第 53 节
作者:
垃圾王 更新:2021-02-24 22:51 字数:9322
in one of their villages。 No one could say whence it had come; all they knew was that they had possessed it for many years。 It was Carey's first Bengali version of the New Testament of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ。 In the wide and elastic bounds of Hindooism; and even; as we shall see; amid fanatical Mussulmans beyond the frontier; the Bible; dimly understood without a teacher; has led to puritan sects like this; as to earnest inquirers like the chamberlain of Queen Candace。
The third edition of the Bengali Testament was published in 1811 in folio for the use of the native congregations by that time formed。 The fourth; consisting of 5000 copies; appeared in 1816; and the eighth in 1832。 The venerable scholar; like Columba at Iona over the thirty…fourth psalm; and Baeda at Jarrow over the sixth chapter of John's Gospel; said as he corrected the last sheetthe last after forty years' faithful and delighted toil: 〃My work is done; I have nothing more to do but to wait the will of the Lord。〃 The Old Testament from the Hebrew appeared in portions from 1802 to 1809。 Such was the ardour of the translator; that he had finished the correction of his version of the first chapter of Genesis in January 1794。 When he read it to two pundits from Nuddea; he told Fuller in his journal of that month they seemed much pleased with the account of the creation; but they objected to the omission of patala; their imaginary place beneath the earth; which they thought should have been mentioned。 At this early period Carey saw the weakness of Hindooism as a pretended revelation; from its identification with false physics; just as Duff was to see and use it afterwards with tremendous effect; and wrote:〃There is a necessity of explaining to them several circumstances relative to geography and chronology; as they have many superstitious opinions on those subjects which are closely connected with their systems of idolatry。〃 The Bengali Bible was the result of fifteen years' sweet toil; in which Marshman read the Greek and Carey the Bengali; every one of their colleagues examined the proof sheets; and Carey finally wrote with his own pen the whole of the five octavo volumes。 In the forty years of his missionary career Carey prepared and saw through the press five editions of the Old Testament and eight editions of the New in Bengali。
The Sanskrit version was translated from the original; and written out by the toiling scholar himself。 Sir William Jones is said to have been able to secure his first pundit's help only by paying him Rs。 500 a month; or ?00 a year。 Carey engaged and trained his many pundits at a twentieth of that sum。 He well knew that the Brahmans would scorn a book in the language of the common people。 〃What;〃 said one who was offered the Hindi version; 〃even if the books should contain divine knowledge; they are nothing to us。 The knowledge of God contained in them is to us as milk in a vessel of dog's skin; utterly polluted。〃 But; writes the annalist of Biblical Translations in India; Carey's Sanskrit version was cordially received by the Brahmans。 Destroyed in the fire in 1812; the Old Testament historical books were again translated; and appeared in 1815。 In 1827 the aged saint had strength to bring out the first volume of a thorough revision; and to leave the manuscript of the second volume; on his death; as a legacy to his successors; Yates and Wenger。 Against Vedas and Upanishads; Brahmanas and Epics; he set the Sanskrit Bible。
The whole number of completely translated and published versions of the sacred Scriptures which Carey sent forth was twenty…eight。 Of these seven included the whole Bible; and twenty…one contained the books of the New Testament。 Each translation has a history; a spiritual romance of its own。 Each became almost immediately a silent but effectual missionary to the peoples of Asia; as well as the scholarly and literary pioneer of those later editions and versions from which the native churches of farther Asia derive the materials of their lively growth。
