388 ENGLISH BIBLE The Bishops Bible. 1568. The pre sent au thorized version, 1611. this Biblo was so great that about 200 editions of it in various sizes from folio downward were published, often with the Prayer Book and metrical Psalms appended ; and it gave way very slowly even before the present Authorized Version, which is much superior to it. The first Bible printed in Scotland was a folio reprint of the Geneva version, " Printed in Edinburgh By Alexander Arbuthnot, Printer to the Kinge s Maiestie, dwelling at ye Kirk of feild, 1579." Soon after the accession of Queen Elizabeth, when the demand for Bibles was again pressing upon the printers, Archbishop Parker organized a revision of the Great Bible of 1539 by "able bishops and other learned men." The work was undertaken by the archbishop himself, eleven other bishops, and four deans and prebendaries, in 1563, the plan of distributing it being precisely the same as that adopted by Archbishop Cranmer. The rules upon which they proceeded were these : "1. To follow the common English translation used in the churches, and not to recede from it, but where it varieth manifestly from the Hebrew or Greek original. 2. To use sections and divi sions in the text as Pagnine in his translation useth, and for the verity of the Hebrew to follow the said Pagnine and Munster specially, and generally others learned in the tongues. 3. To make no bitter notes upon any text, or yet to set down any determination in places of controversy. 4. To note such chapters and places as contain matters of genealogies, or other such places not edifying, with some strike or note, that the reader may eschew them in his public reading.. 5. That all such words as sound in the old trans lation to any offence of lightness or obscenity be expressed with more convenient terms and phrases." Much labour was expended upon this revision, but the printing was completed, and the volume, a large folio, was ready for publication on October 5, 1568. Several editions of it were afterwards published, but it may be doubted whether it was ever cordially received. The Great Bible of 1539 was used in many churches, and the Geneva Bible was in almost every house; and although the 80th Canon of 1603 enjoins that the Bishops Bible shall be the only one used in churches, it was never reprinted after 1606. A quarto edition was brought out in 15C9, and the New Testament was several times printed separately. The English Bible which is now recognized as the " Authorized Version," wherever the English language is spoken, is a revision of the Bishops Bible, begun in 1604 and published in 1611. It arose out of the conference between the High Church and Low Church parties which was held by James I. at Hampton Court in 1604, being originally proposed by Dr Reynolds, president of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, the leader and spokesman of the Low Church party, and subsequently on the committee which revised the translation of the Prophets. No real opposition was offered to the proposal, and the king cleverly sketched out on the moment a plan to be adopted. He " wished that some special pains should be taken in that behalf for one uniform translation, and this to be done by the best learned in both universities ; after them to be revised by the bishops and the chief learned of the church ; from them to be presented to the Privy Council ; and lastly, to be ratified by his royal authority. And so this whole church to be bound upon it, and none other." He also particularly desired that no notes should be added by way of comment in the margin. The appointment of the revisers was a work of much responsibility and labour, and five months elapsed before they were selected and their respective por tions assigned to them ; but the list of those who began the work, and who, with some few changes in consequence of deaths, brought it to a happy conclusion, shows how large an amount of scholarship was enlisted. It includes Bishop Anclrewes, who was familiar with Hebrew, Chaldee, Syriac, Greek, Latin, and ten other languages; Bishop Overall; Dr Saravia; Bedwell, the greatest Arabic scholar of Europe; Sir Henry Savile, the most learned layman of his time ; and ; to say nothing of others well known to later generations, nine who were then or afterwards professors of Hebrew or of Greek at Oxford or Cambridge. It is observable also that they were chosen without reference to party, at least as many of the Puritan clergy as of the opposite party being placed on the committees, and among them Reynolds and Chaderton, two of the four who had represented those clergy in the Hampton Court conference. The following list, taken from the General Introduction to Blunt s Annotated Bible, is drawn up in such a way as to show the academical or other position which each of them occupied, and the particular part of the work on which they were engaged ; but other scholars also were invited to take the subject up in their private studies, and to communicate with Andre wes at Westminster, or with the professors of Hebrew at Oxford and Cambridge. Books. Writers. Best known as. S _c 5 ! a C5 / t 1. M si ill if 1
7f 53 s & l Andrewes . Overall Bishop of Winchester "S ^ y >-3 *s *i Westminster g Oxford g Cambridge g Oxford g Cambridge g Westminster g Committee. Committee. Committee. Committee. Committee. Committee. Greek. g Greek. g Greek. Hebrew, g Hebrew. g Hebrew. Bishop of Norwich Clerke .. One of the Six Preachers Lavfield .... Teigh Rector of St Clement Danes Archdeacon of Middlesex.... Burleigh .... Fellow of Chelsea College Thomson .... Bedwell Lively- Clare Hall, Cambridge Reg. Prof, of Hebrew Richardson . Chaderton .. i Dillingham Master of Trinity ! Master of Emmanuel Vice-Master of Trinity Andrewes ... Master of Jesus Coll Spalding Fellow of St John s i Harding
- Reynolds....
Holland Killey Smith Brett Fareclowe... Deport Braitliwaite. Radcliffe Ward Downea Bois Reg. Prof, of Heb. and Pres. of Magd President of Corpus Christi Rector Exeter Coll., and Reg. Prof. Divinity. Rector of Lincoln Coll Bp. of Glouc. (author of Preface) Fellow of Chelsea College Provost of Chelsea College , Master of Jesus Coll. and Preb. of Ely N Master of Gonville and Caius Regius Professor of Greek Prebendary of Elv Ward... liitvis Abbot Montague... Thompson... Savile Perin Harrys Harmer Barlow Hutchinson Spencer Fenton Rabbet t Sanderson... Dakin Prebendary ol Chicliester , Archbishop of Canterbury (Sir Henry) Warden of Merlon Reg Prof Greek Reg. Prof, of Greek, and Warden of Winch... , Preb St John s Oxford 1 Fellow of Corp. Christi, Cambridge Prebendary of St Paul s Rector of St Vcdast s, London Archdeacon of Rochester Gresham Professor of Divinity , When this large body of scholars were set down to their work, a set of rules was drawn up for their guidance, which has happily come down to modern times among the very few records that remain of this great undertaking By whom they were framed is not known, but it is probable that they were well sifted, and passed through several hands before they reached the exact shape in which they were eventually acted upon. "1. The ordinary Bible read in the church, commonly called the Rul Bishops Bible, to be followed, and as little altered as the truth of the the original will permit. 2. The names of the prophets and the holy vise writers, with the other names of the text, to be retained, as nigh as trai may be, accordingly as they were vulgarly used. 3. The old ecclesi- ors. astical words to be kept, videlicet, the word church not to be trans lated congregation, &c. 4. When a word hath divers significations, that to be kept which hath been most commonly used by the most of the ancient fathers, being agreeable to the propriety of the place and the analogy of the faith. 5. - The division of the chapters to be altered either not at all, or as little as may be, if necessity so re quire. 6. No marginal notes at all to be affixed, but only for the explanation of the Hebrew or Greek words which cannot, without some circumlocution, so briefly and fitly be expressed in the text. 7. Such quotations of places to be marginally set down, as shall
serve for the fit references of one scripture to another. 8. Every
