Aneityum Bible (ATY1863)

Overview

The Aneityum Bible is one of the earliest complete Bible translations in a Pacific island language. The New Testament was published in 1863 by the British and Foreign Bible Society, with the Old Testament following in two volumes in 1878-1879. ^[1] The primary translator was John Geddie (1815-1872), a Presbyterian missionary from Nova Scotia, Canada, who arrived on Aneityum in May 1848. A memorial inscription reads: “When he landed in 1848, there was not a single Christian; when he left in 1872, there were no heathen.” ^[1] Other translators included John Inglis (Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland) and J. Copeland for the Old Testament. An Aneityum national named Williamu assisted with revision during the voyage to England. ^[1] Remarkably, the Aneityum Christians raised 1,200 pounds over 15 years through arrowroot cultivation to fund the printing of their Bible. ^[1]

References

• [1] John Geddie missionary - Wikipedia. Translation history and biographical details.
• Rosetta Project: Aneityum Genesis - Internet Archive / Rosetta Project. Genesis in Aneityum.
• ebible.org entry - ebible.org. Bible encyclopaedia entry for ATY1863.
• Global Bible Catalogue - Global Bible Catalogue entry.
• bible.com - YouVersion.