Photo: SBB File
WORLD
Speakers of the Nbdele language, in South Africa, recently received the full Bible in their mother tongue.
THE BIBLE IN 2,544 LANGUAGES The continuous effort to make the biblical message accessible to every person is presented in the Scripture Language Report. “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.” (John 3:16). After reading this verse translated into his mother tongue, a member of the Nadëb tribe, a Brazilian native people from the State of Amazonas, held in his hands the copy of New Testament he had just received, looked at everyone present, and said: “Today, I’m sure there’s eternal life. Thank you!” With approximately 320 speakers, the Nadëb people recently received the New Testament published in their language by Bible Society of Brazil (SBB). This publication is one of the 27 new editions of the biblical text printed until December 31, 2012, according to data provided in the Scripture Language Report. In total, publications of the biblical text have already been registered in 2,544 different languages: 1,249 New Testaments, 810
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Bible Portions, and 485 full Bibles. The report includes translations made by the United Bible Societies (UBS), as well as Scriptures translated and published by several other organizations, thus offering a worldwide panorama of the work being developed to spread the biblical message. In addition to publications in their first editions, the report also shows the progress of revisions and new editions, revealing the efforts made by the organizations involved in order to constantly update the language and improve the publications. This document is prepared with information collected by SBB’s Bible Museum, in Brazil, and by SBU’s Bible Department, located at Cambridge University Library, in England. Among the peoples that now have the full Holy Scriptures in their mother tongue is the Inuit people, also known as Eskimos. It took 34 years of work to make the full
North America
Caribbean Islands, Central America, Mexico & South America
Africa
Asia
Total Portions: 810 New Testaments: 1249
Total: 3
Bibles: 1
Portions: 2
New Testaments: 0
Total: 212
Bibles: 63
Portions: 110
Total: 619
New Testaments: 266
Bibles: 147
Portions: 206
Total: 745
New Testaments: 340
Bibles: 189
Portions: 216
Total: 437
New Testaments: 299 Bibles: 37
Portions: 101
Total: 79
Bibles: 8
Portions: 40
New Testaments: 31
REPORT SUMMARY
Ndebele language, which is spoken in Southern African countries, the full Bible is available in the following languages in South Africa: Zulu; Xhosa; Afrikaans; Sepedi; Setswana; Sotho; Xitsonga; Swazi; Tshivenda; and English. The second major translation effort is taking place in Asia, where 619 languages already have at least part of the Scriptures translated. Christians from the Wa people, living in Myanmar, received the full Bible in 2012 as well. “Today, from the bottom of my heart, I praise God because I have the Word of God in my own language. I never saw a copy of the Bible when I was young,” said Baptist Pastor Ainap Tao during the launch of the publication. Erní Seibert, SBB’s Communications & Social Outreach Secretary, who is in charge of preparing the document, remembers that there are about 7 thousand languages in the world, therefore, the number of people without access to the biblical message in their mother tongue is still very large. “Our challenge is to reach all peoples, but we thank God for allowing our efforts to translate Europe Constructed Languages the biblical message to have already yielded such excellent results,” says Seibert.■ New Testaments: 39
Bible in the Inuktitut language available to this people from Canada’s Arctic region. Started in 1978, this is the first translation of the Holy Book made entirely by native speakers of the language within this country, under the coordination of the Canadian Bible Society. “This is the first time our people will have the full Bible in their language,” said Benjamin T. Arreak, an Anglican Bishop and coordinator of the translation team. The African continent has the largest number of translations. There, the Word of God can be found in 745 languages. South Africa has just celebrated the launch of the Holy Scriptures in the Ndebele language, accomplishing its mission of making the biblical text available in the country’s 11 official languages. In addition to the
Bibles: 485 Total: 2544
BIBLES ARRIVE IN GUINEA-BISSAU On April 28, the Assembly of God Church of Jundiaí (State of São Paulo, Brazil), led by Pastor Esequias Soares, distributed 10 thousand Bibles in a local Creole dialect to Christians in GuineaBissau. This was made in partnership with Assemblies of God Publishing House. The copies were donated to Assembly of
God Church in Guinea-Bissau, located in Bissau, the country’s capital, during a Thanksgiving service. The celebration was led by Pastors Carlos Lopes and Esequias Soares. Another project developed by this partnership was the beginning of the construction of the Assemblies of God Biblical Institute in Guinea-Bissau.■
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PRAYER CALENDAR
THE WORD AS THE BASIS TO REBUILD A COUNTRY
Photo: UBS
In addition to bringing hope to the Haitian population, the distribution of the biblical message contributes to the growth of churches and the Haitian Bible Society.
The Bible comforted Jean Abâltre who suffered with the earthquake that destroyed Port-auPrince, Haiti’s capital.
