THElecturesincludedinthisvolumewerepreparedattherequestoftheBrooklynInstituteofArtsandSciences，andweredeliveredintheearlypartof1912，underitsauspices。TheyweresuggestedbythetercentenaryoftheKingJamesversionoftheBible。Theplanadoptedledtoarestatementofthehistorywhichpreparedfortheversion，andofthatwhichproducedit。Itwasnaturalnexttopointoutitsprincipalcharacteristicsasapieceofliterature。
Twolecturesfollowed，notingitsinfluenceonliteratureandonhistory。ThecourseclosedwithastatementandargumentregardingtheplaceoftheBibleinthelifeofto-day。
Thereceptionaccordedthelecturesatthetimeoftheirpublicdelivery，andthediscussionwhichensueduponsomeofthepointsraised，encouragethehopethattheymaybemorewidelyuseful。
ItisapleasuretoassigntoDr。FranklinW。
Hooper，directoroftheInstitute，whatevercredittheworkmaymerit。Certainlyitwouldnothavebeenundertakenwithouthiskindlyurgency。
THEREarethreegreatBook-religions——
Judaism，Christianity，andMohammedanism。
Otherreligionshavetheirsacredwritings，buttheydonotholdtheminthesameregardasdothesethree。BuddhismandConfucianismcounttheirbooksratherrecordsoftheirfaiththanrulesforit，historyratherthanauthoritativesourcesofbelief。ThethreegreatBook-religionsyieldameasureofauthoritytotheirsacredbookswhichwouldbeutterlyforeigntothethoughtofotherfaiths。
Yetamongthethreenamedaretwoverydistinctattitudes。TotheMohammedanthelanguageaswellasthematteroftheKoranissacred。Hewillnotpermititstranslation。ItsoriginalArabicistheonlyauthoritativetongueinwhichitcanspeak。Ithasbeentranslatedintoothertongues，butalwaysbyadherentsofotherfaiths，neverbyitsownbelievers。TheHebrewandtheChristian，ontheotherhand，butnotablytheChristian，havepersistentlysoughttomaketheirBiblespeakalllanguagesatalltimes。
ItisacuriousfactthataBookwritteninonetongueshouldhavecometoitslargestpowerinotherlanguagesthanitsown。TheBiblemeansmoreto-dayinGermanandFrenchandEnglishthanitdoesinHebrewandChaldaicandGreek——
moreeventhanitevermeantinthoselanguages。
Thereisnothingjustlikethatinliteraryhistory。
ItisasthoughShakespeareshouldafterawhilebecomenegligibleformostreadersinEnglish，andbeamasterofthoughtinChineseandHindustani，orinsomelanguageyetunborn。
WeowethispersistentefforttomaketheBiblespeakthelanguageofthetimestoaconvictionthattheparticularlanguageusedisnotthegreatthing，thatthereissomethinginitwhichgivesitpowerandvalueinanytongue。Nobookwasevertranslatedsooften。Menwhohaveknownitinitsearliesttongueshaverealizedthattheirfellowswouldnotlearntheseearliesttongues，andtheyhavesetouttomakeitspeakthetonguetheirfellowsdidknow。Somehaveprotestedthatthereisimpietyinmakingitspeakthecurrenttongue，andhaveinsistedthatmenshouldlearntheearliestspeech，oratleastaccepttheirknowledgeoftheBookfromthosewhodidknowit。Buttheyhaveneverstoppedthemovement。Theyhaveonlydelayedit。
ThefirstmovementtomaketheScripturespeakthecurrenttongueappearednearlythreecenturiesbeforeChrist。MostoftheOldTestamentthenexistedinHebrew。ButtheJewshadscatteredwidely。ManyhadgatheredinEgypt
