MIDDLE ENGLISH 1150-1500 = 350 years

The BIBLE in ENGLISH

There was a right battle royal to get The Bible into English! The Roman Catholic Church considered it sacrilege even to suggest that The Bible (God's word) be written in anything but Latin. Actually, ALFRED the GREAT translated The Bible from Latin into Anglo-Saxon – but WHERE IS IT?

John WYCLIFFE (c1320-84)

He rocked the powerful Catholic Church when he insisted that English people should be able to read The Bible in their own tongue – and not Latin. He was an Oxford lecturer who was bitterly condemned for his doctrines and only narrowly escaped being branded a heretic. Despite such attacks, he translated the whole of The Bible. Because of his criticisms of the papacy, he has been labelled “The Morning Star of the Reformation” (Reformation = 16^th.c.).

William TYNDALE (c.1494-1536)

He fled to Germany to translate the New Testament from Greek and Hebrew texts. His English Bible was printed in Germany and became very popular in England. Tyndale was charged as a heretic, strangled to death and burnt at the stake. His writing was accurate and vigorous.

Miles COVERDALE (1488-1568)

He was also exiled to Germany where he translated the whole Bible from Latin and Luther’s (1483-1546) German version. His work appeared in 1539 under Elizabeth I. He became a Puritan leader. His language was graceful and musical.

1611 = THE KING JAMES Authorized Version

This was based upon the above three writers’ works (compiled by a committee). It was popular with the public and its influence upon the English language still continues. The Bible acquired a special status and dignity never before enjoyed.

For the first time in history, ordinary English-speaking people all over the world could read copies of their own Bible. This had a dramatic and imaginative impact upon the English language. Interestingly, the total word frequency of The Bible is only 6,000 words.

BIBLICAL EXPRESSIONS that still enhance today's English include:

OLD TESTAMENT

  v all things to all men – I Corinthians 9:22

  v apple of the eye – Deuteronomy 32:10

  v beat the air – I Corinthians 9:26

            v  beat swords into plough-shares - Isaiah 2:4

  v bread upon the waters – Ecclesiastes 11:1

  v escape by the skin of the teeth – Job 19:20

  v eye for an eye – Exodus 21:24; Deuteronomy 19:21

  v fat of the land – Genesis 45:18

  v fly in the ointment – Ecclesiastes 10:1 (dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour)

  v forbidden fruit - Genesis 2: 16-17

  v gird up one's loins – Job 38:3

  v heap coals of fire on... – Proverbs 25:22

  v hope against hope - Romans 4:18 (who against hope believed in hope)

  v in the twinkling of an eye – I Corinthians 15:52

  v Job's comforter - Book of Job

  v land of milk and honey – Exodus 21:24
 v  land of the living - Ezekiel 32:32

  v olive branch – Psalms 128:3

  v painted Jezebel - Book of Kings

  v pride goes before a fall – Proverbs 16:18 (pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall)

  v put one's hand to the plough - Luke 9:62

  v root of all evils – Timothy 6:10

  v sackcloth and ashes - Esther 4:3
  v search the heart - Jeremiah 17:10
    v see eye to eye - Isaiah 52:8

  v set one's face against - Ezekiel 38:2

  v set one's house in order – Isaiah 38:1

  v shadow of death – Psalm 23

  v sow the wind and reap the whirlwind – Hosea 8:7

  v spare the rod – Proverbs 13:24

  v sweat on one's brow - Genesis 3:19

  v thorn in the flesh – II Corinthians 12:7

  v throw in one's lot – Jonah 1:7 (so they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah)

  v voice in the wilderness – Isaiah 40:3

  v wages of sin is death - Romans 6:23

  v wheels within wheels - Ezekiel 1:16 (a wheel in the middle of a wheel)

  v wings of the wind – Psalms 18:10

  v with the pure, all thing's are pure – Titus 1:15

  v writing on the wall - Daniel 5:1-31

NEW TESTAMENT

  v blind leading the blind – Matthew 15:14

  v call into question - Matthew 19:17

  v camel through the eye of a needle – Matthew 19:24

  v cannot serve God and Mammon – Matthew 6:24

  v cast the first stone – Luke 8:7

  v eleventh hour - Matthew 20:6-9

  v fatted calf  - Luke 15:23

  v find favour with - 1 Samuel 25:8

  v go from strength to strength - Psalm 84:7

  v good Samaritan - Luke 10:25-37

  v howling (?) wilderness – Matthew 3:3 (crying in the wilderness)

  v kick against the pricks – Acts of the Apostles 9:5

  v labour of love - 1 Thessalonians 1:3

  v new wine in old bottles – Matthew 9:17

  v old wives' fables – I Timothy 4:7

  v pearls before swine – Matthew 7:6

  v prodigal son - Luke 15:11-32

  v red sky at night - Matthew 16:2-3

  v rule with a rod of iron – Revelation of St.John 2:27

  v salt of the earth – Matthew 5:13

  v spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak – Matthew 26:41

  v turn the other cheek - Matthew 5:39

  v wash one's hands – Matthew 27:24

  v we all have a cross to bear – Matthew 16:24 (Let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me)

  v widow's mite – Mark 12:42 (and there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites)

Death has no Dominion (Romans 6:9) = I. Alliteration and II AS + Latin words combined

NEW WORDS INTRODUCED BY:

WYCLIFFE:

input

TYNDALE:  

beautiful

broken-hearted

filthy lucre (Tim)

long-suffering

mercy-seat

scapegoat

stumbling-block

COVERDALE:

blood guiltiness

kind hearted

loving-kindness

tender mercy

THE LORD'S PRAYER: at this period, the word 'which' applied equally to animate and inanimate things. Thus we have "Our Father which art in Heaven." not who.

                Our Father, which art in Heaven

                Hallowed be Thy name.

                Thy Kingdom come,

                Thy will be done

                In Earth, as it is in Heaven.

                Give us this day our daily bread

                And forgive us our trespasses,

                As we forgive those who trespass against us.

                Lead us not into temptation,

                But deliver us from evil.

                For thine is the Kingdom,

                the power and the glory,

                For ever and ever,

                                Amen.

THE 23rd. PSALM:

The Lord is my shepherd:

I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures;

He leadth me besides still waters.

He restoreth my soul:

He leadth me in the paths of righteousness

                for his name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of

                the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil:

For thou art with me;

Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me

                in the presence of mine enemies:

Thou anointest my head with oil;

My cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

                all the days of my life:

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

1662 THE BOOK of COMMON PRAYER:

 For better, for worse,

 To have and to hold

 From this day forward

 In sickness and in health...

Book Titles taken from Bible:

East of Eden – John Steinbeck

Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck

promised land – Hymn by S.Baring-Gould)

wolf in sheep's clothing – Aesop’s Fables (550BC)

BIBLE: Some Facts and Figures =

The whole Bible translated into 275 languages.

Parts of Old and New Testament into 1,710 languages.

REF: WEIGLE, Luther Allan (1957) Bible Words in Living Language, London: Nelson BJL(5)BS 186 W4

CONCLUSION:

The above richness of words is the result of what happened after the English language intermingled with the glorious imagery of The Bible and pushed aside the traditional Latin. This was the first of many battles it was to win in this global war of words.

ENGLISH WAS COMING OF AGE. It was now able to challenge Latin in this most sacred realm of the Holy Book. Many an academic and clerical head must have shook in despair at this time of change.

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