THE RUSSIAN BIBLE SOCIETY--A CASE OF R. X.1 STU. R. TOM. [(Oct., 1948)]

[pp. 251, 253: The Edinburgh My. Society, in 1802 opened a mission among the Tartars in the North Caucasus.] [p. 252: In 1805 there {Karass} arrived from Scotand Rev. Robert Pinkerton. [p. 252: Other pioneers in Russia was a mission at Orenburg by a Scottish society, from which the RBS later recruited Rev. Mr. Fraser, to undertake the translation of the Scriptures into Kalmyk.   Sarepta on the Volga was the place selected for work among the Chuvash.] [p. 252: a translation of the New Testament into Nogai Tartar which was used by the RBS.] [p. 253: set about organizing a Bible society for Finland at Äbo.   Mr. Paterson 1812.]

[p. 257: The St. Petersburg Bible Society proceeded with its self-appointed task of securing, either by purchase or printing, copies of the Bible in the non-Russian lan- guages of Russia and their distribution, either by gift or sale, to the population.   ...activity was broadened to include the more obscure languages and dialects, it encountered many difficulties in finding suitable men to undertake and edit translations.] [p. 257: In 1814, the name was altered to the RBS and its committee was enlarged to take in members of the clergy, esp. of the Ort. Chu.] [p. 257: Until 1816, when, at the Emperor's suggestion, the Hol. Syn. was urged to make plans for the translation of the Bible from Slavonic into modern Russian.] [p. 258: This task may have been suggested by the translation of the New Testament into modern Greek authorized by....] [p. 258: also a Serbian version of the Bible undertaken with the society's approval by Vuk Stefanović Karad{z<}ić.] [p. 260: In 1816 the Polish Bible Society was or- ganized with Prince Ada. Cza. as president.] [pp. 260b-261: the Pope, who..., expressing his abhorrence of the Bible Society.   ...to the provisions of the Council of Trent....   In open violation...without the Em- peror's consent, the Jesuits circulated it widely in Russia.]

262   The A. S. and East European Review [in 1820, the Jesuits were expelled from Russia.]    With the formation of auxiliaries in all the chief cities of European Russia, and even in Siberia, the scope of the Society was rapidly expanded.   In all, 196 branches were established.25   In 1818 the first copy of the Gospel in Russian was presented to the Emperor.26   By

The RBS   263 1821 the Bible, or parts of it, had been translated and printed in Slavonic and modern Russian, Kalmyk, Buriat (Mongol), Armenian, Finnish, German, Polish, French, Esthonian (dialect of Dorpat), Esthonian (dialect of Reval), Lettish (Latvian), Persian, Georgian, Samogitian, ancient Greek, modern Greek, Moldavian, Tartar, Turkish, Chuvash, and Karelian.   Within the twelve years of the existence of the Bible Society, it is probable that not less than 1,000,000 copies of the Bible or parts of it were printed and distrib- uted in twenty-six different languages and dialects.27

[Chr. Helps Ministry (USA)] [Chr. Home Bible Course]