Chapter Eight

Battle of the Bibles

It was not until 1582 that the long-expected Rheims version of the New Testament arrived in England. It caused no little apprehension among the Protestant clergy. Although the text did not appear to be much different from the Protestant Bible, yet the copious notes and explanations accompanying the text were glaringly obvious. The Jesuits were virtually interpreting the Bible to their church's own ends.

However, upon close examination, it became evident that the Scripture itself had in places been corrupted, mostly to support Roman dogma.

Of particular offence to Protestants was the way in which the Bible had been changed in order to support the confessional practice of dealing out penance for sins. Practically every time the word "repent" occurred in the Protestant New Testament, the Jesuits had rendered it, "do penance".

For instance, in Matthew 3:2, John the Baptist is made to say, "Do penance for the kingdom of heaven is at hand ". Again in Acts 2:38, Peter is made to say, "Do penance and be baptised", and so on wherever we are exhorted in Protestant Bibles to repent - meaning to be sufficiently sorry for sin to turn about from our wicked ways.

It is very obvious that Rome's translation is intended to uphold her concept of salvation through suffering or works, or even by atoning contributions of money. The same rendering is found in the Douay Bible used presently by Roman Catholics.

Rome's real purpose in translating the Latin Vulgate into English was a dual one:

By depreciating the Protestant Bible and destroying it as an authority, Rome could expect to restore papal and priestly power. And that authority not only extends over religious matters but also includes political and civil authority. The importance of the Protestant Bibles in the overall development of the Reformation and the emergence of the British Empire is recognised by Warner and Martin in their book "The Groundwork of British History":

Such a statement is indicative of many made by chroniclers of the development of the Reformation, yet they are simply stating a great Biblical truth as enunciated by the Founder of the Christian faith: "And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32).

But at the Council of Trent, Rome had said:

• That the Latin Vulgate was the true Bible.

• That Scripture can only be interpreted by the church.

• That (Roman Catholic) tradition was of equal authority with

Scripture.

It soon became evident that the Jesuit New Testament was not capturing the minds and hearts of England and that the people were becoming even less disposed towards Catholicism. Increasingly, Allen and his Jesuit friends were turning to intrigue and murder.

In the year 1586, there came yet another plot known as the Babington Conspiracy - so named after one of the chief conspirators. It had been conceived by an English traitor named John Ballard, a product and a fair sample of the priestly training at Rheims. There he had been taught that a sure way to earn a crown in Paradise through acceptable service to God, was to deprive Elizabeth of life and throne. Albert Close outlines the plan of action:

Although the plan seemed quite feasible, it happened to be contrary to the plans of divine providence. Sir Frances Walsingham, a brilliant statesman and loyalist, early learned of the plot. He shrewdly allowed it to mature until he had identified the conspirators.

One of the letters intercepted by Walsingham was written by Mary, Queen of Scots, giving instructions to the conspirators. It was used at the ensuing trial to convict her and she forfeited not only any chance to occupy the throne of England, but also her head.

There is an interesting anecdote in connection with Mary's trial that relates to the attitude of the Court toward the Rheims Catholic Bible. When she was required to swear upon the Scriptures that she had not plotted against the life of Queen Elizabeth, the Earl of Kent declined to allow her to take the oath on the Rheims Version on the ground that, being "a popish Testament", it was of "no value" in taking such an oath. (Geddes MacGregor, "A Literary History of the Bible", 1968, p 161).

The failed Babington Plot climaxed a series of botched conspiracies against Queen Elizabeth and her government. The success of John Knox in favour of the Protestant cause and the imprisonment of Scotland's Queen Mary had brought King Philip to the realisation that Scotland could no longer be used as a springboard for an assault on England. And now that Allen's plans to win the hearts of wavering Englishmen through the acceptance of the Jesuit Bible had failed, England had become indisputably the leader of the Reformation. The hopes of a popular uprising by Roman Catholics and their supporters had now faded.