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On January 12, 2010, a massive earthquake struck Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, and other four towns, destroying 60% of the buildings in just 35 seconds. The country, which had been fighting poverty and social injustice for a long time, went into collapse. The tragedy made Haitian Bible Society (HBS) intensify solidarity activities targeting the population, thus bringing solace and hope through the Word to thousands of people. “Thanks to the generosity of Bible Societies and Christians worldwide, we have received and distributed dozens of thousands of Bibles and New Testaments, in addition to 200 thousand Bible Portions. This work made God’s message more visible in our country and contributed to the
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growth of churches and our organization,” says Magda Victor, HBS’ General Secretary. Jean Albâtre Richemené, benefited by this action, believes that the new Bible arrived just in time. “I consider receiving this Bible from HBS a miracle. It comforted me during difficult moments and helped me make invaluable changes in my life.” The missionary Arnicia Paisible tells that, thanks to the Bible she has received from HBS, she can continue her work of preaching and teaching the Word of God. “I plucked up courage and understood how to do my job of reaching people better through God’s message.” One of the main projects developed by HBS this year is called “A Response to the Earthquake,” whose objective is to comfort people who lost relatives and properties, thus contributing to help them rebuild their lives based on the message of the Scriptures. Another initiative from HBS to strengthen the presence of God’s Word in the country is the translation of the Bible into Creole. “More and more, several segments of our society are adopting this native language, particularly in churches. Pastors, however, do not have a proper version of the Bible available for the evangelistic work. Therefore, we’ve decided to invest in the publication of a Study Bible in Haitian Creole, which will include content to meet the expectations of pastors and Christians who only speak this language,” explains the General Secretary.
In parallel, the organization tries to reach children enrolled in schools through the distribution of the booklet “Lavi Jezi” (“The Life of Jesus”). In 2013, 15 thousand copies have already been donated. And, in order to reach young people with the Word of God, HBS has been using new communication technologies. “We’re on Facebook since September 2011, and, in February 2012, we launched a website,” tells Magda Victor. In another action targeting Haitian youth, Haitian Bible Society has put together an exhibit about the World of God through history, where visitors can associate biblical facts to historical facts in an interactive way. Social issues, intensified by the
PRAYERS FOR THE QUARTER
Indonesia: Ask for Christian Churches to work united and support the activities developed by Bible Society. Iran: Pray for lasting peace and for the end of political tensions. Iraq: Ask God to protect the partners that help to distribute the Bible. Iceland: Thank for the greater participation of churches in the Bible work. Israel: Pray that God continues to support the work developed by Bible Society of Israel. Italy: Pray for the distribution of Bibles to the poor and the marginalized. Jamaica: Pray that God provides assistance to the Jamaican people and for the end of violence. Japan: Pray that the families of victims of the tsunami can find courage and hope in the Word of God. Jordan: Pray that people who do know the Bible can experience a profound relationship with God. Kuwait: Pray for lasting peace and political stability.
consequences of the earthquake, are addressed by HBS as well. Such is the case of domestic violence, a serious problem rooted in poor education, impunity and oppression against women. A program targeting people suffering from this kind of violence was created in 2012. It promotes education in the light of Christian principles. Volunteers are trained during three days and then go to the field, with biblical materials, with the mission of spreading a message of peace, understanding and support to the families. After the first activities, the program started to be supported by Christian organizations that provide facilitators for meetings, logistics, Scriptures, and other materials.■
Laos: Thank God for the efforts made in Bible translation projects. Lesotho: Pray for the projects targeting people facing situations of social risk. Latvia: Pray that the Bible can reach more people and impact their lives. Lebanon: Pray for the programs that teach biblical values to children. Liberia: Pray for the Holy Bible translation projects in the country. Libya: Pray for those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. Liechtenstein: Pray that more Scriptures are distributed in the country. Lithuania: Thank God for the distribution of Scriptures in schools and to orphans and the elderly. Luxembourg: Pray for the efforts to encourage people to read the Word of God. Macau: Ask God to help spread the biblical message throughout the country. Macedonia: Pray for the Bible in
Braille projects in the country. Madagascar: Pray that God offers new opportunities to spread his Word. Malaysia: Ask God to provide wisdom, guidance and courage to Bible Society’s team. Malawi: Pray for the expansion of the Scripture distribution network in the country. Maldives: Pray for the expansion of the Scripture distribution work. Mali: Thank God for the good progress of Scripture translation and distribution projects. Malta: Pray for new fund-raising strategies for the Bible work in the country. Morocco: Pray that funds are raised to continue the Bible work in the country. Mauritius: Ask God for the spiritual maturity of the population. Mauritania: Pray for the team that works in this Islamic-majority country.
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TRANSLATION Photo: Jaime Souzza
THE FULL BIBLE IN KAIWÁ Thanks to the dedication of the missionary Loraine Bridgman, the Kaiwá indigenous people now have access to the full text of the Holy Scriptures.
Loraine Bridgman (right) participated in the translation of the New Testament and led the translation of the Old Testament.
