The numerical divisions into chapters and verses were first adapted to liturgical use in the Anglican Church — the chapters in lulward Vl's first Book of Common Prayer (1549), and the verses in the Scotch Liturgy (1637), whence they were adopted into the last revision (1662).— Kitto. See BiBi-fc;.
VERSE, in jmetnj, is a line consisting of a certain number of metrical syllables; also a separate division of a hymn or anthem, sung in divine service. See Vek-
SICLK.
Verse, Xoe:l AuBiiirr, Sieur de, a French contro- versialist, was born at IMans about 1650. He sttulied medicine at Paris, hut alteiwards turned his attention to theology. Having entertained doubts as to the Trinity, he abjured Roman Catholicism, on which ac- count he was persecuted, and escaped to Hollaiul, where he was enrolled among the citizens of Amsterdam, and began tlie practice of medicine; but this proving an in- sufficient support, he engaged in literary labors. He died in Paris in 1714. l"or a list of his numerous writings, which are chieflj' of a doctrinal and histori- cal and personal character, see Hoefer, Noui; Bio(j. Ge- nerate, s, V,
Versicle is a brief and terse exclamation, conmion- ly consisting of a single sentence, with a correspond- ing response, which is used in various services of the Church, especially in the Church of luigland; also a short antiphon sung towards the altar; also the prayer or acclamation at the beginning of the Hours.
Versions oi' tiik Biblk, a general name for trans- lations (jfibe Holy Scriptures into other languages than the original.
VEKSIOXS OF THE BIBLE -7 6 3 VERSIONS OF THE BIBLE
I. Origin. — After the Hebrew had ceased to be spoken, and had become a dead language in the 2d century be- fore Christ, and still more after the spread of Christiani- ty, translations of the Hebrew Scriptures into the pre- vailing languages of the age became a thing of necessity, both to Jews and Christians, in Palestine and in oth- er countries. Accordingly, almost every language then current received at least one version, wliich became of ecclesiastical authority, and was used instead of the original Hebrew text. In this way there arose, almost contemporaneously, the Alexandrine version for the (irecian and Egyptian Jews, and the earliest Chaldee versions for those who dwelt in Palestine and Babylo- nia. After the introduction of Christianity, the Chris- tians adopted at first the Sept.; but in the 2d century there appeared three or four other Greek versions from the hands of Jewish and Ciiristian translators, the ob- ject of which was to supersede the Sept. In this, how- ever, they did not succeed, and these works are now mostly lost. About the same time, the Syrian Christians made the Syriac version, and the Latin Christians pro- cured a Latin version of the Sept., which at the close of the 4th century gave place to the version of Jerome, the present Vulgate. After the wide extension of the Arabic language in the 7th century, both Jews and Christians began to translate the Scriptures into Arabic also — the Jews out of the original Hebrew, and tlie Christians from the Sept. Indeed, this latter is the case with all translations of the Old Test, made by the Christians into the Oriental languages.
In the case of the New Test., there did not for a long time exist any occasion for a translation, as the (ireek language, in which it was written, was universally prev- alent in the civilized world at the time of the promid- gation of the GospeL In certain provinces of the Ro- man empire, however, the Latin soon came into com- mon use, especially in North Africa, and hence the old Italic and afterwards the Vulg. arose. Still earlier a Syriac version was made for the use of the Oriental Christians, to whom tliat language was vernacular. See Peshito.
II. Literary Character. — The versions of the Script- ures are usually divided into the immediate, or those made directly from the original text, and the mediate, or those made from other versions. The latter are also sometimes called daiif/hters of the former. It is only those of the first species which have any hermeneutieal value ; those of the latter kind can only serve for aid in the verbal criticism of the versions from which tliey have flowed, and are indeed of no special importance even here, except in the case of the Sept., the text of which has been so much corrupted.
The ancient translators possessed neither grammati- cal nor lexicographical helps, and followed, therefore, everywhere exegetical tradition. As their object, too, was always a practical, rather than a learned or scientific one, they are often apt to fail in the reijuisite degree of exactness, and sometimes also they interweave their own views and impressions in their versions. This last circumstance renders these versions less available as respects exegesis, but makes them so much the more important as historical documents in regard to the views of the age and of the sect to which they belong. See Criticism.
IH. Cliisnification. — In this Cyclopmdin (including the Supplement) the reader will find a concise account of all the versions of the Holy Scriptures made in an- cient and modern times, under the alphalietical order of the various languages. In general all the tongues of this "'babbling earth" may be arranged as follows: