William Joseph Lowe

William Joseph Lowe (1840-1927), born in London, was another very useful collaborator in Darby’s translation of the Bible into French. Desiring to enter into missionary work among the French Canadians of Quebec, he moved to Switzerland in 1866 in order to improve his French. It was at this time that he came in contact with Darby. He was then 26 years old. His knowledge of the language would make him a valuable collaborator in Darby’s translation of the Bible into French.

Darby’s autobiographer, Marion Field, informs us that Lowe read and corrected the French manuscript. She goes on to say that “Darby was so impressed by the quality of the corrections that he asked Lowe to continue working with him.” A quotation from Max Weremchuk’s account of Lowe’s life gives Darby’s exact words to the young man: “You are just the person we need; put aside what you are working on and help us.” As time went on, Lowe became one of Darby’s closest collaborators. Together they gathered a great quantity of critical notes, as one can see from the second edition of Darby’s French New Testament (1872).

From the pen of a certain Frédéric Cuendet we learn about an event that happened just a few days before the death of Darby: “J.N.D. had a great love for W. J. Lowe, a faithful collaborator with whom he had laboured for several years, particularly in the translation of the Bible. One afternoon when Lowe paid him a visit, Darby, who had but few days to live, seized him by the hand, kissed it, and expressed his gratitude for the wonderful years of collaboration, adding: “We have laboured together and we have rejoiced together. God bless you.”

Sources

Despins, Gilles. La Bible Darby et son histoire, Trois Rivières (Québec), Éditions Impact, 2019. Translation by RS.