Hoyle began by vividly describing the awkward and difficult nature of the Reformation as it impacted in parish level where, as Eamon Duffy has demonstrated, Catholicism was in rude health. So, candlesticks and church plate had to be melted down and sold off, altar tables removed, rood screens defaced or torn down, chasubles unstitched, walls whitewashed, relics discarded and paintings of saints hidden in parishioners’ houses.
He then spoke about the central significance of the Bible to Protestantism, quoting William Chillingworth as saying, "... the Bible only, is the religion of Protestants!" Prior to the Reformation, only one translation of the Bible was in use; the Vulgate, created by St Jerome and used by Catholic churches for 1,000 years prior to the Reformation. However, sermons and prayers in services were in English and English compendiums of Gospel stories were in circulation. Bible stories were also told through the visual imagery of Catholic churches.
Leading up to the Reformation we see: English becoming established as a language of power and excitement through the work of Chaucer, Langland and others; the development of the printing press with Caxton printing collections on the Catholic saints; and the beginnings through such as Erasmus and Wycliffe of new translations of parts of the Bible. Luther understood himself to have been saved from his anxiety about Hell by his reading of scripture leading to his emphasis on sola scriptura. Tyndale was similarly convinced that the truth could not be known until we hand the scriptures in our hands in English.
Tyndale was a literary genius and 75% of the King James Version of the Bible is essentially his translation. This occurred via 'The Great Bible,' which combined Tyndale's translations of the New Testament and part of the Old - Tyndale was unable to complete his translation of the Old Testament - with the Coverdale translation (a full translation of the Bible into English based on the Vulgate) making up the gaps including the Psalms in particular. The King James Version was not a new version, being based on The Great Bible, but sought to make a good translation better through its various translation companies or committees. Interestingly, it was read aloud before being finalised and this testing by ear contributed to its subsequent influence on English language and literature.
Hoyle was particularly interesting in his emphasis on the complexity of the process of change with the irony that Henry VIII gained the title 'Defender of the Faith' for opposing Protestatism, giving instances of reluctant conformity to Protestantism, and dissatisfaction with the King James Version following its publication in contrast to the later acceptance of it as the 'Authorised' version.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Philip Bailey - Bring It To Jesus.
No comments:
Post a Comment