Lot 423
Bible in Gaelic - Bedel, William (trans.)
Auction: 4 February 2009 at 11:00 GMT
Description
Leabhuir na Seintiomna... The books of the old testament.... London, 1685. 4to, translated by William Bedel, [2] title 1152 [2], contemporary guide to Irish letters pasted to reverse of title, contemporary calf gilt, hinges splitting, sections of backstrip worn or lost, interior clean
Footnote
Note: Darlow & Moule 5534
This is a copy of the first translation of the Old Testament into Gaelic by William Bedel.
William Bedel (1571-1642), a native of Essex, became Bishop of Kilmore and Ardagh in 1629. At the Church of Ireland Synod of 1634 he proposed a translation of the Old Testament into Irish to complement Uilleam Ó Domhnaill's translation of the New Testament, which had appeared in 1602. He employed Muircheartach Ó Cionga and an assistant, Séamus Ó Nógla to make a translation based on the King James Bible. Bedel, a considerable Irish scholar himself, reviewed and corrected their translation with reference to other versions of the Bible. The translation was completed by 1640 but before it could be published a rebellion broke out. The hardships that Bedel suffered during the rebellion contributed to his death on 7 February 1641. The manuscript of the translation was rescued by Bedel's friend Donnchadh Sioradáin who gave it to Archbishop Narcissus Marsh. Archbishop Marsh, with the aid of the Jesuits, Andrew Sall and Paul Higgins, revised the translation and brought it to a state ready for publication. Its publication, in an edition of around 500 copies, and the typeface used to print it were financed by Robert Boyle. (Cahill, Hugh Other languages of the British Isles, 2004)