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“After reading the Books of Psalms and Proverbs, Xisto Sanches’ wife asked me: ‘Did David really have all those enemies?’ I said that he really had. Her answer was: ‘If he had all those enemies and still praised the Lord, then I must do the same. I have to praise the Lord like David did.’” This testimony was given by Germínia Sanches, from the Kaiwá tribe, and was found among the notes left by the American missionary Loraine Bridgman. Lorena, as she was affectionately called by the Kaiwá,
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led the translation of the Old Testament into this language, but she could not see her biggest dream come true: the full revised Bible in the Kaiwá language. The missionary passed away on January 29, 2013. The Bible was delivered to missionaries from the Kaiwá tribe on June 19 at Bible Society of Brazil’s National Headquarters, in Barueri (State of São Paulo), and it will be delivered to the Kaiwás on August 31, when the Caiuá Evangelical Mission celebrates 85 years of existence. It was published thanks
to a joint effort between Bible Society of Brazil (SBB), SIL International, Caiuá Evangelical Mission and ALEM (Evangelical Missionary Linguistic Association). The publication contains the Old Testament, completed in 2011, and the revision of the New Testament, published for the first time in 1986. “It’s with immense joy that we deliver the full Bible to the Kaiwás. Another people will have access to the full text of the Holy Scriptures,” celebrates Paulo Teixeira, SBB’s Translation & Publications Secretary. “SBB’s relationship with the Kaiwá tribe began through Lorena, who contacted us in 2000 asking if we could publish Portions of the Books of Genesis, Psalms and Proverbs in their language. They were the first Bible Portions for an indigenous people published by SBB after many years,” recalls Teixeira. Pastor Salvador Sanches, who was part of the translation team, did not hide his emotion to see the Holy Book in his language. “My grandfather was a “Pajé” (Shaman). At first, it was very difficult to understand the Word because my family was very attached to tradition and culture. It was through the Word that I understood that my culture harmonizes with God. I’m sure that with the Bible in our language my people will understand that following Jesus will lead them to eternal life,” explains Sanches. The translation of the Scriptures into the Kaiwá language started in the 1970’s, when Lorena translated, together with the English missionaries John and Audrey Taylor, the New Testament into the language. In 1988, Lorena began the translation of the Old Testament. In 2004, when she was about to retire, she had translated 70% of the text. So Lorena had the idea of inviting students from the Linguistics & Missiology Course offered by ALEM (Evangelical Missionary Linguistic Association) in order to continue the work. Pastor Cristiano Barros and his wife, Eliane Loman de Barros, accepted the challenge. “We were finishing our training and starting
to define our ministry. We felt that the Lord was calling us to finish this work so that the Kaiwás could have God’s Word in their mother tongue,” tells Barros. Under Lorena’s coordination, who had already returned to the United States, the couple continued the translation of the Old Testament with the assistance of Caiuá Evangelical Mission’s leaders and several Kaiwás. The work was completed in six years. With an estimated population of 43 thousand, according to the 2010 Census, the Kaiwás live in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul. The evangelization of this people started in 1928 through Caiuá Evangelical Mission. “The Holy Book in this language will both meet the need of materials and encourage the young generation to preserve the language,” says Barros.■
The Kaiwá Bible contains the translation of the Old Testament, completed in 2011, and the revision of the New Testament, published for the first time in 1986.
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TRANSLATION
THE BOOK OF RUTH FOR GYPSIES
Bible Portion in Calon Chibi is launched to allow this population to have access to the Word of God.
Photo: SBB File
Group of Gypsies gathered around the translation of Book of Ruth into the Calon Chibi language.
“I thought that the Gypsy people could not serve God. But, through his Word, we discovered that we’re also sons of God.” The heartfelt statement was made by Antônio Alves Pereira, leader of the Gypsy camping site of the Calon Chibi group, located in Acreúna (State of Goiás). The reason for so much joy was the publication of the Book of Ruth in Calon Chibi, Pereira’s mother tongue. This is the first translation of the Holy Scriptures made for Brazilian Gypsies and it represents another effort made by Bible Society of Brazil (SBB) to spread the biblical message to everyone.
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Launched on May 24, at the First Baptist Church of Maringá (State of Paraná), during the 6th National Meeting for the Evangelization of Gypsies, the publication is a joint work carried out by several organizations: Friends of the Gypsies Mission; SIL International; Evangelical Missionary Linguistic Association, Antropos Institute; National Council of Indigenous Evangelical Pastors and Leaders; and Bible Society of Brazil. Because it is a short story, full of linguistic challenges and with many possibilities of application, the Book of Ruth was the first part translated by the project. According to Paulo Teixeira, SBB’s Translation & Publications Secretary, the translation of Book of Ruth is a large step for the preservation of this language. “This is just the beginning of one more mission undertaken by SBB, in partnership with other organizations, in order to bring the Word of God to a people in their mother tongue,” he says. “This is the first biblical text translated in full into the Calon Chibi Gypsy language in the history of the Calon people in Brazil. It will certainly be very useful because there are several parallels between ‘Gypsy life’ and the content of the book, since–like the Gypsies–Ruth was a foreigner who was included in God’s people through faith,” points out Pastor Igor Shi, a missionary from the Friends of the Gypsies Mission who was part of the translation team, stressing that it was very important to count on Gypsies to carry out this task.■
Photo: SBB File
TESTIMONY
HOLY BIBLE: BREAD FOR BODY AND SOUL My relationship with God through his of my purposes in life the donation of Word started because of two tribulations. Scriptures. Only the Word of God has the I discovered that my ex-husband was power to change our lives and sow the cheating on me, and, because of that, seeds of hope in our hearts. my daughter started to suffer from a When I bring the biblical message to deep depression. I almost lost her. I was women, I try to do so in a very special way. desperate to find a cure for my daughter, I am a cook, and, through colleagues, I so I decided to join a women’s prayer learned that it would be possible to bake group of the Methodist Church. A neighbor bread with objects inside it. So I thought: invited me when she saw my agony. why not do it with the Bible? There are no Upon arriving there, I was invited to secrets. I prepare my normal bread recipe enter by a seminarian. A beautiful melody and wrap the Bible with plastic film. Then echoed through the walls saying: “Father, I insert it as the bread filling and bake it Son and Holy Spirit...” It also normally. While I wrap the “I went in not said: “Waters that come to heal bread, I pray for the person believing and left my pains and illnesses”. That who receives the Holy Book to was precisely what I needed. sure that Jesus was have a life filled with blessings. I went in not believing and left I enjoy preparing the the solace...” sure that Jesus was the solace, “Baked Bible” when my biblical much greater than the music that was message is about the Lord’s Supper. The playing, and that I could give my life to him. goal is to show that the bread feeds our One of the sisters who were singing body, while the Word of God feeds our immediately gave me a Bible. And my soul.■ relationship of love with the Holy Book began right then. When I started reading Testimonies about the Bible If you have experienced an edifying experience with it, I noticed that it contained beautiful the Word of God, write to The Bible in Brazil magazine words that answered my questions about and/or to SBB’s website telling it. Those whose testimonies are selected and published will receive hate and forgiveness. I received numerous a copy of the NTLH Study Bible. Please send your blessings. The greatest one was my testimony with a photo to webmaster@sbb.org.br. daughter’s cure. Therefore, I set as one
Kátia Regina Torres is a missionary and Vice-President of the Methodist Women’s Fellowship of Campinas (State of São Paulo).
