![]() ![]() The earliest extant portion of the Bible in the English language belongs to a word-for-word translation of a Latin Psalter dating about the ninth century. Who first, as almighty preserver of the human race,Īs the roof of the houses, and next to earth. The power of the creator and his counsel, Bede, the historian, records one of Caedmon’s verses: Caedmon (died c680), a common monastery laborer in Yorkshire, was one of the first to record some of these paraphrases. Metrical verses and poetical paraphrases of smaller Scriptural portions also aided the spreading of biblical truth. Illustrated texts with elaborate biblical scenes enabled the poor to glimpse into biblical events. Only later did he conceive of the Bible being used as the rule of life.ĭistribution of these biblical texts was aided by the Biblia Pauperum. His first copies appeared as fragmented biblical texts which he could quote as oracles from God. Nevertheless, the common man began to seek a copy of the Scriptures in his own language. Considering these obstacles it is no wonder the Bible in the language of the masses existed only in the minds of the visionaries. Many clergy rarely saw an entire Bible and only a select few could read it. Most pre-printing press Bibles were large folio volumes in hand written Latin, awkward to handle and expensive to produce. Following along in the church services was very difficult and to read the Bible was impossible. For the laity, among whom Latin was virtually unknown, the Bible was a closed book. The duty of the clergy and priests was to read the Bible in the tongue of mother Rome. ![]() Rather, the medieval Englishman viewed the Bible as only accessible to the learned or elite of society. Her people however, did not cry out for a copy of the Scriptures in their own tongue. English Bibles Before Wycliffeĭue to the work of Gregory the Greek and the natural spread of Christianity westward from Rome, England converted to Christianity in the sixth and seventh centuries. That man is John Wycliffe, the morning star of the Reformation. His vision brought the triumph of the Bible in the language of the people. Without his labor medieval England would have languished in a Latin Bible read only by the highly educated. Half a century earlier, one man dared to challenge traditional Church authority. William Tyndale, John Rogers, Thomas Cromwell and countless others gave their lives in the early translation period. Yet, the cost for providing the English speaking people with a Bible must be counted in the blood of the men who sought to translate it. No literary work has had so much influence on the English language as the translation of the Bible. The history of the English Bible is a tale of triumph and tragedy. ![]()
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