The Ooriya version was almost the first to be undertaken after the Bengali; to which language it bears the same relation as rural Scotch to English; though it has a written character of its own。 What is now the Orissa division of Bengal; separating it from Madras to the south…west; was added to the empire in 1803。 This circumstance; and the fact that its Pooree district; after centuries of sun…worship and then shiva…worship; had become the high…place of the vaishnava cult of Jaganath and his car; which attracted and often slew hundreds of thousands of pilgrims every year; led Carey to prepare at once for the press the Ooriya Bible。 The chief pundit; Mritunjaya; skilled in both dialects; first adapted the Bengali version to the language of the Ooriyas; which was his own。 Carey then took the manuscript; compared it with the original Greek; and corrected it verse by verse。 The New Testament was ready in 1809; and the Old Testament in 1815; the whole in four volumes。 Large editions were quickly bought up and circulated。 These led to the establishment of the General Baptist Society's missionaries at Cuttak; the capital。
In 1814 the Serampore Bible translation college; as we may call it; began the preparation of the New Testament in Maghadi; another of the languages allied to the Bengali; and derived from the Sanskrit through the Pali; because that was the vernacular of Buddhism in its original seat; an edition of 1000 copies appeared in 1824。 It was intended to publish a version in the Maithili language of Bihar; which has a literature stretching back to the fourteenth century; that every class might have the Word of God in their own dialect。 But Carey's literary enthusiasm and scholarship had by this time done so much to develop and extend the power of Bengali proper; that it had begun to supersede all such dialects; except Ooriya and the northern vernaculars of the valley of the Brahmapootra。 In 1810 the Serampore press added the Assamese New Testament to its achievements。 In 1819 the first edition appeared; in 1826 the province became British; and in 1832 Carey had the satisfaction of issuing the Old Testament; and setting apart Mr。 Rae; a Scottish soldier; who had settled there; as the first missionary at Gowhatti。 To these must be added; as in the Bengali character though non…Aryan languages; versions in Khasi and Manipoori; the former for the democratic tribes of the Khasia hills among whom the Welsh Calvinists have since worked; and the latter for the curious Hindoo snake…people on the border of Burma; who have taught Europe the game of polo。
Another immediate successor of the Bengali translation was the Marathi; of which also Carey was professor in the College of Fort William。 By 1804 he was himself hard at work on this version; by 1811 the first edition of the New Testament appeared; and by 1820 the Old Testament left the press。 It was in a dialect peculiar to Nagpoor; and was at first largely circulated by Lieutenant Moxon in the army there。 In 1812 Carey sent the missionary Aratoon to Bombay and Surat just after Henry Martyn had written that the only Christian in the city who understood his evangelical sermon was a ropemaker just arrived from England。 At the same time he was busy with a version in the dialect of the Konkan; the densely…peopled coast district to the south of Bombay city; inhabited chiefly by the ablest Brahmanical race in India。 In 1819 the New Testament appeared in this translation; having been under preparation at Serampore for eleven years。 Thus Carey sought to turn to Christ the twelve millions of Hindoos who; from Western India above and below the great coast…range known as the Sahyadri or 〃delectable〃 mountains; had nearly wrested the whole peninsula from the Mohammedans; and had almost anticipated the life…giving rule of the British; first at Panipat and then as Assye。 Meanwhile new missionaries had been taking possession of those western districts where the men of Serampore had sowed the first seed and reaped the first fruits。 The charter of 1813 made it possible for the American Missionaries to land there; and for the local Bible Society to spring into existence。 Dr。 John Wilson and his Scottish colleagues followed them。 Carey and his brethren welcomed these and retired from that field; confining themselves to providing; during the next seven years; a Goojarati version for the millions of Northern Bombay; including the hopeful Parsees; and resigning that; too; to the London Missionary Society after issuing the New Testament in 1820。
Mr。 Christopher Anderson justly remarks; in his Annals of the English Bible; published half a century ago:〃Time will show; and in a very singular manner; that every version; without exception; which came from Carey's hands; has a value affixed to it which the present generation; living as it were too near an object; is not yet able to estimate or descry。 Fifty years hence the character of this extraordinary and humble man will be more correctly appreciated。〃
In none of the classes of languages derived from the Sanskrit was the zeal of Carey and his associates so remarkable as in the Hindi。 So early as 1796 he wrote of this the most widely extended offspr