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NEW TRANSLATION IN TODAY’S LANGUAGE: 40 YEARS OF HISTORY
By offering a better understanding of God’s Word, the translation, launched in 1973, has been making the biblical text more accessible to the population in the last four decades. “Go throughout the whole world and preach the gospel to all people.” (Mark 16:15) (GNT) This guidance provided by Jesus to his disciples, soon after his resurrection, is the basis for evangelization and the mission of the United Bible Societies. In the mid 20th Century, because of the realization that large parts of the populations in several countries had insufficient education to understand the “NTLH uses a language close to our daily lives, so it makes it possible to understand what God wanted to say in each and every verse. It’s ideal for the evangelization of young people.” Josué Alexandre Sander, Saint Paul Lutheran Evangelical Congregation, Curitiba (State of Paraná).
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language used in the Bible translations available, an international movement was established to promote new translations. In Brazil, it promoted the development of the Translation in Today’s Language (TLH) by Bible Society of Brazil (SBB). The efforts culminated in the publication of the New Testament in 1973. After this release, the translation work continued, and, in 1988, the full TLH Bible was launched. Then, with the collaboration of Christian churches, the translation was revised and gave rise to the New Translation in Today’s Language (NTLH), released in 2000, which is currently used in more than 170 SBB’s titles and
nteers
Light in
accounts for 15.76% of the organization’s total distribution of Bibles. “The NTLH’s simple and understandable language enables new Word of God readers to better understand the divine message. Therefore, it became a powerful instrument in the hands of God to bring people closer to Christ,” explains Luiz Antônio Giraldi, former SBB’s Executive Director, who coordinated the Translation Committee in charge of the Translation in Today’s Language (TLH). The TLH New Testament was launched in June 1973, celebrating SBB’s 25th anniversary. The first print run of 200 thousand copies was distributed in under two months, repeating the success of similar experiences in other languages, such as Spanish, English, French and German.
ram Volu g o r P a i n zo
Ama
“Luther also wanted the German people to read and understand the divine message to, consciously, make decisions regarding what God wanted to say.” Egon Kopereg, President Pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brazil, which uses the NTLH in evangelization actions with young people.
THE ENCOUNTER OF TECHNIQUE AND DEMAND Those translations were made based on the concept called functional (or dynamic) equivalence developed by Eugene Nida, an American Bible Society linguist, whose predecessors were Jerome and Luther. This concept tries to make today’s readers understand the biblical text like it was understood by the original readers. “With dynamic equivalence, translators are not hostages to the source text form nor have to always translate one word from the source text as the same term in another language,” explains Vilson Scholz, SBB’s
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Photo: SBB File
COVER
Translation Committee of the Translation in Today’s Language starting the translation of the Old Testament in 1972.
Translation Consultant, “The need of a text in popular language was pressing back then, who was a member of and still is. It’s our duty to offer the Bible to the people in a version the NTLH Translation that can be understood without the help of dictionaries.” Committee and has just Ageo Silva, President Pastor of Vila Yara Evangelical Church that used NTLH in the written a book on the Commemorative Bible for the 40th anniversary of the church. subject (see box on page 15). Board of the United States’ Southern The existence of this new translation Baptist Convention. methodology, together with the demand Another contributing factor that triggered for texts that could be understood by the new translations was the discovery, in early people, generated new projects. In 1961, 20th Century, that the Greek used to write Nida, then the American Bible Society’s the New Testament was the Koiné Greek, Translation Secretary, received two requests a street language common in the time for assistance: one from the missionary of Jesus, not the scholarly one. “At the Jean Johnson, who was working in the academic level, this was a very important North of Brazil, and another from Pastor justification. Theologians and linguists M. Wendell Bellew, from the Home Mission asked themselves: why did the translation have to be erudite, if the New Testament was originally written in common language?,” “We want the Word of God to reach everyone recalls Vilson Scholz. in a concise and objective way. A very refined pastor is of no use if his flock does not understand what he says.”
Aldo Quintão, President Pastor of the Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil that used NTLH in the Commemorative Bible for the 200th anniversary of the church.
