Bible translations (French)
Encyclopedia
After a number of French Bible translations in the Middle Ages
, the first printed translation of the Bible into French
was the work of the French theologian Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples
in 1530 in Antwerp, Belgium
. This was substantially revised and improved in 1535 by Pierre Robert Olivétan
. This Bible, in turn, became the basis of the first French Catholic Bible, published at Leuven
in 1550, the work of Nicholas de Leuze and François de Larben. Finally, the Port-Royal version, prepared by Antoine Lemaistre and his brother Louis Isaac Lemaistre, finished in 1695, achieved broad acceptance among both Catholics and Protestants
. Jean-Frédéric Ostervald
's version (1724) also enjoyed widespread popularity.
Among Catholics, the most notable contemporary French translation is La Bible de Jérusalem, available in English as The Jerusalem Bible
, which appeared first in French in 1954 and was revised in 1973. Its copious but concise footnotes and apparatus have won respect among both Protestant and Catholic readers. This translation has served as the basis for versions in many other languages besides French.
Many Francophone Protestants now use the Louis Segond
version, which was finished in 1880, and revised substantially between 1975 and 1978. The Revised Louis Segond Bible is published by the American Bible Society
. In 2007 the Geneva Bible Society published an updated edition of the Segond text called Segond 21. It is described by its sponsors as "L’original, avec les mots d’aujourd’hui" (the original, but with today's words).
Another modern French Bible is the Bible du Semeur, finished in 2000. This is a more thought-for-thought translation than Segond's, and it uses more contemporary language. It is published by Biblica (formerly the International Bible Society
). Another similarly translated Bible that is very popular with French readers is the Bible en français courant, published in 1987 by the Alliance Biblique Universelle.
The chief Jewish version of the Hebrew Scriptures in French is La Bible du rabbinat français, which was finished in 1906 and was revised in 1966.
André Chouraqui
has published a version designed for use by both Jews and Christians; though Jewish himself, he included the New Testament.
Jehovah's Witnesses
have translated their New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures
into French.
Bible translations in the Middle Ages
Bible translations in the Middle Ages were rare, in contrast to Late Antiquity, when the Bibles available to most Christians were in the local vernacular...
, the first printed translation of the Bible into French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
was the work of the French theologian Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples
Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples
Jacques Lefèvre d’Étaples or Jacob Faber Stapulensis was a French theologian and humanist. He was a precursor of the Protestant movement in France. The "d’Étaples" was not part of his name as such, but used to distinguish him from Jacques Lefèvre of Deventer, a less significant contemporary, a...
in 1530 in Antwerp, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. This was substantially revised and improved in 1535 by Pierre Robert Olivétan
Pierre Robert Olivétan
Pierre Robert Olivétan was the first to translate the Bible into the French language starting from the Hebrew and Greek texts. He was a cousin of John Calvin, who wrote a Latin preface for the translation, often called the Olivetan Bible....
. This Bible, in turn, became the basis of the first French Catholic Bible, published at Leuven
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
in 1550, the work of Nicholas de Leuze and François de Larben. Finally, the Port-Royal version, prepared by Antoine Lemaistre and his brother Louis Isaac Lemaistre, finished in 1695, achieved broad acceptance among both Catholics and Protestants
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
. Jean-Frédéric Ostervald
Jean Frederic Ostervald
Jean-Frédéric Osterwald , Swiss Protestant pastor, was born at Neuchâtel in 1663 in a patrician family, a son of the Reformed pastor Johann Rudolf Ostervald...
's version (1724) also enjoyed widespread popularity.
Among Catholics, the most notable contemporary French translation is La Bible de Jérusalem, available in English as The Jerusalem Bible
Jerusalem Bible
The Jerusalem Bible is a Roman Catholic translation of the Bible which first was introduced to the English-speaking public in 1966 and published by Darton, Longman & Todd...
, which appeared first in French in 1954 and was revised in 1973. Its copious but concise footnotes and apparatus have won respect among both Protestant and Catholic readers. This translation has served as the basis for versions in many other languages besides French.
