Bible translations into Persian
Encyclopedia
Parts of the Gospels were first translated into Persian
in the Persian Diatessaron
in the 13th century. Then more sections of the Gospels by the 16th Century muslim scholar of, and critic of, Christianity Khatun Abadi.
's Four Gospels appeared in Calcutta in 1804. A major figure in this work was Henry Martyn
, a contemporary of William Carey, who translated the New Testament. In 1811 he journeyed into Persia (now Iran
). There he sent a copy of his translation of the New Testament to the Shah. It was published in 1815. The complete Bible translation was completed in 1838. A revision was published in 1896. A new version, Common Language Translation, first published in 1976. The New Testament is largely based on Henry Martyn's work.
spoken in Afghanistan
, and hence known as Afghan Persian in some western sources. As defined in the Constitution of Afghanistan
, Dari is one of the two official languages of Afghanistan. Spoken by almost half of the population as first language, it also serves as the lingua franca
in Afghanistan. The Iran
ian and Afghan dialects of Persian are highly mutually intelligible. Differences are found primarily in the vocabulary and phonology.
Dari, spoken in Afghanistan, should not be confused with Dari
or Gabri
of Iran
, a language of the Central Iranian sub-group, spoken in some Zoroastrian communities.
Scripture portions were published in Dari for the first time in 1974. In 1982 the complete New Testament was published for the first time by the Pakistan Bible Society in Lahore. This translation had been translated by an Afghan convert to Christianity, Zia Nodrat using Iranian Persian, English and German versions. Its third edition was published by the Cambridge University Press in England in 1989. Zia Nodrat was working on a Dari translation of the Old Testament, when he disappeared under mysterious circumstances. The complete Bible in Dari was published for the first time in 2007.
have appeared since the break up of the Soviet Union
into the independent republics of Central Asia
.
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
in the Persian Diatessaron
Persian Diatessaron
The Persian Diatessaron of Iwannis ‛Izz al-Din of Tabriz is a 13th Century Gospel harmony, the earliest of the Bible translations into Persian. It appears to have been translated from a late copy of a Syriac harmony....
in the 13th century. Then more sections of the Gospels by the 16th Century muslim scholar of, and critic of, Christianity Khatun Abadi.
Persian (Persian of Iran)
Henry Thomas ColebrookeHenry Thomas Colebrooke
Henry Thomas Colebrooke was an English orientalist.-Biography:Henry Thomas Colebrooke, third son of Sir George Colebrooke, 2nd Baronet, was born in London. He was educated at home; and when only fifteen he had made considerable attainments in classics and mathematics...
's Four Gospels appeared in Calcutta in 1804. A major figure in this work was Henry Martyn
Henry Martyn
Henry Martyn was an Anglican priest and missionary to the peoples of India and Persia. Born in Truro, Cornwall, he was educated at Truro Grammar School and St John's College, Cambridge. A chance encounter with Charles Simeon led him to become a missionary...
, a contemporary of William Carey, who translated the New Testament. In 1811 he journeyed into Persia (now Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
). There he sent a copy of his translation of the New Testament to the Shah. It was published in 1815. The complete Bible translation was completed in 1838. A revision was published in 1896. A new version, Common Language Translation, first published in 1976. The New Testament is largely based on Henry Martyn's work.
Dari (Persian of Afghanistan)
Dari ( Darī, pronounced dæˈɾi) refers to the version of Persian languagePersian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
spoken in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, and hence known as Afghan Persian in some western sources. As defined in the Constitution of Afghanistan
Constitution of Afghanistan
The Constitution of Afghanistan is the supreme law of the state Afghanistan, which serves as the legal framework between the Afghan government and the Afghan citizens...
