Source:

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/luther/tabletalk.v.i.html

And `tis no small miracle how God has so long preserved and protected this book; for the devil and the world are sore foes to it. I believe that the devil has destroyed many good books of the church, as, aforetime, he killed and crushed many holy persons, the memory of whom has now passed away; but the Bible he was fain to leave subsisting.

Comment-Yes and what men preserved it? Did it disappear from the Earth, taken up to God in a “rapture”. No, the holy persons were Catholic saints and leaders.

In like manner have baptism, the sacrament of the altar, of the true body and blood of Christ, and the office of preaching remained unto us, despite the infinitude of tyrants and heretic persecutors. God, with singular strength, has upheld these things; let us, then, baptize, administer the sacrament, and preach, fearless of impediment

(St. Jerome)

Comment-the hero of the deformation believed in the regeneration of baptism, the real presence of the Eucharist against “heretic persecutors”. How many today in the Protestant world agree w/Luther? Very, very few.

While the Romish church stood, the Bible was never given to the people in such a shape that they could clearly, understandingly, surely, and easily read it, as they now can in the German translation, which, thank God, we have prepared here at Wittenberg.

(Gutenburg Bible in US Library of Congress)

Comment-false, false and faux. So, the first edition of the bible was in German, thanks to Martin? Please, the first book Gutenburg printed more than was the Bible! (1) “Preparation of the bible began soon after 1450, and the first finished copies were available in 1454 or 1455, using a printing press and movable type.”(2) Old Slavonic language Bibles were started in the 2^nd half of the 9^th century(3) The Bibles from time of Jerome and before were in Latin, Hebrew and Greek-languages the early Christians would have understood. Further “Origen's Hexapla placed side by side six versions of the Old Testament, including the 2nd century Greek translations of Aquila of Sinope and Symmachus the Ebionite. The canonical Christian Bible was formally established by Bishop Cyril of Jerusalem in 350 (although it had been generally accepted by the church previously), confirmed by the Council of Laodicea in 363 (both lacked the book of Revelation), and later established by Athanasius of Alexandria in 367 (with Revelation added), and Jerome's Vulgate Latin translation dates to between AD 382 and 420. Latin translations predating Jerome are collectively known as Vetus Latina texts. Jerome began by revising the earlier Latin translations, but ended by going back to the original Greek, bypassing all translations, and going back to the original Hebrew wherever he could instead of the Septuagint. The New Testament was translated into Gothic in the 4th century by Ulfilas. In the 5th century, Saint Mesrob translated the bible into Armenian. Also to dating the same period are the Syriac, Coptic, Ethiopic and Georgian translations.

Middle Ages

During the Middle Ages, translation particularly of the Old Testament was discouraged. Nevertheless, there are some fragmentary Old English Bible translations, notably a lost translation of the Gospel of John into Old English by the Venerable Bede, which he is said to have prepared shortly before his death around the year 735. An Old High German version of the gospel of Matthew dates to 748. Charlemagne in ca. 800 charged Alcuin with a revision of the Latin Vulgate. The translation into Old Church Slavonic dates to the late 9th century.

Alfred the Great had a number of passages of the Bible circulated in the vernacular in around 900. These included passages from the Ten Commandments and the Pentateuch, which he prefixed to a code of laws he promulgated around this time. In approximately 990, a full and freestanding version of the four Gospels in idiomatic Old English appeared, in the West Saxon dialect; these called the Wessex Gospels.

(Statue of Alfred the Great, Wantage, Oxfordshire)

Pope Innocent III in 1199 banned unauthorized versions of the Bible as a reaction to the Cathar and Waldensian heresies. The synods of Toulouse and Tarragona (1234) outlawed possession of such renderings. There is evidence of some vernacular translations permitted while others were being scrutinized.

(Pope Innocent)

The most notable Middle English Bible translation, Wyclif's Bible (1383), based on the Vulgate, was banned by the Oxford Synod in 1408. A Hungarian Hussite Bible appeared in the mid 15th century, and in 1478, a Catalan translation in the dialect of Valencia.” (4).Also, consider:

Middle Ages to the XIXth century

The first translation of the whole Bible into Catalan was produced between by the [Catholic Church] 1287 and 1290. It was entrusted to Jaume de Montjuich by Alfons II of Aragon. Remains of this version can be found in Paris (Bibliothèque Nationale). Also, in the same French library, we can find another translation into Catalan, which Jaume II of Aragon received on November 23rd, 1319.

