# Translator’s Preface.

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The principal object in writing this preface is to
point out the chief difficulties I had to contend with
while engaged in this truly laborious and exhaustive
task. I do this not for the purpose of exciting sympathy
on my behalf, but to convey to the reader an
appropriate idea of the perplexing nature of the
work that has engrossed my closest attention, and
absorbed so much of my energy and care for nearly
three years. The reader will thereby be prepared
to view with greater leniency the unavoidable inconsistencies
and other imperfections his critical eye
may discover.

First of all, I will state, that the original is written
in a language that has now been obsolete for many
years; which proved a very great obstacle, since no
dictionary obtainable could at all times give the
desired information; hence the meaning of many
words and phrases had to be ascertained by long
and laborious research and comparison, which necessarily
did not always preclude the possibility of an
error, though I have taken great pains to give as
correct a rendition as possible.

Another feature of the original, that frequently
proved very trying is, that it consists in great part
of letters written by comparatively illiterate persons,
in consequence of which the language used is very
often ambiguous or obscure, necessitating an incalculable
amount of weighing and comparing, without
affording certainty of having apprehended the writer’s
true meaning.

Still another perplexing obstacle was the fact,
that, many proper names occurring in the work, and
foreign to the language of the original, having apparently
been incorrectly transcribed, it was not
always possible to determine the exact spelling of
such names; which, though desirable, is, however,
not of any material consequence.

But the greatest and most harassing difficulty of
all was the circumstance that the version of the Bible
used by the various authors of the work differed
in many, and, sometimes, in very essential points
from our English translation, making it an utter
impossibility, to adopt an inflexible rule, without
involving one’s self in countless errors and misconstructions.
The course I generally pursued was,
that when the rendering of the passage, or passages,
given or used in the original, almost coincided with,
or at least did not materially differ from that of our
English Bible, I would take the quotation in question
verbatim from the latter; while, when the discrepancy
was too considerable, or an argument depended
on the exact rendition, I translated the
phrase or passage to be quoted literally from the
original. Hence the reader will perceive, that this
made it an absolute impossibility to adhere to one,
invariable rule; and if he but knew the amount of
careful thought, and anxiety, expended in drawing
the line, when to quote from the English version,
and when to translate literally, he could not but
heartily sympathize with the translator, and kindly
overlook any shortcomings he may discover.

With regard to the marginal notes or remarks, I
would state that I have invariably translated them
when they contained anything necessary for the
complete understanding of the subject under consideration;
but frequently they are simply a resume
of a paragraph, or side remarks of the compiler,
without any information or value for the reader; in
this case I have omitted them.

These are the chief points I would have the
reader consider, for by bearing them in mind he
will be enabled to judge understandingly, and also,
charitably, of the manner in which the translator
has performed his task. To claim that this translation
contains no errors would be simply preposterous,
when all circumstances are taken into consideration;
but I can truthfully say that I have
conscientiously striven to furnish the reader with as
correct a translation as it was in my power to give.
How I have succeeded I leave to the reader to
judge. Trusting that the contemplation of the
faith, the self-sacrificing zeal, and the religious fervor
of these martyrs of former ages will leave its
imprint for good upon the hearts of those who shall
read this book, I now consign it to the hands of the
printer.

Joseph F. Sohm.

5

![Illustration from Martyrs’ Mirror](/sources/martyrs-mirror/images/i0109.jpg)

## Original source

[Read this passage on Project Gutenberg](https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/65855/pg65855-images.html#Translators_Preface)

[Edition details](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65855)

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