There are scriptures, early scriptures in a number of local languages.
he explosive evangelistic outreach of the early church led to a large and rapid increase in the number of translations required. One obvious need was for a translation to support the outreach from Antioch (the base of Paul’s missionary journeys). The language of that area was Syrian and thus a number of Syrian texts were produced including the ‘Old Syriac’ and the Syro-Hexaplaric version which is a translation of the fifth column (amended LXX) of Origen. Eventually the Syrian Peshitta was produced which was a recension of a Syriac translation of the OT combined with a fifth century recension of the New Testament based upon Byzantine texts.
Other translations were produced towards the south. The Egyptians were using the Coptic script in three dialects Sahidic, Bohairic and the middle dialect each of which received a biblical translation. The Ethiopians, Gothics, Armenians, Georgians, Nestorians, Arabs, Slavs and many others also received translations that attest to the texts available at the time they were produced.
As Greek was the common language at the time the church first started to grow, Latin became the dominant language both of the Roman Empire but also the Roman Church. Initially Latin was seen as a common people’s language and Greek was still widely used for literary purposes. However an ‘Old Latin’ version came into existence that was read alongside the Greek, in much that same way that the targums had been read alongside the Hebrew Scripture in Palestine. These versions were only semi-official and split into different variations.
By the third and fourth centuries the multiplicity of Latin versions had become such an issue that Jerome was commissioned in 382AD to produce an updated and revised Latin bible. Jerome was a dedicated and capable worker and finished the Latin gospels by 384AD. By 387AD he had produced a version of the Psalter possibly based upon Origen’s revised LXX. Jerome then commenced a revision of the entire LXX but eventually translated the Hebrew scriptures into Latin which he completed by 405AD; albeit in the face of much heated opposition.
http://www.dabhand.org/Essays/BI501%20C27%20working_around_babel.htm
The churches that produced the bibles in the East pretty much fall into the Orthodox circles, with some other ancient churches represented. And it was done early.
FYI. The historian in me just sneaks out once in awhile.
Yes, I think you’re facts are correct. Translations existed and evolved simply because people could read and write. I wouldn’t go on record as saying large masses could read but there were enough.