How the Bible was translated

Originally, some of the Bible was written in Hebrew, some in Aramaic and some in Greek. Today, about 2,500 of the world’s 6,900 languages have part of the Bible translated into them.

The process of producing a translation of the Bible is slow, difficult and lengthy. Recently, computer-aided programmes have now greatly reduced the time involved.

Early Bible translations
The first translations of the Old Testament – into Greek – began in the third century BC. Used by Jews who spoke Greek, this version became known as the Septuagint and was also later used by the early Christians.

In the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, the Old Testament was translated into Syriac and known as the Peshitta. Around the same time, the Gospels were translated from Greek into Syriac.

In the 5th century AD, the entire Bible was translated into a Latin version called the Vulgate. This became the standard Bible of the Catholic Church and the basis of translations into many other languages.

From the 3rd to the 9th century AD, the Bible emerged in a variety of forms, from art on the walls of the catacombs of Rome, to volumes so large and heavy that it took two people to lift them.

It was also translated into a number of different languages including Gothic, Armenian, Slavonic and Arabic.

It was only in the 12th century AD, that the Bible first went up for sale. Monasteries began selling copies to each other or struck deals to produce them on demand.

At roughly the same time, Bible picture books hit the market and the 14th century AD saw versions also being produced in English, Dutch, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

Later Bible translations
From the 15th to 19th centuries AD, the translation and production of the Bible really took off. This was due to:

• The invention of printing, which made it easier and cheaper to reproduce the Bible;
• The Protestant Reformation, which emphasised the importance of people reading the Bible in their own languages;
• The growth of Bible Societies all over the world, who focused on translating and distributing the Bible across the globe.