whereAlexandertheGreathadfoundedthecitythatbearshisname。AtonetimeathirdofthepopulationofthecitywasJewish。ManyofthepeoplewerepassionatelyloyaltotheiroldreligionanditsSacredBook。ButthecurrenttonguethereandthroughmostofthecivilizedworldwasGreek，andnotHebrew。Asalways，thereweresomewhofeltthattheBookanditsoriginallanguagewereinseparable。Othersrevealedthedispositionofwhichwespokeamomentago，andsetouttomaketheBookspeakthecurrenttongue。Foronehundredandfiftyyearstheworkwenton，andwhatwecalltheSeptuagintwascompleted。Thereisaprettylittlestorywhichtellshowtheversiongotitsname，whichmeanstheSeventy——thatKingPtolemyPhiladelphus，interestedincollectingallsacredbooks，gatheredseventyHebrewscholars，sentthemtotheislandofPharos，shutthemupinseventyroomsforseventydays，eachmakingatranslationfromtheHebrewintotheGreek。
Whentheycameout，behold，theirtranslationswereallexactlyalike!Severaldifficultiesappearinthatstory，oneofwhichisthatseventymenshouldhavemadethesamemistakeswithoutdependingoneachother。Inaddition，itisnothistoricallysupported，andthefactseemstobethattheSeptuagintwasalongandslowgrowth，issuingfromtheimpulsetomaketheSacredBookspeakthefamiliartongue。And，thoughitwasaGreektranslation，itvirtuallydisplacedtheoriginal，astheEnglishBiblehasvirtuallydisplacedtheHebrewandGreekto-day。TheSeptuagintwastheOldTestamentwhichPaulused。Ofonehundredandsixty-eightdirectquotationsfromtheOldTestamentintheNewnearlyallarefromtheGreekversion——fromthetranslation，andnotfromtheoriginal。
Weowestillmoretotranslation。WhilethereisaccumulatingevidencethattherewasspokeninPalestineatthattimeacolloquialGreek，withwhichmostpeoplewouldbefamiliar，itisyetprobablethatourLordspokeneitherGreeknorHebrewcurrently，butAramaic。HeknewtheHebrewScriptures，ofcourse，asanywell-
trainedladdid；butmostofHiswordshavecomedowntousintranslation。Hisname，forexample，toHisHebrewmother，wasnotJesus，butJoshua；andJesusisthetranslationoftheHebrewJoshuaintoGreek。WehaveHiswordsastheyweretranslatedbyHisdisciplesintotheGreek，inwhichtheNewTestamentwasoriginallywritten。
BythetimethewritingoftheNewTestamentwascompleted，sayonehundredyearsafterChrist，whileGreekwasstillcurrentspeech，theRomanEmpirewassodominantthatthecommonpeopleweretalkingLatinalmostasmuchasGreek，andgradually，becausepoliticalpowerwasbehindit，theLatingainedontheGreek，andbecamevirtuallythespeechofthecommonpeople。ThemovementtomaketheBibletalkthelanguageofthetimeappearedagain。ItisimpossibletosaynowwhenthefirsttranslationsintoLatinweremade。CertainlythereweresomewithintwocenturiesafterChrist，andby250A。D。awholeBibleinLatinwasincirculationintheRomanEmpire。ThetranslationoftheNewTestamentwasfromtheGreek，ofcourse，butsowasthatoftheOldTestament，andtheLatinversionsoftheOldTestamentwere，therefore，
translationsofatranslation。
Thereweresomanyoftheseversions，andtheyweresounequalinvalue，thattherewasnaturaldemandforaLatintranslationthatshouldbeauthoritative。SocameintobeingwhatwecalltheVulgate，whoseverynameindicatesthedesiretogettheBibleintothevulgarorcommontongue。JeromebeganbyrevisingtheearlierLatintranslations，butendedbygoingbackofalltranslationstotheoriginalGreek，andbackoftheSeptuaginttotheoriginalHebrewwhereverhecoulddoso。Fourteenyearshelabored，settlinghimselfinBethlehem，inPalestine，todohisworkthebetter。Barelyfourhundredyears404A。D。afterthebirthofChristhisLatinversionappeared。ItmetastormofprotestforitsefforttogobackoftheSeptuagint，sodominanthadthetranslationbecome。Jeromefoughtforit，andhisversionwontheday，andbecametheauthoritativeLatintranslationoftheBible。