King Philip's plans to increase the size of his fleet for an invasion of England were progressing slowly. Finance was his problem. But when in 1585, Sixtus V succeeded Gregory as pope, Philip saw a way out of his dilemma. Quickly, and with great gusto, Sixtus had taken up the Vatican's plan to crush England. Philip would put the pope's enthusiasm to the test and appeal to him for moral, political and financial support. In a submission to the pope, dated February 24, 1586, the Spanish Ambassador to the Holy See, wrote:

Among the points made in the submission was the avowed aim of the enterprise:

Having presented to the pope such a noble purpose for the proposed enterprise, Philip was not unmindful of the need to secure for the Spanish Monarchy an eventual advantage. So he sought an undertaking that after the death of Mary, the succession of the rightful heir, James, be set aside in favour of a member of Philip's family (ibid p 101).

The final, but vital point submitted to Pope Sixtus V, was the plea for financial help:

But, much as the pope was in sympathy with the plan, he was too astute to pay out 2,000,000 gold ducats for an expedition that had yet to materialise. He agreed only to a progressive method of payment. Pleading an exhausted Pontifical treasury, he offered the following:

200,000 crowns as soon as the expedition sailed

100,000 crowns as soon as his army landed in England

100,000 crowns within another six months

200,000 crowns for every twelve months that the war continued. (ibid p 102).

The pope also revealed the Vatican's mercenary instinct by insisting that its investment should be commercially sound:

(4 With the later defeat of the Spanish Armada, the Pope refused to pay a single ducat for an enterprise "that had accomplished nothing and was now at the bottom of the sea" (ibid p 102))

Here is revealed the motivating force behind Rome's pious outward regard for the conversion of souls.' Obtaining mastery over the peoples' minds is a precursor to control of their purses.

Hard on the heels of Rome's consent to collude with Spain came the news of Mary Stuart's execution. New impetus was given to the preparation for the invasion. Now that the way had been opened to allow Philip direct access to the throne of England, he committed the entire resources of his empire to the building of a mighty fleet of ships - an "Invincible Armada". Hume tells us that the ports and isthmuses extending from Cape Finisterre in North Western Spain to Sicily were converted into a vast ship-building yard ("Hume", Vol. II, Chapter 42).

No doubt, the huge shipyards of Goa and lesser Portuguese ports in India and Ceylon also resounded to the sounds of axe and hammer on the magnificent teak timber used in the construction of the world's finest ships.

Plans for the invasion called for no less than one hundred and thirty vessels, great and small. Close tells us that the huge galleons were "of great capacity and amazing strength. Their strong ribs were lined with planks four feet in thickness, through which it was thought impossible that cannon ball could pierce ".

There were sixty-four of these huge, cumbersome galleons which towered like castles above the waves. Most were heavily armed with large brass cannon. Besides the normal complement of sailors, there was provision for quartering soldiers and even supplying comfortable quarters for the pope's spiritual army of monks and friars.

Then there were the fearsome galleasses, the highly manoeuvrable destroyers capable of being speedily propelled by the oars of three hundred galley slaves, many of whom were serving sentences meted out by the pope's Inquisitors.

Built into the prow of these boats was a malevolent-looking espalone, tipped with a large iron spike for ramming and piercing the hulls of enemy ships. Armed with formidable cannon, they were the spearhead of the squadron which would grapple with the enemy, enabling their soldiers to swarm aboard, wreaking havoc with their swords and fearsome halberds (a combination of spear and battle axe).

Besides the eight thousand soldiers needed for this fearsome armada, there would be needed 2,088 galley slaves and 20,000 soldiers. But the spacious galleons could still provide ample room to adequately accommodate the numerous "noblemen and gentlemen" who were keen to obtain the pope's "blessing" by volunteering their services for the humbling of England.

But this was not all! To this, the greatest sea-borne invasion force ever assembled, was to be added yet another fleet! It was to be built and launched in the ports of the Netherlands by Philip's new governor of the Lowlands, the Duke of Parma, who was widely regarded as the "ablest general of the age".

This second armada would consist of some four hundred vessels, large and small, which would meet up with the main armada as it lay off the coast at Calais. Not only would it reinforce the main fleet but it would be used for ferrying soldiers and supplies across the English Channel.

