Italiano / Italian: Piedmontese Bible History (3)

**List: Italian Ministry the Holy Bible ( la Sacra Bibbia ) Italian: Piedmontese... PIEDMONTESE. "PIEDMONT, which constitutes the most valuable part of the Sardinian dominions, is an extensive plain, stretching, as its name imports (Pie di monte), from the foot of the Alps to that of the Apennines. The total number of inhabitants amounted, in 1857, to upwards of 3,000,000.   A Romance dialect called Piedmontese is still spoken in Piedmont: it is closely allied to the old Provençal language of Southern France, but has of late admitted many Italian words.   Le Long speaks of a MS. of the New Testament written about the year 1500, and preserved (as above mentioned) at Zurich; but it is probable that this was only a copy made for the use of the Piedmontese from the celebrated Provençal version of the Waldenses already described.   This Piedmontese New Testament was among the list of books prohibited at Rome in 1740, by a decree of the Congregation of the Index of Prohibited Books.    In 1831, a translation of the New Testament, faithfully rendered from Martin's French version into modern Piedmontese, was forwarded to the Committee of the British and Foreign Bible Society, by Lieut.-Colonel Beckwith.   The translation had been made by the Rev. Mr. Berte, pastor of La Tour, and Mr. Geymet of Lausanne.   An edition of 1000 copies, printed in the same form and type as the Vaudois Gospels, was completed by the Society in 1834, and the press was corrected by Lieut.- Colonel Beckwith.   In 1837, 2000 copies of the Gospels of St. Luke and St. John were issued by the Society, in parallel columns with the French text.   This edition was followed, in 1841, by the publi- cation of a Piedmontese version of the Psalms, executed from Dlodati's Italian version.   The edition of the Psalms consisted of 1000 copies, printed in parallel columns with the Italian text.   Owing to the interested opposition of the Romish priesthood, these editions did not obtain so rapid a circulation as might have been anticipated; and in 1840 the Society's version of the New Testament was put on the Index of forbidden books at Rome.   But within recent years, the policy pursued by the Sardinian government in this regard has been one of tolerance, if not of encouragement.   At the present moment the sale of Bibles is great at Turin; there are shops opened for the purpose simply as a matter of profit: the higher classes especially have become readers of the Bible.   Sardinia, indeed, presents the only bright spot in the whole of Italy, in so far as the circulation of the Word of God is concerned."--The Bible of Every Land. (1860, Second Edition)   Samuel Bagster   [Info only] PIEDMONTESE.--The Bible of Every Land. (1860, Second Edition)   Samuel Bagster   [Info only: n.d. John 1:1-14 TR (Fieul unic = only Son).]

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