BIBLE LANDS MISSIONS AID SOCIETY

[s. 103] : In 1853-4 Rev. C. G. Young, a minister in the North of England, traveling in the East, came into contact with mi ionaries of the American Board engaged in work among the Armenians in Constantinople, and was greatly impre ed with their devotion and zeal. Returning to England he urged that an endeavor should be made to a ociate Christians of all the churches in an effort to cooperate with those already in Circumstances contributed to awaken the field. interest in the subject. It was just before the Crime an War and the Eastern question was as sum The Sultan was looking to ing an acute phase. Britain for support against Ru ia. Sir Str at ford Canning (Lord Redcliffe) the astute and able English amba ador at the Porte, had sought to influence the Sultan in the direction of a policy of toleration in religious matters. For several years Christians in Britain had watched with sympathy the converts among the Armenians, who had been grievously perse After one or two public meetings which cuted. increased interest in the scheme of an auxiliary agency in England, on the 3d of July, 1854, the Turkish Mi ions’ Aid Society was organized, the Earl of Shaftesbury being elected president. The Society is entirely undenominational, both in its supporters and in the distribution of its funds. The first rule of its constitution describes its aim: “The object of this Society is not to originate a new mi ion, but to aid in the extension of gospel work in Bible lands, especially that carried on by the Americans.” The Society has been and is a most valuable helper to many branches of mi ionary work in Turkey, having furnished funds to the amount of $512,000 to various special objects of importance. The name of the Society was changed a few years ago by substituting “Bible Lands” for the Altho not “Turkish” of the original name. so largely supported as formerly, the Society continues to work on the same lines, making its special province the a istance of Christian work in Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, Persia, Syria, and Egypt. The organ of the Society is East,” published quarterly. “The Star in the BIBLE TRANSLATION:”The Day of Pentecome” and the spirit of God worked cost was fully great miracles, and the Galilean disciples were enabled to proclaim the gospel in the divergent tongues of the vast heterogeneous crowd of three continents. “We do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.” What the spirit of God did on the day of Pentecost for fifteen or sixteen peoples, that are the translators of the Bible doing for all the peoples of the world. The end in view is that every man may hear in his own tongue the wonderful works of God. For such a work special gifts, graces, acquirements, and instruments are needed, and of tiiese we proceed to speak in the following sections. Qualifications Nece ary for a Translator: The translator should be deeply conscious of the gravity of his work as well as of its importance. The man who enters on such work in a frivolous spirit will fail, like the general who enters on a Perfection in great war with a light heart. translation is unattainable, but it should be aimed at. Translation at best bears pretty much the same relation to the original that the wrong side In the wrong of velvet bears to the right side. side of the texture you may have all the material of the original: the warp and woof may be skilfully shot, all the weight and color may be in the In trans piece, but the glo y pile is wanting. lati on the artistic touch which each author gives to his work, independent of the substance matter, can never be caught or transferred by another hand. If this be so in ordinary translation, it is still more applicable to Bible translation. The original languages of the Bible constitute great difficulties. The Semitic Old Testament is full of perplexities. The language is archaic, the idioms are Oriental,the transitions are abrupt, the allusions are uncertain; the words thrown together in juxtaposition give little cue, by form or relation, to their exact meaning. Many pa ages are vague, and capable of several interpretations, and all pa ages have alliteration and play upon words which cannot po ibly be reproduced in translation. The original of the New Testament is Aramaic Greek, and the old Hellenic forms are filled with new ideas, like the new wine in the old bottles. The old Hellenic words had to be emptied of their old meanings before being dedicated to the new service, and they are often inadequate expre ions of the fresh gospel thought. The translator will have to trace the Hebrew conception in the Greek form. In both old and New Testaments there are many hands visible. The Holy Ghost, who inspired the men that wrote as they were moved did not interfere with their individuality or style Paul does not write like Luke of expre ion. nor John like James. The prophets are distinct from each other in thought and style, and immeasurably removed from the feeling and form of our exact metallic age. Taking into account the composite character of the book, ranging from simplest narrative to most flowing rhapsody, how ill-equipped a one cannot but recognize modern scholar is for translating right through the Bible. The man who would succe fully reproduce this Holy Book must himself be under the influence of the Holy Spirit who inspired and guided the various authors. Purvey, in his prologue to Wickliffe’s Bible, says: “He hath need to live a clean life, and be full of devout prayers, that the Holy Spirit, Author of wisdom, knowledge, and truth, dre him in his work, and By this manner, suffer him not to err. with good living and great travail, men may come... Bible Translation to true and clear translating, and true understanding of Holy Writ.” Faith in the Bible is absolutely e ential to the It is not desirable that he should translator. have to take down all his beliefs from the shelf