Forsevenoreightcenturiesithelditsswayasthecurrentversionnearesttothetongueofthepeople。Latinhadbecometheacceptedtongueofthechurch。Therewaslittlegeneralculture，therewaslittlegeneralacquaintancewiththeBibleexceptamongtheeducated。
Duringallthattimetherewasnorealroomforafurthertranslation。Oneofthewriters[1]says:
"MedievalEnglandwasquiteunripeforaBibleinthemothertongue；whiletheilliteratemajoritywereinnoconditiontofeelthewantofsuchabook，theeducatedminoritywouldbeaversetosogreatandrevolutionaryachange。"
Whenamancannotreadanywritingitreallydoesnotmattertohimwhetherbooksareincurrentspeechornot，andthemajorityofthepeopleforthosesevenoreightcenturiescouldreadnothingatall。ThosewhocouldreadanythingwereapttobeabletoreadtheLatin。
[1]Hoare，EvolutionoftheEnglishBible，p。39。
ThesecenturiesaddedtotheconvictionofmanythattheBibleoughtnottobecometoocommon，thatitshouldnotbereadbyeverybody，thatitrequiredacertainamountoflearningtomakeitsafereading。TheycametofeelthatitisasimportanttohaveanauthoritativeinterpretationoftheBibleastohavetheBibleitself。WhenthemovementbegantomakeitspeakthenewEnglishtongue，itprovokedthemostviolentopposition。Latinhadbeengoodenoughforamillennium；whycheapentheBiblebyatranslation?TherehadgrownupafeelingthatJeromehimselfhadbeeninspired。Hehadbeencanonized，andhalfthereferencestohiminthattimespeakofhimastheinspiredtranslator。
Criticismofhisversionwascountedasimpiousandprofaneascriticismsoftheoriginaltextcouldpossiblyhavebeen。ItisoneoftheironiesofhistorythattheversionforwhichJeromehadtofight，andwhichwascountedapieceofimpietyitself，actuallybecamethegroundonwhichmenstoodwhentheyfoughtagainstanotherversion，countinganythingelsebutthisveryversionanimpiousintrusion!
HowearlythemovementforanEnglishBiblebegan，itisimpossiblenowtosay。Certainlyjustbefore700A。D。，thatfirstsingeroftheEnglishtongue，Caedmon，hadlearnedtoparaphrasetheBible。WemayrecalltheVenerableBede'scharmingstoryofhim，andhowhecamebyhispowerofinterpretation。BedehimselfwasachildwhenCaedmondied，andtheromanceofthestorymakesitoneofthefinestinourliterature。
Caedmonwasapeasant，afarmlaborerinNorthumbriaworkingonthelandsofthegreatAbbeyatWhitby。Alreadyhehadpassedmiddlelife，andnosparkofgeniushadflashedinhim。Helovedtogotothefestivegatheringsandheartheotherssingtheirimprovisedpoems；
but，whentheharpcamearoundtohiminduecourse，hewouldleavetheroom，forbecouldnotsing。Onenightwhenhehadslippedawayfromthegroupinshameandhadmadehisroundsofthehorsesandcattleunderhiscare，hefellasleepinthestablebuilding，andheardavoiceinhissleepbiddinghimsing。Whenhedeclaredhecouldnot，thevoicestillbadehimsing。"WhatshallIsing?"heasked。"Singthefirstbeginningofcreatedthings。"Andthewordscametohim；and，stilldreaming，hesanghisfirsthymntotheCreator。Inthemorninghetoldhisstory，andtheLadyAbbessfoundthathehadthedivinegift。ThemonkshadbuttotranslatetohimbitsoftheBibleoutoftheLatin，whichhedidnotunderstand，intohisfamiliarAnglo-Saxontongue，andhewouldcastitintotheruggedSaxonmeasureswhichcouldbesungbythecommonpeople。
