Development of the English Bible - The Era of Henry VIII

To say that the translation of the English Bible was not a political thing is incorrect.  It occurred during a time when there was a surge in biblical interest, but also became a tool of exploitation.  Henry VIII was the third child of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York.  Henry was the youngest of six siblings, but only 3 survived infancy.  His older brother Arthur died at the age of 15, after only 20 weeks of marriage to Catherine of Aragon. As a result, Henry was appointed Prince of Wales at only 10 yrs old.  His father, Henry VII renewed his efforts to seal a marital alliance between England and Spain, by offering his second son in marriage to Arthur's widow, Catherine of Aragon. She was the youngest surviving child of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile. However, for the new Prince of Wales to marry his brother's widow, a “dispensation” from the Pope was normally required to overrule the impediment of affinity because, as told in the Book of Leviticus, "If a brother is to marry the wife of a brother they will remain childless." The English and Spanish parties agreed that an additional papal dispensation of affinity would be prudent to remove all doubt regarding the legitimacy of the marriage.  Fourteen months after Arthur’s death, she was betrothed to Henry.  On 18 February 1516 Queen Catherine bore Henry his first child to survive infancy, Princess Mary. (A son, Henry, Duke of Cornwall, had been born in 1511 but lived only a few weeks.)  Henry became impatient at her seeming inability to produce a male heir. By 1525, as Henry grew more impatient, he became enamored of a charismatic young woman in the Queen's entourage, Anne Boleyn.  Anne at first resisted his attempts to seduce her, and refused to become his mistress. However, Anne saw her opportunity in Henry's infatuation and determined she would only yield to his embraces as his acknowledged queen.  It then became the King's absorbing desire to annul his marriage to Catherine and thus he petitioned Rome and the Pope of the Catholic Church for permission to divorce her.  This permission was not granted.  It was this quarrel that set things in motion for the religious separation of England from the Catholic Church and authority of the Catholic Church.

After the death of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey in England, Catherine was banished from court and her rooms were given to Anne. On 28 May 1533, Cranmer declared the marriage of Henry and Anne to be valid, Catherine was stripped of her title as Queen and Catherine’s daughter Mary by Henry declared illegitimate. This would be the first of six women that would become Henry’s wives, and some of them to die by his own instigation.

What does all of this have to do with the translation of the Bible into English?  It was not that King Henry VIII had a change of conscience regarding respect of or the publishing the Bible in English. His motives were more sinister.  King Henry responded by marrying his mistress anyway had thumbed his nose  the authority of Roman Catholicism, took England out from under Rome’s religious control, and declaring himself as the reigning head of State to also be the new head of the Church now in England.  This new branch neither Roman Catholic nor truly Protestant, became known as the Anglican Church or the Church of England.  King Henry acted essentially as its “Pope”. His first act was to further defy Rome by funding the printing of the scriptures in English… the first legal “authorized” English Bible… just for spite. Miles Coverdale produced this and it was called the "Great Bible" because of its size measuring over 14 inches tall. It was distributed to every church, chained to the pulpit, and a reader was even provided so that the illiterate could hear the Word of God in plain English.  Henry grew increasingly concerned though about the social and political consequences of allowing the lower orders to read the Bible. He then attempted to stymie further translations as well as updates, but his attempts to limit access were ineffectual and the proverbial cat was out of the bag. His attempts cast him in disfavor with many, especially when he attempted to dissolve the monastical system in England. “Church based” authority did not give up without a fight and neither did Henry.  The Bibles were published, but not without depictions of Henry on the throne beneath Christ ruling in the heavens. In the front of the bibles chained to the pulpits were the “Admonitions” or rules for use of the Bible.  There was great “pomp” in having people understand that the English Bible has been provided by the good graces of the king. 

Jim

Missional Challenge: Being a Missionary Starts Where You Are!

Missional Challenge: Being a Missionary Starts Where You Are!:

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I really want to help Christians understand this. I want to help them to live on mission with Jesus right where they are. You don't have to go overseers to be a missionary. You can live as a "sent one" in your neighborhood. 

You can imagine how surprised I was yesterday to hear about an 8 year old girl who really understands this! Here's what happened...

Maribel always greets me with a smile and tells me she is so happy to see me again. She serves in the cafe at the Indian Wells Resort where we hold our annual Missionary Church Western District Conference. I think I first met her six years ago in 2006 when the conference location moved to the desert.

One of the things I appreciate about Maribel is her genuine heart to serve others. And also her love for Jesus. If you ever meet her, you will see the same thing!

