a study of bible-第16部分

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　in　which　we　read：　〃In　five　hundred　years　only　two　queens　died　in　child　birth；　Queen　Catherine　Parr　having　died　rather　of　thought。〃　That　was　written　about　the　time　of　the　King　James　version；　and　〃thought〃　evidently　means　worry　or　anxiety。　Neither　of　those　words；　the　neuter　possessive　pronoun　or　the　new　word　〃anxious；〃　got　into　the　King　James　version。　One　was　coming　into　proper　use　from　the　lower　level；　and　one　was　coming　into　proper　use　from　the　upper　level。　They　had　not　yet　so　arrived　that　they　could　be　used。

One　result　of　this　care　to　preserve　dignity　and　also　popularity　appears　in　the　fact　that　so　few　words　of　the　English　version　have　become　obsolete。　Words　disappear　upward　out　of　the　upper　level　or　downward　out　of　the　lower　level；　but　it　takes　a　long　time　for　a　word　to　get　out　of　a　language　once　it　is　in　confirmed　use　on　the　middle　level。　Of　course；　the　version　itself　has　tended　to　keep　words　familiar；　but　no　book；　no　matter　how　widely　used；　can　prevent　some　words　from　passing　off　the　stage　or　from　changing　their　meaning　so　noticeably　that　they　are　virtually　different　words。　Yet　even　in　those　words　which　do　not　become　common　there　is　very　little　tendency　to　obsolescence　in　the　King　James　version。　More　words　of　Shakespeare　have　become　obsolete　or　have　changed　their　meanings　than　in　the　King　James　version。

There　is　one　interesting　illustration　to　which　attention　has　been　called　by　Dr。　Davidson；　which　is　interesting。　In　the　ninth　chapter　of　the　Judges；　where　we　are　told　about　Abimelech；　the　fifty…third　verse　reads　that　a　woman　cast　a　stone　down　from　the　wall　and　〃all　to　break　his　skull。〃　That　is　confessedly　rather　obscure。　Our　ordinary　understanding　of　it　would　be　that　she　did　that　for　no　other　purpose　than　just　to　break　the　skull　of　Abimelech。　As　a　matter　of　fact；　that　expression　is　a　printer's　bungling　way　of　giving　a　word　which　has　become　obsolete　in　the　original　form。　When　the　King　James　translators　wrote　that；　they　used　the　word　〃alto；〃　which　is　evidently　the　beginning　of　〃altogether；〃　or　wholly　or　utterly；　and　what　they　meant　was　that　she　threw　the　stone　and　utterly　broke　his　skull。　But　that　abbreviated　form　of　the　word　passed　out　of　use；　and　when　later　printersnot　much　latercame　to　it　they　did　not　know　what　it　meant　and　divided　it　as　it　stands　in　our　present　text。　It　is　one　of　the　few　words　that　have　become　obsolete。　But　so　few　are　there　of　them；　that　it　was　made　a　rule　of　the　Revised　Version　not　to　admit　to　the　new　version；　where　it　could　be　avoided；　any　word　not　already　found　in　the　Authorized　Version；　and　also　not　to　omit　from　the　Revised　Version；　except　under　pressure　of　necessity；　any　word　which　occurred　there。　It　is　largely　this　blending　of　dignity　and　popularity　that　has　made　the　King　James　version　so　influential　in　English　literature。　It　talks　the　language　not　of　the　upper　level　nor　of　the　lower　level；　but　of　that　middle　level　where　all　meet　sometimes　and　where　most　men　are　all　the　while。

These　are　great　traits　to　mark　a　book；　any　book；　but　especially　a　translationthat　it　is　honest；　that　it　is　accurate；　and　that　its　language　blends　dignity　and　popularity　so　that　it　lowers　the　speech　of　none。　They　are　all　conspicuous　traits　of　our　familiar　version　of　the　Bible；　and　in　them　in　part　lies　its　power　with　the　generations　of　these　three　centuries　that　have　followed　its　appearance。