Sofaraswecantell，itwasso，thattheBiblestorybecamecurrentinAnglo-Saxonspeech。
BedehimselfcertainlyputtheGospelofJohnintoAnglo-Saxon。AttheBodleianLibrary，atOxford，thereisamanuscriptofnearlytwentythousandlines，themetricalversionoftheGospelandtheActs，donenear1250byanAugustinianmonknamedOrm，andsocalledtheOrmulum。TherewereothermetricalversionsofvariouspartsoftheBible。MidwaybetweenBedeandOrmcameLangland'spoem，"TheVisionofPiersPlowman，"
whichparaphrasedsomuchoftheScripture。
YetthefactisthatuntilthelastquarterofthefourteenthcenturytherewasnoproseversionoftheBibleintheEnglishlanguage。Indeed，therewasonlycomingtobeanEnglishlanguage。Itwasgraduallyemerging，takingdefiniteshapeandform，sothatitcouldbedistinguishedfromtheearlierNormanFrench，Saxon，andAnglo-Saxon，inwhichsomuchofitisrooted。
Assoonasthelanguagegrewdefiniteenough，itwasinevitablethattwothingsshouldcometopass。First，thatsomemenwouldattempttomakeacolloquialversionoftheBible；and，secondly，thatotherswouldopposeit。Onecancountwithallconfidenceonthesetwogroupsofmen，marchingthroughhistoryliketheanimalsintotheark，twoandtwo。Somemenpropose，othersoppose。Theyarebuiltonthoselines。
Wearemoreconcernedwiththemenwhomadetheversions；butwemustthinkamomentoftheothers。Oneofhiscontemporaries，Knighton，mayspeakforallinhissayingofWiclif，thathehad，tobesure，translatedtheGospelintotheAnglictongue，butthatithadtherebybeenmadevulgarbyhim，andmoreopentothereadingoflaymenandwomenthanitusuallyistotheknowledgeofletteredandintelligentclergy，and"thusthepearliscastabroadandtroddenunderthefeetofswine"；and，thatwemaynotbeindoubtwhoaretheswine，headds:
"ThejeweloftheChurchisturnedintothecommonsportofthepeople。"
ButtwostrongimpulsesdrivethoughtfulmentoanyeffortthatwillsecurewideknowledgeoftheBible。OneistheirloveoftheBibleandtheirbeliefinit；buttheother，dominantthenandnow，isasenseoftheneedoftheirowntime。ItcannotbetoostronglyurgedthatthetwogreatpioneersofEnglishBibletranslation，WiclifandTindale，morethanacenturyapart，werechieflymovedtotheirworkbysocialconditions。
Noonecouldreadtheliteratureofthetimesofwhichwearespeakingwithoutsmilingatourassumptionthatwearethefirstwhohavecaredforsocialneeds。Wetalkaboutthepastastheageoftheindividual，andthepresentasthesocialage。Ourfathers，wesay，caredonlytobesavedthemselves，andhadnoconcernfortheevilsofsociety。Theybelievedinrescuingonehereandanotherthere，whilewehavecometoseethewisdomofcorrectingtheconditionsthatruinmen，andsosavingmeninthemass。Theremustbesomebasisoftruthforthat，sincewesayitsoconfidently；
butitcanbemuchover-accented。Thereweremanyofourfathers，andofourgrandfathers，whoweremightilyconcernedwiththemassofpeople，andlookedascarefullyaswedoforacorrectiveofsocialevils。Wiclif，inthelatefourteenthcentury，andTindale，intheearlysixteenth，weretwosuchmen。ThefirstEnglishtranslationsoftheBiblewerefruitsofthesocialimpulse。