Yesterday, as my friend Phil Graf and I were reconnecting in the cafe, Maribel came to say goodbye to me. I introduced her to Phil a little earlier and explained that we were both missionaries. She was curious about where Phil had lived overseas. And then she told us...

"My daughter wants to be a missionary!"

Of course Phil and I were very excited to hear that her 8 year old daughter was wanting to be a missionary somewhere overseas. As we started to speak - Maribel cut us off and said,  

"No. She doesn't want to be a missionary overseas. She wants to be a missionary in our neighborhood." 

Phil and I started to get even more excited. This eight year old bi-lingual girl recognized that she was called to be a missionary right where she lived.

As I reflected on this important understanding that she had of being a missionary where you are, I wondered why it seems so hard for Christians to grasp this reality that they've been sent as missionaries with the power of the gospel to those in the culture around them.

Today's Missional Challenge: Think and Act like a Missionary - right where you are!

Lost Fragment of Mark? Healthy Caution About the Latest Biblical Archaeology Claim | Bible Gateway Blog

Lost Fragment of Mark? Healthy Caution About the Latest Biblical Archaeology Claim | Bible Gateway Blog:

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Remember the discovery of the “Jesus tomb”? The “crucifixion nails”? Noah’s Ark? Each of these supposed finds was at the center of a brief but intense media frenzy in recent years. These discoveries, often suspiciously timed around major Christian holidays like Easter, might prompt interesting discussions about the historical reliability of the Bible, but rarely turn out to be legitimate archaeological finds.

Christianity Today is reporting on another recent (possible) discovery of special interest to Christians: an alleged early fragment of the Gospel of Mark. Daniel Wallace, the professor at Dallas Theological Seminary who earlier this year announced the find, claimed during a debate that the fragment is the earliest known New Testament text. (You can read Wallace’s account of the debate and the surprising announcement at the Parchment & Pen Blog.)

This would certainly be exciting news if it’s confirmed. However, the CT article describes the very cautious reaction this announcement has received from scholars:

Other New Testament scholars won’t get a chance to study this gospel portion until it is published in a book about a year from now. They are admittedly skeptical, since the alleged fragment would be almost two centuries older than the current oldest copy of Mark….

“I won’t believe it until I see it,” said Simon Gathercole, editor of the Journal for the Study of the New Testament at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom.

Peter Head, a New Testament research fellow at Tyndale House, a British residential center for biblical research, is likewise eager to get a look at the fragment before rendering an opinion….

Biblical scholars are increasingly frustrated with sensational finds, often announced during the Christmas and Easter seasons. Magazines, book publishers, and cable channels seem more interested in pumping up sales and viewers than in assuring that discoveries stand up under scholarly scrutiny.

Healthy skepticism seems like a reasonable response to sensational claims—better to wait for a scholarly consensus before splashing the news across magazine covers. If the find is genuine, it could add significantly to our understanding of the New Testament and its formation… but let’s make sure it’s true before we get too excited.

This is a topic that we’ve discussed at times in the past—see our earlier post about how to respond to sensational archaeological claims. For more specific reactions to the Mark fragment announcement, see some helpful words of caution at The Biblical World.

Salamis was the first stop for Barnabas and Saul | Ferrell's Travel Blog

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Salamis was the first stop for Barnabas and Saul

Posted on May 17, 2012 | Leave a comment

Barnabas and Saul were sent out by the Holy Spirit from Antioch. Their first stop after leaving the port of Seleucia was Salamis on the eastern coast of Cyprus. Here is Luke’s account.

When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them. (Act 13:5 ESV)

It is interesting to note that there are no accounts of conversions at Salamis. The city had a large Jewish population during the Roman period.

Why go to Cyprus? These facts might provide some suggestions.

• Well, it was east of Antioch, and a first step toward going to the Gentiles.
• It was also the home of Barnabas (Acts 4:36).
• After the stoning of Stephen some had traveled to Cyprus preaching to the Jews (Acts 11:19).
• Some men of Cyprus had come to Antioch preaching to the Hellenists (Greeks) (Acts 11:20).

Salamis is now located in the the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, or as the folks in the south say, “the occupied territory.” This photo shows some of the foundation stones of the harbor where Barnabas, Saul, and John Mark landed. Breakwaters extend for some distance into the sea.

Ferrell Jenkins at the ancient port of Salamis. Photo by Leon Mauldin.

We visited the gymnasium. Not to workout. Our workout came from walking over the large site. This gym was build in the time of the Roman Emperor Augustus.

Salamis Roman gymnasium built in the time of Roman Emperor Augustus. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

When I see one of these gymnasiums or palestras (exercise areas) I am reminded of what Paul wrote to Timothy:

for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. (1 Timothy 4:8 ESV)

A short distance from Salamis is the Church of St. Barnabas. The church is now a museum of icons. Many traditions have grown up in Cyprus about Barnabas.

