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THE GREATEST
ENGLISH CLASSIC
A STUDY OF THE
KING JAMES VERSION OF THE BIBLE
AND ITS INFLUENCE ON LIFE
AND LITERATURE
BY
CLELAND BOYD McAFEE； D。D。
CONTENTS
LECTURE
PREFACE
I。 PREPARING THE WAYTHE ENGLISH BIBLE BEFORE KING JAMES
II。 THE MAKING OF THE KING JAMES VERSION； ITS CHARACTERISTICS
III。 THE KING JAMES VERSION As ENGLISH LITERATURE
IV。 THE INFLUENCE OF THE KING JAMES VERSION ON
ENGLISH LITERATURE
V。 THE KING JAMES VERSIONITS INFLUENCE ON ENGLISH
AND AMERICAN HISTORY
VI。 THE BIBLE IN THE LIFE OF TO…DAY
PREFACE
THE lectures included in this volume were prepared at the request of the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences； and were delivered in the early part of 1912； under its auspices。 They were suggested by the tercentenary of the King James version of the Bible。 The plan adopted led to a restatement of the history which prepared for the version； and of that which produced it。 It was natural next to point out its principal characteristics as a piece of literature。 Two lectures followed； noting its influence on literature and on history。 The course closed with a statement and argument regarding the place of the Bible in the life of to…day。
The reception accorded the lectures at the time of their public delivery； and the discussion which ensued upon some of the points raised； encourage the hope that they may be more widely useful。
It is a pleasure to assign to Dr。 Franklin W。 Hooper； director of the Institute； whatever credit the work may merit。 Certainly it would not have been undertaken without his kindly urgency。 CLELAND BOYD McAFEE。
Brooklyn； New York； May； 1912。
THE GREATEST ENGLISH CLASSIC
LECTURE I
PREPARING THE WAYTHE ENGLISH BIBLE BEFORE KING JAMES
THERE are three great Book…religions Judaism； Christianity； and Mohammedanism。 Other religions have their sacred writings； but they do not hold them in the same regard as do these three。 Buddhism and Confucianism count their books rather records of their faith than rules for it； history rather than authoritative sources of belief。 The three great Book…religions yield a measure of authority to their sacred books which would be utterly foreign to the thought of other faiths。
Yet among the three named are two very distinct attitudes。 To the Mohammedan the language as well as the matter of the Koran is sacred。 He will not permit its translation。 Its original Arabic is the only authoritative tongue in which it can speak。 It has been translated into other tongues； but always by adherents of other faiths； never by its own believers。 The Hebrew and the Christian； on the other hand； but notably the Christian； have persistently sought to make their Bible speak all languages at all times。
It is a curious fact that a Book written in one tongue should have come to its largest power in other languages than its own。 The Bible means more to…day in German and French and English than it does in Hebrew and Chaldaic and Greek more even than it ever meant in those languages。 There is nothing just like that in literary history。 It is as though Shakespeare should after a while become negligible for most readers in English； and be a master of thought in Chinese and Hindustani； or in some language yet unborn。
We owe this persistent effort to make the Bible speak the language of the times to a conviction that the particular language used is not the great thing； that there is something in it which gives it power and value in any tongue。 No book was ever translated so often。 Men who have known it in its earliest tongues have realized that their fellows would not learn these earliest tongues； and they have set out to make it speak the tongue their fellows did know。 Some have protested that there is impiety in making it speak the current tongue； and have insisted that men should learn the earliest speech； or at least accept their knowledge of the Book from those who did know it。 But they have never stopped the movement。 They have only delayed it。
The first movement to make the Scripture speak the current tongue appeared nearly three centuries before Christ。 Most of the Old Testament then existed in Hebrew。 But the Jews had scattered widely。 Many had gathered in Egypt where Alexander the Great had founded the city that bears his name。 At one time a third of the population of the city was Jewish。 Many of the people were passionately loyal to their old religion and its Sacred Book。 But the current tongue there and through most of the civilized world was Greek； and not Hebrew。 As always； there were some who felt that the Book and its original language were inseparable。 Others revealed the disposition of which we spoke a moment ago； and set out to make the Book speak the current tongue。 For one hundred and fifty years the work went on； and what we call the Septuagint was completed。 There is a pretty little story which tells how the version got its name； which means the Seventythat King Ptolemy Philadelphus； interested in collecting all sacred books； gathered seventy Hebrew scholars； sent them to the island of Pharos； shut them up in seventy rooms for seventy days； each making a translation from the Hebrew into the Greek。 When they came out； behold； their translations were all exactly alike！ Several difficulties appear in that story； one of which is that seventy men should have made the same mistakes without depending on each other。 In addition； it is not historically supported； and the fact seems to be that the Septuagint was a long and slow growth； issuing from the impulse to make the Sacred Book speak the familiar tongue。 And； though it was a Greek translation； it virtually displaced the original； as the English Bible has virtually displaced the Hebrew and Greek to…day。 The Septuagint was the Old Testament which Paul used。 Of one hundred and sixty…eight direct quotations from the Old Testament in the New nearly all are from the Greek versionfrom the translation； and not from the original。
We owe still more to translation。 While there is accumulating evidence that there was spoken in Palestine at that time a colloquial Greek； with which most people would be familiar； it is yet probable that our Lord spoke neither Greek nor Hebrew currently； but Aramaic。 He knew the Hebrew Scriptures； of course； as any well… trained lad did； but most of His words have come down to us in translation。 His name； for example； to His Hebrew mother； was not Jesus； but Joshua； and Jesus is the translation of the Hebrew Joshua into Greek。 We have His words as they were translated by His disciples into the Greek； in which the New Testament was originally written。
By the time the writing of the New Testament was completed； say one hundred years after Christ； while Greek was still current speech； the Roman Empire was so dominant that the common people were talking Latin almost as much as Greek； and gradually； because political power was behind it； the Latin gained on the Greek； and became virtually the speech of the common people。 The movement to make the Bible talk the language of the time appeared again。 It is impossible to say now when the first translations into Latin were made。 Certainly there were some within two centuries after Christ； and by 250 A。D。 a whole Bible in Latin was in circulation in the Roman Empire。 The translation of the New Testament was from the Greek； of course； but so was that of the Old Testament； and the Latin versions of the Old Testament were； therefore； translations of a translation。
There were so many of these versions； and they were so unequal in value； that there was natural demand for a Latin translation that should be authoritative。 So came into being what we call the Vulgate； whose very name indicates the desire to get the Bible into the vulgar or common tongue。 Jerome began by revising the earlier Latin translations； but ended by going back of all translations to the original Greek； and back of the Septuagint to the original Hebrew wherever he could do so。 Fourteen years he labored； settling himself in Bethlehem； in Palestine； to do his work the better。 Barely four hundred years （404 A。D。） after the birth of Christ his Latin version appeared。 It met a storm of protest for its effort to go back of the Septuagint； so dominant had the translation become。 Jerome fought for it； and his version won the day； and became the authoritative Latin translation of the Bible。
For seven or eight centuries it held its sway as the current version nearest to the tongue of the people。 Latin had become the accepted tongue of the church。 There was little general culture； there was little general acquaintance with the Bible except among the educated。 During all that time there was no real room for a further translation。 One of the writers＇1＇ says： 〃Medieval England was quite unripe for a Bible in the mother tongue； while the illiterate majority were in no condition to feel the want of such a book； the educated minority would be averse to so great and revolutionary a change。〃 When a man cannot read any writing it really does not matter to him whether books are in current speech or not； and the majority of the people for those seven or eight centuries could read nothing at all。 Those who coul