Wiclifwasimpressedwiththechasmthatwasgrowingbetweenthechurchandthepeople，andfeltthatawiderandfullerknowledgeoftheBiblewouldbehelpfulfortheclosingofthechasm。ItisafamiliarremarkofMissJaneAddamsthatthecurefortheevilsofdemocracyismoredemocracy。Wiclifbelievedthatthecurefortheevilsofreligionismorereligion，moreintelligentreligion。Hefoundaconsiderablefeelingthatthebestthingsinreligionoughttobekeptfrommostpeople，sincetheycouldnotbetrustedtounderstandthem。Hisownfeelingwasthatthebestthingsinreligionareexactlythethingsmostpeopleoughttoknowmostabout；thatpeoplehadbetterhandletheBiblecarelessly，mistakenly，thanbeshutoutfromitbyanymeanswhatever。
WeowethefirstEnglishtranslationtoafaiththattheBibleisabookofemancipationforthemindandforthepoliticallife。
JohnWiclifhimselfwasascholarofOxford，masterofthatfamousBalliolCollegewhichhashadsuchalistofdistinguishedmasters。
HewasanadviserofEdwardIII。TwentyyearsafterhisdeathayoungercontemporaryW。Thorpesaidthat"hewasconsideredbymanytobethemostholyofallthemenofhisage。Hewasofemaciatedframe，spare，andwellnighdestituteofstrength。Hewasabsolutelyblamelessinhisconduct。"AndeventhatsameKnightonwhoaccusedhimofcastingtheChurch'spearlbeforeswinesaysthatinphilosophy"hecametobereckonedinferiortononeofhistime。"
ButitwasnotatOxfordthathecametoknowcommonlifesowellandtosensetheneedforanewsocialinfluence。HecamenearertoitwhenhewasrectoroftheparishatLutterworth。
Asscholarandrectorhesetgoingthetwogreatmovementswhichleavehisnameinhistory。Onewashissecuring，training，andsendingoutabandofitinerantpreachersor"poorpriests"togatherthepeopleinfieldsandbywaysandtopreachthesimpletruthsoftheChristianreligion。Theywereunpaid，andlivedbythekindnessofthecommonpeople。
TheycametobecalledLollards，thoughtheoriginofthenameisobscure。Theirfollowersreceivedthesamename。AfewyearsafterWiclif'sdeathanenemybitterlyobservedthatifyoumetanytwomenonewassuretobeaLollard。Itwasthe"firsttimeinEnglishhistorythatanappealhadbeenmadetothepeopleinsteadofthescholars。"Religionwastobemaderatheramatterofpracticallifethanofdogmaorofritual。The"poorpriests"intheircheapbrownrobesbecameamightyreligiousforce，andevokedoppositionfromtheChurchpowers。AgenerationafterWiclif'sdeaththeyhadbecomeamightypoliticalforceinthecontroversybetweentheKingandthePope。Aslateas1521fivehundredLollardswerearrestedinLondonbythebishop。[1]Wiclif'spurpose，however，wastoreachandhelpthecommonpeoplewiththesimpler，andthereforethemostfundamental，truthsofreligion。
[1]Muir，OurGrandOldBible，p。14。
TheothermovementwhichmarksWiclif'snameconcernsusmore；butitwasconnectedwiththefirst。HesetouttogivethecommonpeoplethefulltextoftheBiblefortheircommonuse，andtoencouragethemnotonlyinreadingit，ifalreadytheycouldread，butinlearningtoreadthattheymightreadit。TennysoncomparesthevillageofLutterworthtothatofBethlehem，onthegroundthatifChrist，theWordofGod，wasbornatBethlehem，theWordofLifewasbornagainatLutterworth。[1]ThetranslationwasfromtheVulgate，andWiclifprobablydidlittleoftheactualworkhimself，yetitisallhiswork。Andin1382，morethanfivecenturiesago，thereappearedthefirstcompleteEnglishversionoftheBible。Wiclifmadeitthepeople'sBook，andtheEnglishpeoplewerethefirstofthemodernnationstowhomtheBibleasawholewasgivenintheirownfamiliartongue。Onceitgotintotheirhandstheyhaveneverletitbetakenentirelyaway。
