a study of bible-第6章

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Here；　then；　are　our　great　facts。　First；　thoughtful　opinion　wanted　the　Bible　made　available；　and　at　a　convention　of　bishops　and　university　men　the　King　was　requested　to　secure　the　issuance　of　a　proper　translation。　Secondly；　the　people　wanted　it；　the　more　because　it　would　gratify　their　English　instinct　of　independent　judgment　in　matters　of　religion。　Thirdly；　the　King　granted　it　without　yielding　his　personal　religious　position；　in　assertion　of　his　human　sovereignty　within　his　own　realm。

So　England　awoke　one　morning　in　1537　to　discover　that　it　had　a　translation　of　the　Bible　two　of　them　actually；　open　to　its　use；　the　very　thing　that　had　been　forbidden　yesterday！　And　that；　one　year　after　Tindale　had　been　burned　in　loyal　France　for　issuing　an　English　translation！　Two　versions　were　now　authorized　and　made　available。　What　were　they？　That　of　Miles　Coverdale；　which　had　been　issued　secretly　two　years　before；　and　that　known　as　the　〃Matthew〃　Bible；　though　the　name　has　no　significance；　issued　within　a　year。　Details　are　not　to　our　purpose。　Neither　was　an　independent　work；　but　was　made　largely　from　the　Latin　and　the　German；　and　much　influenced　by　Tindale。　Coverdale　was　a　Yorkshire　man　like　Wiclif；　feminine　in　his　mental　cast　as　Tindale　was　masculine。　Coverdale　made　his　translation　because　he　loved　books；　Tindale　because　he　felt　driven　to　it。　But　now　the　way　was　clear；　and　other　editions　appeared。　It　is　natural　to　name　one　or　two　of　the　more　notable　ones。

There　appeared　what　is　known　as　the　Great　Bible　in　1539。　It　was　only　another　version　made　by　Coverdale　on　the　basis　of　the　Matthew　version；　but　corrected　by　more　accurate　knowledge。　There　is　an　interesting　romance　of　its　publication。　The　presses　of　England　were　not　adequate　for　the　great　work　planned；　it　was　to　be　a　marvel　of　typography。　So　the　consent　of　King　Francis　was　gained　to　have　it　printed　in　France；　and　Coverdale　was　sent　as　a　special　ambassador　to　oversee　it。　He　was　in　dread　of　the　Inquisition；　which　was　in　vogue　at　the　time；　and　sent　off　his　printed　sheets　to　England　as　rapidly　as　possible。　Suddenly　one　day　the　order　of　confiscation　came　from　the　Inquisitor…General。　Only　Coverdale's　official　position　as　representing　the　King　saved　his　own　life。　As　for　the　printed　sheets　on　which　so　much　depended；　they　seemed　doomed。　But　in　the　nick　of　time　a　dealer　appeared　at　the　printing…house　and　purchased　four　great　vats　full　of　waste　paper　which　he　shipped　to　Englandwhen　it　was　found　that　the　waste　paper　was　those　printed　sheets。　The　presses　and　the　printers　were　all　loyal　to　England；　and　the　edition　was　finally　completed。　The　Great　Bible　was　issued　to　meet　a　decree　that　each　church　should　make　available　in　some　convenient　place　the　largest　possible　copy　of　the　whole　Bible；　where　all　the　parishioners　could　have　access　to　it　and　read　it　at　their　will。　The　version　gets　its　name　solely　from　the　size　of　the　volume。　That　decree　dates　1538；　twelve　years　after　Tindale's　books　were　burned；　and　two　years　after　he　was　burned！　The　installation　of　these　great　books　caused　tremendous　excitementcrowds　gathered　everywhere。　Bishop　Bonner　caused　six　copies　of　the　great　volume　to　be　located　wisely　throughout　St。　Paul's。　He　found　it　difficult　to　make　people　leave　them　during　the　sermons。　He　was　so　often　interrupted　by　voices　reading　to　a　group；　and　by　the　discussions　that　ensued；　that　he　threatened　to　have　them　taken　out　during　the　service　if　people　would　not　be　quiet。　The　Great　Bible　appeared　in　seven　editions　in　two　years；　and　continued　in　recognized　power　for　thirty　years。　Much　of　the　present　English　prayer…book　is　taken　from　it。

But　this　liberty　was　so　sudden　that　the　people　naturally　abused　it。　Henry　became　vexed　because　the　sacred　words　〃were　disputed；　rimed；　sung；　and　jangled　in　every　ale…house。〃　There　had　grown　up　a　series　of　wild　ballads　and　ribald　songs　in　contempt　of　〃the　old　faith；〃　while　it　was　not　really　the　old　faith　which　was　in　dispute；　but　only　foreign　control　of　English　faith。　They　had　mistaken　Henry's　meaning。　So　Henry　began　to　put　restrictions　on　the　use　of　the　Bible。　There　were　to　be　no　notes　or　annotations　in　any　versions；　and　those　that　existed　were　to　be　blacked　out。　Only　the　upper　classes　were　to　be　allowed　to　possess　a　Bible。　Finally；　the　year　before　his　death；　all　versions　were　prohibited　except　the　Great　Bible；　whose　cost　and　size　precluded　secret　use。　The　decree　led　to　another　great　burning　of　Bibles　in　1546　Tindale；　Coverdale；　Matthewall　but　the　Great　Bible。　The　leading　religious　reformers　took　flight　and　fled　to　European　Protestant　towns　like　Frankfort　and　Strassburg。　But　the　Bible　remained。　Henry　VIII。　died。　The　Bible　lived　on。

