The Bible societies of Switzerland 9 "
The Bible societies of Deimiark, Sweden, and Norway G "
Many of the above translations extend only to a part of the Scriptures. Tlie entire Bible has been rendered dur- ing the present century into about fij'ti/-jife laiitjiuifjes, the New Test, into eii/h/y-J'our, and parts only into eu/hty- seven. It may surprise the reader to learn that the work should, in so large a proportion of cases, be incomplete; but no one will wonder who realizes the prodigious labor involved in making a translation of the whole Bible. The linrmcse version of Judson occupied nineteen years; the Bengali of Dr. Carey, at least fifteen years; the Taliitian, twenty years; the Arabic, sixteen years; the Turkish of Dr. Scliauffler, fourteen years; the Man- darin Colloquial of the Old Test., by Dr. Schereschewsky, fifteen years; and, after nearlj"^ forty years of study and of missionary labor. Dr. Williamson and Dr. Kiggs com- pleted their Dakota version of the Bible, and one of them estimates that he has spent on an average fully thirty minutes on each verse he has translated. How could it be otherwise V We can imagine the labor it would cost simply to transcribe the book from Genesis to Kevela- tioii; but bow much greater must have been the labor of men like Eliot or Moifat, who had to note down phonetically the words used by the natives, mould them by degrees into a written language, and then cast into that rough mould the elevated spiritual conceptions of the Bible! How difficult to find the etiuivalents for sill, atoneineiit. righteousness, in languages possessing, per- haps, a dozen words for murder, according as mother, child, or other relative is despatched, but none for grati- tude orjorgiveness, because such affections are unknown !
Considering the varied difficulties of the work, the marvel is that so much has been translated, and trans- lated so well. As language, especially the foreign, be- comes better known in the course of time, the necessity of revision is felt, and by none periiaps so much as by the translator himself; and thus it happened that many versions were revised at different times, in order to pro- duce one Bible for the converts and to avoid the evil of varying versions. (B. P.)
Versmann, Ernst FuiEHHicir, a Lutheran theo- logian of (iermany, was born July 14, 1814, at Tiinning, on the Eider. From 1833 to 1837 he studied theology at Kiel and Berlin; in 1840 he was made deacon at Itzehoe, in 18;')7 pas.'or primariiis and provost, in 1868 member of the Lutheran consistory at Kiel, and died Aug. 2, 1873. Versmann belongs to the most promi- nent theologians of Sleswick- Holstein. Besides ser- mons and other ascetical writings, he published Das Leben .lesit in 12 Vortrdgen (Itzehoe, I860). See Zuch- old. Bibl. Theol. ii, 1384.' (B. I'.)
Veit, Ci-Ai'i>E i)K, a French liturgist, was born in Paris, Oct. 4, 164.5, educated by the canons of St. (lene- vieve at Naiiterre, entered the Order of St. Benedict, and became bishop of (iap. After travelling in Italy, he was made treasurer to the Abbey of Clugny, visitor of the order, and vicar-general in 1694. In 169.T he ob- tained the priory of St. Peter at Abbeville, and died
there May 1, 1708. He made the ceremonies of the Church his particular study, and tried to explain them both literally and historically. For his works, see Hoe- fer, Noiir. Biog. Ue.nerale, s. v.
Vertabiets. See Vai{tabi;ds.
Verticordia, in Koman niytliology, is a surname of Venus, the directrix of the heart. 1 here was a tem- ple erected to her when three vestal virgins had I'allen at the same time, so that she might turn the hearts of women from unchastity. To dedicate this temple and to erect the statue of the goddess, there were selected by lot, out of one hundred of the most virtuous women, ten, who then named one of their number (Sul[iicia, wife of Fulvius Flaccus) for the performance of that duty.
Vertot, IiENii AiBERT DE, a French historiographer, was born in the Castle Bennetot, in Normandy, Nov. 25, 1655. In 1671 he joined the Capuchins, but, un- able to carry out their austere regulations, he joined, in 1677, the Premonstratensians at Val-Serry, in the diocese of Soissons. In the same year he was called to Premontre, in the diocese of Laons, as professor of philosophy, but in 1683 he went as prior to Joyen- val, in 1687 to Croissy, and in 1693 as pastor to Fre- ville, to leave it soon for Paris, where he intended to pursue his studies. In 1701 he was made member of the Academie des Inscriptions et Belles-lettres, and ia 1715 historiographer of the Order of Malta, and died June 15, 1735. He wrote, Histoire des Chevaliers Hos- pitaliers de S. Jean de Jerusalem, ajipelles depuis les Ckeval. de Rhodes, et Aujoui-d'hui les Cheval. de Matte (Paris, 1727, 5 vols.). Besides, there are a number of dissertations published in the Memoires de I' Academie des Inscrijitioiis and in the Journal des Savaiis. See W^iiier, IJandbiich der theol. Literatur, i, 728; .Jbcher, .4 llgemeiiies Gelehrten-Lexikon, s. v. ; Hoefer, Xouv. Biog. Generale, s. v. (B. P.)
Vertumnus, in Roman mythology, was a god of very doulitful signilicance, of whom nothing certain is known save that in Pome, where the Tuscan street leads to the Forum, his statue was erected; and that a feast, Vertumnalia, was held on Aug. 27 in honor of him ; also that Pomona, the goddess of fruit, was thought to have been his wife. Some call him god of the seasons, oth- ers god of trade ; some say he came from the Tuscans, others from the Sabines.