RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Bible "Versions
XIV. Portuguese Versions: Portuguese versions begin with that by Joao Ferreira d' Almeida, a former Roman Catholic priest (New Testament, Amsterdam, 1681; Old Testament, revised and continued by Danish missionaries, Tranquebar, 1719- 1751). A Roman Catholic version, with annotations, by Antonio Pereira de Figueiredo, was published in Lisbon, 1778 sqq. (23 vols.; revised ed., greatly improved, 1794-1819).
A version based on Almeida's translation was made by the Rev. Thomas Boys, and published by the Trinitarian Bible Society (London, 1843-47). The British and Foreign Bible Society has often printed revised editions of both Almeida's and Pereira's versions. The need of a better and more accurate translation of the Bible in the Portuguese language is generally recognized by Protestant missionaries and laborers in Portugal and Brazil. (S. BbrgerI.)
Bibliography: Bible of Every Land, p. 271-276, London,
1861; S. Berger, in Romania, xxviii (1899), 543 sqq.
(gives a full account of the literature); DB, extra vol.,
pp. 410-411.
XV. Scandinavian Versions: Of the Scandinavian countries, Norway and its colony, Iceland,
had at a very early period a national 1. Before literature in the Old Norwegian _ the Kef- tongue (incorrectly called Old Norse). "ormation. t0 the earliest period of Bible translation belongs the Stjorn (" Dispensation," sc, of God), which includes Gen.-II Kings. This is not a translation but a paraphrase of these books on the basis of the Vulgate, with explanatory remarks from different authors — Josephus, Augustine, Peter Comestor, Vincent of Beauvais, and others. The preface states that it was prepared under the patronage of King Haakon V (1299-1319), and from a note in one of the manuscripts it appears that Brand Jonson, bishop of Hole in Iceland (d. 1264), made the translation. If this note is correct, Jonson probably translated the middle and most ancient part (Ex. xix-Deut. xxxiv). The Stjorn was edited by Prof. C. R. Unger (Christiania, 1862). In the Old Norwegian literature there exist many homilies, legends of the saints, and apocryphal Acts of the Apostles which contain many Bible texts; these were put together and published by J. Belsheim under the title Af Bibelen i Norge og paa hlandi Middelalderen (Christiania, 1884).
The earliest traces of a translation of the Bible into Old Swedish appear in the time of St. Bridget. In her " Revelations " as well as in accounts of her life it is said that she had a copy of the Bible made in Swedish. This was undoubtedly only an exposition of the Pentateuch composed by her father confessor Matthias in Linkoping (d. 1350; see Bridget, Saint, of Sweden). Joshua and Judges were translated later by Nils Ragnvaldson (d. 1514), while Judith, Esther, Ruth, and Maccabees were translated by Jens Budde of the Nadendal monastery. There is also extant a translation of we Apocalypse, made prior to 1520. All these «bhcal works, based on the Vulgate, were edited by ". E. Klemming, in Svenska Medeltidens Bibelarhtel (2 vols., Stockholm, 1S4S-55).
An old Danish version based on the Vulgate, containing the first twelve books of the Old Testament, is contained in a manuscript of the Manager monastery in Jutland, antedating 1480. The first eight books were edited by Prof. C. Molbech (Copenhagen, 1828). A translation of the Psalms of the same period is extant in different manuscripts. Some of them were edited by C. J. Brandt, in Gamle danske Lasebog (Copenhagen, 1857).
In both Denmark and Sweden the entire
Bible was first translated in the period of the
Reformation. Norway was united with Denmark
from 1380 to 1814 and the Danish
2. Since language, being cognate with the Nor-
the Bef- wegian, became the common literary ormation. iangUage in the two countries. The New Testament was first rendered into Danish by Hans Mikkelsen, formerly burgomaster of Malmo, who followed Christian II into exile in the Netherlands in 1523. This New Testament appeared at Leipsic in 1524. Being a mixture of Danish and German, the language was uncouth. A better translation was made by Christen Pedersen (d. 1554), the first editor of the history of Denmark by Saxo Grammaticus and of other older works. Pedersen's New Testament was printed at Antwerp 1529 and again in 1531, and in the latter year his translation of the Psalms appeared. Previous to this (1528) a translation of the Psalms made by Frans Wormordsen, a Dutchman by birth, was published at Rostock. All these followed the Vulgate closely, but were influenced by Luther and Erasmus. The Danish Reformer Hans Tausen (d. 1561, as bishop of Ribe [Ripen]) translated the Pentateuch from Luther's version (Magdeburg, 1535). Peder Tidemand translated Judges (Copenhagen, 1539), and Wisdom and Ecclesiasticus (Magdeburg, 1541). The first complete Bible in Danish was published at Copenhagen in 1550, following, according to the instructions of Christian III, as much as possible Luther's version. The greater part of the work was done by Christen Pedersen, assisted by a number of professors. A new edition followed, 1589, reprinted 1633. A translation from the original languages, prepared by Hans Paulsen Resen (d. 1638), appeared in 1607, and, revised by Bishop Hans Svane or Svaning (the so-called Svaning Bible), again in 1647 and was used till the middle of the nineteenth century. In 1819 Bishop F. C. K. H. Miinter (q.v.) with others undertook a revision of the New Testament, and the whole Bible, revised by C. Rothe, C. Hermansen, and C. Kalkar under the presidency of Bishop H. L. Martensen (q.v.) was published in 1872. There are translations made by other scholars, such as C. Bastholm (New Testament, 1780), O. H. Guldberg (New Testament, 1794), the whole Bible by J. C. Lindberg (1837-56) and C. Kalkar (1847), the four Gospels by K. F. Viborg (1863), and the New Testament by Bishop T. S. Rordam (1886; 2d ed., 1894-95). A Roman Catholic version of the New Testament after the Vulgate was published by J. L. V. Hansen in 1893.
After the separation of Norway from Denmark in 1814, three revisions of the New Testament
Bible Versions