BIBLE SOCIETIES, associations for extending the circulation of the Holy Scriptures. For a long period this object has been pursued to a considerable extent by several religious institutions, such as the Society for the Propaga tion of the Gospel in Wales, formed by the Rev. Thomas Gouge, one of the two thousand ministers ejected by the Act of Uniformity in 1GG2 ; the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, founded in 1698; the Society for sending Missionaries to India, established in the year 1705 by Frederick IV., King of Denmark, and which numbered among its agents the celebrated missionary, Christian Frederick Schwartz ; the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, formed in Edinburgh in 1709 ; the Moravian Missionary Society, founded in 1732, the Book Society for Promoting Religious Knowledge among the Poor, which was formed in London in 1750, and numbered among its earliest friends Dr Doddridge and the Rev. James Hervey ; and the Religious Tract Society, founded in 1779. But the first British association which had in view the single purpose of disseminating the Scriptures was the Naval and Military Bible Society, established in the year 1780, which has done immense service to the army and navy of Great Britain. The sphere of its opera tions, however, was comparatively limited, and in 1804 the British and Foreign Bible Society, the greatest agency ever devised for the diffusion of the Word of God, was founded. The proposal to institute this association origi nated with the Rev. Mr Charles of Bala, whose philan thropic labours in Wales were greatly impeded by the scarcity of the Scriptures in the principality, and it was largely fostered at the outset by members of the com mittee of the Religious Tract Society. The exclusive object of the British and Foreign Bible Society is to pro mote tho circulation of the Scriptures, both at home and abroad, and its constitution admits the co-operation of all persons disposed to concur in its support. The committee of management consists of 3G laymen, 6 of them being foreigners resident in or near the metropolis, and of the remaining 30, one-half are members of the Church of England, and the other half members of other Christian denominations.
The proceedings of this society gave rise to several controversies, one of which related to the fundamental law of the society to circulate the Bible alone without notes or comments. On this ground it was vehemently attacked by Bishop Marsh and other divines of the Church of Eng land, who insisted that the Prayer-Book ought to be given along with the Bible. Another controversy, in which the late Dr Andrew Thomson of Edinburgh took a prominent part, related to the circulation on the Continent, chiefly by affiliated societies, of the Apocrypha along with the canonical books of Scripture In 182G it was resolved by the committee that the fundamental law of the society be fully and distinctly recognized as excluding the circulation of the Apocrypha. This step, however, failed to satisfy all the supporters of the society in Scotland, who pro ceeded to form themselves into independent associations. A third serious controversy by which the society has been agitated, was occasioned by the alleged inaccuracy of some of the translations issued under its authority; and a fourth referred to the adinissibility of non-Trinitarians to the privilege, of co-operation.. The refusal of the society in 1831 to alter its constitution so as formally to exclude Buch persons, led to the formation of the Trinitarian Bible Society. This has, however, been exceedingly limited in its operations, and the original society stands unrivalled.
By a law of the British and Foreign Bible Society, no translations are adopted or circulated in the languages of the United Kingdom except the Authorized Version. For other countries the best ancient or received versions are printed ; and in t e case of new translations, every effort is made to ascertain their strict fidelity and general literary merit. Most of the versions for countries not yet enlight ened by Christianity are made] by resident missionaries ; and these the society prints at the instance of the missionary societies for whose use they arc chiefly intended. These versions are made, wherever practicable, from the original Hebrew or Greek text. Tho society has had a share, direct or indirect, in the translation, print ing, or distribution of Scriptures in 210 languages or dialects, the number of versions thus printed being 269. Altogether the society has put into circulation nearly 74 million Bibles, Testaments, and Portions (i.e., single books of the Bible); and its expenditure for this purpose has amounted to 7,750,000.
In the course of 1874 there were issued from the society s depots, at home and abroad, no fewer than 2,619,427 Bibles, Testaments, and Portions. The free income for 1874-5 amounted to 119,093, 7s. 7d. ; adding the contributions for special objects, and the pro ceeds by sale of Scriptures, a total is reached of 222,191, 5s. 6d, The payments for translating, printing, and circulating the Scrip tures were only C91 in the first year of the society s existence ; while in 1874-75 they were 217,390, 13s. Id.
Immediately after the foundation of the society an extensive cor respondence was opened with ministers and laymen in all parts of the world.
Auxiliary and Branch Societies were gradually formed in every district of the United Kingdom and in the colonies. These became centres whence the Scriptures might be obtained at cost price, and in cases of special need at even less. There are at present in the United Kingdom 4490 auxiliaries and branches, besides 1208 in the British colonies. Many of these are managed by ladies. Juvenile associations have also been organized in many localities.
Agents have been appointed both at home and abroad to investi gate local requirements, to supply information for the guidance of the committee, and to suggest the best means of carrying out the great purpose of the society.
Depots for the sale of Scriptures have likewise been opened in almost every town of England, and in many places abroad.
Colportage is employed to some extent in England, and very largely on the Continent and in India.
Grants to Societies are made on various conditions. When applied for by missionary societies and philanthropic institutions, copies of the Scriptures are supplied very freely ; while giants of money and paper are made to other societies in aid of the translation and printing of the Scriptures, when good reasons arc seen for the expenditure.
It may be added that the society does not encourage the gratuitous distribution of Bibles and Testaments, except under peculiar circumstances.
The first English New Testament printed by the society was issued in September 1805. Stereotype printing had just been intro duced ; and this invention, coupled with the society s plan of sell ing the Scriptures at a very low price, brought about a speedy and general reduction in the price of English Bibles. Besides this indirect benefit which has thus been secured to English readers, the investigations and exertions of the society first revealed, and then relieved, the great scarcity of Bibles which had previously existed. To show what the deficiency was, it may be mentioned that in 1812 inquiry was made into the case of 17,000 families in the metropolis, when it was discovered that half of them did not possess a Bible at all.
The efforts of the society in India are organized upon a scale and with a completeness scarcely rivalled elsewhere. Bible circulation in India owes its origin mainly to the zeal of the Serampore mis sionaries, especially of Carey, Marshman, and Ward, whose labours had begun shortly before the Bible Society was formed. It was stimulated by the exertions of Dr Claudius Buchanan, and by the establishment of the college at Fort William. Gradually auxiliary societies were formed at important centres such as Calcutta, Bom bay, Madras, Allahabad, &c. One of these auxiliaries alone that at Madras circulated in 1874-75 over 120,000 copies, and employed 55 native colporteurs. The assistance afforded by the society to India and Ceylon in grants of money, paper, and books including 27,230 supplied to Dr Carey and his associates amounts to no less a sum than 361,193.
When the society began to inquire into the state of the Continent, the dearth of Scriptures was found to be greater, if possible, than at home. Thus, in Lithuania, among 18,000 Germans, 7800 Polish, and 7000 Lithuanian families, not a Bible was to be found. One half of the population of Holland appeared to be without the Scrip tures. In Poland a Bible could hardly be obtained at any price. In the district of Dorpat (Esthonia), containing 106,000 inhabitants, not 200 Testaments were to be found, and there were Christian pastors who did not possess the Scriptures in the dialect in which they preached. Into Iceland, with a population of 50,000, of whom almost all could read, not above 40 or 50 copies had penetrated ; while in Sweden a single auxiliary found 13,900 families totally unprovided.
