"During the fourteenth century some unknown scholars prepared a new translation of the whole Bible into the Middle High German dialect. It slavishly follows the Latin Vulgate. It may be compared to Wiclif's English Version (1380), which was likewise made from the Vulgate, the original languages being then almost unknown in Europe. A copy of the New Testament of this version has been recently published, from a manuscript in the Premonstratensian convent of Tepl in Bohemia. Another copy is preserved in the college library at Freiberg in Saxony. Both are from the fourteenth century, and agree almost word for word with the first printed German Bible, but contain, besides the New Testament, the apocryphal letter of St. Paul to the Laodiceans, which is a worthless compilation of a few sentences from the genuine writings of the apostle."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Imported from EN Wikiquote
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Philip_Schaff
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Philip Schaff
Philip Schaff (1 January 1819 – 20 October 1893) was a Swiss-born, German-educated theologian and a historian of the Christian church, who, after his education, lived and taught in the United States. The sourced material on this page is taken from his extensive History of the Christian Church. It presents his discussion of vernacular translations of the Bible: in particular Martin Luther's vernacular translation.
20 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Philip Schaff →
Related Quotes
"The charge that Luther adapted the translation to his theological opinions has become traditional in the Roman Church…"
"He adapted the words to the capacity of the Germans, often at the expense of accuracy. He cared more for the substanc…"
"The Protestant Spirit of Luther's Version. Dr. Emser, one of the most learned opponents of the Reformation, singled o…"
"After the invention of the printing-press, and before the Reformation, this mediaeval German Bible was more frequentl…"
"The spread of this version, imperfect as it was, proves the hunger and thirst of the German people for the pure word …"
"Besides the whole Bible, there were numerous German editions of the Gospels and Epistles (Plenaria), and the Psalter,…"
"Luther could not be ignorant of this mediaeval version. He made judicious use of it, as he did also of old German and…"
"Luther's Qualifications. Luther had a rare combination of gifts for a Bible translator: familiarity with the original…"
"Progress of his Version. Luther was gradually prepared for this work. He found for the first time a complete copy of …"
"In the progress of the work he founded a Collegium Biblieum, or Bible club, consisting of his colleagues Melanchthon,…"