As the time for the invasion approached, Parma had assembled an impressive polyglot army in the Channel ports. Close gives some details revealing the divided loyalties of the times:

Lest any of our readers be unconvinced of the papal component of this "holy" enterprise to finish "heretical" England, it is pertinent to note that the eventual complement of men included the Vicar-General of the Holy Office of the Inquisition, accompanied by two hundred Dominican Friars. As it was this Dominican Order that the Vatican had entrusted with the administration of the Inquisitions, it requires little imagination to realise what methods the pope had in mind for bringing about the "conversion" of English "heretics".

A look at the then contemporary city of Goa, in India, gives an insight into the terrible abominations committed in that Inquisition by the Dominican and Jesuit priests. It was set up in the year 1560 following the request of the Jesuit, Frances Xavier who, today, is lauded as a missionary and revered as a saint. As a result of the unspeakable atrocities committed in Goa, the St Thomas Christian Churches of Southern India were destroyed ere the century ended. (For information on the infamous Goa Inquisition and its role in the destruction of the St Thomas churches, read "The Inquisitive Christians" by H.H. Meyers).

In the merry month of May, 1588, Lisbon was agog with excitement. Now a part of greater Spain, this port had been selected for assembling the ships of Philip's "Invincible Armada". With the pope's promise of financial help, no money had been spared to ensure the success of this "holy" enterprise.

Pope Sixtus V had added his curse on the already "damned" Queen Elizabeth and now he placed his signal blessing on the fleet. The twelve principal ships of the armada received a papal baptism and each was christened with the name of an apostle. Others were named after saints.

On the 28th May, there arrived a favourable wind. The proud galleons spread their canvas and, with banners and streamers unfurled, proceeded to glide down the River Tagus in quest of their "holy" mission. We can well envisage the proud admiral, the Duke of Medina Sidonia, in the "St Martin", heading the seemingly endless procession. Nothing could stop them now and soon England would be humbled.

It seemed that every conceivable preparation and precaution had been taken to ensure the armada's success, even to commanding that "there shall be no sort of blasphemy on board the consecrated ships (C.S.P. (Spanish) 1 April, 1588, cited by Grierson, "King of Two Worlds", p 189).

But neither the pope, King Philip or Medina Sidonia had taken heed to the signs suggesting that their plans could be at variance with the divine programme. Already, the Spaniards had made a fatal mistake in building ships suited to the land-locked waters of the Mediterranean. Tall and cumbersome, towering like lofty buildings tossing on the mighty Atlantic swells driven into the shallows of the English Channel, they would be no match for the shallower draft, faster and more manoeuvrable craft of England's hastily-collected navy.

Then, shortly before the armada was due to sail, there was the sudden death of the armada's appointed chief commander, the Marquis of Santa Cruz. He was beyond doubt Spain's ablest sea captain. So the ineffectual Medina Sidonia, whose chief recommendation was his wealth, was hastily appointed in his place.

Neither had there been concern for the fatal flaw in the strategic planning, except for the more discerning Parma. He had repeatedly warned Philip of the difficulties that could be expected in linking up his fleet with Medina Sidonia's at a pre-determined time. To add to the vagaries of the weather, there were treacherous tides and shoals to be negotiated with winds not always favourable to manoeuvring in the restricted waters of the Channel ports.

And then there were the pestilent Dutch seafarers. Who could guarantee that the rebellious Reformers would not support their fellow Protestants in England by blockading the Flanders ports, thereby preventing Parma's ships from reaching open waters?

But King Philip was so sure of his divinely-appointed mission and the efficacy of His Holiness's blessing, that he was able to shrug off Parma's forebodings.' "Great affairs involve great difficulties", summed up his philosophy which he had communicated to Parma in one of his replies.

