BIBLE. 
verfion of the Polyglots; yet others are of opinion, that 
Saadias’s verfion is not extant. In 1622, Erpenius printed 
an Arabic Pentateuch, called alIp the Pentateuch of [Mau¬ 
ritania, as being made by the Jews of Barbary, and for 
their ufe. This verfion is very literal, and elleemed very 
exadt. The four Evangelifts have alfo been publilhed in 
Arabic, with a Latin verfion, at Rome, in 1591, folio. 
Thefe have been (ince reprinted in the Polyglots of Lon¬ 
don and Paris, with Come little alterations of Gabriel Sio- 
nita. Erpenius publiflted an Arabic New Teftament en¬ 
tire, as he found it in his manufcript copy, at Leyden, in 
1616. Some other Arabic verfions of late date are men¬ 
tioned by Walton in his Prolegomena ; particularly a ver¬ 
fion of the Plaints, preferved in Sion-college, London, and 
another of the Prophets, at Oxford ; neither of which 
have been printed. 
Coptic Bibi.es. Of thefe there are feveral manu¬ 
fcript copies in fonie of the great libraries, efpecially in 
that of tlie late French king. Dr. Wilkins publilhed the 
Coptic New Teftament in quarto, in the year 1716, and the 
Pentateuch alfo in quarto, in 1731, with Latin tranllations. 
He reckons thefe verfions to have been made in the end of 
the fecond or the beginning of the third century. 
Ethiopic Bibles. The Ethiopians have alfo tranfla- 
ted the Bible into their language. There have been print¬ 
ed feparately, the Pfaltns, Canticles, fome chapters of 
Genelis, Ruth, Joel, Jonah, Zephaniah, Malachi, and the 
New Teftament ; all which have been fince reprinted in 
the Polyglot of London. As to the Ethiopic New Telia, 
ment, which wasfirft printed at Rome in 1548, it is a very 
inaccurate work, and is reprinted in the Englilh Polyglot 
with all its errors. 
Armenian Bibles. There is a very ancient Armenian 
verfion of the whole Bible, done from the Greek of the 
Seventy, by fome of their doctors about the time of Chry- 
foftom. This was fir ft' printed entire in 1664, by one of 
their bifhops at Amfterdam, in quarto, with the New Tef- 
tament in oftavo. 
Persian Bibles. It has been faid by fome of the fa¬ 
thers, that all the Scripture was formerly tranllated into 
the language of the Perlians ; but we have nothing now 
remaining of the anceint verfion, which was certainly done 
from the Septuagint. The Perfian Pentateuch printed in 
the London Polyglot is, without doubt, the work of rabbi 
Jacob, a Perfian Jew. It was publilhed by the Jews at 
Conftantinople, in the year 1551. In the fame Polyglot 
we have likewife the four Evangelifts in Perfian with a 
Latin tranflation ; but this appears very modern, incofrefl, 
and of little ufe. Walton fays this verfion was written 
above 400 years ago. Another verfion of the Gofpels was 
publilhed at Cambridge by Wheloc in the laft century: 
there .are alfo two Perfian verfions of the Pfalms made in 
the laft century from the vulgar Latin. 
Gothic Bibles. It is generally faid, that Ulphilas, 
a Gothic bifhop, who lived in the fourth century, made a 
verfion of the whole Bible, excepting the Book of Kings, 
for the ufe of his countrymen. That book he omitted, 
becaufe of the frequent mention made of the wars ; as 
fearing to infpire too much of the military genius into that 
people. We have nothing remaining of this verfion but 
the four Evangelifts, printed in quarto, at Dort, in 1665, 
from a very ancient manufcript. During the exiftence of 
the Roman empire in Europe, the reading of the Scrip¬ 
tures in the Latin tongue prevailed every v. here. But 
fince the face of affairs in Europe has been changed, and 
fo many different monarchies erefted upon the ruins of the 
Roman empire, the Latin tongue has by degrees grown 
intodifufe : whence has ariferfa neceliity of tranllating the 
Bible into the refpefftive languages of each people ; and 
this has produced as many different verfions of the Scrip¬ 
tures in the modern languages, as there are different na¬ 
tions profelfing the Chriffianreligion. Hence we meet with 
French, Italian, Spanilh, German, Flemilb, Danilh, Sclavo- 
nian, Polifh, Bohemian, and Ruffian or Mufcovite, Bibles; 
befides Anglo-Saxon, and modern Englilh and Irilh, Bibles. 