Under　Edward　VI。；　the　boy　king；　coming　to　the　throne　at　nine　and　dying　at　fifteen；　the　regency　with　Crammer　at　its　head　earned　its　bad　name。　But　while　its　members　were　shamelessly　despoiling　churches　and　enriching　themselves　they　did　one　great　service　for　the　Bible。　They　cast　off　all　restrictions　on　its　translation　and　publication。　The　order　for　a　Great　Bible　in　every　church　was　renewed；　and　there　was　to　be　added　to　it　a　copy　of　Erasmus's　paraphrase　of　the　four　gospels。　Nearly　fifty　editions　of　the　Bible；　in　whole　or　in　part；　appeared　in　those　six　years。

And　that　was　fortunate；　for　then　came　Mary　and　the　deluge。　Of　course；　she　again　gave　in　the　nominal　allegiance　of　England　to　the　Roman　control。　But　she　utterly　missed　the　spirit　of　the　people。　They　were　weary　with　the　excesses　of　rabid　Protestantism；　but　they　were　by　no　means　ready　to　admit　the　principle　of　foreign　control　in　religious　matters。　They　might　have　been　willing；　many　of　them；　that　the　use　of　the　Bible　should　be　restricted；　if　it　were　done　by　their　own　sovereign。　They　were　not　willing　that　another　sovereign　should　restrict　them。　So　the　secret　use　of　the　Bible　increased。　Martyr　fires　were　kindled；　but　by　the　light　of　them　the　people　read　their　Bibles　more　eagerly。　And　this　very　persecution　led　to　one　of　the　best　of　the　early　versions　of　the　Bible；　indirectly　even　to　the　King　James　version。

The　flower　of　English　Protestant　scholarship　was　driven　into　exile；　and　found　its　way　to　Frankfort　and　Geneva　again。　There　the　spirit　of　scholarship　was　untrammeled；　there　they　found　material　for　scholarly　study　of　the　Bible；　and　there　they　made　and　published　a　new　version　of　the　Bible　in　English；　by　all　means　the　best　that　had　been　made。　In　later　years；　under　Elizabeth；　it　drove　the　Great　Bible　off　the　field　by　sheer　power　of　excellence。　During　her　reign　sixty　editions　of　it　appeared。　This　was　the　version　called　the　Genevan　Bible。　It　made　several　changes　that　are　familiar　to　us。　For　one　thing；　in　the　Genevan　edition　of　1560　first　appeared　our　familiar　division　into　verses。　The　chapter　division　was　made　three　centuries　earlier；　but　the　verses　belong　to　the　Genevan　version；　and　are　divided　to　make　the　Book　suitable　for　responsive　use　and　for　readier　reference。　It　was　taken　in　large　part　from　the　work　of　Robert　Stephens；　who　had　divided　the　Greek　Testament　into　verses；　ten　years　earlier；　during　a　journey　which　he　was　compelled　to　make　between　Paris　and　Lyons。　The　Genevan　version　also　abandoned　the　old　black　letter；　and　used　the　Roman　type　with　which　we　are　familiar。　It　had　full　notes　on　hard　passages；　which　notes；　as　we　shall　see；　helped　to　produce　the　King　James　version。　The　work　itself　was　completed　after　the　accession　of　Elizabeth；　when　most　of　the　religious　leaders　had　returned　to　England　from　their　exile　under　Mary。

Elizabeth　herself　was　not　an　ardent　Protestant；　not　ardent　at　all　religiously；　but　an　ardent　Englishwoman。　She　understood　her　people；　and　while　she　prided　herself　on　being　the　〃Guardian　of　the　Middle　Way；〃　she　did　not　make　the　mistake　of　submitting　her　sovereignty　to　foreign　supervision。　Probably　Elizabeth　always　counted　herself　personally　a　Catholic；　but　not　politically　subject　to　the　Roman　pontiff。　She　had　no　wish　to　offend　other　Catholic　powers；　but　she　was　determined　to　develop　a　strong　national　spirit　and　to　allow　religious　differences　to　exist　if　they　would　be　peaceful。　The　dramatic　scene　which　was　enacted　at　the　time　of　her　coronation　procession　was　typical　of　her　spirit。　As　the　procession　passed　down　Cheapside；　a　venerable　old　man；　representing　Time；　with　a　little　child　besi