In the afternoon we returned to Nicosia and made a stop at the Cyprus (Archaeology) Museum. They have a nice collection of artifacts, including some of the statues from Salamis, but photos are not allowed. Museum’s often do not allow photographs in hope of selling more books in the gift shop. Allowing photos provides an opportunity for teachers and others to talk about their visit with others. It actually encourages others to visit the museum. Too bad they don’t agree with me.

This photo is a collection of statues from Cyprus in the Louvre.

Cyprus collection from the fifth century B.C. displayed in the Louvre, Paris. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

It was a good day.

From Cyprus to Pamphylia | Ferrell's Travel Blog

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From Cyprus to Pamphylia

Posted on May 18, 2012 | 1 Comment

Today we took a flight from Ercan Airport in the Turkish Republic of Cyprus to Turkey. Flying from Greece to Cyprus it was necessary to fly to Larnaca on the southern coast. Flights from Larnaca do not go to Turkey, and flights from Ercan do not go to Greece. Let’s put that aside for now.

The flight from Cyprus to Antalya (biblical Attalia) took about 45 minutes. I thought some about how Paul, Barnabas, and John Mark made their way from Paphos on Cyprus to Perga in Pamphylia (a few miles from the Antalya airport). The distance in a straight line is 185 miles. Here is Luke’s account of the journey.

Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem,  but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia.  (Act 13:13-14a ESV)

There are impressive Hellenistic and Roman ruins at Perga. Most of the Roman structures date to the second century A.D. This is where John Mark turned back from the work (Acts 13:13-14; 15:37-39). The text indicates that Perga was only a beginning point for work further north. On his return from the first journey, Paul spent some time preaching here (Acts 14:25).

Our plans do not include revisiting sites that we have recently visited, but here is a photo of the North-South street in the Agora of Perga. The view is toward the fountain at the head of the street. A local vendor spreads out her jewelry on the ancient street.

N-S street in the Perga agora with view toward the fountain. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

When we arrived at the Antalya International Airport I soon realized that we had come to the right place. The snack stand was named Cafe Pampilya. How appropriate.

Cafe Pamfilya in the Antalya International Airport. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Tonight we are staying on the Mediterranean Sea on the west side of Antalya(Acts 14:25). Antalya is the modern name for Attalia which served as the port of entry from Egypt and Syria to the interior of Asia. From here Paul sailed back to Antioch (Acts 14:25).

We have a nice view of the Lycian Mountains from our hotel balcony. Tomorrow we plan to drive along the coast to Myra (Acts 27:5) and other points west.

Lycian Mountains west of Antalya, Turkey. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Two week ago when I was in Turkey with the group, it was about 5-7 degrees warmer than usual. Today it has rained and the wind is cool.

A post I wrote about Perga and Attalia in 2007, in the early days of this blog, may be read here.

Development of the English Bible – Politics Enters the Process

With the coming, passing and execution of William Tyndale an insatiable thirst for the Bible to be placed into the language of the “common man” was seen.  Jerome’s 4^th century Latin Vulgate was still the most commonly used translation of the day, but to the common man it was considered a “forbidden book.”  The authority of the existing Catholic Church rested in the ignorance of the “laity” or common man with regard to biblical teaching.  There was much abuse and corruption within the religious system. Hebrew, Greek and Latin were to be considered the languages of the aristocrat and scholars. Common Anglo-Saxon English was the language of the middle class, and then there was the rest who had to depend upon the other two to correctly convey to them the teaching of the scripture. Yet, the middle class were not considered “priestly” and thus it fell to the scholars.