[1]"Notleastartthou，thoulittleBethlehemInJudah，forintheetheLordwasborn；
NorthouinBritain，littleLutterworth，Least，forintheethewordwasbornagain。"——
SirJohnOldcastle。
Ofcourse，allthiswasbeforethedaysofprinting，andcopiesweremadebyhandonly。
Yettherewereverymanyofthem。Onehundredandfiftymanuscripts，inwholeorinpart，areextantstill，ascoreofthemoftheoriginalversion，theothersoftherevisionatonceundertakenbyJohnPurvey，Wiclif'sdisciple。ThecopiesbelongingtoEdwardVI。andQueenElizabetharebothstillinexistence，andbothshowmuchuse。Twentyyearsafteritwascompletedcopieswerecountedveryvaluable，thoughtheywereverynumerous。ItwasnotuncommonforasinglecompletemanuscriptcopyoftheWiclifversiontobesoldforonehundredandfiftyortwohundreddollars，andFoxe，whoseBookofMartyrsweusedtoreadaschildren，tellsthataloadofhaywasgivenfortheuseofaNewTestamentonehouraday。
ItwouldbedifficulttoexaggeratetheinfluenceofthisgifttotheEnglishpeople。ItconstitutesthestandardofMiddleEnglish。ChaucerandWiclifstoodsidebyside。ItistruethatChaucerhimselfacceptedWiclif'steaching，andsomeofthewisementhinkthatthe"parson"
ofwhomhespeakssofinelyasonewhotaughttheloreofChristandHisapostlestwelve，butfirstfollowedithimself，wasWiclif。Buttheversionhadfarmorethanliteraryinfluence；ithadtremendouspowerinkeepingaliveinEnglandthatspiritoffreeinquirywhichistheonlysafeguardoffreeinstitutions。HerewastheentiresourceoftheChristianfaithavailableforthejudgmentofcommonmen，andtheybecameatoncejudgesofreligiousandpoliticaldogma。
Dr。LaddthinksitwasnotthereadingoftheBiblewhichproducedtheReformation；itwastheReformationitselfwhichprocuredthereadingoftheBible。[1]ButDr。RashdallandProfessorPollardandothersarerightwhentheyinsistthattheEnglishReformationreceivedlessfromLutherthanfromthesecretreadingoftheScriptureoverthewholecountry。WhatwecalltheEnglishspiritoffreeinquirywasfosteredanddevelopedbyWiclifandhisLollardswiththeEnglishScriptureintheirhands。OutofithasgrownasoutofnootheronerootthefreedomoftheEnglishandAmericanpeople。
[1]WhatIstheBible?，p。45。
ThisworkofWiclifdeservesthetimewehavegivenitbecauseitassertedaprinciplefortheEnglishpeople。Therewasmuchyettobedonebeforeentirefreedomwasgained。AtOxford，intheConvocationof1408，itwassolemnlyvoted:"WedecreeandordainthatnomanhereafterbyhisownauthoritytranslateanytextoftheScriptureintoEnglish，oranyothertongue，bywayofabook，pamphlet，orothertreatise；butthatnomanreadanysuchbook，pamphlet，ortreatisenowlatelycomposedinthetimeofJohnWiclif……untilthesaidtranslationbeapprovedbytheorderlyoftheplace。"Butitwastoolate。Itisalwaystoolatetoovertakealiberatingideaonceitgetsfree。TolstoitellsofBatenkoff，theRussiannihilist，thatafterhewasseizedandconfinedinhiscellhewasheardtolaughloudly；
and，whentheyaskedhimthecauseofhismirth，hesaidthathecouldnotfailtobeamusedattheabsurdityofthesituation。"Theyhavecaughtme，"hesaid，"andshutmeuphere；
