2. Secondary attributes, such as flow indirectly from the same sources : (1) Necessity of Scripture, as the truth could be preserved and handed down neither by tradition nor by the " inner light." (2) Integri'y, i. c. that no part essential to the canon has been lost. (3) Purity, i. e. the uncorrupted preservation of the text. (4) Freedom (legendi omnibus concessa licentia), i. e. the unrestrained reading of the Bible by all Christians, lay as well as clerical. — Knapp, Theology, § xi. See Bidle, Use of by the Laity.
Bible, Manuscripts of. See Manuscripts, Biblical.
Bible Societies, associations for the printing, translation, and circulation of the Word of God. They are given in this article in the following order, viz. :
(I.) Bible Societies of Great Britain ; (II.) Bible So- cieties on the Continent of Europe; (III.) American Bible Society; (IV.) American and Foreign Bible So- ciety (Baptist) ; (V.) American Bible Union (Baptist) ; (VI.) Bible Revision Association (Baptist). I 1. Bible Societies of Great Britain.— By far the most important among the Bible Societies of Great Britain is the British and Foreign Bible Society, founded March 7th, 1804.
I. Preparation. — A number of societies with cog- nate design had preceded it, e. g. (1) the Society for
J promoting Christian Knowledge (1698), which included 1 among its objects the spread of Bibles, Prayer-books, tracts, and missions, especially in India : it printed | Bibles in English, Welsh, Manks, and Arabic; (2) the Society for propagating the Gospel in foreign Parts (1701), with similar objects in special reference to the American colonies; (3) the Scottish Society for proper gating Christian Knowledge (1709), whose field included the Highlands, the Scottish Islands, and part of North America ; (4) the Society for promoting Religious Knowl- i edge among the Poor (1750) ; (5) Naval and Military Bi- i ble Society (1780) ; and, in the same year, (6) the French Bible Society, for publishing French Scriptures, which soon died out. Timpson (Bible Triumj)hs, p. 102 sq.) : mentions twenty societies (including some of the I above), all anticipatory of the British and Foreign Bible Society.
II. Origin. — The idea of a general and comprehen- : sive Bible Society was first suggested in December,
1802, when an attempt was made to found a Bible So- ciety for Wales, where the demand for Bibles was then extremely urgent. This was in London, Dec. 1802. The question was under discussion in a committee of ' the Tract Society, when suddenly the Rev. Joseph Hughes (Baptist), one of the secretaries of the Tract j Society, remarked, " Certainly such a society might be ! formed; and if for Wales, why no* for the world?" This broad idea took deep hold of the minds of the men who were, with its author, laboring for the salva- tion of the world. It was at once made public in a call by Mr. Hughes for a meeting to consider the sub- ject, which was attended on March 7th, 1804, at the London Tavern, by about 300 persons of all denomina- tions, save that the Church of England clergy refused at first to co-operate with dissenters. But, persuaded j by the pathos of the Rev. C. F. A. Steinkopff, the Rev. i John Owen first gave in his adhesion, which step was j soon after approved by Bishop Porteus. Organization was at once effected ; Lord Teignmouth was chosen president, the Rev. Josiah Pratt (Church of England) and Rev. Joseph Hughes (Baptist) were appointed sec- I retaries. Bishop Porteus and other prelates became j members ; and Wilberforce, Granville Sharpe, and oth- er distinguished public men gave their names and influ- ence to the undertaking. Dr. Steinkopff was after- ward added to the number of secretaries. The object of the society was declared to be "to promote the cir- culation of the Holy Scriptures, without note or com- ment, both at home and in foreign lands." An exec- utive committee was formed consisting of 36 laymen, viz., 15 members of the Established Church, 15 dis- senters, and 6 resident foreigners. To this committee is intrusted the management of the business of the so- ciety. The annual membership fee is one guinea, and clerical members, whether of the Established Church or Dissenting churches, have a seat and vote in ses- sions. This organization was first framed in uth<> counting-room, Old Swan Stairs, Upper Thames Street, belonging to Joseph Ilardcastle, Esq., Treasurer of the London Missionary Society, whose plans of benevo- lence, as well as those of the Religious Tract Society, and tin; Hibernian Society, were formed in the same room" (Timpson, Bib. Triumphs, p. 128).
III. Operatons.— The attention of the society was first turned to Wales, and 25,000 Bibles and Testa- ments were printed in Welsh and distributed there.
BIBLE SOCIETIES
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BIBLE SOCIETIES
From England it turned its energy to Continental Europe, where multitudes of Bibles were distributed.
Bible Societies were soon formed on the Continent ; an account of them will be found under the next head of this article. Turkey and the Levant were canvassed, and the seven apostolic churches, in which the Bible was almost forgotten, were visited once more by the Word of Cod. In India the Bible Society found per- manent foothold, and extended its operations to a very wide field. Much had been undertaken here by vari- ous denominations and societies, and several transla- tions were in languid progress ; but the vigor of the London Society soon changed the state of affairs, and a comprehensive and effective work began. Even Ro- manists co-operated, and eight auxiliary societies soon sprung up, some of them in Oceanica and Africa. The great Bible Societies of America were also its legit- imate though indirect result, and active auxiliaries were organized in the Canadas. In South America it was less successful, but "no society ever spread so rap- idly or so far." The work of translation was begun at an early period : its extent will be seen from the ta- ble below marked b.