2. Luther's Version.—The appearance of this constitutes an epoch, not only in the history of the church, but also in that of German literature and of the German people. Luther's version is a per manent monument of the author's ability and in domitable perseverance. Luther had few helps in his arduous work. His exegetical aids were limited to the LXX., the Vulgate, a few Latin fathers, the N. T. of Erasmus, and such Hebrew as could be learned from the imperfect elementary books then extant. He had, however, valuable coadjutors in Melancthon, Bugenhagen, Jonas, Aurogallus, and Creuziger, whom he constantly consulted, espe cially when any difficulty occurred. He had access also to the rabbinical expositions through some learned Jews. But the main burden of the work rested with himself, and it was to his own resources he had chiefly to trust for success. Of the patient toil he bestowed upon it some idea may be formed from what he himself says of his labours on the book of Job On Job, M. Philip, Aurogallus, and I, worked so that sometimes in four clays we bad 'hardly succeeded in accomplishing three lines.' With what anxious care lie sought to perfect his work may be seen from the MS. of the third part of his translation, containing Job, l'salms, and the writings of Solomon, still preserved in the Royal Library at Berlin, written in his ONVII band, and exhibiting the corrections which he made in the style and expression before sending it to press. Not 'infrequently as many as three forms of ex pression, and sometimes more, occur, bet‘veen which he hesitated before finally fixing on the one which he -would print. He spent on the work in all twelve years. The N. T., completed by him in the Wartburg, appeared in 1522 ; the five books of Moses (Das Alte Testament. Deutsch. Th. I.) in 1523 ; the other historical books as far as Esther (Das A. T. Deutsch. Th. 11.) in the close of the same year ; Job, Psalms, and the Solomonie writings (Das A. T, Th. III.) in 1524; between 1526 and 1531 several of the prophetic writings were issued, and in 1532 appeared the collective body of the Prophets as Th. IV. of 2..)as A. T. Dezdsclz. The Book of Wisdom was issued in 1529, and the rest of the Apocryphal books in 1533 and 1534. The whole Bible was thus com pleted, and appeared uncial- the title BIBLIA : die game heilige Schrift. Deutsch. Martin Luther. Wittenberg. Gedrucht durclz Hans Luffl, 1534. (Pischon, Die hohe wicht4Theit der Uebersetz. der H. S. durch DI-. 211. Luther, fled. 1834). Of this work thirty-eight editions were printed in Germany before 15So, besides seventy-two of the N. T., and innumerable reprints of other smaller portions (Panzer, p. 336).
3. Zurich Bible.—This is a combina.tion of Luther's translation of the other books with a new translation of the prophetical writings by Con. Pellican, Leo Judx, Theod. I3ibliander, etc. It appeared in 1524, and was reprinted in 1527, and twtce in 153o. In 1531 another edition appeared with a neiv translation of the poetical books (Pan zer, p. 26o). The Worms Bible, 1529, is a work of the same kind as the ZUrich Bible.
4. Versions from Luther's Bible in the other Teutonic dialects.-1. Low Germatt, by J. Hodder sen, i533 and often ; 2. Danish, N. T., 1524, Bible, 155o ; this is found also in Hutter's Poly. glott ; 3. Swedish, N. T. 1526, by Laurentius Andrex, Bible, 1541, by Laurent. and Olaus Petri; 4. /s/azzelk, N. T. 1540, Bible 1584, by Gudb. Thorlakson, Bishop of Holum ; Dutch, N. T. 1526, Antw., printed by Liesvelt, whence this is called the Liesvelt N. T. ; the whole Bible was translated anew after Luther into Dutch by Ad. \Tischer in 1648, and this is the existing authorised version for the Dutch Lutherans ; 5. Pomeranian, 158S.
5. Versions of Me Reformed Chnrch.—Of these the first was the production of David Pareus, and appeared in 1579. lt was superseded by that of J. Piscator in 16o2, of which many editions have appeared. A translation of the N. T., by Aman dus Polanus, appeared in 1603. In 1665 a new translation for the use of the Swiss Churches ap peared at aria, the authors of which werc Hot tinger, Suicer, Fiisslin, and others. In Holland
various attempts were made to produce versions direct from the originals. In 1556 J. Uitenhoven issued the N. T., and in 1562 the whole Bible ; and in 1587 appeared the Bible translated by J. Hackius, which chiefly follows the Geneva [French] Bible.