butmyideasareoutyonderinthestreetsandinthefields，absolutelyfree。Theycannotovertakethem。"Itwasalreadytoolate，twentyyearsafterWiclif'sversionwasavailable，tostoptheEnglishpeopleintheirsearchforreligioustruth。
InthecenturyjustaftertheWicliftranslation，twogreateventsoccurredwhichboreheavilyonthespreadoftheBible。Onewastherevivaloflearning，whichmadepopularagainthestudyoftheclassicsandtheclassicallanguages。CriticalandexactGreekscholarshipbecameagainapossibility。RememberthatWiclifdidnotknowGreeknorHebrew，didnotneedtoknowthemtobetheforemostscholarofOxfordinthefourteenthcentury。Evenaslateas1502therewasnoprofessorofGreekattheproudUniversityofErfurtwhenLutherwasastudentthere。ItwasafterhebecameadoctorofdivinityandauniversityprofessorthathelearnedGreekinordertobeabetterBiblestudent，andhisyoungfriendPhilipMelancthonwasthefirsttoteachGreekintheUniversity。[1]ButundertheinfluenceofErasmusandhiskind，withtheirnewinsistenceonclassicallearning，therecamenecessarilyanewappraisaloftheVulgateasatranslationoftheoriginalBible。ForathousandyearstherehadbeennonewstudyoftheoriginalBiblelanguagesinEurope。TheLatinoftheVulgatehadbecomeassacredastheBookitself。
Buttherevivaloflearningthrewscholarshipbackonthesourcesofthetext。ErasmusandotherspublishedversionsoftheGreekTestamentwhichweredisturbingtotheVulgateasafinalversion。
[1]McGiffert，MartinLuther。
Theothergreateventofthatsamecenturywastheinventionofprintingwithmovabletype。Itwasin1455thatGutenbergprintedhisfirstbook，aneditionoftheVulgate，nowcalledtheMazarinBible。Thebearingoftheinventiononthespreadofcommonknowledgeisbeyonddescription。Itisratherlatetobepraisingtheartofprinting，andweneedspendlittletimedoingso；butonecanseeinstantlyhowitaffectedtheuseoftheBible。Itmadeitworthwhiletolearntoread——therewouldbesomethingtoread。Itmadeitworthwhiletowrite——therewouldbesomeonetoreadwhatwaswritten。
OnehundredyearsexactlyafterthedeathofWiclif，WilliamTindalewasborn。HewaseightyearsoldwhenColumbusdiscoveredAmerica。HehadalreadytakenadegreeatOxford，andwasastudentinCambridgewhenLutherpostedhisthesesatWittenburg。ErasmuseitherwasateacheratCambridgewhenTindalewasastudentthere，orhadjustleft。
SirThomasMoreandErasmuswereclosefriends，andMore'sUtopiaandErasmus'sGreekNewTestamentappearedthesameyear，probablywhileTindalewasastudentatCambridge。
Buthecameatatroubledtime。Thenewlearninghadnopowertodeepenorstrengthenthemorallifeofthepeople。Itcouldnotmakereligionavitalthing。Moralityandreligionwerefarseparated。Thepriestsandcuratesweredenselyignorant。WeneednotaskTindalewhatwasthecondition。AskBellarmine，acardinaloftheChurch:"SomeYearsbeforetheriseoftheLutheranheresytherewasalmostanentireabandonmentofequityinecclesiasticaljudgments；inmorals，nodiscipline；insacredliterature，noerudition；indivinethings，noreverence；religionwasalmostextinct。"OraskErasmus，whoneverbrokewiththeChurch:
"Whatmanofrealpietydoesnotperceivewithsighsthatthisisfarthemostcorruptofallages?Whendidiniquityaboundwithmorelicentiousness?Whenwascharitysocold?"