5 Philip was not alone in his expectations. Dr Allen, now a Cardinal, had prepared a pamphlet titled, "An Admonition to the Nobility and People of England concerning the present wars". In essence, it was an exhortation to the Roman Catholics of England to rise up and join forces with those of the invading forces of his Catholic Majesty's forces. By purging the country of the iniquity of Elizabeth's reign, they would be assuring the salvation of their own and their children's souls. So confident was he of the Armada's success, that he had the pamphlets distributed when the Armada had sailed. (Garrett Mattingly, "The Defeat of the Spanish Armada", pp. 324,325).

The incredible calamities contributing to the destruction of the "Invincible Armada" soon became a fact of history. All of Parma's forebodings were multiplied tenfold. The weather was unto-operative; the ships were unsuitable and the Dutch had successfully blocked the Flanders' ports. Tied to the order of strategy laid down by the "Catholic King", Medina Sidonia felt unable to react to changing circumstances. The ensuing delay proved disastrous for the waiting armada. It was while anchored off Calais that the Spaniards were introduced to England's innovative fire-ships. What England's Lord Howard and his nimble fleet failed to accomplish was finished off by the elements as surviving ships were driven northward along the Scottish coast. When the few battered survivors limped back to Spain some four months later, the enormity of the disaster became apparent. Spain had lost dominion of the seas.

Of the thirty thousand crusaders who had set out so confidently on the pope's service, less than ten thousand returned to their homes. King Philip was stunned and overwhelmed by the crushing blow. He closeted himself in his palace and refused audience with anyone. Far from receiving solace from his spiritual lord and master, Philip received a knockout blow inflicted on him by the pope who refused to pay even one ducat of his promised help! Philip's pleadings were in vain. Pope Sixtus V was not interested in honouring his pledge to a "loser", let alone paying for an armada that had achieved nothing and now lay at the bottom of the ocean.

The Christian world was not slow to see through the sham of papal infallibility. The blessing of the reputed Vicar of Christ had been shown to be worthless. Protestantism was elevated as the prestige of England and Holland rose, while that of Spain rapidly declined. The noon of the papacy waned while the high tide of the Spanish Empire began its protracted ebb.

The effect of the Spanish defeat on England, Scotland, the Netherlands and France was dramatic. Many who had wavered between Catholicism and Protestantism saw the folly of putting their trust in man and his traditions, as opposed to the Word of God.

Not the least of such was King James VI, son of Mary Queen of Scots, who in a few years' time was to become King James I of England, Ireland and France. As a champion of Protestantism, his name would become immortalised in the King James Version of the Bible.

The dawn of the seventeenth century smiled benevolently on the British Isles. Flushed with the magnificent victory over Spain and the thwarting of papal designs, England settled into the role of leadership of the Reformation. But there remained one question mark which hung like a menacing cloud on the Protestant horizon. Would the successor to the aging Queen Elizabeth secure for England her Protestant way of life? Or would the machinations of the wily papists succeed once more in subjecting England to the whim and demands of a European monarch whose actions would be dictated by the rapacious aims of the papacy? The answer came in 1603. Within three days of Elizabeth's death, King James VI of Scotland became King James I of England and Ireland.

Although a Stuart (son of Mary Queen of Scots), James had increasingly leaned towards Protestantism. He had received most of his childhood education in England where he had come to be regarded as something of a prodigy due to his ability to read Latin and French, as well as being able to freely translate them into English. He later developed a remarkable knowledge of theology and became a skilled writer. Interestingly, he anticipated modern-day thought by writing "A Counterblast to Tobacco", described by the historian, C.H.K. Marten as "a violent attack upon the practice of smoking" ("The Groundwork of British History", p 327).

Such a man could not fail to appreciate the impact of the English Protestant Bibles on Scotland and England. "Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32).

Free indeed were those countries which had grasped the basic tenet of the Reformation - that in matters of faith, the Bible was the only authority, and that Rome had never been the custodian of that authority!

It is not surprising then, that James was receptive to a petition from several hundred clergymen who requested an updated translation of the Bible and that this translation should continue in the tradition of the Byzantine, or Received Text, as used by Tyndale and that it should contain "no note or comment" (McClure, "The Translators Revived", pp 57, 58 - cited by Wilkinson, "Our Authorised Bible Vindicated", p 77).

