We hope with the Lord’s gracious help to contribute a few brief and simple papers upon the Holy Scriptures,—their external form and internal character. The verbal inspiration and consequent divine authority of the Word of God; where, when, by whom, and the languages in which it was written; the subjects and character of its various books; its divisions, titles, headings, and various addenda; its manuscripts, notice of English translations and their translators, specimens of printed Bibles—these and other points may come before us from time to time. While engaged together however on these interesting subjects we shall do well to remember, that apart from Christ Himself, the living Word, all such knowledge is valueless. It is only as we reverently study the Bible in communion with Him that our souls are blessed.
The special object of this general sketch of the Bible is that by having an intelligent understanding of its history we may be able rightly to answer any questions upon it, and that we may learn to value the Scriptures increasingly for ourselves, holding fast every word, as infidelity and skepticism increase around us. We will begin with The Titles Of The Bible.
In the ecclesiastical writings of the four first Christian centuries we have the Bible frequently referred to as “The Scriptures,” or “The Sacred Scriptures”; another common enough title by Jewish and Christian writers was, “ The Books.” St. Jerome who flourished during the latter half of the fourth century beautifully styled the whole collection of 66 Sacred books, “The Divine Library.” A few particulars about St. Jerome, one of the most distinguished and learned fathers of the Latin Church, may not be uninteresting. He was born about A.D. 340 on the borders of the ancient country of Pannonia, one of the provinces subject to the Roman sway. Jerome’s father was named Eusebius, not the celebrated ecclesiastical historian of that name. Being a Christian and in affluent circumstances, he provided his son with a liberal secular and theological education. Jerome was early sent to Rome where he studied for several years under various masters, the most noted of whom was Donatus, perhaps the most accomplished grammarian of his age. Jerome seems to have been brought to the Lord when a young man, probably when prosecuting his studies in Rome. He soon gave himself up almost wholly to the study of the Sacred Scriptures and produced a number of commentaries on separate books of the Bible, besides numerous other works. Having gone to Palestine to make himself personally acquainted with the localities mentioned in Holy Writ, he resolved to become master of the Hebrew language, so as not to be dependent upon translations in the study of the earlier oracles of God—the Old Testament. In a few years he acquired an intimate knowledge of the language which he soon turned to good account. From the second century till the days of Jerome, the Bible in use in Western Christendom was a translation from the ecclesiastical tongue-the Greek. The Septuagint or Greek version of the Old Testament executed about three centuries before Christ, was in common use even in Palestine in the days of our Lord and of His Apostles. From the fact of this old and venerable document being frequently cited by the Lord and writers of the New Testament, it would have been regarded almost as a sacrilegious act to have questioned its exactness; besides which Hebrew was only known comparatively to the few. The Greek New Testament and the Greek version of the Old, formed the basis of all Latin and other versions of the Bible till the days of Jerome, who was the first Christian scholar who attempted a translation direct from the original tongues. This valuable work styled the Vulgate was bitterly opposed at the time, and it was only after a lapse of 200 years that it was accorded general favor. Jerome’s version was commonly spoken of as “The New Translation” to distinguish it from the Septuagint, the Old Translation. Pope Gregory—the best of the Roman Pontiffs—officially sanctioned the Vulgate of Jerome, who was certainly one of the most pious, and probably the most learned of the Latin Fathers.
We will bring this digression to a close by a brief notice of another Christian and ardent lover of the Scriptures. We refer to John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople. This Greek father was for many years contemporary with the learned Jerome of the Latin Church. John was surnamed Chrysostom, meaning the golden-mouthed because of his match, less eloquence. He was not only an indefatigable preacher—daily attracting thousands by his burning words, but he was a most fearless one, regardless alike of the frown or smile of the Emperor Arcadius, or his godless Consort, Eudoxia. The Bishop in the course of his familiar discourses styled “Homilies”—of which there are about a 1020 extant, spoke of the Bible as “THE DIVINE BOOKS.” Chrysostom was much beloved by the people of Constantinople, but hated by many of the clergy, and ladies and nobles of the court, whose ways and lives he unsparingly condemned. He died after much suffering, repeating his favorite words, “Glory be to God for all events.” It is somewhat singular that both these distinguished fathers—Jerome and John—voluntarily secluded themselves for several years, the former in the deserts of Syria, the latter in a mountain-cave near Antioch. The study of the “Divine Library” and of the Hebrew language were the objects of the former, while the latter made such good use of the “Divine Books” that he committed them entirely to memory. Both fathers were truly eminent men, both loved the Lord Jesus, and both were renowned for their devotion to the Word of God. If Jerome was the more learned, Chrysostom was the more eloquent of the two.
From about the beginning of the fifth century the whole of the sacred writings as in our English version were spoken of as THE BIBLE, from the Greek word biblos, meaning book, previously they were spoken of as “The books.” The preeminent dignity of the Word of God as the book of books is thus signified in the title, “The Bible.” But there was yet wanting a word to denote its divine character, hence “The Holy Bible,” which is the chosen title of the Sacred Scriptures throughout the known world; in England the title has been in general use for about 600 years. Under the pontificate of Julius II.-the military and profligate head of the Romish Church—the title “The Holy Bible” first received papal sanction. It is interesting to trace also how the term Old and New Testament arose. The expression, “the old testament” applied in 2 Corinthians 3:1414But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. (2 Corinthians 3:14) to the law, and the prominence given in Hebrews to the contrast between “the old” and “the new,”(7:22; 8:6; 9:15), led gradually to the extension of the former to include the other books of the Jewish Scriptures and to the application of “the new” to the other Sacred writings. The old Greek writers enumerate “the books of the Old and New Testament.” “The Oracles of God,” (Romans 3:22Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God. (Romans 3:2)); “The Holy Scriptures,” or, “The Sacred Letters,” (2 Timothy 3:1515And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 3:15)); and “The Word of God,” are scriptural and beautifully expressive titles of the Bible as a whole. The first intimates its authoritative character; the second is the expression of its divine origin; while the third refers to its object—which is God’s revelation of Himself to the race—His voice to the soul of man.
Do not hesitate, beloved Christian reader, to speak of your English Bible as “The Word of God” on the absurd plea that it is merely a translation. Our Lord, His Apostles, and writers of the New Testament frequently referred to, cited from, and reverently turned over the pages of the Greek version of the Old Testament, repeatedly terming it “The Word of God.” What is the difference in principle between an English and Greek translation? The question is: Have we got the very words and thoughts of God, whether expressed in Greek, or English? No doubt it was the Septuagint or Greek version of the Hebrew Scriptures already referred to, which Timothy was acquainted with from childhood, and yet Paul, or rather the Holy Ghost through him, terms it “The Holy Scriptures,” declaring their full inspiration, besides coupling them with those then unwritten, “All Scripture given by inspiration of God.” (2 Timothy 3:15, 1615And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (2 Timothy 3:15‑16)).
(To be continued.)