reexamine them whenever a new hypothesis and regarding the Bible makes its appearance. The translator should not only have a reasonable intellectual belief in the Word of God, but he should be a man who has tried and tested it, and found in it his own strength and joy. Having felt its power himself, he will know why he must be careful that none of its meaning is lost in Having been ble ed pa ing through his hands. by it, he will do all that is in his power to make it the bearer of ble ings to others. Every phrase, word, letter, mood, and tense will have due weight with him, and nothing will be slurred over or dealt with in a carele or slovenly manner. A sound judgment is indispensable to a translator of the Bible. No matter how great his attachment and loyalty to the Bible, if he has an ill-balanced mind he is in danger of getting entangled with Biblical fads; and the Biblical faddist is always discovering things in the text of the Bible that have no existence, giving prominence to parts that are of no more importance than other parts, and unconsciously using the book to support his own whimsical opinions. The translator should know the Bible in the unity of its truth, and be able to see individual He pa ages in the light of surrounding truth. should be able to divest himself of the prejudices of the religious or philosophical school in which he has been brought up, and to cast aside all prepo e ions in favor of even the venerable readings of his own Authorized Version. Sound scholarship must be based on sound judgment. A liberal education, especially in languages, is a good groundwork for Biblical The man who profe es to know scholarship. twenty or thirty or a hundred languages is to None avoided. of the phenomenal linguists be of the past ever did any work that has lived, and this rule is not likely to change in the future. The translator should concentrate his chief attention on a few languages, and leave large profe ion to people who wish to be wondered at. A good knowledge of the original languages of the Bible is requisite to a good translator, and if he has an opportunity of learning Arabic, he will be well rewarded. The Syriac version was one of the translations first made from the original after the writing of the New Testament perhaps the very first, and a knowledge of the Peshito will be useful to the translator; but Syriac has little literature worth reading, and the time spent on it might more profitably be devoted to Arabic. The Latin Vulgate should also be at the side of the translator for consultation, and also the Septuagint; and of living versions the English Revised and Segond’s French will be found useful The translator should be thora,nd suggestive. oughly acquainted with the manners and customs of Bible lands, and with all modern discoveries bearing on the Bible. The translator should be thoroughly acquainted “with the literature of the language into which he is to render the Scriptures. He should read its cla ics, and especially the poetry, in order to enrich his vocabulary with choice words, and to learn to pack them close with concentrated thought. He should read the newspapers, and converse with the people, until he is able to think — a& without the intrusion of auxilwords from other languages. Most languages have corresponding idioms, and by constant watchfulne and practice approximations may be found. If the language is foreign to the translator, he should employ a trustworthy native in their language, iary to accompany him as much as po ible. He should be constantly composing in the language, and employing his native a istant to correct his compositions, and he should get by heart a choice specimen of the language daily. Patience, in abundant measure, is a nece ary endowment of a translator. Haste is the fruit The student in a ful author of ill-done work. hurry will never be a scholar. The impatient translator will turn out crude and unfinished There will doubtle be many influences copy. drawing and pushing him forward at headlong It may be that he is called to work for speed. a bookle people, who have never had the Scriptures. Or he finds an imperfect version in the hands of the people, and by the help of a presumptuous native he hastens to improve the version, currente calamo. Patience is an attribute of strength, and the translator requires firm moral fiber to resist the patience from influences that would hinder having her work perfect. Bishop Steere of Zanzibar spent five years in completing his version of the Gospel of St. Mark into the Swahili tongue. By this patient procedure with one Gospel he acquired facility in translation, and he had the joy of giving the New Testament to that great people before being taken home to his reward. The memorable words of the revisers of the Authorized Version should never be forgotten by translators:”We did not disdain to revise that which we had done, and to bring back to the anvil that which we had hammered; but having and using as great helps as were needful, and fearing no reproach for slowne , nor coveting praise for expedition, we have at length, through the good hand of the Lord upon us, brought the work to that pa that you see.” So in the translation of Luther’s Bible. The scholars who aided Luther revised with him every line with patient care, and sometimes they returned fourteen succe ive days to the revision of a single line. The English and German translators and revisers were rendering the Scriptures into their mother tongues, but the majority of translators and revisers are called upon to translate into tongues which are foreign to them, and which they are obliged to learn. The wise translator will always work with the a istance of native scholars, and this will nece itate patience in many respects. He will have to bear with the inaccurate and self-satisfied ways of the unmeHe will not be able to take thodical natives. renderings on trust, but must lead his helper round the idea