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THE BRAZILIAN CASE The Brazilian evangelical community was aware of the difficulties created by the difference between the language of the
people and the translations available. In the late 1960’s, Brazil had a population of almost 90 million and an illiteracy rate of about 48%. More than half of the literate population had a vocabulary of fewer than three thousand words. The most used Bible translation then, João Ferreira de Almeida’s, featured three times as many words in a scholarly language. The translation project of the Bible in Today’s Language started in June 1966, during the Bible Translation in Current Language Seminar, held in Rio de Janeiro by the United Bible Societies (UBS), with lectures by Jacob Loewen and William L. Wonderley, American Bible Society’s Translation Consultants. Evangelical leaders interested in supporting the initiative were in attendance. At the end of the event it was defined that SBB would develop a Bible translation project into modern Portuguese, with technical and financial support provided by UBS. “People who supported this initiative and the translators are visionary and blessed brothers. They realized that it’s not possible to evangelize someone having to use a dictionary to explain the words.” Débora Bartolozi, Pastor of the Jesus Christ is the Answer Apostolic Church, which has already distributed more than five thousand copies of the Affinity Bible featuring the NTLH text.
CRITICISM AND CHALLENGES Although the project had many supporters, there was also strong criticism, therefore, after the approval from SBB’s
“NTLH helps the evangelization because the truth of the Holy Word is more easily understood by the population without changing the meaning of the message.” Almiro Wilbert, President of the Evangelical Church of Lutheran Confession in Brazil’s Council, who participated in different missionary projects since the late 1980’s.
Board of Directors, evangelical leaders supporting the project and those in charge of the translation tried to emphasize the principles that would be adopted in order to dispel doubts and overcome resistances. “Members of the Translation Committee tried to make it clear that those who were criticizing weren’t the potential readers,” tells Scholz. One of the main challenges was finding a base translator to execute the project together with the Coordinator, Luiz Antônio Giraldi, and the Consultant, Roberto Bratcher. Oswaldo Alves was eventually chosen for the task. In an article published in September 1973, he associated his enthusiasm for the job to his previous experience as an evangelical chaplain in Campos do Jordão (State of São Paulo). “For 14 years, while assisting hundreds of patients with tuberculosis in sanatoriums and slums, I saw the same scene many times. A terminal tuberculosis patient would give me a copy of the Bible back saying: ‘It’s no use, I can’t understand it.’ I felt like I was before a starving person, dying of spiritual hunger, offering the bread that could save his/her life, but so well wrapped that the person would never be able to unwrap it.” Reverend Oswaldo Alves (The Bible in Brazil Magazine, September 1973).
KEY PRINCIPLES OF THE TRANSLATION IN TODAY’S LANGUAGE • Adoption of the Greek New Testament, by Eberhard Nestle, as the base text. • Construction of the new text with a correct, simple and contemporary language, but without using slang and regionalisms. • Use of the functional (or dynamic) equivalence principle, in which words do not have to be translated literally. • Substitution of little-known of theological content for explanatory phrases. • Phrases constructed in direct order and avoiding the use of interpolated phrases.
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“Making the biblical text closer to the population is a constant task for the church. It was what Jesus tried to do: talk and convey the will of the Father by telling facts and giving examples in a language that those listening could understand.” Nestor Friedrich, President Pastor of the Evangelical Church of Lutheran Confession in Brazil, which adopted NTLH as its official text.
by clarifying the goals of the project through the evangelical media. “When the publication was ready, SBB not only used the normal distribution channels, but also made copies of the New Testament available in newsstands throughout the country and placed advertisements on the major TV network at the time, on prime time,” recalls Giraldi.
Another challenge faced by the Committee was to do the translation according to the principles that had been established (see box below). “So, in order to create a text both faithful to OUTCOMES AND FRUITS The New Testament in the Translation in the original texts and understandable to Today’s Language (TLH) was the basis for most of the population, we decided to the translation of the full Bible, completed use just three thousand words, whereas in 1988. In the 1990’s, SBB started a traditional translations featured almost complete revision of the text that resulted ten thousand,” explains Giraldi. in the publication of the New Translation in As the translation progressed, from Today’s Language (NTLH) in 2000. 1969 to 1972, the Committee consulted with the evangelical community to check if “I support the way SBB works by making new revisions to follow they were on the right the evolution of the language and include new expressions.” path. In parallel, SBB Sérgio Busatto, President Pastor of the Christian Surfers Mission, which has already distributed more than 40 thousand copies of the Surfers Bible that uses NTLH and is promoted the translation preparing the third edition.
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“As the churches started to use the TLH, we received valuable suggestions to improve the text. Therefore, as SBB, above all, strives to serve the churches, it decided to carry out this revision,” explains Rudi Zimmer, SBB’s Executive Director, who coordinated the NTLH’s Translation Committee. The experts gathered in the new Translation Committee focused on providing consistency to the translation of the main theological terms and on expressing the meaning of the original texts, in addition to maintaining the poetry, mainly, of the Psalms. “We made a double effort to improve those passages, and the improvement can be seen in a comparative reading,” adds Zimmer. The NTLH was also launched with great interaction with the Brazilian evangelical community. SBB organized events to communicate the principles of the revision, stressing that the publication was not intended to replace celebrated translations. “That contributed to reduce resistance to the NTLH and make many “We work with children and teenagers solely with NTLH. Some people think that we should use more traditional texts. I believe that when these young people are ready, they will try to deepen their knowledge by themselves.” Rosaria Alves Ribeiro Oliveira, Pastor of Foursquare Gospel Church in Jardim Elisa Maria, São Paulo.
churches change their opinion,” concludes Zimmer. CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT The thousands of testimonies received since 1973 showed that, for many people, the Translation in Today’s Language was the first contact with God’s message. Currently available in several formats, and even as the base text for multiple themed and “NTLH better suits the needs of our work with young people. Its simple language surprises boys and girls. They realize that they can be Christians and still talk the same way.” Ceceu Araújo, Surfer, volunteer of the Surfhouse Evangelical Community, in Guarujá (State of São Paulo).
