Did you know that when we pray, lie, curse, contemplate decisions, or say "I love you!" in our native language, the chemical reactions in our brain are different, meaning we feel differently? Research shows that in stressful situations, a person is inclined to call for help in their native language.
In different historical epochs, there has always been a dominant language, usually the language of the "powers of the day" or the conquering civilization – Sumerian, Akkadian, Greek, Latin, English. Many of us have heard the biblical story of the Tower of Babel and how actually the languages of the people were confused by God Himself to destroy their unity and their intent to build something so high that it would elevate them to the rank of gods.
For many centuries after the birth of Jesus Christ and the spread of Christianity, the idea was maintained that there were only three sacred languages on which the Bible was written, and which it could be transcribed, subsequently printed, and distributed. These are Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. We know from history that after the 14th century a global cultural and spiritual change began to occur, leading to a change in thinking and perceiving the Holy Scripture and its significance in the native language for every nation. Two centuries later we see an incredible rise among many missionaries and translators who undertook to convey the truth hidden on the pages of the Bible in their native language or the language of people who had heard God's word but did not understand it.
After many unsuccessful or partial translations, after much opposition from outside and within, after sacrifices and tireless work, in 1871 we also received for the first time the full text of the Bible in spoken Bulgarian. We consider it a great historical moment, remember the names of the people who participated in the translation, and appreciate the effect of this achievement in cultural, intellectual, and historical aspects. But are we missing something?
Why would people like the Americans Dr. Elias Riggs and Dr. Albert Long, initiators and participants in the team for the first complete translation of the Bible in Bulgarian, sacrifice labor, time, efforts, expose themselves and their families to all kinds of dangers to translate the Holy Scripture into our language? Dr. Riggs published the first Bulgarian grammar on May 1, 1844. He was also the main consultant for the translation of the Bible into contemporary Armenian. He fought silently and persistently for an independent Bulgarian church.
This man lost one of his three sons, Samuel, at the age of eight and two daughters, Elizabeth and Emma, at sixteen and twenty years respectively. He lost three of his five children to diseases that perhaps wouldn't have affected them in a more advanced nation like America, spent almost his entire conscious life far from his homeland, and died abroad at the age of 91, working until the last, advising and translating spiritual hymns. Why? What could motivate you to choose such a life if not the value of your work?
A person perceives God's word differently in their native language, other perceptions are unlocked, another depth is revealed, a different type of thinking and moral compass is formed. In the story of the Tower of Babel, we see how one common language can unite, collectivize, unify – whether for good or bad. In the New Testament, we see how through the Word nations are reached, but also individual personalities, reaching the ordinary person, not just one nation.
The story of the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ does not remain just a collective tale, myth, folklore. On the contrary, it becomes a personal story of salvation and hope, the Good News. It reaches the heart of the slave and the heart of the master. It changes everyone first personally from within, which subsequently manifests and accumulates as a collective and general change in the entire nation. One by one people are changed, influenced by the truth recorded on the pages of the greatest Book and in their native language – the one that is most deeply coded in us and gives us the best understanding of what is read. Did the translators ever have the psychological research that we have today? Hardly.
What has motivated and still drives thousands of known and unknown people to translate, edit and publish the Bible in different languages and dialects, even at the cost of their lives, is only one thing – the effect. People change after hearing the words of God, morals transform, societies and institutions are affected, the Lord becomes close to the soul, to the heart of both the “smallest” and the “greatest in God's kingdom”, because there is no barrier to the Truth. The Truth that will free us from the chains of ignorance, impossibility, unwillingness, unfamiliarity with God, and the illusions of the flesh, sin, and the enemy.
“…and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32*)
Happy Bible Day to all who love God's word!
*Biblical quotes are according to the text of the Bible, New Translation from Original Languages © Bulgarian Bible Society 2013.
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