Many Francophone Protestants now use the Louis Segond
Louis Segond
Louis Segond , was a Swiss theologian who translated the Bible into French from the original texts in Hebrew and Greek.He was born in Plainpalais, near Geneva...
version, which was finished in 1880, and revised substantially between 1975 and 1978. The Revised Louis Segond Bible is published by the American Bible Society
American Bible Society
The American Bible Society is an interconfessional, non-denominational, nonprofit organization, founded in 1816 in New York City, which publishes, distributes and translates the Bible and provides study aids and other tools to help people engage with the Bible.It is probably best known for its...
. In 2007 the Geneva Bible Society published an updated edition of the Segond text called Segond 21. It is described by its sponsors as "L’original, avec les mots d’aujourd’hui" (the original, but with today's words).
Another modern French Bible is the Bible du Semeur, finished in 2000. This is a more thought-for-thought translation than Segond's, and it uses more contemporary language. It is published by Biblica (formerly the International Bible Society
International Bible Society
Biblica, formerly named named IBS-STL Biblica, formerly named named IBS-STL Biblica, formerly named named IBS-STL (from a merger of International Bible Society (IBS) and Send the Light (STL), has its headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and is a nonprofit Christian organization that...
). Another similarly translated Bible that is very popular with French readers is the Bible en français courant, published in 1987 by the Alliance Biblique Universelle.
The chief Jewish version of the Hebrew Scriptures in French is La Bible du rabbinat français, which was finished in 1906 and was revised in 1966.
André Chouraqui
André Chouraqui
Nathan André Chouraqui was a French lawyer, writer, scholar and politician.Chouraqui was born in Aïn Témouchent, Algeria...
has published a version designed for use by both Jews and Christians; though Jewish himself, he included the New Testament.
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
have translated their New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures
New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures
The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures is a translation of the Bible published by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society in 1961; it is used and distributed by Jehovah's Witnesses. Though it is not the first Bible to be published by the group, it is their first original translation of...
into French.
Comparison
| Translation | Genesis (Genèse) 1:1–3 | John Gospel of John The Gospel According to John , commonly referred to as the Gospel of John or simply John, and often referred to in New Testament scholarship as the Fourth Gospel, is an account of the public ministry of Jesus... (Jean) 3:16 |
|---|---|---|
| Louis Segond (LSG) | Au commencement, Dieu créa les cieux et la terre. La terre était informe et vide: il y avait des ténèbres à la surface de l'abîme, et l'esprit de Dieu se mouvait au-dessus des eaux. Dieu dit: Que la lumière soit! Et la lumière fut. | Car Dieu a tant aimé le monde qu'il a donné son Fils unique, afin que quiconque croit en lui ne périsse point, mais qu'il ait la vie éternelle. |
| La Bible du Semeur (BDS) | Au commencement, Dieu créa le ciel et la terre. Or, la terre était alors informe et vide. Les ténèbres couvraient l'abîme, et l'Esprit de Dieu planait au-dessus des eaux. Et Dieu dit alors: Que la lumière soit! Et la lumière fut. | Oui, Dieu a tant aimé le monde qu'il a donné son Fils, son unique, pour que tous ceux qui placent leur confiance en lui échappent à la perdition et qu'ils aient la vie éternelle. |
| Bible en français courant (BFC) | Au commencement Dieu créa le ciel et la terre. La terre était sans forme et vide, et l'obscurité couvrait l'océan primitif. Le souffle de Dieu se déplaçait à la surface de l'eau. Alors Dieu dit : « Que la lumière paraisse ! » et la lumière parut. | Car Dieu a tellement aimé le monde qu'il a donné son Fils unique, afin que quiconque croit en lui ne soit pas perdu mais qu'il ait la vie éternelle. |
Chronological list
- The following list was translated from the French Wikipedia article Traductions de la Bible en français
Manuscript translations
- 1226-1250, translation of John II of FranceJohn II of FranceJohn II , called John the Good , was the King of France from 1350 until his death. He was the second sovereign of the House of Valois and is perhaps best remembered as the king who was vanquished at the Battle of Poitiers and taken as a captive to England.The son of Philip VI and Joan the Lame,...
of the University of ParisUniversity of ParisThe University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
-
- Unfinished and continued in the 14th century by Jean de Sy and the DominicanDominican OrderThe Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
s, Jehan Nicolas, Guillaume Vivien, and Jehan de Chambly.