Study Bibles, in addition to the Bible in Braille, the NTLH continues to lead people to Christ. And, as Paulo Teixeira, SBB’s Translation & Publications Secretary, points out, the improvement process of this and other translations never ends. The United Bible Societies adopts as a standard practice to make a revision every two decades because languages are constantly changing. “We are paying attention to the evolution of the Portuguese spoken in Brazil and gathering observations, so that we can make a new revision around 2020,” says Teixeira. Until then, readers can keep sending suggestions to SBB via email: traducao@ sbb.org.br.■
BOOK WILL MARK THE 40 YEARS OF THE TRANSLATION Vilson Scholz is almost finishing the book he is writing about the Translation in Today’s Language project and its outcomes. With the provisional title “40 Years of the Bible in Today’s Language: The Greatness of God in Our Own Tongue,” the publication celebrates the date and sheds light on the basis of this translation. Organized as an oratory piece from the old world, the book tells the facts connected to how the translation project was conceived, explains the concept of dynamic translation into common language, provides examples of texts translated this way, shows the distinct reactions, and concludes with answers to the criticisms. “The research made me retrieve surprising data that, I believe, will add relevant information to the history of such an important project for evangelization in Brazil,” says the author.
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Photo: Laureni Fochetto
BIBLE IN ACTION
THE RIGHTS OF THE PERSON WITH DISABILITY
The topic will be discussed in a meeting organized by Bible Society of Brazil (SBB), on September 28, in Barueri (State of São Paulo) and five other cities. About 400 people attended the Meeting in 2012..
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Approximately 10% of the world’s population, about 650 million people, live with some kind of disability, according to data provided by the United Nations (UN). In Brazil alone they are 45.6 million people, according to the 2010 Census conducted by IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics). Including 6.6 million people who have some degree of visual impairment or just cannot see at all. And the vulnerability of the disabled population can make them be victims of
The Bible in Brazil
violence, with a lower probability of getting help, legal protection and preventive care. Many times they do not have access to education, making it difficult for them to join the labor market, leaving them on the margins of society. Therefore, Bible Society of Brazil (SBB) has chosen the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as the theme for the Meetings with the Visually Handicapped. The first event will take place on September 28 at Barueri Event Center – Bible Museum. And there are five
editions scheduled for Brazilian capitals where SBB is present: Belém (Pará); Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais); Brasília (Federal District); Curitiba (Paraná); Recife (Pernambuco); and Rio de Janeiro. “The goal is not only to discuss the laws that protect the disabled, but also talk about the broader sense of the word “right”. In other words, show that a person with a disability is like anyone else. With the same rights as a citizen and as a person. Furthermore, with the event, we intend to emphasize that the disabled shouldn’t feel discriminated against in society, but rather have the strength to find their place in it,” says Emilene Araújo, SBB’s Social Outreach Manager. Another point to be stressed during the meeting will be the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the first international treaty focusing on the human rights of the disabled, which came into effect in Brazil in 2008. “Many people don’t
know their rights. So, we want to show important points in this document and other existing laws in Brazil and worldwide, and how persons with disabilities can claim their rights,” complements Emilene Araújo. The schedule also includes screening of films with audio description of the birth of Jesus, which is theme of the 5th Literary Contest of Short Stories and Poetry. And there will be an artistic performance with inclusive content. Participants of regional meetings will be able to enjoy part of the exhibition with works by the artist Renato Amisy, which was hosted at the Bible Museum in 2012. His paintings are considered inclusive because they can be touched. “It’s an inclusive event through which the visually impaired will be able to feel, in every way, everything that will be discussed. And, therefore, we will be spreading the biblical message,” concludes Emilene Araújo.■
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FAIR PLAY BRAZIL
THE WORD INSIDE AND OUTSIDE STADIUMS Fair Play Brazil Movement presents practical actions for evangelization in the sporting context to assist Christian churches and organizations.
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The Bible in Brazil
inside and outside the arenas to bring the biblical message to all supporters. This was just Fair Play Brazil Movement’s warm-up for what is coming: the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The complete coverage of this great general rehearsal will be published in details on the next issue of The Bible in Brazil magazine. However, we can have an initial idea of the activities prepared to spread the
Photo: André Miranda
Participant of Meeting with Pastors, Young Leaders and Sporting Ministries approves biblical literature produced by SBB.
