he sailed for Denmark, and published it at Copenhagen, under the patronage of Christian III. The translation, made from the Vulgate, corrected in some cases accord- ing to Luther's translation, was published in 1540. From this time on, parts of the Okl Test, were published, until at lengtli, in 1584, the entire Bible was printed in Icelandic at Holum. The work was conducted by Gud- brand Thorlakson, bishop of Holum, and has been called " a faithful mirror of Luther's (ierman version ;" and, on account of the purity of its diction, it is still held in high esteem. In 1G09 a revised edition of the New Test, was published by bishop Gudbrand at Holum, with the title Thud Nyiu Testamenlum, a IsUndsku yftrsied Off lesid epter thtim riettustu Utle<j<jiuffum, se/n til hofa feimjist (prentad a Holum i Hialltadal, anno MDCIX). In 1G44 a revised edition of the entire Bible was pub- lished by Thorlak Skuleson, the grandson of (iudbrand, and his successor in the episcopate. In 1728 another edition was published, under the inspection of Stein Jonson, bishop of Holum. Following the Danisli Bible too closely, this edition, on account of Danicisms, was found to be scarcely intelligible to the Icelanders, and hence never obtained much circulation. In 1747 a fourth edition, according to the text of 1G44, was published at Copenhagen; a fifth in 1750; a sixth in 1807, chiefly at the expense of the British and Foreign Bible Society; and a seventh in 1813 by the same society, and often since. Since the year 18G3 a revised edition of the New Test, and Psalms has been circulated by the Brit- ish and Foreign Bible Society, and in 1867 the entire revised Bible, which is now in circulation, left the press at the expense of the same society.
2. Danish. — The earliest translation of any portion of the Scriptures into Danish is contained in a IMS. pre- served in the Koyal Library of Copenliagen, sujiposed to have been written in the 13th or beginning of the I4th century. It proceeds no further than the second book of Kings. In 1515, Pedersen, Avho is said to have been tlie first Lutheran clergyman in Zealand, published at Paris a Danish version of the Gospels and Epistles appointed to be read in churches. It was reprinted at Leipsic in 1518. The whole New Test., Z>e« Nye Testa- mente, was translated by Hans Mikkelsen, sometimes called John Michaelis, and published at Leipsic in 1524, and reprinted at Antwerp in 1529. This version was executed by the command and under the patronage of Christian II. An improved edition of Mikkelsen's New Test, was published by Pedersen in 1529 at Antwerp, and republished, with the Psalms, in 1531. In 1550 the whole Bible was published in Danish at Copenhagen. This translation was undertaken at the suggestion of Bugenhagen, the celebrated Keformer, who had been in- vited to the court of Copenhagen to assist in the cor- rection of ecclesiastical abuses. A revision of the entire version was undertaken in 158G by the command of Frederick II, which was published in 1589, with Lu- ther's notes, under the title BiUia det er den yuntske hvlliye Scrift, paa Ikinske iyen oj/'rerseet vc prentet ef- ter sulige oc Uoylojfiiye Ikukommelse, Kong Fredericks den II Befahdny. Met Reyister, alle I). Lutheri For- taler, hans IJdhyniny i Broedden, oc Viti Theoduri Suvi- marier (prentet i Kjobenhavn aff jNlatz Vingaardt, anno 1589, fob). In 1604 king Christian IV appoint- ed Dr. Kesen, l)ishop of Zealand, to su[)erintend a fresh revision of the Scriptures, which was published in 1607, with the title Biblia paa Bunske, etc. In 1633 an edition from the revised text of 1589 was published at Copenhagen — Biblia det er den yantske helliye Scrift, etc. — and in 1647 a revised edition from Kesen's Bible, designated "Swaning's Bible," so called after the cor- rector Hans Swaning, archbishop of Zealand, was pub- lished, which was again edited in 1670. In 1714 a Col- lege of Missions was established at Copenhagen, Avhich issued several editions of the Scriptures according to Swaning's text: one in 1717, a second in 1718, followed in 1722 by a third, and in 1728 by a fourth issue. In 1728 the mission press was destroyed by tire, and the
SCANDINAVIAN VERSIONS 396 SCANDINAVIAN VERSIONS
Orphan House then obtained the exclusive privilege of priiitina; tlie Danish Bible; and several editions were published by that institution between the years 1732 and 1745. In the meantime etTorts were made to obtain a more correct and faithful edition of the Scriptures, and in 1748 the committee appointed by royal authority publisiied a revised New Test.; and since that time nimierous other editions were printed before the formation of the Danish Bible Society in 1814. In the year 1810 the British and Foreign Bible Society printed an edition of the Danish New Test, from the Copenhagen edition of 1799, the press being superintended by the Rev. W. F. Rosing, minister of the Danish church in London. A second edition was published in 1814. In the following year another revi- sion of the Bible was commenced at Copenhagen bj' royal authority. Bishop Muenter, together with live learned professors, constituted the commission of revi- sal ; and in 1819 an edition of the New Test., as cor- rected and revised by them, was published, followed by a fourth edition of the entire Bible in 1824. The com- mittee of the Danish Bible Society has been engaged for several years past in the task of revising the Danish Old Test., and in 1871 a thoroughly revised text of the Danish Bible was published, which has also been adopted by the British and Foreign Bible Society. The facili- ties for the circulation of the Protestant Bible in the kingdom of Denmarii have within recent years been greatly increased by an arrangement happilj' come to between the British and Foreign Bible Society of Lon- don and the Orphan Institution at Copenhagen, which latter body possesses by law the exclusive right to print the Scriptures within the Danish realm. Prior to 1855 all editions of the Scriptures produced at Copenhagen were accompanied by the Apocrypha and explanatory notes, and hence the Bible Society was by its rules pre- cluded from taking any part in their circulation. In that year, however, at the instance of the London so- ciety, the directors of the Orphan House agreed to pro- duce the New Test, free from all notes and Apocryphal references. The concession thus happily obtained was at once acted on, and an edition of 10,000 Danish New Testaments was produced for the London society under the auspices of the Copenhagen Orphan Institution, and passed into rapid circulation. In 1859 a subsequent edition of 5000 was found necessarj- to meet the demands made upon the society's agency, which increase from year to year. As to the circulation of the entire Bible, without Apocrypha and explanatory notes, the society was prevented from doing so until 1872, when, after many negotiations, permission was obtained to circulate Bibles according to the rules laid down by the society, but with the conditions: 1. That the summaries and the references to parallel passages (with the exception of those which relate to the Apocryphal books) which are found in the editions of the Orphan House be also in- serted in the editions published l)y the society in Den- mark. 2. That tiie title-page of these editions be as follows: Ribelen eller den HtUif/e Skrifi, indeholdende del Gamle of/ del Nye. Testamentes Kanoniske Boger ("The Bible, or the Holy Scriptures, containing the Canonical Books of the Old ami Xcw Testaments"). 3. The fee to be paid to the Orphan House is provisionallv fixed atone mark for each copy. We have stated above that the revised Danish text which was publisiied in 1871 has also been adopted by the British and Foreign Bible Society. This was done after those marginal ren- derings which savor of "note or comment" had been stricken out. The animal report of 1874 stated the fact that "the first e(liti<in of the revised Danish Bible has left the press, the proofs having been ri'ad by the liev. J. Plenge. This is the first edition of the comjilete Bible printed by the Orphan House at Copenhagen di- rectly for the society."