| XXX | (548) | XXX |
BIB ( 548 ) BIB ftin gives this verfion the name of the Italic, and prefers the Bible : But there are critics who cenfure him for deit to ail the relt: But we referve a diltinft article for parting from the noble fimplicity and natural grandeur of the original, and deviating into an affeded effeminate this verfipn. See Vulgate. St jerom undertook to revife and correft the Latin dyle, overcharged with falfe rhetoric, and not always verfion of the Bible ; but, having afterwards attained to true Latinity. The verfion of Junius and Tremellius, much more of the true natural fimplicity: The chief a more perfed knowledge of the Hebrew language, he fet has about a new tranflation of fome books of the Old Tefta- Hebraifms are preferved in it, and the whole is dridly ment from the Hebrew; and continuing, at the folicita- conformable to the Hebrew text. We mud not forget tion of his friends, to tranflate the red, he at lad per- the verfion of Theodore Beza, a protedant divine of Gefeded an entire new verfion of all the books contained in neva, in the fixteenth century. Sebadian: Cadalio found the Hebrew canon. In his tranflation, he followed, as fault with this verfion, and Beza wrote an apology for it nearly as he could, the verfion of the Septuagint, and about the year 1 564. retained the very exprefiions of the ancient vulgar Latin, Jrable Bible. The Arabic verfions of the Bible of two forts; the one done by Chridians, the other as far as was confident with purity of dyle and true Lati- are nity. This tranflation was fo highly applauded by the by Jews. There is one of the Old Tedament, whofe Chridian church, that fome authors have pretended it author is fuppofed to be Saadias Gaon, a Jew of Babywas brought to perfedion by the infpiration of the Holy lon, who wrote the fame about the year of Chrid 900. Ghofl. But St Augudine looked upon the author to be Of this whole work the Pentateuch alone is printed. fo well Ikilled in the Hebrew language, as to be able to The Jews have another Arabic verfion in Hebrew characundertake, and bring to perfedion fuch a work by the ters, which Erpenius publidied in Arabic charaders at drength of his own abilities. St Jerom’s verfion was Leyden in the year 1622. Among the Arabic tranflations done by Chridians, there is one printed in the pofoon received in many churches ; and in the fixth centu- lyglots Paris and London ; but both the author, and ry it became as general, and in as great edeem, as the the timeofwhen it was written, are unknown. It mud ancient Vulgate. It was not till the fixteenth .century that any new La- have been made fince the publication of the Koran, betin tranflations were made of the Bible from the Hebrew caufe the author, in many places, has evidently followed text. Sandes Pagninus, a Dominican monk, was the it. In this verfion the Pentateuch is tranflated from the fird who undertook a new verfion of the books of fcrip- Hebrew text; Job, from the Syriac; and the red from ture from the modern Hebrew text. His defign Was the Septuagint, and two other verfions of the Pentateuch, encouraged by pope Leo X.; and his verfion made its the manuferipts of which are in the Bodleian library* are alfo fome Arabic tranflations of the Pfalms; fird appearance at Lyons in the year 1527. It adheres There too fcrupuloufly to the words of the text, which makes one printed at Genoa in 1516, the other at Rome in
- And there is a manufeript verfion of the prophets
it obfcure, and favour of barbarity in many places. He in1619 is like wife often mifled as to the fenfe, having affeded this language preferved in the Bodleian library. The gofpel being preached in all nations, there is no too much to follow the explications of the Jewifh Rab- doubt, but that the Bible, which is the foundation of bins. It is however a very ufeful work, and very pro- the Chridian religion, was tranflated into the refpedive per to explain the literal fenfe of the Hebrew text. Aof each nation. St Chryfodom and The'odorias Montanus, when he compiled the edition of the languages Biblia Polyglot!a, revifed this tranflation of Pagninus. ret both tedify, that the books of .the Old and New TeCardinal Cajetan, though not verfed in the Hebrew, dament had been tranflated into the Syrian, Egyptian, undertook a tianflation of fome parts of the Bible by the Indian, Perfian, Armenian, AHhiopic, Scythian, and affidance of two perfons well (killed in that language, the Samaritan languages. Socrates and Sozomen tell us, Ulphilas bifhop of the Goths, who lived about the one a Jew, the other a Chridian. After him Ifidore that Clarius, a monk of Mount Caflin, fet himfelf to reform middle of the fourth century, had tranflated the holy into the Gothic language ; and pope John VIIL the vulgar verfion of the Bible after the Hebrew text; in feriptures the doing _of which he pretends to have correded above gave his approbation to the verfion of the holy feriptures eight thoufand paflages of the Bible. Befides thefe tranf- made into the Sclavonian. lations, made by catholic authors, there are fome likewife JEthiopic Bible. The 4Ethiopic verfion of the Old Tedament is made immediately from the Greek text of performed by protedant tranflators ; the fird of whom ' the was Sebadian Munder. His verfion is more intelligible, Septuagint; and'there is a very plain agreement bethis tranflation and the Alexandrian' manufeript: and in much better Latin, than that of Pagninus. Hue- tween order of the chapters, the inferiptions of the Pfalms, tius bedows on him the charader of a tranflator well The verfed in the Hebrew, and whofe dyle is very exad and and every thing elfe being exadtly alike. The fEthiocomformable to the original. The tranflation of Leo pians attribute this verfion to Frumentius, the apodle of Juda, a Zuinglian, printed at Zurich in 1543, and after- ^Ethiopia, fent thither by Athanafius bifliop of Alexanwards by Robert Stephens in 1545, is written in a more dria. Coptic or Egyptian Bible. The Coptic or Egyptian elegant dyle than that of Munder; but he often departs tranflation is likewife made from the Greek of the Sepfrom the literal meaning of the Hebrew text for the fake tuagint, the Egyptian tranflator fo pundually of an elegant Latin expreflion. However, in this he has followed inthewhich Greek text, that he refilled to make ufe of not taken fo great a liberty as Sebadian Cadalio, who the undertook to give the world an elegant Latin verfion of the labours of Origen and others, who had been atpains