- Unfinished and continued in the 14th century by Jean de Sy and the Dominican
- 1297 the Bible historiale of Guyart Desmoulins or Guyart des Moulins
-
- Consisting of the Historia ScholasticaHistoria scholasticaThe Historia Scholastica is a twelfth-century Biblical paraphrase written in Medieval Latin by Petrus Comestor. Sometimes called the "Medieval Popular Bible", it draws on the Bible and other sources, including the works of classical scholars and the Fathers of the Church, to present a universal...
of Petrus ComestorPetrus Comestor-Biography:Born in Troyes, he was first attached to the Church of Notre-Dame in that city and habitually signed himself as "Presbyter Trecensis". Before 1148 he became dean of the chapter and received a benefice in 1148. About 1160 he formed one of the Chapter of Notre-Dame at Paris, and about the...
, a liberal translation of most of the Bible, and an assemblage of glosses and other materials from several sources. The content of the manuscripts is variable, and successive versions seem to add books of the Bible which were missing in Guyart's original.
- Consisting of the Historia Scholastica
- 1377, Bible de Charles V
-
- Translation by Raoul de Presles dedicated to Charles VCharles V of FranceCharles V , called the Wise, was King of France from 1364 to his death in 1380 and a member of the House of Valois...
- Translation by Raoul de Presles dedicated to Charles V
15th century
- 1476, le Nouveau Testament
-
- Printed by Barthélemy Buyer in Lyon, translated from the VulgateVulgateThe Vulgate is a late 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. It was largely the work of St. Jerome, who was commissioned by Pope Damasus I in 382 to make a revision of the old Latin translations...
.
- Printed by Barthélemy Buyer in Lyon, translated from the Vulgate
- 1487, la Bible de Jean de Rély
-
- Printed for the first time in Paris and reprinted at least ten times in the fifty years that followed. It is an illustrated Bible, published from a late manuscript of the Bible historiale of Guyart Desmoulins or Guyart des Moulins.
16th century
- 1523, Nouveau Testament by Jacques Lefèvre d'ÉtaplesJacques Lefèvre d'ÉtaplesJacques Lefèvre d’Étaples or Jacob Faber Stapulensis was a French theologian and humanist. He was a precursor of the Protestant movement in France. The "d’Étaples" was not part of his name as such, but used to distinguish him from Jacques Lefèvre of Deventer, a less significant contemporary, a...
- 1528, Ancien Testament by Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples.
-
- From the VulgateVulgateThe Vulgate is a late 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. It was largely the work of St. Jerome, who was commissioned by Pope Damasus I in 382 to make a revision of the old Latin translations...
, printed in Antwerp 1530, 1534, 1541. Revised by Nicolas de Leuze (Antwerp, 1548). This is the first complete translation of the Hebrew scriptures into French.
- From the Vulgate
- 1535, Bible d'Olivétan: first translation made from the original Hebrew and Greek
-
- It introduced the word Éternel to render the TetragrammatonTetragrammatonThe term Tetragrammaton refers to the name of the God of Israel YHWH used in the Hebrew Bible.-Hebrew Bible:...
. Pierre Robert, called Olivétan, who was probably a cousin of John CalvinJohn CalvinJohn Calvin was an influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism. Originally trained as a humanist lawyer, he broke from the Roman Catholic Church around 1530...