until the exact point is reached. Sometimes, when engaged on languages which have no literature, and which have never been written, he will have to catch the words alive, and fix them as best he can on paper. There is nothing, perhaps, which tries a translator’s patience so much as having his work revised by others. It is never pleasant to have one’s composition found fault with, and every correction made by a reviser a umes imperfect work on the part of the author. If the translator has the grace of patience when he first sees the 87 work that has cost him so much pulled to pieces, he will soon come to appreciate the suggestions of men much inferior to himself. For all these things patience and Christian courtesy are absolutely nece ary. The translator should cultivate a simple, easily understood style. Very often first translations, made into a literary language, are cast in too lofty a style. The native helper is a scholar, generally proud of his native literature, in which he has been educated, and his aim will be to translate the Scriptures in accordance with high cla ical models. It is not the busine of a translator to render a version in a language as the language ought to be, but as the language is. The common plain language of the people as used in commerce and in everyday life will be the victorious form of speech, and into this form, avoiding all vulgarisms and low expre ions, the Scriptures should be translated. When the proper standard has been reached another question of great difficulty will arise. The translator should strive to convey the meaning while remaining as faithful as po ible to the letter of the text. The sense must be given whether the pa age be rendered literally or not, but pains.should be taken to transfer the sense by giving due weight to every word. Translators of the Scriptures should, whenever practicable, carry out their work by committees. The general rule of the British and Foreign Bible Society on this subject is as follows: ” That whenever it is practicable to obtain a board of competent persons to translate or revise a version of the Scriptures, it is undesirable to accept for publication the work of a single translator or reviser.” The first great version of the Old Testament takes its name, Septuagint, from the supposition that the translation into Greek was the work of seventy scholars. It was certainly the work of a large revision committee hence its great value and permanence. The revision of the English Bible which resulted in the Authorized Version of 1611 was the work of many scholars. The Dutch version was the production of twelve translators and sixteen revisers. The Manx Old Testament was the work of twenty-four trans- — lators and two revisers. The text to be followed is of primary importance in Bible translation. Up to 1881 the work of translation for the British and Foreign Bible Society was carried on in accordance with the following instructions “Whenever practicable, a version should be a direct translation from the Hebrew and Greek originals. For the Hebrew Bible, the edition of Van der Hooght is considered the standard; and in the use of this the translator is at liberty to follow either the ketih or the keri; but not to adopt any rendering which is not sanctioned by the Ma or etic vowel-points, or the her i, or the English Authorized Version, or the marginal readings of this last. In the Greek Testament the Elzevir edition of the ‘Textus Recept us’ of 1633, and reprinted by the British and Foreign Bible Society, is considered the standard; but in cases where the Authorized Version differs from this, either in the text or in the marginal reading, the translator is at liberty to adopt a rendering which may agree with any one of these three; and if a translator or editor think it better to omit the subscriptions of the epistles, the insertion of these is not required.” Dlble Tranalatlon As far as the Old Testament is concerned these instructions still hold good. Hebrew manuscripts of the Old Testament are of no great antiquity, dating only from A. D. 916. No doubt there are ancient readings preserved in such versions as the Septuagint, the Samaritan Pent a teuch, the Syriac, and the Latin Vulgate. And there are doubtle previous readings of the old Hebrew preserved in quotations in the New Testament. Collations of such readings have been made with much labor and some skill; but nothing has been discovered or done to warrant the Bible Society in adopting a new text. The case of the New Testament widely differs from that of the Old. Numerous ancient and important Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, in whole or in part, have been discovered in recent years. Enormous learning and pains have been bestowed on the collation and cla ification of these manuscripts, and on the inve.stigation of early versions and quotations. Sufficient material has been accumulated for the substantial restoration of the Greek Testament of the ^fourth century. Under these circumstances the Committee of the British and Foreign Bible Society in 1881 resolved to authorize mi ionaries and others engaged on behalf of the Society in the work of translation or revision to adopt such deviations from the “Textus Recept us” as are sanctioned by the text of the Revised English Version of 1881. The careful attention of translators was at the same time invited to the observations of the Company of Revisers on the revision of the Greek text in their preface, and to the caution suggested by their emphatic words: “Many places still remain in which for the present it would not be safe to accept one reading to the absolute exclusion of others.” “In these cases,” the revisers add, “we have given alternative readings in the margin, whenever they seem to be of sufficient importance or interest to deserve notice.” These alternative readings should, therefore, be carefully studied before any change is adopted from the “Textus Recept us”; and, whilst