Theodosius the Younger took upon him the Defence of the Christian Churches in Persia, which were in great Danger of being quite exterminated by their King. In the time of Cosroës, who was contemporary with Heraclius, there were yet a great Number of Christian Churches throughout Persia. We cannot reasonably doubt, but that the Christians in Persia always had a Translation of the Bible in their Tongue; but there is nothing left of it now a-days: And the modern Persian Language is nothing else but a mixture of several other Languages, being entirely degenerated from what it was in ancient Times. The Persian Translations of some Books of Scrip∣ture, which we now have, are of a very modern Date. The Pentateuch inserted in the English Polyglotts is translated by a certain Jew, called Tavose or Tavuse, from the Hebrew, for the Use of the Jews, and printed in Hebrew Characters, with the Hebrew Text, and with the Versions of Onkelos and Saadias at Constantinople in the Year 1551. Mr. Walton had Two Persian Manuscripts of the Psalms; one transla∣ted by a Portuguese White Fryar, and the other by some Jesuits, which he did not judge worthy to be inserted in his Polyglotts.
It is beyond all question, that many Ages past, the Christian Religion was esta∣blished in Armenia, and that there were great and flourishing Churches in those Parts. A certain Armenian Hermite, called Mesrop, whom they make contemporary with St. Chrysostom, is reputed the first Author of the Armenian Churches, and of the Armenian Translation of the Bible from the Greek and Syriac; but without any creditable Authority. Theodoret affirms, That in his Time the Bible was already translated into the Armenian Tongue, which is confirmed in the Lives of St. Sabas and Theodosius, cited by us before; but if we had not such ample Testimonies on our side, it is without question, that so soon as the Christian Religion was establish∣ed in Armenia, they had a Translation of the Bible in that Tongue; in our Age, Uscan an Armenian Bishop, being sent abroad by the Patriarch of Armenia, caused an entire Armenian Translation of the Bible to be printed at Amsterdam in the Year 1664, which is the same used among the Christians in those Parts; but its Antiquity is very uncertain. This Bishop passing from thence through France, made a be∣ginning with an impression of several of their Books relating to their Church Of∣fice, at Marseilles, where he died before it could be brought to perfection.
The Muscovites, Iberians or Georgians, and the Inhabitants of Colchis and Mingre∣lia have likewise Translations of the Holy Scripture in their respective Languages from the Greek, but they are not very Ancient.
Some are of Opinion, that St. Jerom translated the Holy Scripture into the Dal∣matian Tongue, founded upon a certain Passage in his Letter to Sophronius: Quo∣rum (Septuaginta) translationem diligentissimè emendatam olim meae Linguae hominibus dederim. Which has induced them to believe, that St. Jerom being a Native of Dalmatia, speaks in this Place of his Mother Tongue; but there is no doubt, but that he speaks here of the Latin, the common Language of the West, as may be seen in his Preface to Joshua, where speaking of his Latin Translation from the Hebrew, he says, that he offers it to those that understand his Language: Sciat me non in reprehensionem veterum nova cudere, sicut amici mei criminantur; sed pro virili parte offerre Linguae meae hominibus.
There are those also, who pretend, that St. Augustin makes mention of a Version of Psalms in the Punic Tongue in his Commentary upon the 118th Psalm; though he speaks not of the Holy Psalms in that Place, but only of the Alphabetical Songs, which were made in his Time, sometimes in the Punic, sometimes in the Latin Tongue; his whole meaning being no more than that they were not so exact to commence each Verse of these Songs by the same Letter, as it was observable in the 118th Psalm. Omnes Octonos Versus in Hebraicis Codicibus ab ea quae illis proponitur littera incipere, ab eis qui illas noverunt litteras nobis indicatum est, quod multò diligentius factum est, quàm nostri vel Latinè vel Punicè, quos Abecedarios vocant Psalmos facere con∣sueverunt. It is very uncertrin whether the Bible was ever translated into the Punic Tongue, the Latin being the common Language used in all the Cities of Africa, whereas the Punic was only retained among the Country Fellows and Slaves, as is evident from many Passages in St. Augustin. For it is manifest out of his Ser∣mons, that they preached generally in Latin in the Cities of Africa; in his four and twenty Sermons upon the Words of the Apostle, alledging a Punic Proverb, he tells them that he will give it them in Latin and not in the Punic Tongue, be∣cause that all of them did not understand the last: Latinè vobis dicam, quia Punicè non omnes nostis, which shews plainly that all his Auditors did not understand the Punic Tongue, but the Latin. The Alphabetical Psalm had been composed by St. Augustin for the benefit of the Vulgar and Ignorant Sort of People, which