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**List: Indo-Portuguese Ministry the Bible ( the
Bible )
INDO-PORTUGUESE--1860 S. Bagster [Info only: n.d. John 1:1- 14 unknown (unigenito = "only begotten").] |
Indo-Portuguese Bible History (3)
**List: Indo-Portuguese Ministry
the Bible ( the Bible )
Indo-Portuguese...
INDO-PORTUGUESE. "INDO-PORTUGUESE is more or less understood by all classes in the island of Ceylon, and along
the whole coast of India; its extreme simplicity of construction and facility of acquirement having
caused it to be extensively used as a medium of traffic. But the people to whom it is vernacular, and
--The Bible of Every Land. (1860, Second Edition) Samuel Bagster [Info only]
who, in Ceylon alone, number more than 50,000, are the descendants of the Dutch and Portuguese,
the former rulers of India. The principal characteristic of this language is the omission of the articles,
the cases of nouns, inflections of verbs, and most of the expletives which abound in European-Portu-
guese. The various relations of words in a sentence are expressed by the aid of auxiliary particles;
and these particles are so numerous, that they subserve all the offices of inflections. The words of the
language are drawn from Dutch, Portuguese, and Indian sources, and much of the phraseology is
moulded in accordance with Sanscrit idioms.
On the decline of the Dutch and Portuguese governments in India, the members of these nations
were left without any means of religious instruction, except such as was afforded by the Roman Catholic
mies.; and, in consequence, Roman Catholicism became their prevailing form of religion.
In 1817, Mr. Newstead, a Wesleyan my. stationed at Negombo, in Ceylon, commenced a
translation of the New Testament for the spiritual benefit of this people. Portions of this transla-
tion were read by Mr. Newstead from the pulpit, and were likewise freely lent among sick persons,
one of whom is said to have died with the Gospel of St. John beneath his pillow. The people evinced
so much interest in the work, that a printed edition was early resolved on; and, in 1819, the version
of the Gospel of St. Matthew was published in Ceylon, at the expense of the Colombo Auxiliary Bible
Society: and the Psalms followed, in 1821, at the expense of the same Society.
Soon afterwards Mr. Newstead completed his translation of the New Testament, and the work
was subjected to a searching revision by a committee appointed for the purpose, consisting of three of
the mies. and six of the most intelligent of the Indo-Portuguese. The revision was brought to
a close in 1824; and Mr. Newstead undertook a journey to England, to solicit the aid of the British
and Foreign Bible Society in the publication of the work. The translation was strongly recommended
to the adoption of the committee by the Hon. and Rev. T. J. Twisleton, archdeacon of Ceylon; and,
as its value was attested by other competent judges, two editions were printed in London, at the
expense of the Society, in 1826, under the personal superintendence of Mr. Newstead. The second
edition of the New Testament, consisting of 5000 copies, appeared at Colombo in 1831; and, in the
following year, a version of the books of Genesis, Exodus, and part of Leviticus, was pubhshed at the
same place, at the expense of the same Society. The Pentateuch and Psalter were printed at Colombo,
in 1833, in an edition of 5000 copies; the translation of the entire Old Testament is announced as in
progress.
Another edition of the Indo-Portuguese New Testament has been more recently contemplated,
and was originally designed to be printed in London, under the supervision of Mr. Newstead, the
translator, and at the expense of the British and Foreign Bible Society. But Mr. Newstead, after so
many years' absence from Ceylon, did not feel sufficient confidence in his knowledge of the language to
carry the New Testament through the press; and it was accordingly determined to print only the Gospel
of St. Matthew in Loudon, for temporary purpose, while the issue of the entire work should be referred
to the mies. resident in Ceylon, with a view to its being printed at the Mission-press in that
island. The Gospel of St. Matthew was finished in 1852, under Mr. Newstead's superintendence.
Instructions were at the same time given for an edition of 2000 copies of the entire Testament to be
printed at Colombo, at the expense of the British and Foreign Bible Society. This edition was com-
pleted in 1853, under the care of a committee of revision appointed for the purpose."INDO-PORTUGUESE--1860 S. Bagster [Info only: n.d. John 1:1- 14 unknown (unigenito = "only begotten").]
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