Română / Romanian Bible History (3)

**List: Romanian Ministry Bible ( Biblia ) Romanian... DACO-ROMANA, OR WALLACHIAN. "III.--VERSIONS OF THE SCRIPTURES IN THIS LANGUAGE.    The first translation of the Scriptures into Wallachian was made by the Metropolitan Theodotius, by order of Scherban Woivoda, a prince of Wallachia, and the New Testament was printed at Belgrade, in 1648.   Prior to that period, the Greek and Sclavonic Scriptures had been in use among the Wallachians.   A copy of this New Testament is preserved in the Bodleian Library.   The Wallachian Bible was first printed in 1668 at Bucharest, the capital of Wallachia; another edition was published at the same place in 1714, and a third edition appeared at Blaje in Transylvania, in 1795.    In 1816, the Russian Bible Society undertook an edition consisting of 5000 copies of the Wallachian New Testament.   This supply was greatly needed, for when Dr. Pinkerton visited Moldavia in 1817, he was assured by the exarch that not fifty Bibles were to be found in all the 800 churches belonging to his district.   On account of this deplorable scarcity, an edition of 5000 Bibles in this language was commenced at the printing office of the exarch in 1817, at the expense of the British and Foreign Bible Society.   These editions were joyfully received, and so rapidly circulated, that fresh supplies were soon found to be requisite.   In 1834, Poyenar, director of the schools in Wallachia, published at Bucharest 3000 copies of the Gospels for the use of schools, and 3000 additional copies for the priests.    In 1838, an edition of 5000 copies of the Wallachian New Testament, printed from a revised and corrected text, furnished by the heads of the Wallachian Church, was published at Bucharest, at the expense of the British and Foreign Bible Society.   This edition was brought out by the permission and at the desire of the bishops of Wallachia, and under the sanction of the prince and governor of the Wallachian principality.   Several other editions of the New Testament have, from time to time, been given by this Society to Wallachia: the number of copies of the revised edition thus supplied amounts to 15,000.    The increasing demand for the Sacred Word manifested by the Rouman population within recent years, has led to a determination on the part of the British and Foreign Bible Society to undertake the translation of the Old Testament into the Wallachian tongue.   This task has been commenced by Professor Aristias, at Bucharest, and is making satisfactory progress.   It had advanced in 1859 as far as Isaiah.   As different portions of the work have been successively finished, editions of 2000 have issued from the Bucharest press.   An edition of 5000 Wallachian New Testaments, printed in Roman characters, has also been recently completed.   It having been affirmed that "hundreds of thousands who speak the Wallachian language, but do not read the Sclavonic character," would gladly receive the Gospel in the Latin type. IV.--RESULTS OF THE DISSEMINATION OF THIS VERSION.    In 1841, accounts were transmitted to the British and Foreign Bible Society of the great and essential good which had been effected by the distribution of their editions of the New Testament: "Those individuals belonging to the clergy," it is stated in this report, "as well as other persons who were opposed to its dissemination, and who were desirous to put it down, are now anxious to see the country inundated, as it were, with these New Testaments in the vernacular tongue."   Later experiences have fully confirmed the impression thus created, and Bucharest has become a highly important centre of my. operations.   The large population of Moldavia, Wallachia, and Bulgaria (it is remarked in recent Reports) are quite open to the labours of the Society, and there is on the part of the people a prevailing desire for the Scriptures.   The hostility so generally found to prevail when the Greek Church is in the ascendant, does not operate to any material extent amongst the inhabitants of the Danubian provinces."--The Bible of Every Land. (1860, Second Edition)   Samuel Bagster   [Info only] DACO-ROMANA OR WALLACHIAN VERSION, from the Bible printed at St Petersburgh   [Info only: Cyrillic (Old) Character   "1819" John 1:1-13 unknown.]

[Christian Helps Ministry (USA)] [Christian Home Bible Course]