[IN PROGRESS] Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin (John Allen translation)

Suggest and discuss books to read (all languages welcome!)
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dronald
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Post by dronald »

Firstly, I understand that the Henry Beveridge translation has been completed here at Librivox (which bits and pieces I had listened to long before I joined here) but I think this would serve as a great new group project and wouldn't be quite as redundant as one might expect.

Ironically, an average reader would probably feel as though Beveridge had written in a higher or older style of English even though he wrote 32 years after John Allen. Compare the beginning of the address to the Emperor for example. Bold is Allen:

Sire,—When I first engaged in this work, nothing was farther from my thoughts than to write what should afterwards be presented to your Majesty. When I began this work, Sire, nothing was further from my thoughts than writing a book which would afterwards be presented to your Majesty. My intention was only to furnish a kind of rudiments, by which those who feel some interest in religion might be trained to true godliness. My intention was only to lay down some elementary principles, by which inquirers on the subject of religion might be instructed in the nature of true piety. And I toiled at the task chiefly for the sake of my countrymen the French, multitudes of whom I perceived to be hungering and thirsting after Christ, while very few seemed to have been duly imbued with even a slender knowledge of him. And this labour I undertook chiefly for my countrymen, the French, of whom I apprehended multitudes to be hungering and thirsting after Christ, but saw very few possessing any real knowledge of him. That this was the object which I had in view is apparent from the work itself, which is written in a simple and elementary form adapted for instruction. That this was my design, the book itself proves by its simple method and unadorned composition.

But when I perceived that the fury of certain bad men had risen to such a height in your realm, that there was no place in it for sound doctrine, But when I perceived that the fury of certain wicked men in your kingdom had grown to such a height, as to leave no room in the land for sound doctrine, I thought it might be of service if I were in the same work both to give instruction to my countrymen, and also lay before your Majesty a Confession, from which you may learn what the doctrine is that so inflames the rage of those madmen who are this day, with fire and sword, troubling your kingdom. I thought I should be usefully employed, if in the same work I delivered my instructions to them, and exhibited my confession to you, that you may know the nature of that doctrine, which is the object of such unbounded rage to those madmen who are now disturbing the country with fire and sword. For I fear not to declare, that what I have here given may be regarded as a summary of the very doctrine which, they vociferate, ought to be punished with confiscation, exile, imprisonment, and flames, as well as exterminated by land and sea. For I shall not be afraid to acknowledge, that this treatise contains a summary of that very doctrine, which, according to their clamours, deserves to be punished with imprisonment, banishment, proscription, and flames, and to be exterminated from the face of the earth.

-------

I also think it would be nice to have a version that does not have all of the introductions which are found in the Beveridge translation. Henry Beveridge has "Sections" where he gives an appendix of the text before proceeding to the translation its self.

And finally (because it's always nice to have three reasons), The catalog date of the last book of Institutes by Henry Beveridge was on June 07, 2011. That means the ten year anniversary of its catalog is coming up; and who doesn't love celebrating anniversaries?

Source text here: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/45001/45001-h/45001-h.html#toc5
InTheDesert
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Post by InTheDesert »

Great minds think alike! I have always thought that Beveridge is just unneccesarily wordy (and there's the marmosets thing) and so I went back through the several English translations and I felt like Allen was the best (also, the second volume of that translation just made it onto PG). Except one wouldn't exactly call it a small task...
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InTheDesert
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Post by InTheDesert »

I'm making a start on this slowly. My goal is to make it as easy as possible for a listener to get into the text and actually finish it so I'm going to
  • Skip all the prefaces and introductions and just start at book 1 chapter 1
  • Skip all summaries of the material and just read the actual chapters (the collaborative version can have up to 7 minutes of summary from Henry.Bev at the start of a section!)
  • Skip the scripture references which Allen puts into footnotes anyway.
  • Make each file as close to 74 mins as possible (combining chapters) so that there are minimal disclaimers.
  • Put all 4 books into one project of approximately 50 sections so you can download it all at once.
For the first section, I managed to fit in Book1 Ch.1-5 in a single 74 minute file.
After hacking through a lot of EEBO, PG texts are absurdly easy to read!
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dronald
Posts: 379
Joined: July 7th, 2020, 7:54 pm

Post by dronald »

InTheDesert wrote: July 24th, 2021, 7:03 am I'm making a start on this slowly. My goal is to make it as easy as possible for a listener to get into the text and actually finish it so I'm going to
  • Skip all the prefaces and introductions and just start at book 1 chapter 1
  • Skip all summaries of the material and just read the actual chapters (the collaborative version can have up to 7 minutes of summary from Henry.Bev at the start of a section!)
  • Skip the scripture references which Allen puts into footnotes anyway.
  • Make each file as close to 74 mins as possible (combining chapters) so that there are minimal disclaimers.
  • Put all 4 books into one project of approximately 50 sections so you can download it all at once.
For the first section, I managed to fit in Book1 Ch.1-5 in a single 74 minute file.
After hacking through a lot of EEBO, PG texts are absurdly easy to read!
Wow, very cool.

If I could make a suggestion, I think the address to the emperor is still quite vital perhaps as the preface. I won't hold it against you no matter what you decide!
InTheDesert
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Post by InTheDesert »

What makes me reticent is the fact that I've recorded it before. But perhaps you're right.
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