In the early fifteenth century appeared another whole Bible translation by Bonifaci Ferrer. In 1490 a psalter by Joan Roís de Corella came to light in Venice. The Catalan Bible by Bonifaci Ferrer was printed before any Bible was printed in English or Spanish, in 1478.

The prohibition, in Spain and other Catholic countries, of vernacular translations, along with the decline of the Catalan language until its renaissance in the nineteenth century, explain why there were no translations into Catalan from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century.

In 1832 a Catalan exiled in London, J.M. Prat Colom, sponsored by the British and Foreign Bible Society, translated the New Testament (Lo Nou Testament de nostre Senyor Jesu-Christ), which was published afterwards in Barcelona (1836) and Madrid (188 .(5). “Although John Wycliff is often credited with the first translation of the Bible into English, there were, in fact, many translations of large parts of the Bible centuries before Wycliff's work. Toward the end of the seventh century, the Venerable Bede began a translation of Scripture into Old English (also called Anglo-Saxon). Aldhelm (AD 640–709), likewise, translated the complete Book of Psalms and large portions of other scriptures into Old English. In the 11th century, Abbot Ælfric translated much of the Old Testament into Old English.”

Other articles:

http://www.solagroup.org/vkc/fifteenthcentury.html

http://www.solagroup.org/vkc/earlymiddleages.html

http://www.solagroup.org/vkc/latemiddleages.html

http://www.solagroup.org/vkc/ancient.html

All from a Protestant site! Back to Luther

St Jerome, after he had revised and corrected the Septuagint, translated the Bible from Hebrew into Latin; His version is still used in our church. Truly, for one man, this was work enough and to spare!

Comment-But, isn’t the Sept the evil, false Bible-haw, haw-of the Catholics?? I bet the Catholics even got to Luther, yah, through an elaborate and almost unfathomable conspiracy!

(taken from Chick's Death Cookie, is this what really ahppened to Luther?/ haw, he, haw)

We ought not to criticize, explain, or judge the Scriptures by our mere reason, but diligently, with prayer, meditate thereon, and seek their meaning.

Comment-yes, that is why, following the Rabbinic lead at Jamnia, in the now non-salvific Judiasm, Luther cut out the same books on his own accord.

The devil and temptations also afford us occasion to learn and understand the Scriptures, by experience and practice. Without these we should never understand them, however diligently we read and listened to them.

Comment-So, merely being a human and reading them, we cannot understand them ourselves? How papist of this…oh, well…

The Holy Ghost must here be our only master and tutor; and let youth have no shame to learn of that preceptor. When I find myself assailed by temptation, I forthwith lay hold of some text of the Bible, which Jesus extends to me; as this: that he died for me, whence I derive infinite comfort.

(The Holy Spirit depicted as a dove in the translucent alabaster window behind the Cathedra Petri in St Peter's Basilica, Rome)

Comment-and every Christian today claims as only master the HS, yet there are 1000’s of conflicting doctrines, all from one book and one “master and tutor”. The HS would be getting a failing grade, according to Luther. The last sentence is true, by and large.

He who has made himself master of the principles and text of the word runs little risk of committing errors

Comment-really? Tell that to the Armenians, Calvinists and Anabaptists, plus all that came from them, directly and now, distantly.So much for fallen nature, etc.

A theologian should be thoroughly in possession of the basis and source of faith—that is to say, the Holy Scriptures. Armed with this knowledge it was that I confounded and silenced all my adversaries; for they seek not to fathom and understand the Scriptures; they run them over negligently and drowsily; they speak, they write, they teach, according to the suggestion of their heedless imaginations.

(Historical drawing of the execution of the leaders of the rebellion. In the background the cages are already in place at the old steeple of St. Lambert's church.)

Comment-a theologian? What about bringing the Bible to the common folk? Luther did not confound and silence anyone, for Calvinism, Armeninanins, etc are still around, as are we Catholics. As to the rest, it was his own authority that stripped whole books, passages and even added to the Word when it suited him (alone to Romans). BY whose authority to do these others have none and Luther have??

He who wholly possesses the text of the Bible, is a consummate divine.

Comment-well, that means Luther’s followers and descendants do not posses the whole. Guess they are not, from reading, now divine.