the committee did not desire to control the conscientious judgment of translators or revisers, they suggested that where the marginal note in the Englisii version indicates that ancient authorities support the Elzevir text, there would be safety in adhering for the present to the Elzevir text. The same regulations substantially have been adopted by the American Bible Society, and thus far the two great societies have proceeded on the same lines in the work of translation and revision. The Names for the Divine Being require special attention. The difficulty of finding any Supreme Being among the heathen is sometimes very Sometimes the gods are so numerous that the difficulty consists in making a proper selecSometimes there are no gods at all; but tion. the translator’s chief difficulty will be to find any name among the heathen a ociated with the ideas of reverence or worship. In this matter as in many others the translator will have to do the In the Septuagint and Greek Test a best he can. ment, Theos is substituted for Elohim, and Lord (Kurios) for Jehovah and Adonai promiscuously. The terms were not equivalents, but apostles and martyrs preached the gospel meanings into the names until they became expre ive of the true gospel thoughts now a ociated with each. Every care should be taken to select the best word, but it must be remembered that in all great. Bible Translation Bible Women 8S countries the truth about God is gathered not so much from the name as from what is taught con The translator in a cerning Him who bears it. heathen tongue must select the best term or name he can find. Tho he may be obliged to take the name of a false god, he will find that by degrees, through reading the Bible, the false meaning will It disappear, and the true meaning a ert itself. might be po ible to transfer the original names of God by transliteration, but in that case the names would, in themselves, be absolutely without significance when first introduced. Translators will find it difficult to render the word Baptizo in a manner satisfactory to all. If translating for a non-denominational society prepared by Canon Girdle stone, and it has Degun to print foreign versions in paragraphs, with sectional headings which simply announce the subjects of the sections. The headings are simple summaries, such as “The Creation,” “The Flood,” “The Temptation,” “The Fall,” etc. Versions so arranged, well printed and accompanied by maps, have been published in Italian,. Sesuto, Malagasi, French, and Dutch, and they have been well received. In China, too, the. committee have agreed to publish summaries, sectional headings, and simple explanations of words and terms not likely to be understood by the Chinese. The Scriptures can be read much more in tell i which is supported by all denominations, they can not be expected to translate the word by a term which supports the views of one denominaIn versions made for the British and For tion. eign Bible Society the word Baptizo and its cognates are transliterated or transferred, as is done in the English Bible, unle it can be translated by some native word signifying sacred washing, without limiting the form to either dipping or sprinkling. An attempt has been made to get over the difficulty by placing the neutral term in the text, and the denominational term in the margin, with the words “some translate immerse” which is simply the statement of a fact. Where the version is Baptist, it would be better that the difficulty should be got over by an alternative reading than that a rival version should be i ued. These matters require to be dealt with on both sides in a spirit of mutual gently in the paragraph form. Much can be done by artistic printing, by proper spacing, and the arrangement of parallelisms to encourage the reading of the Scriptures. La erre’s Gospels in paragraph form are so arranged that every page says “read me”; and French men, for the first time, read the gospel with pleasure. There are many additional considerations, and nece ary conditions, and infinite details, which might be advanced with regard to Bible translation, but these will be best learned in the practical work of translation. As in preparing sermons, writing books, and public speaking, each worker reaches. — forbearance. Translators should be careful to choose the central language in commencing versions, and to resist all pre ure to undertake translations in insignificant and dying dialects. Many versions produced in local patois have led to considerable wa.ste of Christian money. At first it may not be po ible, with limited experience, to say which branch of a group of languages is the best vehicle for reaching the most people; but first editions should be tentative and small, and the second editions should be revised into the dominant form. Prince L. L. Bonaparte made versions of the Scriptures into more than a hundred languages, dialects, and patois, for linguistic purposes. These his Highne has handed over to the Bible Society, with permi ion to revise them for evangelistic purposes; but there are only a few of them on which the Society would be at all justified in spending funds. The translator should be careful to mark in some distinctive way words inserted to make the sense complete, but which have no equivalents in the originals. Such words are marked in our English Bibles by being printed in italics. This is somewhat unfortunate, as in all other forms of English literature italics are used to give emphasis and prominence to words. The italics should be as few as po ible. A great many in the Authorized Version are superfluous. In foreign languages the supplied words, when nece ary, should be printed in type similar to the body of the text, but somewhat smaller. In preparing chapter and page headings only simple summaries should be given. In our English Bibles the chapter headings are printed in such small italics that they are seldom consulted, and they form an undesirable wedge between chapter and chapter. The British and Foreign Bible Society has long had a paragraph English Bible his own style by his own methods, so translators must be left to find out the lines within certain limitations on which they can best accomplish the sacred work entrusted to them; and in the matter of details, common sense and scrupulous conscientiousne will be the best guides. The list of versions in the Appendix enables one to judge of the immense work already accomplished in Bible translation. The Bible is the greatest of all the cla ics, and its importance may be judged in contrast with, them. There are, at the present time, over a. you sand philologists busied with Bible translation and revision, and wherever the living mi ionary goes he takes with him the living word. Versions of the cla ic masterpieces of Greece, Rome, and the Far East are few, and are found on the shelves of libraries and in the homes of learning. The versions of the Bible are for the people, and no sooner have they fallen from the pre than they are taken up in such quantities by the mi ionaries, by the colporteurs, by the zenana women, and by all who wish the divine me age made known, that the average circulation of the British and Foreign Bible Society alone is over four million copies a year. See Bible Distribution. BIBLE VERSIONS By far the larger proportion of existing versions of the Bible are used in i foreign mi ionary operations. For the most part, also, they are the fruit of the patient toil of mi ionaries in the field. The mi ionary translator, unseen and almost forgotten in the isolation of his life work as he studies the sounds, the structure and the vocabulary of a strange language, and then uses his knowledge in translation of the Scriptures, renders a double service to mankind. He not only sets before savage and illiterate tribes the Book which is to lift them in the scale of humanity, but at the same time he gives to the people the idea of committing speech to paper, and provides them with the means of doing so. More than this, he has placed in a form acce ible to students in the home land the e ential data for.studying and cla ifying the language in: which he is working. He thus materially aids. As Dr. Cust has the extension of knowledge. remarked, “It is a marvelous surprise to a scholar who has never left Europe to have a translation of a Gospel handed to him, of the genuinene and approximate accuracy of which there can be no doubt, in a language that is unprovided with scientific works or literary helps.” The list of known languages and dialects continually grows longer as the surface of the earth It has been estimated is more fully explored. that the total number of languages now rendering Yet it is by no active service exceeds 2,000. means this number of versions of the Bible aim to provide. The list of lan which we must guages which are dead, and that of other languages which are extinct, show that no version of the complete Bible should be undertaken without careful study of the place and the rank, as Permanent or temporary, which that language Such olds in which the version is to be made. a fate as befell John Eliot’s Indian Bible, serving only as a library curiosity because of the extinction of the language in which it is printed, is a warning on this point. As at present conducted, the proce of publishing a version Bible TrnuNlatlnn Bible Women. 89 is generally as follows: The opportunity or need of one being apparent, an arrangement is made between some one of the Bible societies and the mi ionary society occupying a certain field, by which one or more mi ionaries especially fitted for the work are instructed to devote either the whole or a part of their time to the preparation of the translation, their support and the incidental expense being, in many cases, a umed by the Bible society. When the translation is completed, preparations are made for publishing, either on the field, if good printing pre es and binderies are available, or in America, England, or Continental Europe, accord It was formerly the ing to circumstances. custom to do much of the publishing in London or New York, but since the establishment of the numerous foreign agencies it is very largely done at the great centers of those agencies, as Vienna, Constantinople, Shanghai, Tokio, etc. The translation thus made is the property of the Bible society that incurred the expense, and, altho there is no regular copyright taken out, the rights of each society are carefully regarded. In some cases, as those of the Japanese, Chinese, and Turkish versions, two or more societies have combined to share the expense, and have equal Whenever one society rights of publication. has need of the publications of another the required copies are purchased, cost price rather than selling price being paid, on the principle that one society should not reap financial benefit from the benevolence of another. In certain cases permi ion is asked, and usually granted, for the use of plates for the reduplication of a version. In general the rule has been for each society to a ist every other to the best of its ability, so far as convenience or cautious regard for mutual interest was involved, the aim being not to secure honor or glory to themselves, but to further by every po ible means the great aim of the societies. The number of living and effective versions of the Bible somewhat exceeds 400. All the languages of the “conquering” clags now po e versions of the Bible. Substantially the same is true of the “permanent cla of languages.” As to the weak languages which cannot hold their ground, and the dialects which cannot all survive the diffusion of education, in general, portions only of Scriptures have been translated into them. list of existing Bible Versions, and a list of mi ionaries who have translated or revised the Bible for the Bible societies, will be found in the A Appendix. 107