, wrote the Latin preface. The translation is accompanied by numerous scholarly notes. The New Testament follows the Textus ReceptusTextus ReceptusTextus Receptus is the name subsequently given to the succession of printed Greek texts of the New Testament which constituted the translation base for the original German Luther Bible, the translation of the New Testament into English by William Tyndale, the King James Version, and for most other...
.
- It introduced the word Éternel to render the Tetragrammaton
- 1551, Bible en latin et 1555 en français of Sebastian Castellion: translated from the Hebrew and Greek. Condemned by John Calvin.
- 1560, Bible de Genève of Jean Calvin: follows the Bible d'Olivétan
- 1588, Révision de la Bible de Genève (Bible de « l'Epée ») by Theodore BezaTheodore BezaTheodore Beza was a French Protestant Christian theologian and scholar who played an important role in the Reformation...
and Corneille Bertram.
- 1550‑1608, La Bible de LouvainLeuvenLeuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
: a revision of the Bible by Lefebvre d'Étaples.
- 1566, traduction de René Benoist: from the VulgateVulgateThe Vulgate is a late 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. It was largely the work of St. Jerome, who was commissioned by Pope Damasus I in 382 to make a revision of the old Latin translations...
(Paris). Suspected of CalvinismCalvinismCalvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
, it caused numerous controversies.
17th century
- 1667, Nouveau Testament of Antoine and Isaac Lemaître de Sacy: from the Greek
-
- Printed in Amsterdam.
- 1696, Translation by the Jansenist abbey of Port-Royal de Paris, translated between 1657 and 1696.
- Blaise PascalBlaise PascalBlaise Pascal , was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer and Catholic philosopher. He was a child prodigy who was educated by his father, a tax collector in Rouen...
, and other influential writers such as Robert Arnauld d'AndillyRobert Arnauld d'AndillyRobert Arnauld d’Andilly was a French conseiller d’État, specialising in financial questions, in the court of Marie de' Medici. By the elegance of his language, he was among the major poets, writers and translators of 17th century French classicism...
, Pierre NicolePierre NicolePierre Nicole was one of the most distinguished of the French Jansenists.Born in Chartres, he was the son of a provincial barrister, who took in charge his education...
, Pierre Thomas du Fossé, under the leadership of Louis-Isaac Lemaître de Sacy, participated in the translation- 1696, Le Nouveau Testament by David MartinDavid Martin (French divine)David Martin , a learned French Protestant theologian, was born at Revel, in the diocese of Lavaur.He was educated at Montauban, and at the academy of the reformed at Nîmes. He afterwards studied divinity at Puy-Laurent, whither the academy of Montauban had been removed...
: revision of the Bible de Genève accompanied by notes.
- 1696, Le Nouveau Testament by David Martin
- Printed in Amsterdam.
18th century
- 1702, New Testament of Richard SimonRichard SimonRichard Simon was a French Oratorian, influential advanced biblical critic, orientalist, and controversialist.-Early years:...
, an Oratorian who devoted his life to many works of exegesis and critical research on the Bible text. He was knowledgeable in GreekAncient GreekAncient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
, Hebrew, and Aramaic (the language spoken by Christ), and traditional Jewish methods of exegesis.
- 1707, La Sainte Bible by David MartinDavid Martin (French divine)David Martin , a learned French Protestant theologian, was born at Revel, in the diocese of Lavaur.He was educated at Montauban, and at the academy of the reformed at Nîmes. He afterwards studied divinity at Puy-Laurent, whither the academy of Montauban had been removed...
: revision of the Bible de Genève accompanied by notes. Available online at Martin 1707
- 1741, Bible of Charles de Cène, a pastor and refugee in the Dutch RepublicDutch RepublicThe Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
- 1744, revision of Jean-Frédéric Osterwald of the Bible de Genève.
- 1744, revision of David MartinDavid Martin (French divine)David Martin , a learned French Protestant theologian, was born at Revel, in the diocese of Lavaur.He was educated at Montauban, and at the academy of the reformed at Nîmes. He afterwards studied divinity at Puy-Laurent, whither the academy of Montauban had been removed...
by the pastor Pierre Roques