LECTURE　III

THE　KING　JAMES　VERSION　AS　ENGLISH　LITERATURE

LET　it　be　plainly　said　at　the　very　first　that　when　we　speak　of　the　literary　phases　of　the　Bible　we　are　not　discussing　the　book　in　its　historic　meaning。　It　was　never　meant　as　literature　in　our　usual　sense　of　the　word。　Nothing　could　have　been　further　from　the　thought　of　the　men　who　wrote　it；　whoever　they　were　and　whenever　they　wrote；　than　that　they　were　making　a　world　literature。　They　had　the　characteristics　of　men　who　do　make　great　literature　they　had　clear　vision　and　a　great　passion　for　truth；　they　loved　their　fellows　mightily；　and　they　were　far　more　concerned　to　be　understood　than　to　speak。　These　are　traits　that　go　to　make　great　writers。　But　it　was　never　in　their　minds　that　they　were　making　a　world　literature。　The　Bible　is　a　book　of　religious　significance　from　first　to　last。　If　it　utterly　broke　down　by　the　tests　of　literature；　it　might　be　as　great　a　book　as　it　needs　to　be。　It　is　a　subordinate　fact　that　by　the　tests　of　literature　it　proves　also　to　be　great。　Prof。　Gardiner；　of　Harvard；　whose　book　called　The　Bible　as　English　Literature　makes　other　such　works　almost　unnecessary；　frankly　bases　his　judgment　on　the　result　of　critical　study　of　the　Bible；　but　he　serves　fair　warning　that　he　takes　inspiration　for　granted；　and　thinks　it　〃obvious　that　no　literary　criticism　of　the　Bible　could　hope　for　success　which　was　not　reverent　in　tone。　A　critic　who　should　approach　it　superciliously　or　arrogantly　would　miss　all　that　has　given　the　Book　its　power　as　literature　and　its　lasting　and　universal　appeal。〃＇1＇　Farther　over　in　his　book　he　goes　on　to　say　that　when　we　search　for　the　causes　of　the　feelings　which　made　the　marvelous　style　of　the　Bible　a　necessity；　explanation　can　make　but　a　short　step；　for　〃we　are　in　a　realm　where　the　only　ultimate　explanation　is　the　fact　of　inspiration；　and　that　is　only　another　way　of　saying　that　we　are　in　the　presence　of　forces　above　and　beyond　our　present　human　understanding。〃＇2＇


＇1＇　Preface；　p。　vii。

＇2＇　Page　124。


However；　we　may　fairly　make　distinction　between　the　Bible　as　an　original　work　and　the　Bible　as　a　work　of　English　literature。　For　the　Bible　as　an　original　work　is　not　so　much　a　book　as　a　series　of　books；　the　work　of　many　men　working　separately　over　a　period　of　at　least　fifteen　hundred　years；　and　these　men　unconscious　for　the　most　part　of　any　purpose　of　agreement。　This　series　of　books　is　made　one　book　in　the　original　by　the　unity　of　its　general　purpose　and　the　agreement　of　its　parts。　The　Bible　in　English　is；　however；　not　a　series　of　books；　but　properly　one　book；　the　work　of　six　small　groups　of　men　working　in　conscious　unity　through　a　short　period　of　years。　And　while　there　is　variation　in　style；　while　there　are　inequalities　in　result；　yet　it　stands　as　a　single　piece　of　English　literature。　It　has　a　literary　style　of　its　own；　even　though　it　feels　powerfully　the　Hebrew　influence　throughout。　And　while　it　would　not　be　a　condemnation　of　the　Bible　if　it　were　not　great　literature　in　English　or　elsewhere；　it　is　still　part　of　its　power　that　by　literary　standards　alone　it　measures　large。

It　is　so　that　men　of　letters　have　rated　it　since　it　came　into　existence。　〃It　holds　a　place　of　pre…eminence　in　the　republic　of　letters。〃　When　John　Richard　Green　comes　to　deal　with　it；　he　says：　〃As　a　mere　literary　monument　the　English　version　of　the　Bible　remains　the　noblest　language　of　the　English　tongue；　while　its　perpetual　use　made　of　it　from　the　instant　of　its　appearance　the　standard　of　our　language。〃＇1＇　And　in　Macaulay's　essay　on　Dryden；　while　he　is　deploring　the　deterioration　of　English　style；　he　yet　says　that　in　the　period　when　the　English　language　was　imperiled　there　appeared　〃the　English　Bible；　a　book　which　if　everything　else　in　our　language　should　perish　would　alone　suffice　to　show　the　extent　of　its　beauty　and　power。〃


＇1＇　Short　History　of　the　Englis