THE CHURCH OF ROME OPPOSED TRANSLATION IN THE NATIVE LANGUAGES

Now the Church of Rome would appear to bear a motherly affection towards her children, and to allow them the Scriptures in their mother language. However it is a gift, not deserving to be called a gift, an unprofitable gift. They must first get a license in writing before they may use them. To get the license, they must approve themselves to their Confessor, that is, to be such as are, if not frozen in the dregs, yet infected with the leaven of their superstition. Nevertheless it seemed too much to Clement the eighth that there should be any license granted to have them in the common language, and therefore he overruled and frustrated the grant of Pius the fourth. So much are they afraid of "the light of the Scripture" (as Tertullian spoke) that they will not trust the people with it, no not even as it is set forth by their own sworn men, no not with the license of their own Bishops and Inquisitors. Yes, so unwilling they are to communicate the Scriptures to the people’s understanding in any sort, that they are not ashamed to confess that we forced them to translate it into English against their will. This seems to argue a bad cause, or a bad conscience, or both. We are sure, that it is not he who has good gold, that is afraid to bring it to the touchstone [a metal formerly used to test the purity of gold or silver by the streak left on it when it was rubbed by the metal], but he who has the counterfeit. Neither is it the good man who shuns the light, but the evil, lest his deeds should be reproved [JOH 3:20]. Neither is it the plain dealing merchant who is unwilling to have the scales, or the standardized measuring container, brought in, but he who uses deceit. But we will let them alone for this fault and return to translation.

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This Page Last Updated: 12/08/98 A. Allison Lewis aalewis@christianbeliefs.org