Miles Coverdale

Miles Coverdale is the next to appear on the scene. He was an educated Augustinian Monk who attended Cambridge University.  In 1528 Coverdale left this priesthood and embraced Lutheranism. Like Wycliffe and Tyndale before him, he believed that everyone should have right to the scriptures for their own personal study.  Tyndale sought accuracy in a tireless pursuit of perfection. Coverdale though was governed by a desire for scholarly, yet smooth rendering of the scripture into plain common English.  This said Coverdale was not the scholar that Tyndale was, and therefore had to rely heavily on Luther’s German Version and Jerome’s Latin. Coverdale was not as careful with the intended meanings of the original authors of the scripture, favoring a more smooth and stylistic approach. His “translation” was not an improvement over Tyndale’s work, but would have been what many refer to as a paraphrase.  What Coverdale did have was connections and political clout in a time when venturing into biblical translation could mean your head. He was safeguarded by willingness to compromise and maintain political correctness. As a result, he gained some powerful protectors that allowed his rendition of the scripture to be considered historically as the first “Authorized” version of the Bible in English in Britain.  To obtain this, he would have to have support of the king and royal family.  He chose to place an elaborate dedication to Henry the VIII as an introduction in the Bible.  Henry no doubt was politically motivated to keep good status with powerful men, and therefore is supposed to have encouraged through Thomas Cromwell and Thomas More, Coverdale’s work. Coverdale’s gesture of the introduction also mentioned Anne Boleyn, Henry’s then wife who supported Coverdale.  A sign of his political correctness is seen when in subsequent editions of his bible and Henry’s divorce from Boleyn and subsequent execution of her, Boleyn’s name is changed to that of Jane Seymour the new queen.  He also limited his margin references to only contain alternate readings and interpretations or references to parallel passages.  He also separated apocryphal writings (Writings of Baruch, Macabbees, etc.) from the Old and New Testaments, stating that they were not to be accorded the same respect with the other books and not contained in original gatherings of the scriptures.  It had taken a number of years and revisions, but by 1408 Coverdale had produced an English “translation” that met all the requirements of the “Constitutions of 1408” that was approved by royal authority.  It could be read by priest or commoner without fear of reprisal in the English speaking world.  For this reason alone, Coverdale and his translation stands out in history.

Coverdale lived to be 81 years old. His most famous contribution outside of the above accolades was the development of the Great Bible of 1539, called such for its size and elaborate engravings. It pictured the Lord in the clouds with outstretched arms. Below is Henry VIII with all the bishops and nobles sitting on each side of the Lord.  Henry’s divine right is well obvious and propagated.  Coverdale was able to see history go from forbidden bibles to the persecutions of Queen Mary. His life was covered in happiness combined with misery, suffering, and banishment. His accomplishments however, set for the foundations of the Bible as you and I know it today, with verses, chapters, and order of books. He achieved the first “Common English” Version of the scripture.

1400 year old olive press excavated | Ferrell's Travel Blog

1400 year old olive press excavated | Ferrell's Travel Blog:

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The Israel Antiquities Authority announces the discovery of a 1400 year old olive press at Modi’in. According to a brief article in Arutz Sheva,

A statement by the IAA called the press the grandest and most complete one found so far.

Archaeologist Hagit Torgë, who is directing the dig, said the press, which was used to produce industrial quantities of oil for food and light, about 1,400 years ago, “was preserved surprisingly intact with all its components.”

Olive press at Modi’in. Credit: Hagit Torgë, Israel Antiquities Authority.

Click on the photo for a hi-res image.

Olives are mentioned in the Bible from Genesis (8:11) to Revelation (18:13), and are still important in many parts of the world.

HT: Joseph Lauer

Development of the English Bible - Flies In the Ointment

  

Entering the era of translation into Indo-Euro languages, the Bible saw a peak in interest but also saw its first stumbling block. Translating from the original Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek into Latin was a tremendous task.  Between the years of 311 A.D.-315 A.D. the Emperor Constantine had won a number of civil battles and skirmishes within the Roman Government.  He believed he owed his successes to the protection of the “Christian High God alone.”  Throughout his rule, Constantine supported the newly organized and sanctioned under the government Christianity, and financially built basilicas, granted privileges to what became known as “clergy,”  promoted Christians to high office, and returned property confiscated during the Diocletianic persecution. Most outstanding during his reign, the Council of Nicaea called by Constantine is most known for its dealing with the teaching of Arianism that stated that Jesus as the Son of God did not always exist, but was created by—and is therefore distinct from—God the Father. The Nicene Creed was born, and Constantine enforced the prohibition of the Council against celebrating the Lord's Supper on the day before the Jewish Passover (14 Nisan). This marked a definite break of Christianity from the Judaic tradition. From then on the Roman Julian Calendar, a solar calendar, was given precedence over the lunar Hebrew Calendar among the Christian churches of the Roman Empire.  The body of Christ meant as the family of God under the rule of Christ (Mt.16:18; Eph.4), now because of its rise in popularity and “sanctioning” under Roman Government, now became subject to Roman Rule.  What had been independent groups meeting together with some of those having leaders (Eph.4), now was elevated to the development of “Synods” or councils of these Elders, Deacons, or preachers (a.k.a. “clergy”)  to legislate religious believe under political rule.  Hence the birthing pains of what would now become the Roman Catholic Church.   Constantine died 22 May 337 and his son Constantine II came into power and several other emperors who did not support as fervently the new “Christianity” born under Constantine. The machinery  to the wheels of what would become the Catholic Church in 382,  Damasus  who was chosen as Bishop of Rome  commissioned his contemporary Jerome (c. 347-420) to translate the Bible into Latin, a task which took him twenty years to complete. He could speak, write and understand Latin, Greek and Hebrew—something that few others could do. Jerome also studied Aramaic and could read it competently, but he admitted having a problem with pronunciation. This Bible came to be known as the versio vulgata (common translation) and became standard for the Western Church. In English, we call this Bible the Latin Vulgate.

