Hanes bywyd
Cafodd Evan Andrews ei eni yng Nghydweli tua 1804, yn fab i William a Mary Andrews. Aeth i Ysgol Caerfyrddin ac ennill gradd B.A. yn 1834. Ar 21ain o Ebrill 1835, priododd ag Anne Price yn Cil-y-cwm, Sir Gaerfyrddin. Cafodd hi ei geni ym 1794 yn Llanymddyfri, a chawsont ddwy ferch: Mary Ann Gwladus a anwyd yn 1837 yng Nghil-y-cwm; a Sarah Margaretta Gwenllian, oedd yn cael ei hadnabod fel Gwenllian, a anwyd yn 1838 yng Nglan-y-Fferi, Sir Gaerfyrddin.
Cafodd Evan Andrews ei ordeinio yn ddiacon Anglicanaidd yn 1840, ac yn offeiriad yn 1841. O 1840 hyd 1844 bu'n gurad yn Sant Ishmael, Cydweli. Yna o 1844 hyd 1849 roedd yn gurad yn Nolgellau, Sir Feirionydd. O 1849 bu'n rheithor Llanfrothen, Sir Feirionydd, hyd fis Hydref 1865. Yna symudodd yn ôl i Dde Cymru. O 1865 ymlaen bu'n ficer Llandefaelog, Sir Gaerfyrddin. Roedd yn byw yn Glammorlais Villa, ger Cydweli. “Roedd ganddo feddwl craff, treiddgar; yn ysgolhaig da ac yn uchel ei barch.” Torrodd ei iechyd yn 1868, a bu farw ar Ionawr 11eg 1869, yn 65 mlwydd oed, yn Arlys, Cydweli. Cafodd ei gladdu ym mynwent Eglwys y Santes Fair, Cydweli. Priododd ei ferch Mary Ann Gwladus Andrews y Captain David Albony Price yn 1861. Bu farw ei wraig Anne yn y Wern yn 1873. Bu farw ei ferch Mary Ann yn 1920, gyda phlant, a bu farw ei ferch ddibriod Gwenllian yn 1922.
Cyfieithiad o'r Septuagint
Cyhoeddodd yr SPCK argraffiad o'r Septuagint yn Mehefin 1859. Efallai mai dyna ysbrydolodd Evan Andrews i fynd ati i gyfieithu y Septuagint (LXX) o'r Groeg i'r Gymraeg. Rhwng Rhagfyr 1864 a Chwefror 1865 ymddangosodd cyhoeddiadau mewn rhai papurau Cymreig yn datgan y byddai'r gyfrol gyntaf o'r Septuagint yn cael ei gyhoeddi yn y Gymraeg pan lwyddid i dderbyn 500 o danysgrifwyr. Welsh newspapers declaring that the first volume of the Septuagint would be published in Welsh, once he had received 500 subscribers. Cynhyrchodd sampl o'r gwaith yn 1865, a'u hanfon at glerigwyr er mwyn cael ymateb. Y cynllun oedd cyhoeddi y Septuagint mewn tair cyfrol. Roedd y gyfrol gyntaf i gynnwys y Pum Llyfr, yr ail gyfrol Josua i'r Salmau, a'r drydedd gyfrol i gynnwys y gweddill.
Roedd Evan Andrews wedi cwblhau ei gyfieithiad o'r Pum Llyfr a rhan o Lyfr Josua, gan gynnwys esboniad. Roedd wedi bwriadu ei argraffu fel cyfrol gyntaf y Septuagint, mewn rhifynnau misol. Genesis 1 hyd 10:2, yn cynnwys hanes y Creu a'r Dilyw, oedd y cyntaf. Yr enw arno oedd.
Y Rhifyn Cyntaf o’r Septuagint, neu y Beibl Santaidd, Yn ol Cyfieithiad y LXX. Cafodd ei argraffu yng Nghaerfyrddin gan W. Spurrell yn 1866 a'i werthu am 7d. Cafodd ei hysbysebu yn y papurau Cymreig rhwng 1866 a Ionawr 1867, gyda geirda gan rai. “Cafodd ei galonogi gan farn rhai o ysgolheigion blaenllaw Cymru; ond cafwyd nad oedd gwerthiant y rhifyn cyntaf yn cyfiawnhau bwrw ymlaen”. Bu farw'r Parch Evan Andrews yn Ionawr 1869, heb gyflawni ei freuddwyd o gyhoeddi argraffiad Cymraeg o'r Septuagint.
Argraffiad Digidol
Mae'r y cyfieithiad o Genesis 1 hyd 10:2 wedi ei ddigido o'r argraffiad gyhoeddwyd yn 1866, ond heb gynnwys yr esboniadaeth.
English
Biography
Evan Andrews was born at Kidwelly in about 1804, son of William and Mary Andrews. He attended Carmarthen School and got a B.A. in 1834. On 21st April 1835, he married Anne Price at Cil-y-cwm, Carmarthenshire. She was born in 1794 in Llandovery, and they had 2 daughters: Mary Ann Gwladus was born 1837 in Cil-y-cwm; and Sarah Margaretta Gwenllian, known as Gwenllian, who was born in 1838 in Ferry Side, Camarthenshire.
Evan Andrews was ordained as an Anglican deacon in 1840, and priest in 1841. From 1840 to 1844 he was curate of Ishmael’s, Kidwelly. Then from 1844 to 1849 he was curate of Dolgellau, in Merionethshire. From 1849 he was rector of Llanfrothen, Merionethshire, until October 18657. Then he moved back to south Wales. From 1865 he was vicar of Llandefaelog, in Carmarthenshire. He lived at Glammorlais Villa, near Kidwelly. “He was of a sharp, penetrating mind, a good scholar and much respected.” He fell ill in mid 1868, and died on January 11th 1869, aged 65 at Arlys, Kidwelly. He was buried at St Mary’s churchyard, Kidwelly. He left his widow and 2 daughters. His daughter Mary Ann Gwladus Andrews had married Captain David Albony Price in 1861. His wife Anne died at Wern in 1873. His daughter Mary Ann Price died in 1920, with descendants, and his daughter Gwenllian died unmarried in 1922.
Septuagint Translation
An edition of the Septuagint was produced by SPCK in June 1859. This is what maybe inspired Evan Andrews to translate the Septuagint (LXX) from Greek into Welsh. In December 1864 through to February 1865 notices appeared in some Welsh newspapers declaring that the first volume of the Septuagint would be published in Welsh, once he had received 500 subscribers. He produced a specimen in 1865, and he sent them to different clergy to get feedback. The plan was to produce the Septuagint in three volumes. The first volume was planned to cover the Penteteuch, the second volume was planned to cover Joshua to Psalms, and the third volume was planned to cover the rest.
Evan Andrews had completed his translation of the Penteteuch and part of Joshua, including commentary. He then planned to publish the Penteteuch as the first volume of the Septuagint, in monthly instalments. The first edition consisted of Genesis 1 to 10:2, covering Creation to the Flood. It was entitled as Y Rhifyn Cyntaf o’r Septuagint, neu y Beibl Santaidd, Yn ol Cyfieithiad y LXX. It was published in Carmarthen by W. Spurrell in 1866 and sold for 7d. This was advertised in Welsh newspapers from October 1866 through to January 1867, with some testimonials. “He was encouraged by the opinion of some leading Welsh scholars; but found that the sale of the first number did not justify him in proceeding”. Rev Evan Andrews died in January 1869, and never completed his dream of publishing a Welsh edition of the Septuagint.
Digital Edition
The translation of Genesis 1 to 10:2 has been digitised from the printed edition from 1866, but not including the commentary.
