Besides the large Polyglots, whereof we have been speaking, which contain the sacred Text of the Old and New Testament, others have been published that are particular, and include some Part only of the Bible; or, as we have observed, certain Books only.
Psalterium quadrilingue, Hebraeum, Latinum, Graecum, & Æthiopicum, Joannis Potken. Colon. 1518, in fol. There is no Book in Scripture that has been translated into so many different Languages as that of the Psalms. Augustin Justinian, before Potken, had put it out at Genoa, 1516, in fol. in eight Languages; viz. Hebrew, Greek, Arabic, Chaldee, and three Latin Versions, with very short Notes: He had done the whole Bible in this manner, but we have only the Psalms and Job. Erasmus and Pellican published likewise the Psalms in Hebrew, Greek, and the Latin of St. Jerome’s Version, which we find in the Works of this Father, of the Basil Edition, 1518, by Amberbach. There are besides several other Versions mentioned by F. le Long, and of some Psalms in particular; as also of the Proverbs, Canticles and Ruth.
Pentateuchus quadrilinguis, Hebraeus, Chald. Persic. Arab. Omnia charactere Hebraico. Studio Judaeorum Constantinopol. An. 1546. in fol.
Pentateuchus Hebraico-Hispanicus & Barbaro-Graecus. Constantinopoli, 1547, in fol. in domo Eliezer, Berab Gerson Soncinatis. This Bible is in three Columns; the Hebrew Text is in the Middle, the old Spanish Version on the Right, and on the Left the Version in modern Greek; for the use of the Caraites of Constantinople, who do not well understand Hebrew. The Spanish was for the use of the Spanish Jews who fled for Refuge to the same Country. At the upper End of the Page is the Targum of Onkelos, and below it the Comment of Rabbi Solomon. F. le Long speaks of these two Polyglots, and informs us that there is one Copy of them in the King’s Library, and another in that belonging to the FF. of the Oratory at Paris, in the Street S. Honoré.
Biblia Davidis Wolderi Lutherani, Grecè*, Latinè, & Germanicè. Hamburgi*, 1596. We mentioned this Polyglot while we were speaking of Hutter’s, of which it is but a Copy. See above. Here therefore we shall only give the Title. Wolder was a German Lutheran, and a Minister, in the sixteenth Century.
Quatuor Evangelia Gothicè*, ex versione* Ulfilæ; item Suecico, Islantico, & Latino Idiomatibus. Stokolm. 1671. Studio Georgii Stiernhielmii. Ulphilas, who was an Arian, and Bishop of the Goths about 365, translated the whole Bible into his own Language; but we have no more of it than we have mentioned. George Stiernhielm, who procured this Edition, was a Swede by Nation, a Lutheran, and President of the Royal College of Antiquities at Ulm about the Year 1671.
John Draconites, a German Lutheran, undertook to publish the Bible in Hebrew, Chaldee, Greek, Latin, and German, but Death prevented the Execution of his Design. He put out only the Psalms and Proverbs, Micah and Joel, at Wittemberg, 1565. As for Genesis, F. le Long is of opinion that perhaps the five first Chapters only were printed. This Author, who died in 1566, was a German of Franconia, born at Carlostadt, in 1494. He performed his first Studies at Erford. He learned Hebrew of Paul Fagius. Removing to Wittemberg, he was easily brought over by the Protestants, and taught Scripture at Marpourg. Afterwards he went into Saxony, and taught at Rostoch. He was made Bishop of Sombac in Prussia; from whence he returned to Wittemberg, and died in 1566. He had a profound Knowledge of the Languages, and was a good Divine enough according to Luther’s Principles. M. Dupin says, that his Eloquence and Learning appear equally in his Comments.
George Otho, another German Lutheran, who was living in 1720, published the four first Chapters of Genesis, in several Languages at Frankfort on the Mein, 1712, in 4to. F. le Long speaks very particularly of him in his Bibliotheca, p. 42. col. 1.
Christian Reineccius, a German Lutheran likewise, who was living in 1720, published the Old Testament in four Languages, viz. Hebrew, with the Greek Version, Latin and German, at Lipsick, in fol. He likewise put out the New in four Languages, viz. Syriac, Greek, with the Latin Version of Sebastian Schmidt, and Luther’s German Version. He added different Readings to it, otherwise called Variantes, and Critical Notes. This was published at Lipsick, 1713. in fol.
Of the four Great Prophets, Isaiah only has been published in several Languages, at Basil, in 4to. without any Date of the Year, and at Nuremberg, 1601, in 4to. Of the twelve Lesser Prophets we have only Hosea, Jonah, Joel, Obadiah, and Malachi, in the Form of a Polyglot. The different Editions of them may be seen in F. le Long, p. 42.
The New Testament, tho’ comprized in the great Polyglots, has likewise been translated into many Languages; the four Gospels separately, and some Epistles of St. Paul, as may be seen in F. le Long, p. 45, 46, 47, which if we were to set forth in a particular manner, would carry us too far. We shall only observe, that this Father is mistaken when he tells us that the Story of the Adulteress, the Canonical Epistles, and the Revelations, are wanting in Beza’s Polyglot; for these are all in that which we have in the Library of St. Mibiel, printed by Henry Stephens, 1569, two Vols. in fol. unless he meant that the Story of the Adulteress is not in Syriac, which is true likewise of the Second Epistle of St. Peter, and the Second of St. John; these, as well as the Revelations, being only in Greek and Latin.
Henry Kellerman, in 1712, published the Gospel of St. Matthew in several Languages. He was a Muscovite, bred up in the College of Padua, and Physician to the late Czar Peter I. He was living in 1720.
The Lord’s-Prayer likewise, and some of St. Paul’s Epistles, have been published in abundance of Languages, as may be seen in F. le Long, p. 46, 47.