One single verse, one sentence of the text, is of far more instruction than a whole host of glosses and commentaries, which are neither strongly penetrating nor armor of proof. As, when I have that text before me of St Paul: “All the creatures of God are good, if they be received with thanksgiving,” this text shows, that what God has made is good. Now eating, drinking, marrying, etc., are of God’s making, therefore they are good. Yet the glosses of the primitive fathers are against this text: for Bernard, Basil, Jerome, and others, have written to far other purpose. But I prefer the text to them all, though, in popedom, the glosses were deemed of higher value than the bright and clear text.

(out goes Basil the Glosser, huh)

Comment-yup, after thanking Jerome, Luther says ditch them all. But are not they too theologians? Thanks to Luther, 1500 yrs of “gloss” are gone! Whew, I hate to build on the teachings of others or get their collective wisdom! Psh. What other purpose did Jerome have, Martin? Did he not “St Jerome, after he had revised and corrected the Septuagint” ? I think I need a Tylenol or something.

Let but divinity fall, and I would not give a straw for the rest.

Comment-Divinity fall? I assume-and hope-he is use rhetoric or some other device.

The school divines, with their speculations in holy writ, deal in pure vanities, in mere imaginings derived from human reason. Bonaventura, who is full of them, made me almost deaf. I sought to learn in his book, how God and my soul had become reconciled, but got no information from him.

(the poor, unhelpful Fransciscan)

Comment-geesh Dr. Luther, did ya ever search out a confessor and guide? Do a little work, would ya. There are plenty of other sources. If Bonaventura was not helpful, how about going back to the idol-the Bible.

Who can so exalt himself as to comprehend this one line of St Peter: `Rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings.’ Here St Peter would have us rejoice in our deepest misery and trouble, like as a child kisses the rod.

Comment-out, too goes St.Peter. What the heck did that glosser of passages know. Umph. Luther again shows instability and scruples taken to the logical end, which is man centered.

Afterwards, when Eve was with child again, they hoped to have a daughter, that their beloved son, Cain, might have a wife; but Eve bearing again a son, called him Abel—that is, vanity and nothingness; as much as to say, my hope is gone, and I am deceived.

(Cain killing Abel from 15th c manuscript)

Comment-do what? Where in Scripture is that? That a daughter was wanted? Pardon me, as I have but little free time, but where? She was deceived by the fruits God gave her? That God, what nerve!!

I am well content that I know, however little, of what God’s Word is, and take good heed not to murmur at my small knowledge.

Comment-so true, he knows little and hence, should not appoint himself editor of the Bible, nor leader of riotous men.

I have grounded my preaching upon the literal word; he that pleases may follow me; he that will not may stay. I call upon St Peter, St Paul, Moses, and all the Saints, to say whether they ever fundamentally comprehended one single word of God, without studying it over and over and over again.

Comment-now he calls on St. Peter. Doubtful after Luther’s above noted treatment of him. The saints?? How can they help, after all, they are dead and we do not want to conjure up spirits (he says trying to sound like an earnest Fundy or Evangelical).

Though I am an old doctor of divinity, to this day I have not got beyond the children’s learning

Comment-again, some honesty. And he is a great leader because…..??

I certainly conclude with myself, that I also am a lord of heaven and earth, that Christ is my brother, Gabriel my servant, Raphael my coachman, and all the angels my attendants at need, given unto me by my heavenly Father, to keep me in the path, that unawares I knock not my foot against a stone.

Comment-Raphael, is he not in the book of Tobit, so despised today in Protestant circles and ripped out by you, Martin??

No greater mischief can happen to a Christian people, than to have God’s Word taken from them, or falsified, so that they no longer have it pure and clear. God grant we and our descendants be not witnesses of such a calamity!

Comment-Ok, now is this the humorous side of Martin Luther?? No longer full and clear? Falsified??

When we have God’s Word pure and clear, then we think ourselves all right; we become negligent, and repose in a vain security; we no longer pay due heed, thinking it will always so remain; we do not watch and pray against the devil, who is ready to tear the Divine Word out of our hearts

Comment-yes, the Devil did tear Scripture from the hearts, via Luther!! He gave a corrupted and rabbinically altered Masoretic text back as well.

Stayed tuned to Chapter XIV on w/commentary next time!!!

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gutenberg_Bible

2. ibid

3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavic_translations_of_the_Bible

4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible_translations

5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Bible_translations#Catalan

6.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_translations_of_the_Bible

 (Satan frozen at the center of Cocytus, the ninth circle of Hell in Dante's Inferno.Just waitin' for Luther?)