Did you know that the first Bible published in the Americas was not in English? It was in fact in the Algonquin language of the Massachusetts Indians, and this was the work of an English missionary named John Eliot who arrived in Boston on this day 378 years ago.
Eliot, who began his work across the Atlantic as the minister of a small church congregation, became the first Christian missionary to dedicate his life to ministry among a Native American people group, learning the local Native dialect to assist him in this task.
Having learned the language, he also saw the necessity of giving the story of God’s love to the people in a more permanent way than just through his own personal ministry. To this end, he worked on a translation of the Bible, which was published in 1663.
Yet, in oral cultures, a translation into a people’s heart language means little without literacy. So, Eliot taught them to read. His concern for the linguistics of the people led him to publish a book, ‘The Indian Grammar Begun…for the furtherance of the Gospel among them’. His linguistic work is recognized as a major stepping-stone in the formation of linguistics as a scientific discipline.
When, in the Indian Wars of the 1670’s, many editions of the Algonquin Bible were destroyed, Eliot, rather than despairing at the destruction of his work, set about revising and republishing the Bible in that language:
‘Up, and be doing, and the Lord will be with thee’!
Eliot’s work in translation and linguistics began over 300 years ago. But today, more than 340 million people still do not have a single word of Scripture in the language they understand best. Find out how you can give the Story.
- Back to blog homepage.
- Go to main Wycliffe UK site.
Tags: Bible translation, biography, John Eliot
[...] more on the Wycliffe UK Blog here. Eliot’s work in translation and linguistics began over 300 years ago. But today, more than 340 [...]