This last requirement was a reaction to the copious explanations and notes found in the Jesuit Rheims New Testament for the purpose of supporting Roman tradition and dogma. The Jesuit Bible was particularly offensive to the stricter elements of Protestantism as found among the Puritans. Wilkinson sources Brooke for the following comment:

It was also known that Allen's men at Douay were assiduously working on the translation of the Old Testament to complement the Rheims New Testament. What Rome could not do by force, she was determined to accomplish by taking captive the minds of men.

At this time, the English language had arrived at what many claim to be the apogee of expression. "Each word was broad, simple and generic" (Wilkinson). It was this language which such literary geniuses as Shakespeare and Bacon exploited to the full, leaving to us an English heritage which has not been surpassed. The time was ripe for Protestantism to bring forth a Bible that would not only expose popish perversions but would become a monument to the English language and a treasure to all who cherish truth and liberty.

And who were better qualified for this awesome task than the godly scholars who were born and bred amidst the struggles of the Reformers? Their character had been refined by fire and shaped on the anvil of papal persecution. Surely none were better fitted to set about the task of transmitting the Word of God with conviction and sincerity!

King James responded to the call. He appointed fifty-four learned men, all with a reverent regard for divine inspiration to bring into being a Bible that would reflect the greatest possible concern to achieve fidelity of translation. By the time the work began, the number of translators had been reduced by circumstance and death to forty-seven.

Humility, the hallmark of every true follower of Christ, was not lacking in these great men. One of their number who was eventually appointed to write the Introduction to the finished Bible, Miles Smith, MA. D.D., was able to write:

The thoroughness with which these men were organised is well described by a modern-day admirer of the Authorised Bible - Benjamin G. Wilkinson, Ph.D.:

(6 In stark contrast to such openness, we shall later note the secretive way in which the fraud of Revision was thrust upon the English-speaking world.)

The authorised Bible of King James became available to the public in 1611. Immediately it was accepted as the living Word of God and "a miracle of English Prose". A comparison with the Rheims-Douay Bible, the Old Testament portion of which was completed a couple of years earlier, only served to enhance the Authorised Version's popularity. It was immediately recognised as a death-blow to the supremacy of Roman Catholicism in the English-speaking world.

Faber, a one-time Church of England clergyman who, like many of his ilk, endeavoured to Romanise his church and finally abandoned his Protestant cloak by embracing Roman Catholicism, was eminently qualified to identify Protestantism's great bulwark. He cried out in despair:

A "mighty barrier" indeed! It has turned out to be an enduring bulwark against Atheism, Modernism, Liberalism and Catholicism. It travelled the broad waters of the British-ruled seas to lands both old and new where it has been translated into "a thousand tongues". It formed the basis of common law in countries which it civilised. It stimulated the minds of men who developed the Protestant work ethic and brought about the Industrial Revolution which built Western civilisation. In short, its illuminating rays took the world out of the Dark Ages of ignorance and superstition and pointed the way to the shining light of intellectual, civil and religious liberty.

Our Authorised Bible has withstood the attacks of scoffers, sceptics and self-styled scientists. It has been challenged by numerous "newer and better" translations, yet it has remained the standard to which succeeding translators aspire and by which all are judged. Its numeration of chapters and verses is slavishly copied by the great majority.

After three hundred years of use, the "Ladies Home Journal" of November 1921 confidently asserted:

Questions then, must inevitably arise: What do the Protestant Bibles of the Received Text line have that is lacking in others? Why did the world have to await the arrival of the "Waldensian Bibles" to break the Roman shackles which bound it to the Dark Ages? The answer is simple. They transmit the inspired word of God as opposed to those which are contaminated by the philosophy, interpretations and emendations of men.

To demonstrate this claim, we shall briefly divert our attention from the glorious march of the Authorised Bible of King James to that period of early Christianity when the church, along with its Scriptures, first came under attack - an attack which has been sustained in varying degrees of subtlety and intensity to this very day.

Bible Battle TOC