6. Authorised Versions.—In the year 1618 the Synod of Dort appointed a commission of 22 members to prepare a new version ; this appeared in 1637, and received the authorisation of the States General. This is the authorised Dutch version. The Danish version was completed in 1607 by P. J. Resen, and in 1647 appeared with the royal sanction, after it had been carefully re vised by Hans Svaning, Archbishop of Zealand. The Islandic version received its permanent form in 1644 from Thorlak Skuleson, the grandson of Thorlakson, and his successor in the episcopate. The authorised Swedish version was completed under the auspices of Gustavus III. ; it consists of a revised edition of the work of Andrem and Petri, and appeared in 1618.
7. Roman Catholic Versions. —The earliest of these is the N. T. of Emser, `nach lawt der christliche Kirchen bewerten Text, etc.,' sine loc. 1527, fol., Leipz. 1529, Svo, and often since. In 1514. the Bible of Dietenberger appeared at 1\layence [DIE TENBERGER] ; and in 1537 that of Eck at Ingoldstadt [Ecft.] Previous to these, Casper Ulenberg had tmnslated the Bible in accordance with the Sixtine text of the Vulgate, and this translation, revised by the Jesuits at Mayence in 1661, appeared as Die Catholische z5'ibel. Revised editions were issued by Ehrhard in 1722, and by Cartier in 1751 ; and it has been often reprinted both with and without the Latin text. More recent versions by Roman Catho lics are those of Salzmann, Lux. 177c) ; Wittola, \Tien. 1775 ; Weitenauer, Augs. 1777 ; Fleis chutz, Fuld. 1778 ; Rosalino, Vien. 1781; Fischer, Prag. 1784 ; Braun, Vien. 17S6 ; Lauber 1786 ; Mutschelle, Mitn. 1789 ; Weyl, May 1789 ; Kraal, Augs. 1790 ; Brentano, Dereser and Scholz 1790-1833 [see these names]; Babor 1805 ; Van Ess 18o7 [Ess L. VAN] ; Schnappfinger 1807; Wiclemann 1809 ; Kistemaker 1325; Scholz r828. Of these the majority are confined to the N. T. The translations of Fischer, Braun, Van Ess, and Scholz, have been repeatedly issued. Gossner, pastor of the Bohemian Church in Berlin, published a translation of the N. T. from the Greek in 1815, which has often been reprinted.
S. Other Versions.-111163o Crell issued a Ger man translation of the Bible in the interests of So cinianism ; and in 166o another, in the interests of Arminianism, was- published by jer. Felbinger. The Remonstrant party in Holland published a translation in Dutch, made by Chr. Hartsoeker, in 1680. In 1666 a Jewish translation of the O. T. into German was published by Joseph Athias ; this, along with the versions of Luther, Piscator, Caspar Ulenberg, the Dutch A. V., and a version of the N. T. by J. H. Reitzen, printed in parallel columns, was published under the title of Biblia Pentapla, in 3 vols. 4to, Hamb. 171r. Of German versions of more recent date there are many. Those of Trifler i7o3 ; Reiz 1712 ; Junkherrot 1732 ; Heumann 1748 ; Bengel 1753 ; Michaelis 1769 85 ; Sillig 1778 ; Seiler 1783 ; Stolz 1795 ; the Berleburg, Bible 1726, etc., belong to the Lutheran Church ; those of Grynaeus, 3 vols. Svo, Bas. 1776, and Voegelin Ztir. 1781, to the Reformed, Belonging, to the present century are the transla tions of Preiss 1St' ; Schmfer 1816 ; Meyer 1829, [Richter and Pleissnerl t830 ; Boeckel 1832 ; Alt 1837 ; von der Heydt 1852 ; chiefly of the N. T. only. But all these yield in importance to the work of De \Vette, prepared originally in con junction with Augusti, 6 vols., Heidelb. 1So9-4, subsequently wholly by himself, 3 vols., 1831-33, 4th edit. IS58. The Jewish version by Arnheim, Furst, and Sachs, under the editorship of Zung, Berl. ISA is also deserving of notice.
[Fritzschc in Ilerzog's Rea/ Eircyd., iii. 334 ; Reuss Geseh. Ar. T.; The Bible ‘21. Every Land, etc.]—W . L. A.