This is the first venture of the scripture from Hebrew or Greek into another language “officially.”  It was the common language of the Western European Roman Empire of the day, as Greek as a common language was fading.  Jerome consolidated the bible into a Canon of text.  It is a mistake though to identify his work with the Vulgate as it exists today.  In Jerome’s time, most manuscripts of the Bible in Latin contained only a few books—not the entire Bible. Assembling manuscripts to make a complete Bible usually meant bringing together manuscripts from a variety of Latin translations. The Vulgate was created by assembling books from a variety of sources, including Jerome himself. That is how the rest of the New Testament became connected with his work.  However noble his effort though, politics of machinery were already in motion which effected and even altered in some points the concepts taught by the original author(s). Moving from Hebrew and Greek into an Anglo-Saxon tongue had its hazard but wasn’t altogether inaccurate. What became inaccurate was the handling of it by the newly developed “clergy” along with its appointed bishops and synod councils.

The scripture intended, Jesus taught – that his followers would be people called out of the world to serve Him (Mt.16:18). They were His, bought with His blood, taught in His gospel, and overseen by those to whom God gave gifts (Eph.4).  This was the first thing to be placed upon an alternate course, even by men of good intent, although warnings were clear even in the days of the apostles that things such as this were well underway (3 Jn.9; 2 Tm.3:1-7; 2 Thess.2).  Men began to covet power, position, and preeminence.  God’s people were no longer a family or flock following Jesus the Shepherd, but the move of Constantine to nationalize faith now meant that said faith had to be legislated by government.  What was the “ekklesia” (Mt.16:18), in the new Anglo-Saxon language became the “Church.”  Derived from the Greek "kyriakon" (cyriacon), i.e. “the Lord's house,” a term which from the third century was used, to signify a Christian place of worship.   The problem is, is that there is nowhere in the scripture where this term is used in definition of it.  And while the concept is not a wrong one on surface, it took the church from being a family belonging to Jesus into being a Corporate Entity with a hierarchy of delineated rulership, legislation, rules, creeds and the one thing Jesus said he NEVER wanted (Jn.17) – division.

Translation of the Bible into English was not a wrong endeavor, it was a good one. Yet, while what has historically taken place has occurred because of the greed of men, their desire for preeminence and other such things, we must still remember that the model for what God wants and desires is found in one place – HIS SON!  We can still be the FAMILY of called out believers that God created in Christ (Eph.1:22).  But too, we must remember hear the words of John, “For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 1 Jn 2:16”

Jim

Paul preached in Athens | Ferrell's Travel Blog

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Paul preached in Athens

Posted on May 11, 2012 | Leave a comment

Our cruise ship, the Louis Cristal, arrived in Athens early this morning. After breakfast we disembarked and met our local tour operator and guide. Andi has guided my groups several times over the years, and I am pleased to have her with us. She divides her time each year between the USA and Greece.

We drove by the usual historical places in Athens, and stopped at the oldOlympic stadium before going to the Acropolis.

Syntagma (Constitution) Square was clean and orderly; not at all the way it has been portrayed on American TV lately. I am not saying that the things shown on TV never happened, but that when the same video clips are shown over and over for many days it leaves the wrong impression.

I had hoped that the scaffolding and cranes used in the restoration of theParthenon would be gone. Such was not the case. The only place I could get a photo without showing these things was from the back.

The back of the Parthenon in May, 2012. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

The Parthenon, where the virgin goddess Athena was worshiped, was built between 447 and 438 B.C. It is still quite a building.

We also visited the Areopagos (Mar’s Hill), possibly the place where Paul delivered his speech on the Unknown God (Acts 17).

While the group went with the guide looking at some highlights in the Athens National Museum, I made some photos of the nice collection of Roman Emperors.

Below is a photo of the portrait head of the Emperor Claudius (A.D. 41-54) in Pentelic marble.The museum sign says,

The head is crowned with the corona civica (a wreath of oak leaves and acorns) tied with a ribbon.

The Roman Emperor Claudius in the Athens National Museum. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Paul’s visit to Athens and Corinth was during the reign of Claudius. In fact, the emperor is mentioned in Acts 18:2.

And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them,

The great famine mentioned in Acts 11:28 also took place during the reign of Claudius.