“Satan has as many translators as there are frivolous and impudent minds that handle the Scriptures.”
Without wading into the Calvin/Castellio controversy, this statement is nevertheless somewhat apropos to the topic of Bible translations. This following quote is Theodore Beza. It is supposed to be taken from the French Bible translation by Beza. The English translation below is from The Right to Heresy: Castellio Against Calvin, by Stefan Zweig.
“Satan, our old opponent, having recognized that he cannot, as of yore, arrest the progress of God’s word, uses even more dangerous methods. For a long time there was no French translation of the Bible, or at least no translation worthy of the name. Now Satan has found as many translators as there are frivolous and impudent minds; and he will probably find even more, unless God give them pause before it is too late. If the reader asks me for an example, let me refer to Sebastian Castellio’s translation of the Bible into Latin and French—Castellio being a man whose name is well known to our Church because of his ingratitude and impudence, and also because so much trouble has been taken in the vain endeavour to keep him on the right path. We therefore regard it as a conscientious duty to break the silence we have hitherto kept, and to warn all Christians against this man, the chosen of Satan.” (The Right to Heresy: Castellio Against Calvin, by Stefan Zweig, Eden and Paul Cedar, translators. Boston, MA: The Beacon Press, 1951, p. 203)
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