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"Sharing
"the truth that makes men free"
Canadian Bible Society celebrates 100 years
Patricia
Paddey
Ontario Correspondent
ontario@christianweek.org
When
a senior citizenship judge called a halt recently to the Canadian Bible
Society's(CBS) practice of offering free Bibles to new Canadian citizens,
he ended one of the society's longest standing traditions; a tradition
that traces its roots to the inception of the CBS itself.
In what
must seem a poignant, sadly ironic move to CBS insiders, he did so just
as they gear up for their centennial celebrations.
Founded
in 1904 and chartered in 1906, the CBS took "much of the impetus
for its existence" from the flood of immigrants flowing into Canada,
documented in To the Ends of the Earth, a history of the society published
by CBS in 1998.
From
the earliest days of the CBS, "vessels were met on their arrival,
and the first gift received by many a newcomer was the Bible in his own
mother tongue…He receives the book with some hesitation at first,
until his eye lights on words in his loved language. All is changed in
a moment as he realizes…that there are those in Canada who are ready
to share with him, in his own tongue, the truth that makes men free."
For
100 years, the desire to share that "truth that makes men free"
has been the motivating factor behind the mandate; to promote and encourage
the translation, publication, distribution and use of the Scriptures.
Although
post-Christian, secular society seems to have trumped truth with tolerance
as the highest moral value, CBS national director Phyllis Nesbitt insists
the Word of God has relevance for today's world.
"The
book is as relevant today as the promises of God are," Nesbitt says.
"The Bible teaches relationships and it speaks on principles. Principles
are timeless, whereas rules and regulations come and go. Sometimes they're
in vogue; sometimes they're not. Because the Bible is a book of principles,
[it] never [goes] out of date."
While
the principles may never go out of date, their popularity appears to.
But if recent events in this country seem designed to hamper the historic
raison d'être of the Bible society-popular or not-Nesbitt
says she and her colleagues remain undaunted in their determination to
carry out their mission.
Bible
distribution may be the most visible part of the society's mandate,
but it is only one part, and it relies heavily on the other components
of their mission.
To understand
the roles translation and publication have also played in the history
of the Bible society movement-not only in Canada but around the world-one
must go back to the very beginning 200 years ago in Wales.
The
tale of Mary Jones, a young Welsh girl who lived in the late 1700s may
be familiar. Inspired by her love of hearing the stories from her neighbour's
Bible, Mary devoted herself to the task of learning to read, then saved
her pennies for six years to be able to afford a Bible of her own. Finally,
at the age of 16, having accumulated the necessary funds, Mary walked
40 kilometres to purchase a rare Welsh-language Bible. Arriving at her
destination, she was devastated to hear from Reverend Thomas Charles that
there were none available.
Inspired
by Mary's plight, Charles shared her story with others who spearheaded
the move to form a society to provide Scriptures for people in their own
language.
In 1804,
the British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS) was formed, launching the
Bible society movement worldwide. The BFBS bicentennial was celebrated
in Wales in August at the world assembly of the United Bible Societies.
The United Bible Societies (UBS) are a fellowship of 137 national Bible
societies, which work in more than 200 countries around the globe.
The
year the BFBS began operations, they published the first Gospel in a language
other than English. The Gospel of John was translated into the Mohawk
language by a Canadian, Chief Teyoninhokarawen (known to the British as
Captain Norton) of the Six Nations tribe in present day Southern Ontario.
Norton's
legacy and the important contribution Canada made to Bible Society history
have inspired countless Bible translators in this country, including Hart
Wiens, director of Scripture translation for CBS.
"The
Scriptures have gripped my life," reflects Wiens when asked why he's
devoted most of a lifetime to the work of supporting the translation of
God's Word. "I just feel it's right and proper that everyone
ought to have at least an opportunity to read and understand the Scriptures
in a language that really communicates to their heart."
Inspiration
for Bible translators can be found in the Bible itself, he adds.
"Go
back to Acts 2:1-13; the coming of the Holy Spirit, and everyone hearing
in their own language the wonderful things that God has done. From the
perspective of the translator, this means that God wants everyone to hear
in their own language the things that God has done," he says.
Wiens
and his UBS colleagues have their work cut out for them.
The
UBS Scripture Language Report for 2003 states that, "of the 6,500
or more languages spoken in the world…those in which the Bible can
be read in its entirety number no more than 414."
The
situation is far from dim, however, for the report also indicates, "there
are now over 2,000 languages in which at least one book of the Bible has
been published…this figure includes the primary vehicles of communication
of well over 90 per cent of the world's population."
In Canada,
the CBS-in partnership with churches and other Bible agencies-has
worked hard over the past century to provide for the needs of a multicultural
population. They offer Bibles, Testaments and Scripture portions in 113
foreign languages, as well as 20 Canadian aboriginal languages.
Canada
is also playing a key role in moving the Bible cause forward internationally.
Last year, UBS asked the CBS translation support office in Kitchener,
Ontario to establish the Institute for Computer Assisted Publishing (ICAP)
as a resource for Bible translators around the globe.
Wiens
says Canada has been given this leadership role because of their historic
connection with computer support for translations. "Harold Fehderau
was the first person in the UBS to recognize
the potential of the computer for translation," he explains. "He
purchased the first computer
in UBS to be applied specifically to translation. Until then, computers
were used in publishing
and accounting but not in translation."
The
computer Fehderau purchased for approximately
$25,000 in the early 1980s-while no longer used-sits in the
Kitchener office still; a silent witness to the foresight of the now deceased
Fehderau.
In 1996,
in recognition of the Canadian team's growing expertise in the use
of computers in translation, UBS asked them to develop a world service
centre for Translation Electronic Information Services. In that role,
they established a Web site where translation resources are maintained
and at fingertip access for translators worldwide.
Canada
has also helped to develop an innovative, completely customizable software
program called Paratext, which enables translators to do their work more
easily, accurately and with far less tedium than ever before.
The
computer has become such an integral part of a translator's tool
kit, says Wiens, that UBS has recognized the need for more people to come
alongside translators to help them learn to use computers with maximum
effectiveness and efficiency. "Since our office has had quite a bit
of experience in that," Wiens explains modestly, "they've
asked us to be involved in training."
That's
where ICAP comes in. Their goal over the next five years will be to develop
appropriate translation support tools, provide training in the use of
those tools and build a worldwide community of support for translators.
Some
two-dozen people from around the globe will come to Kitchener this spring,
for training in computer assisted publishing support for the Bible translation
and publishing ministry.
"As
good Canadians, we work well with other groups," laughs Ed Peters,
manager of computer assisted publishing. The group has selected the donkey
(a burden bearer) as ICAP's mascot. "I think it's the Canadian
personality; something else we bring is our willingness to work together
and not always do the Lone Ranger thing," Peters adds.
If such
willingness to work together and to innovate have been trademarks of Bible
society efforts in this country over the past century, they are also indicators
that point to a bright future ahead.
Despite
recent resistance to the Bible cause from Canada's federal government,
Nesbitt says such opposition has merely, "confirmed our awe of what
happens when the Word of God is hampered from being distributed and being
used. Because God takes over and does something Himself."
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