The Japan Bible Society is holding various events to commemorate a century and a half of “spreading hope, courage, and God’s salvation through the Bible”.
Japanese Bible from 1906. / Photo: [link]Bridwell Library Special Collections[/link]
The Japan Bible Society (JBS) is celebrating the 150th anniversary of its work spreading the Bible in the language of ordinary Japanese people.
“In 1876, the American Bible Society and the British Bible Society established a branch in Yokohama, Japan, laying the foundations for the current Japan Bible Society”, pointed out the JBS in a press release.
Since then, “the JBS has been spreading hope, courage, and God’s salvation through the Bible, while fulfilling its mission of ‘Bibles for all’”.
As part of the anniversary celebrations, conferences and temporary exhibitions highlighting the importance of translating the Holy Scriptures are being held in collaboration with institutions such as the Kobe University museum of literature.
[photo_footer] Logo of the 150th anniversary of the Japanese Bible. / JBS. [/photo_footer]
A commemorative ceremony is expected to take place on 1 October at St Mary's Cathedral in Tokyo.
The event already has an official website, where other Bible societies have posted their congratulations.
“We celebrate with you and thank God for your faithful service over the years. Your dedication to Bible translation, distribution, and engagement has inspired both in Japan and beyond. Warmest congratulations and blessings. May the Lord continue to guide and bless your ministry for generations to come”, said the Taiwan Bible Society.
Elaine Duncan, CEO of the Scottish Bible Society, added that “the faithful work of the JBS over these 150 years has been for the blessing of the church and the country as the Bible has been translated into heart languages and distributed widely”.
“Thank you for your care and concern for other Bible Societies and for the part you play in strengthening Bible ministry globally. May the Lord bless you during all the celebrations and guide you through the next chapter of mission and ministry”, she added.
[photo_footer]New interconfessional Bible. / JBS. [/photo_footer]
Although the Gospel first reached Japan in 1549 through the Jesuit Francis Xavier, having a significant impact due to its proposals against the feudal system, such as equality among all humans; the rise to power of Toyotomi Hideyoshi slowed the growth of the number of believers.
His restrictions led to tragic events such as the crucifixion of the Nagasaki martyrs in 1597. The persecution of Christians in Japan continued until 1873, when Japan opened up to foreign countries.
In the meantime, Japanese followers of the new faith (known as kakure kirishitan) kept up appearances and adapted their practices to make them appear Buddhist.
Those who refused to step on brass representations of Christ were tortured or killed in various ways, such as being exposed naked in public, beaten, having their fingers mutilated, being hung upside down, and having their temples cut to decapitate them, among other sufferings.
[photo_footer]Bibles in braille. / JBS. [/photo_footer]
The first translation of the Bible into Japanese was only the Book of John, in 1837, by Karl Gützlaff (the first Lutheran missionary in China, and one of the first to arrive in Thailand and Korea), printed on wood in Singapore, because he was head of the British Trade Office in Macao.
To carry out this work, he relied on three shipwrecked Japanese sailors, who helped him by using Morrison's Chinese Bible as a basis.
Later, other translators became involved, such as S. W. Williams and S. R. Brown-Hebon. In 1872, Reformed and Presbyterian Protestant missionaries held a conference where they planned the translation of the New Testament.
[photo_footer]Bibles from 1880. / JBS. [/photo_footer]
That same year, the first Protestant church was established in Yokohama, a pioneer within the country.
The translation of the entire Bible into Classical Japanese began in 1874 under the direction of the Translation Committee Society. In 1878, the Permanent Bible Committee formalised the translation, which was completed in 1887. It was finally published in volumes in 1880.
[analysis]
[title]Join us to make EF sustainable[/title]
[photo][/photo]
[text]At Evangelical Focus, we have a sustainability challenge ahead. We invite you to join those across Europe and beyond who are committed with our mission. Together, we will ensure the continuity of Evangelical Focus and our Spanish partner Protestante Digital in 2025.
Learn all about our #TogetherInThisMission initiative here (English).
[/text][/analysis]
Las opiniones vertidas por nuestros colaboradores se realizan a nivel personal, pudiendo coincidir o no con la postura de la dirección de Protestante Digital.
Si quieres comentar o