The Bible and its translations
Characteristics of the 1st Bible printed in 1454 by Gutenberg :
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Latin text of the Vulgate
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Gothic characters on 2 columns
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42 lines, 1286 pages in 2 volumes
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Page size, approx. 22 x 31 cm
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Print run : 185 copies
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On paper and parchment
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Leather binding
First page of the Gutenberg Bible
Genesis 1, chapter 1
How about refreshing your latin knowledge ?
Latin text of the Vulgate by St. Jerome and its English translation.
Incipit liber bresith quemnos Genesim dicimus
1. In principio creavit Deus caelum et terram.
2. Terra autem erat inanis et vacua, et tenebrae erant super faciem abyssi ; et Spiritus Domini ferebatur super aquas.
3. Dixitque Deus : Fiat lux et facta est lux.
4. Et vidit Deus lucem quod esset bona. Et divisit lucem a tenebris.
5. Appellavitque lucem Diem, et tenebras Noctem. Factumque est vespere et mane, dies unus.
6. Dixit quoque Deus : Fiat firmamentum in medio aquarum, et dividat aquas ab aquis.
7. Et fecit Deus firmamentum, divisitque aquas quae erant sub firmamento, ab his quae erant super firmamentum. Et factum est ita.
8. Vocavitque Deus firmamentum Caelum. Et factum est vespere et mane, dies secundus.
9. Dixit vero Deus : Congregentur aquae, quae sub caelo sunt, in locum Unum, et appareat arida. Et factum est ita.
10. Et vocavit Deus aridam Terram, congregationesque aquarum appellavit Maria. Et vidit Deus quod esset bonum.
11. Et ait : Germinet terra herbam virentem et facientem semen, et lignum pomiferum faciens fructum iuxta genus suum, cuius semen in semetipso sit super terram. Et factum est ita.
12. Et protulit terra herbam virentem, et facientem semen iuxta genus lignumque faciens fructum, et habens unumquodque sementem secundum speciem suam et vidit Deus quod esset bonum.
13. Et factumque est vespere et mane, dies tertius.
Begins the book beresith, that we call Genesis.
1. At the first God made the heaven and the earth.
2. And the earth was waste and without form; and it was dark on the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God was moving on the face of the waters.
3. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4. And God, looking on the light, saw that it was good: and God made a division between the light and the dark,
5. Naming the light, Day, and the dark, Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
6. And God said, Let there be a solid arch stretching over the waters, parting the waters from the waters.
7. And God made the arch for a division between the waters which were under the arch and those which were over it: and it was so.
8. And God gave the arch the name of Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
9. And God said, Let the waters under the heaven come together in one place, and let the dry land be seen: and it was so.
10. And God gave the dry land the name of Earth; and the waters together in their place were named Seas: and God saw that it was good.
11. And God said, Let grass come up on the earth, and plants producing seed, and fruit-trees giving fruit, in which is their seed, after their sort: and it was so.
12. And grass came up on the earth, and every plant producing seed of its sort, and every tree producing fruit, in which is its seed, of its sort: and God saw that it was good.
13. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day
Usual structure of the Bible
Old + New Testament
66 books, 39 AT (+ 7 apocryphal books) + 27 NT
About 40 authors, divinely inspired
Over more than 15 centuries
The Bible, its message
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The Bible is the Word of God, and it is through it that God speaks to all mankind.
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The Bible is the wonderful book that has convinced multitudes of the Truth through generations.
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The Bible is the book that has profoundly influenced the lives of many peoples.
The Bible, its personal message to you
What to do with it ?
Do not despise it
But read it
Listen to it
Believe it
What will it do to you ?
it would condemn you
it will enlighten you
it will guide you
it will save you
Written in Aramaic, Hebrew (AT) and Greek (NT)
Various translations have been made from the original texts during the XVI, XVII and following centuries by reformers such as Luther, Olivétan, Reina-Valera, Diodati, etc.
Therefore, God has made His Word available to you; therefore, you are responsible to read it !
And the translation work continues…
The Bible, is the absolute world bestseller of all time ! Yes, because it has been partially translated or totally in almost 3400 languages until October 2019. This work is being assiduously pursued by numerous linguists, including the Wycliffe teams.