Brazil has just hosted the first of the major global sporting events scheduled for the country: FIFA Confederations Cup, held from June 15 to 30, in the cities of Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais), Brasília (Federal District), Fortaleza (Ceará), Recife (Pernambuco), Rio de Janeiro and Salvador (Bahia). While thousands of Brazilians were rooting for the Brazilian National Team, at their homes or in stadiums, hundreds of Christians worked
Photo: Eduardo Cesar SBB held a series of meetings in the 12 host cities of the 2014 World Cup to encourage Brazilian churches to join the movement.
values and message of the Bible during the sporting events. Almost 900 churches have already joined Fair Play Brazil Movement. This number was achieved due to a series of Meeting with Pastors, Young Leaders and Sporting Ministries held in the 12 host cities of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Organized by Bible Society of Brazil, in partnership with Brazilian Coalition for Sports, AMME Evangelization, Christian Athletes and National Evangelical Social Outreach Network, the events were an opportunity to introduce the Fair Play Brazil Movement and encourage those attending them to engage in this important initiative. “Churches want to carry out evangelization actions during major global sporting events, but still don’t know what to do. In the meetings, the Christian community is introduced to Fair Play Brazil Movement’s partner organizations that develop well structured evangelization actions focusing on different topics: fighting sexual exploitation of women, teenagers and children; fighting corruption and urban violence; sporting ministry training for Christian churches and organizations; outreach activities by providing services to people in situations of social vulnerability; among others. All organizations offer knowhow to implement those strategies,” says
Eude Martins, Fair Play Brazil Movement’s General Coordinator. And the organizations have already started to work even before the kickoff of the Confederations Cup. On May 18, for example, the National Evangelical Social Outreach Network organized a large event at the 12 cities that will host the World Cup through the Ball Hits the Net campaign, whose goal is to establish a movement against sex tourism, especially involving children and teenagers, during major sporting events. In order to call society’s attention to the problem, the organization held seminars and several cultural activities. The Go Ahead Brazil Project, developed by the Brazilian Board of Missions of the Brazilian Baptist Convention (JMM-CBB), recruited volunteers to work during the Confederations Cup. It is a missionary operation carried out during the event that focused on the evangelization of Brazilians and foreign visitors, in addition to preparing and mobilizing Baptist Churches for evangelization. “This is a key test for the World Cup. Our goal is to bring the biblical message to people who will come to support their national teams in Brazil next year by mobilizing local churches for evangelization efforts,” says Maurício Martins,
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Photo: Eduardo Cesar
FAIR PLAY BRAZIL
Eude Martins (right), Fair Play Brazil Movement’s Coordinator, led the meetings held to encourage churches and organizations to join the movement.
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JMM-CBB’s Operational Manager for Sporting & Major Events Evangelism. Other organizations are getting ready to carry out evangelization activities during the World Cup. The Global Network of Arts, a Christian communication network for artists and art groups, is encouraging art ministries to organize theatrical and musical performances, in addition to street activities associated to sporting events, by offering training courses. In order to draw attention to violence against children, World Vision Brazil, a Christian relief, development and advocacy organization, is promoting the World Vision Soccer Cup. The event aims to gather more than 100 thousand children from the six continents, who will go through trials until a team from each continent is chosen. These teams will then compete in the World Vision Cup in May 2014 in Recife (State of Pernambuco). “We chose to serve God by benefiting poor and oppressed children and teenagers, because the world hasn’t been fair to them,” says Claudia Costa, World Vision Brazil Marketing Director.
The Bible in Brazil
“AME Brasil,” an interdenominational evangelical movement, promoted the Peace in Stadiums project during local championship matches and the Confederations Cup. This initiative consists in distributing evangelistic pamphlets around the stadiums. In addition to this evangelistic activity, “AME Brasil” has been carrying out numerous outreach events to assist communities facing situations of social vulnerability. Erní Seibert, SBB’s Communications & Social Outreach Secretary, points out that Brazil is going through a unique moment in its history hosting major global sporting events in such a short period. “Those events are putting Brazil in the limelight. I’m very glad with the results achieved by the movement because Brazilian churches heeded our call. If the churches seize this historic opportunity to be a part of this movement, I’m sure we will be able to sow the seeds of God’s Word in the hearts of many people,” he says. ■
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Photo: Elismar Vilvock
BIBLICAL SCIENCE
BUILDING BRIDGES WITH THE YOUTH With the theme “The Bible and the Youth,” the 9th Biblical Science Forum encouraged a reflection on how to bring the Word of God to young generations. More than 450 people attended the debates on the challenges of spreading biblical values to the youth.
