God’s Word for All Peoples: Celebrating St. Jerome and Translation Day

on September 30, 2015

Today Christians around the world observe the feast of Saint Jerome, marking the anniversary of his death in 420 AD. International Translation Day is also celebrated today in honor of Jerome’s work as a Bible translator.

Jerome, the patron saint of translators and Bible scholars, worked to translate the Scriptures directly from Greek and Hebrew into Latin. He helped to produce the Vulgate, which was widely used by the Church for well over a millennium. Jerome stands in a long line of translators, from Martin Luther to William Tyndale, who have worked tirelessly and sacrificed greatly to bring God’s Word to His people.

“The laity ought to understand the faith, and since the doctrines of our faith are in the Scriptures, believers should have the Scriptures in a language familiar to the people,” 14th-century reformer and translator John Wycliffe once said.

The good fight to translate the Scriptures continues today. According to the non-profit Wycliffe Bible Translators – named in honor of John Wycliffe – at least 2,195 active translation projects are underway around the world, while another 1,860 languages still require translations of God’s Word. The work ahead remains considerable, since there are 1.3 billion people from “more than 3,000 people groups” who “are still waiting for God’s word in their language.”

Motivated to promote the Church’s work globally, Wycliffe alone has already produced hundreds of Bible translations. “Evangelism, training, worship—all ministries are hampered unless people have a Bible they can really understand,” the group said.

Other Christian groups are striving to translate Christian resources in addition to the Scriptures. Gospel Translations, for example, has worked with various Christian publishers and ministries to translate more than 7,000 Gospel-centered books and articles into 44 languages, all available for free online.

“We believe that making resources accessible is critical because while the center of Christianity has shifted away from the West, Christian book publishing and distribution remains heavily concentrated in North America,” Gospel Translations said while describing its mission. “This imbalance means that most of the world’s Christians cannot read or even afford the majority of Christian books, leaving something of a vacuum for theological training for both Christian leaders and laypeople around the world.”

Having access to God’s Word and other Christian resources is a gift from the Lord. Sadly, this gift has not always been enjoyed in the English-speaking world, nor is it enjoyed by all people groups even today. So on this feast day of Saint Jerome, remember to give thanks for the ability to study the Scriptures, and continue praying for the fruitfulness of those translating the Bible and other Christian writings for people groups around the world.

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