Vol III. No. 113. 
7 3 
French Bibles. The oldeft French Bible we hear of 
is the verfion of Peter de Vaux, chief of the Waldenles, 
who lived about the year 1160. Raoul de Prcfle trapf- 
lated the Bible into French in the reign of Charles V. king 
of France, about the year 13U0. Befides thefe, there are 
feveral old French tranllations of particular parts of the 
Scripture. The doctors of Louvain publilhed the Bible 
in French at Louvain, by order of the emperor Charles V. 
in 1550. There is a verfion by Ifaac le Maitre de Sacy, 
publilhed in 1672, with explanations of the literal and 
fpiritual meaning of the text, which was received with 
wonderful applaufe, and has been often reprinted. As to 
the New Teftaments in French which have been printed 
feparately, one of the moll remarkable is that of F. Ame- 
lotte of the oratory, compofed by the direction of fome 
French prelates, and printed with annotations in the year 
1666, 1667, and 1670. The author pretends he had been 
at the pains to fearch all the libraries in Europe, and col¬ 
late the oldeft manuferipts. But, in examining his work, 
it appears that he has produced no confiderable various 
readings, which had not before been taken notice of either 
in the London Polyglot or elfewhere. The New Tefta¬ 
ment of Mons printed in 1665, with the archbilhop of 
Cambray’s permillion and the king of Spain’s licence, made 
a great noiie in the world. It was condemned by pope 
Clement IX. in 1668, and by pope Innocent XL in 1679, 
and in feveral bifhopricsof France at feveral times. The 
New Teftament publilhed at Trevoux in 1702, by M. 
Simon, with literal and critical annotations upon difficult 
paftages, was condemned by the bilbops of Paris and 
Meaux in 1702. F. Bohours, a jefuit, with the aliiftafree 
of F. F. Michael Tellier and Peter Bernier, jefuits like¬ 
wife, publilhed. a tranflation of the New Teftament in 
1697 : but this tranflation is, for the mod part, harlli and 
obfeure, which was owing to the author’s keeping too 
ftriftly to the original. Some French tranllations have 
alfo been publilhed by proteftant authors. By -Robert 
Peter Olivetan, one was printed at Geneva in 1535, fince 
often reprinted with the correftions of John Calvin and 
others; another was publilhed by Sebaftian Caftalio, re¬ 
markable for particular ways of expreflion never ufed by 
good judges of the language. John Diodati likewife 
publilhed a French Bible at Geneva in 1644; but fome 
find fault with his method, in that he rather paraphrafes 
the text than tranflates it. Faber Stapalenfis tranllated 
the New Teftament into French, which was reviled, and 
accommodated to the life of the reformed churches in 
Piedmont, and printed in 1534. Laftly, M. Johnle Clerc 
publilhed a New Teftament in French at Amfterdam in 
1703, with annotations taken chiefly from Grotius and 
Hammond ; but the ufe of this verfion was prohibited in 
Holland, by order of the ftates-general, as tending to re¬ 
vive the errors of Sabellius and Socinus. 
Italian Bibles. The firft Italian Bible publilhed 
by the Romanifts is that of Nicholas Malerne, a benedic- 
tine monk, printed at Venice, in 1471. It was tranllated 
from the Vulgate. The verfion of Anthony Brucioli, 
publilhed at Venice in 1532, was prohibited by the coun¬ 
cil of Trent. The Calvinifts likewife have their Italian 
Bibles. There is one of John Diodati in 1607 and 1641, 
and another of Maximus Theophilus in 1551, dedicated 
to Francis de Medicis duke of Tufcany. The Jews of 
Italy have no entire verfion of the Bible in Italian ; the 
inquifition conftantly refilling to allow them the liberty of 
printing one. 
Spanish Bibi.es. The firft Spanilh Bible that we hear 
of is that mentioned by Cyprian de Valera, which he fays 
was publilhed about the year 1500. The Epiftles and 
Gofpels were publilhed in that language by Ambrofe de 
Montefin in 1512 ; the whole Bible by Cafliodore de 
Reyna, a Calvinift, in 1569 ; and the New Teftament, 
dedicated to the emperor Charles V. by Francis Enzinas, 
otherwife called Driander, in 1543. The firft Bible which 
was printed in Spanilh for the ufe of the Jews, was that 
printed at Ferrara in 1553, in Gothic characters, and de- 
