LUTHER'S TRANSLATION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.

Luther's solemn request that his translation should on no account be altered, accompanies most of the earlier editions of the N.T. I find it on the reverse of the title-page of the edition in 8vo. printed at Wittemberg by Hans Lufft in 1537, thus:—

"I request all my friends and enemies, my master printer, and reader, will let this New Testament be mine; and, if they have fault to find with it, that they make one of their own. I know well what I do, and see well what others do; but this Testament shall be Luther's German Testament; for carping and cavilling is now without measure or end. And be every one cautioned against other copies, for I have already experienced how negligently and falsely others reprint us."[¹]

The disputed verse (1 John, v. 7.) is omitted in all the editions printed under Luther's eye or sanction in his lifetime; but it has not, I think, been remarked that in verse 8. the words auf erde, found in later editions, are wanting. The passage stands:—

"Denn drey sind die da zeugen, der Geist, und das Wasser, und das Blut, und die drey sind beysamen."

In the first edition of the Saxon (Düdesche version of Luther's Bible, by Jo. Heddersen, printed in a magnificent volume at Lubeck, by Lo. Dietz, in 1533-4), the verse stands thus:—

"Wente dre synt dede tüchinisse geven, de Geist unde dat Water, unde dat Bloth, unde de dre synt by emander."

A MS. note of a former possessor remarks:—

"The 7th verse is not found here, nor is it in the Bibles of Magdeburg, 1544, of Wittemberg, 1541, ditto 1584, Frankfort, 1560 and 1580."

In the edition of this same version, printed by Hans Lufft, Wittemberg, 1541, the passage is exactly similar; but in one printed by Hans Walther, Magdeburg, 1545, the words up erdeu are inserted.

These Saxon versions are interesting from the very great similarity that idiom has to our early language; and they, doubtless, influenced much our own early versions.

In a translation of the N.T. from the Latin of Erasmus (the first printed in Latin with a translation on the same page, and which is very similar in appearance to Udal's), printed at Zurich in 1535, 4to., with a Preface by Johansen Zwikk of Constance, the 7th verse is given (as it was in the Latin); but is distinguished by being printed in brackets, and in both verses we have—

"Unnd die drey dienend in eins."

Erasmus having admitted the verse into his third edition, gave occasion perhaps to the liberty which has been taken in later times to print both verses, with this distinction, in editions of the Lutheran version. The earliest edition, I believe, in which it thus appears, is one at Wittemberg in 1596, which was repeated in 1597, 1604, 1605 [²], and 1625. It also appears, but printed in smaller type, in the Hamburgh Bible by Wolder in 1597, in that of Jena 1598, and in Hutter's Nuremburg, 1599.

In a curious edition of the N.T. printed at Wandesbeck in 1710, in 4to., in which four German versions, the Catholic, the Lutheran, the Reformed, a new version by Reitz, and the received Dutch version, are printed in parallel columns, both verses are given in every instance; but a note points out that Luther uniformly omitted the 7th verse, and the words auf erde.

There cannot be a doubt, therefore, that the insertion is entirely unwarranted in any edition of the New Testament professing to be Luther's translation.

S.W. SINGER.

April 25. 1850.

Footnote 1:[(return)]
"Ich bitte alle meine Freunde, und Feinde, meine Meister Drücker und Leser, wolten dis Newe Testament lassen mein sein, Haben sie aber mangel dran, das sie selbs ein eigens für sich machen; Ich weiss wol was ich mache, Sehe auch wol was andere machen, Aber dis Testament sol des Luther's Deudsch Testament sein, Denn Meisterns und Klugelus ist jtzt weder masse noch ende. Und sey jederman gewarnet für andern Exemplaren, Denn ich bisher wol erfaren wie unfvleissig und falsch uns andere nachdrücken."

Footnote 2:[(return)]
Fr. Er. Kettner, who printed at Leipsic, in 1696, a long and strenuous defence of the authenticity of the 7th verse, exults in the existence of this verse in an edition of the Bible, Wittemberg, 1606, which is falsely said on the title-page to be juxta ultimum a Luthero revisum exemplar correctum.

Luther's Translation of the Bible (No. 25, p. 309.).—De Wette, in his critical Commentary on the verse 1 John, after stating his opinion that the controverted passage is a spurious interpolation, gives a list of the codices and editions in which the passage is not found, and of those in which it is found.

The passage is wanting in all Greek Codd. except Codd. 34. 162. 172. (of his introduction, where it is introduced from the Vulgate), and in all MS. of the Vulgate before the tenth century; in Erasmus' edit. of 1516 and 1518; in Ald. Ed. Venet. 1518; in all editions of Luther's translation published by him during his life-time, and up to 1581; in the edit. Withenb., 1607; Hamb. 1596. 1619. 1620.

The passage is found in all the editions printed of the Vulgate, and in all translations from it before Luther; and the edit. complut.; in Erasmus' of 1522, and in his paraphrase; in the edit. of Rob. Stephens, 1546-69; and Beza, 1565-76. 1582; in the Lutheran translations reprinted by Froschauer, Zurich, 1529-31. (but in small type); edit. 1536-89. in brackets; edit. 1597, without the brackets; in the edit. Frankf. 1593; Wittenb. 1596-97, and many later ones. I may add, that the passage is in every edition of recent date that I have seen of the Lutheran Bible, but not, of course, in De Wette's translation.

S.W.