Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 187, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 August 1916 — Bibles. [ARTICLE]

Bibles.

The first Bible printed in Americai was in an Indian language, translated by John Elliott, pioneer missionary to the Indians, and published at Cambridge, Mass., the New Testament in 1661, the entire Bible in 1663. In 1663 one William Bradford proposed to print an English Bible by subscription, the price of the book to subscribers being 20 shillings or a pound sterling. In 1777, during the Revolutionary war, there were so few Bibles in the little group of states that congress voted to print 30,000 copies. Even this was found impracticable. Type and paper were wanting, and by way of compromise 20,000 Bibles were then ordered to be Imported from Europe by authority of congress, the reason being given that “its use was so universal and it* importance so great.” But even this could not be done owing to the war embargo. The work was then undertaken in 1782 by Robert Aitken of Philadelphia as a private enterprise. Tho books were few and very dear.—Christian Herald.