List of languages by year of first Bible translation
The Bible has been translated into many languages. The Jewish Tanakh (similar to the Protestant Old Testament) was originally written in Hebrew, with the exception of some passages of Daniel, Ezra, and Jeremiah which are in Aramaic. The New Testament is widely agreed to have originally been written in Greek, although some scholars hypothesize that certain books (whether completely or partially) may have been written in Aramaic before being translated for widespread dissemination.
Contents
Latin
Partly: end of 2nd century
Completely: mid 3rd century for Vetus Latina; around 407 for Jerome's Vulgate
Syriac
Partly:
Completely: earlier versions 2nd century; Peshitta 4th century
Coptic
Partly: First Century
Completely: Second Century (to Akhmimic, Sahidic and Boharic Dialects)
Gothic
Partly:
Completely: 383 by Ulifas or Ulfilas
Armenian
Partly: by Saint Mesrop (translated from Syriac)
Completely:
Nubian
Partly:
Completely: 6th century
Chinese
Partly: 640 (by Nestorian Christians for Chinese Emperor)
Completely: 1823
Arabic
Partly:
Completely: 8th century
Anglo-saxon
Partly: 7th century
Completely:
Slavonic
Partly: 9th century
Completely:
German
Partly: 748 Gospel of Matthew (Mondsee Fragments)
Completely: 1466 Mentelin Bible (there were several German translations before Martin Luther's translation 1535)
Slovene
- Partly:
- Freising Manuscripts (972–1039; contains the translation of Matthew 25:34)
- Primož Trubar, 1555–1577 (the entire New Testament; the first translation – the Gospel of Matthew – was printed in 1555)
- Completely: Jurij Dalmatin (finished in 1578, printed in 1583)
Malay
Old Malay language that in the end branched into Indonesian language and modern Malay language
Partly: 1602 by Ruyl
Completely: 1733 by Leydekker
Wampanoag
Partly: John Eliot, 1653
Completely: John Eliot, 1663
Azeri
Partly: 1842
Completely: 1891
Portuguese
Partly: 13th century.
Completely: João Ferreira de Almeida (and Jacobus op den Akker), 1681 - 1753
See also
I've learned that the first translation was in Latin 'Biblia Sacra Valgata' and that only about 513 out of over 7,000 languages in the world have complete Bibles in their native tongue.