Mário Rost
Photos: Décio Figueiredo
Oswaldo Dias Ferreira
Young people have shared some characteristics for millenniums, what changes is the way they communicate, especially today when they restrict personal contacts and use the Internet more and more. This was the perception on most lectures of the 9th Biblical Science Forum, organized by Bible Society of Brazil (SBB), on June 6 and 7 at Barueri Event Center, with the theme “The Bible and the Youth.” The record audience of 450 participants learned about the challenge of finding ways to communicate the Word of God to new generations. Church, Young People and the Bible was
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Paulo Teixeira
the theme of the opening talk, delivered by Oswaldo Dias Ferreira Júnior, a psychologist and Auxiliary Pastor at the Memorial Baptist Church of São Paulo. “We are aware that the Gospel is transmitted in learning relationships, as Paul did with Timothy, as Samuel trained David,” said the speaker, also pointing out the importance of advisers in transmitting the legacy of the Word to the youth. According to him, young people learn the Bible with real life examples, and the advisers are the bridges that make this audience trust God, thus the axiom: “If you are teaching the Bible to someone young, make him/her your companion.” Erní Seibert
Lécio Dornas
Esteban Voth
The next speaker, Mário Rost, SBB’s Institutional Development Manager, talked about the theme Young Evangelist: Engaging Young People in the Evangelization Work, stressing how important it is to introduce the Bible to new generations as a source of hope for the future. He explained how the Young Evangelist Movement supports with biblical materials and strategies the evangelistic activities developed by youth groups across Brazil. “Our goal is to establish a large network connecting the Brazilian youth to the Word of God,” announced Rost, adding that it is possible to join the movement both through Facebook (www.facebook.com/jovemevangelizador) and SBB’s website. Faithful to the purpose of supporting churches and developing evangelizers, SBB has been expanding its portfolio of publications, including the academic ones. One example is the Greek-Portuguese Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains, by Johannes Louw and Eugene Nida. “This publication was the great dream of the Brazilian academic world, because, unlike other lexicons, it’s organized by affinity of ideas,” explained Vilson Scholz, SBB’s Translation Consultant and translator of the title. The panel SBB New Releases also highlighted the publication The Text of the New Testament, by Kurt and Barbara Aland, that deals with the origin of the New Testament textual variants, in addition to including SBB Comments, in digital format, about Matthew, Mark, Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. A DIFFERENT UNDERSTANDING The lecture New Ways to Read the Bible offered the audience an opportunity to learn some characteristics of today’s youth, how they approach the biblical text and about the Daniel Gerber
Elza Támez
Justino Alfredo
different understanding they have compared to previous generations. The speakers Erní Seibert, SBB’s Communications & Social Outreach Secretary, and Lécio Dornas, a theologian and expert on Religious Education, focused on the generation that was born in the digital era and has a keen critical sense. “We must make the access of young people to Jesus easier, without obstacles, and learn with them, as Luke 18:16 teaches us,” pointed out Lécio Dornas. According to Erní Seibert, comprehension is no longer linear and became spatial, an experience that takes into consideration images, movement and sounds. ”Churches are already providing this experience by using those resources to spread God’s Word,” he concluded. United Bible Societies’ Consultants opened the second day of the Forum by talking about The Translation of the Bible in the Americas and the World.” Esteban Voth, from Argentina, talked about the great challenge of having 7 thousand languages worldwide, but fewer than 500 of them with the full Bible translated. Daniel Gerber, from Uruguay, walked the audience through the Chuya Qellqa Bible revision, a Quechua language spoke in Ayacucho, Peru. Elza Támez, a Mexican expert on the sign languages from different countries, told the audience, among other topics, that 16 organizations worldwide are engaged in this type of translation through a project involving 50 countries. And Justino Alfredo, from Mozambique, showed the efforts made in Africa to translate the Bible into the national languages. PERMANENT MISSION The Lectionautas project, developed by the United Bible Societies (UBS) together with the Pastoral Biblical Center for Latin Maria Eugenia Aguado
Marcos Grava
Twelve experts took turns during two days to present projects and activities to make the Bible relevant to young people.
Vilson Scholz
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BIBLICAL SCIENCE America (Cebipal), was one of the themes discussed during the Forum. Maria Eugenia Lloris Aguardo, Consultant on University Affairs for the Pastoral Episcopal Commission of the Brazilian Catholic Bishops’ Conference, talked about the project. This project, based on the method Lectio Divina, divine reading of the Bible, uses the Internet as main way to communicate with young people. “Sometimes young people don’t know what to do with the Bible in their hands, so we must induce the interaction,” said Maria Eugenia. Another lecture showed that there are many stimulating examples related to the Bible in sports, which are used by the Fair Play Brazil Movement to engage churches during major sporting events in Brazil. “There are about two billion people who don’t know the Word of God,” said Marcos Grava, President of Christian Athletes Association and one of the creators of Fair Play Brazil, in order to justify the importance of evangelization. With theme Fair Play – The Presence of the Bible in the World of Sports, Grava talked about the movement led by SBB. “We’ll have a better country when we communicate with each other based on the biblical message,” he said.
Vilson Scholz, SBB’s Translation Consultant, delivered the last lecture of the Forum about Biblical Examples of Young People. It encouraged a reflection about youth, because, in the Old Testament, the terms young and old were used to express totality. David and Absalom, for example, are mentioned as “na-ar,” a term that means an age between childhood and youth, but it can also mean immature and inexperience. Therefore, it is impossible to know their ages. The speaker also showed some examples of the New Testament, such as the young man who died too soon and was resurrected by Jesus, the rich man who loved wealth more than the Kingdom of God, and the one who escaped in underwear. “As they lived in other times, the young people from the Bible can be studied in a more objective manner. But we have to admit, however, that they have many of the same characteristics of today’s youth,” he pointed out. The 10th Biblical Science Forum was held on August 14 and 15. And the main theme for 2014 and 2015 will be The Bible and the Family, focusing on Parents & Children and Children & the Elderly, respectively.■
SATISFIED AUDIENCE “My calling is to the mission and it was very interesting to learn what missionaries are doing across the country, mainly for young people.” Kátia Rodrigues, from Assembly of God, Ministry of Bethlehem, Jundiaí (State of São Paulo)
“The right way to deal with young people within the church, especially regarding the question of Bible reading, was very important. It was like an initial training for me.” Carolina Dias, Assembly of God of Sobradinho, Brasília (Federal District)
“This is the third consecutive year I attend the Forum. It is like an enriching blessing that helps a lot to learn about the Bible Cause in Brazil and all over the world.” Helder Sales da Costa, Valley of Blessing Seminary, Araçariguama (State of São Paulo)
“The Forum was an unprecedented experience for me because it was precisely about the youth within the church. I really liked it, especially the lecture about sport and the activities being developed for international events, which showed how we, young people, can use this strategy to evangelize other young people.” Alex Carlos da Silva, Assembly of God, journalist, São Paulo
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