway
between Bede and Orm came Langland's poem； 〃The Vision of Piers
Plowman；〃 which paraphrased so much of the Scripture。
Yet the fact is that until the last quarter of the fourteenth century there
was no prose version of the Bible in the English language。 Indeed； there
was only coming to be an English language。 It was gradually emerging；
taking definite shape and form； so that it could be distinguished from the
earlier Norman French； Saxon； and Anglo…Saxon； in which so much of it is
rooted。
As soon as the language grew definite enough； it was inevitable that
two things should come to pass。 First； that some men would attempt to
make a colloquial version of the Bible； and； secondly； that others would
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oppose it。 One can count with all confidence on these two groups of men；
marching through history like the animals into the ark； two and two。 Some
men propose； others oppose。 They are built on those lines。
We are more concerned with the men who made the versions； but we
must think a moment of the others。 One of his contemporaries； Knighton；
may speak for all in his saying of Wiclif； that he had； to be sure； translated
the Gospel into the Anglic tongue； but that it had thereby been made
vulgar by him； and more open to the reading of laymen and women than it
usually is to the knowledge of lettered and intelligent clergy； and 〃thus the
pearl is cast abroad and trodden under the feet of swine〃； and； that we may
not be in doubt who are the swine； he adds： 〃The jewel of the Church is
turned into the common sport of the people。〃
But two strong impulses drive thoughtful men to any effort that will
secure wide knowledge of the Bible。 One is their love of the Bible and
their belief in it； but the other； dominant then and now； is a sense of the
need of their own time。 It cannot be too strongly urged that the two great
pioneers of English Bible translation； Wiclif and Tindale； more than a
century apart； were chiefly moved to their work by social conditions。 No
one could read the literature of the times of which we are speaking without
smiling at our assumption that we are the first who have cared for social
needs。 We talk about the past as the age of the individual； and the present
as the social age。 Our fathers； we say； cared only to be saved themselves；
and had no concern for the evils of society。 They believed in rescuing one
here and another there； while we have come to see the wisdom of
correcting the conditions that ruin men； and so saving men in the mass。
There must be some basis of truth for that； since we say it so confidently；
but it can be much over…accented。 There were many of our fathers； and of
our grandfathers； who were mightily concerned with the mass of people；
and looked as carefully as we do for a corrective of social evils。 Wiclif； in
the late fourteenth century； and Tindale； in the early sixt
