List of languages by year of first Bible translation

The Bible has been translated into many languages. The Jewish Tanakh (similar to the Protestant Old Testament) was originally written in Hebrew, with the exception of some passages of Daniel, Ezra, and Jeremiah which are in Aramaic. The New Testament is widely agreed to have originally been written in Greek, although some scholars hypothesize that certain books (whether completely or partially) may have been written in Aramaic before being translated for widespread dissemination.

Latin

Partly: end of 2nd century

Completely: mid 3rd century for Vetus Latina; around 407 for Jerome's Vulgate

Syriac

Partly:

Completely: earlier versions 2nd century; Peshitta 4th century

Coptic

Partly: First Century

Completely: Second Century (to Akhmimic, Sahidic and Boharic Dialects)

Gothic

Partly:

Completely: 383 by Ulifas or Ulfilas

Armenian

Partly: by Saint Mesrop (translated from Syriac)

Completely:

Nubian

Partly:

Completely: 6th century

Chinese

Partly: 640 (by Nestorian Christians for Chinese Emperor)

Completely: 1823

Arabic

Partly:

Completely: 8th century

Anglo-saxon

Partly: 7th century

Completely:

Slavonic

Partly: 9th century

Completely:

German

Partly: 748 Gospel of Matthew (Mondsee Fragments)

Completely: 1466 Mentelin Bible (there were several German translations before Martin Luther's translation 1535)

Slovene

Malay

Old Malay language that in the end branched into Indonesian language and modern Malay language

Partly: 1602 by Ruyl

Completely: 1733 by Leydekker

Wampanoag

Partly: John Eliot, 1653

Completely: John Eliot, 1663

Azeri

Partly: 1842

Completely: 1891

Portuguese

Partly: 13th century.

Completely: João Ferreira de Almeida (and Jacobus op den Akker), 1681 - 1753

See also

I've learned that the first translation was in Latin 'Biblia Sacra Valgata' and that only about 513 out of over 7,000 languages in the world have complete Bibles in their native tongue.

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, November 22, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.