And，asacenturybefore，WiclifhadfeltthesocialneedforapopularversionoftheBible，soWilliamTindalefeltitnow。Hesawtheneedasgreatamongtheclergyofthetimeasamongthelaity。Inoneofhiswritingshesays:"IfyouwillnotletthelaymanhavethewordofGodinhismothertongue，yetletthepriestshaveit，whichforthegreatpartofthemdounderstandnoLatinatall，butsingandpatteralldaywiththelipsonlythatwhichtheheartunderstandethnot。"[1]Sobadwasthecasethatitwasnotcorrectedwithinawholegeneration。FortyyearsafterTindale'sversionwaspublished，theBishopofGloucester，Hooperbyname，madeanexaminationoftheclergyofhisdiocese。Therewere311ofthem。
Hefound168，morethanhalf，unabletorepeattheTenCommandments；31whodidnotevenknowwheretheycouldbefound；40whocouldnotrepeattheLord'sPrayer；andnearlyasmanywhodidnotknowwhereitoriginated；
yettheywereallinregularstandingasclergyinthedioceseofGloucester。Theneedwaskeenenough。
[1]ObedienceofaChristianMan。
About1523TindalebegantocasttheScripturesintothecurrentEnglish。HesetouttoLondonfullyexpectingtofindsupportandencouragementthere，buthefoundneither。Hefound，asheoncesaid，thattherewasnoroominthepalaceoftheBishopofLondontotranslatetheNewTestament；indeed，thattherewasnoplacetodoitinallEngland。AwealthyLondonmerchantsubsidizedhimwiththemunificentgiftoftenpounds，withwhichhewentacrosstheChanneltoHamburg；andthereandelsewhereontheContinent，wherehecouldbehid，hebroughthistranslationtocompletion。PrintingfacilitiesweregreaterontheContinentthaninEngland；buttherewassuchoppositiontohisworkthatveryfewcopiesoftheseveraleditionsofwhichweknowcanstillbefound。
Tindalewascompelledtofleeatonetimewithafewprintedsheetsandcompletehisworkonanotherpress。Severaltimescopiesofhisbooksweresolemnlyburned，andhisownlifewasfrequentlyindanger。
ThereisoneamusingstorywhichtellshowmoneycametofreeTindalefromheavydebtandpreparethewayformoreBibles。TheBishopofLondon，Tunstall，wassetondestroyingcopiesoftheEnglishNewTestament。HethereforemadeabargainwithamerchantofAntwerp，Packington，tosecurethemforhim。
PackingtonwasafriendofTindale，andwenttohimforthwith，saying:"William，Iknowthouartapoorman，andIhavegottentheeamerchantforthybooks。""Who?"askedTindale。
"TheBishopofLondon。""Ah，buthewillburnthem。""Sohewill，butyouwillhavethemoney。"Anditallcameoutasitwasplanned；theBishopofLondonhadthebooks，Packingtonhadthethanks，Tindalehadthemoney，thedebtwaspaid，andtheneweditionwassoonready。Theolddocument，fromwhichIamquoting，addsthattheBishopthoughthehadGodbythetoewhen，indeed，hefoundafterwardthathehadthedevilbythefist。[1]
[1]Pollard，RecordsoftheEnglishBible，p。151。
ThefinalrevisionoftheTindaletranslationswaspublishedin1534，andthatbecomesthenotableyearofhislife。Intwoyearshewasputtodeathbystrangling，andhisbodywasburned。WhenwerememberthatthiswasdonewiththejointpowerofChurchandState，werealizesomeoftheoddsagainstwhichheworked。
Spiteofhisodds，however，TindaleistherealfatherofourKingJamesversion。Abouteightypercent。ofhisOldTestamentandninetypercent。ofhisNewTestamenthavebeentransferredtoourversion。IntheBeatitudes，forexample，fivearewordforwordinthetwoversions，whiletheotherthreeareonlyslightlychanged。[1]Dr。Davidsonhascalculatedthatnine-tenthsofthewordsintheshorterNewTestamentepistlesareTindale's，andinthelongerepistlesliketheHebrewsfive-sixthsarehis。Froude'sestimateisfair:"Ofthetranslationitself，thoughsincethattimeithasbeenmanytimesrevisedandaltered，wemaysaythatitissubstantiallytheBiblewithwhichwearefamiliar。Thepeculiargeniuswhichbreathesthroughit，themingledtendernessandmajesty，theSaxonsimplicity，thepreternaturalgrandeur，unequaled，unapproached，intheattemptedimprovementsofmodernscholars，allarehere，andbeartheimpressofthemindofoneman，WilliamTindale。"[2]