, Dari is one of the two official languages of Afghanistan. Spoken by almost half of the population as first language, it also serves as the lingua franca
Lingua franca
A lingua franca is a language systematically used to make communication possible between people not sharing a mother tongue, in particular when it is a third language, distinct from both mother tongues.-Characteristics:"Lingua franca" is a functionally defined term, independent of the linguistic...
in Afghanistan. The Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian and Afghan dialects of Persian are highly mutually intelligible. Differences are found primarily in the vocabulary and phonology.
Dari, spoken in Afghanistan, should not be confused with Dari
Dari (Zoroastrian)
Dari is a Northwestern Iranian ethnolect spoken as a first language by an estimated 8,000 to 15,000 Zoroastrians in and around the cities of Yazd and Kerman in central Iran...
or Gabri
Dari (Zoroastrian)
Dari is a Northwestern Iranian ethnolect spoken as a first language by an estimated 8,000 to 15,000 Zoroastrians in and around the cities of Yazd and Kerman in central Iran...
of Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, a language of the Central Iranian sub-group, spoken in some Zoroastrian communities.
Scripture portions were published in Dari for the first time in 1974. In 1982 the complete New Testament was published for the first time by the Pakistan Bible Society in Lahore. This translation had been translated by an Afghan convert to Christianity, Zia Nodrat using Iranian Persian, English and German versions. Its third edition was published by the Cambridge University Press in England in 1989. Zia Nodrat was working on a Dari translation of the Old Testament, when he disappeared under mysterious circumstances. The complete Bible in Dari was published for the first time in 2007.
Tajiki (Persian of Tajikistan)
Versions in the Tajik languageTajik language
Tajik, Tajik Persian, or Tajiki, is a variety of modern Persian spoken in Central Asia. Historically Tajiks called their language zabani farsī , meaning Persian language in English; the term zabani tajikī, or Tajik language, was introduced in the 20th century by the Soviets...
have appeared since the break up of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
into the independent republics of Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
.
Comparisons table
| Translation | 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... 3:16 |
|---|---|
| Persian Diatessaron Persian Diatessaron The Persian Diatessaron of Iwannis ‛Izz al-Din of Tabriz is a 13th Century Gospel harmony, the earliest of the Bible translations into Persian. It appears to have been translated from a late copy of a Syriac harmony.... 13th Century |
« همچنین خدا خلق را دوست داشت که پسر یگانه خود جهت خلق فدی کرد بهر آنک هرک بدو ایمان بیاورد هلاک مشود بلی زندگانی جاوید پذیرد |
| Tarjumeh-ye Khatun Abadi 16th century | « و خدا دوست داشته عالم را به حدی که بخشیده پسر یگانه خود را تا هلاک نشود کسی که ایمان آورد به او، بلکه بوده باشد او را حیات ابدی. |
| Tarjumeh-ye Henry Martyn 1876 | « زیرا که خدا آن قدر جهان را دوست داشت که فرزند یگانه خود را ارزانی فرمود که تا هر کس که بر او ایمان آورد هلاک نشود بلکه زندگانی جاوید یابند. |
| Tarjumeh-ye Ghadeem 1896 | زیرا خدا جهان را اینقدر محبت نمود که پسر یگانه خود را داد تا هرکه بر او ایمان آورد هلاک نگردد بلکه حیات جاودانی یابد. |
| Today's Persian Version | زیرا خدا جهانیان را آنقدر محبّت نمود كه پسر یگانهٔ خود را داد تا هرکه به او ایمان بیاورد هلاک نگردد، بلكه صاحب حیات جاودان شود. |
| Tarjumeh-ye Hezare Noh | «زیرا خدا جهان را آنقدر محبت کرد که پسر یگانة خود را داد تا هر که به او ایمان آوَرَد هلاک نگردد، بلکه حیات جاویدان یابد. |
| Tarjumeh-ye Tafsiri | « زیرا خدا بقدری مردم جهان را دوست دارد که یگانه فرزند خود را فرستاده است، تا هر که به او ایمان آورد، هلاک نشود بلکه زندگی جاوید بیابد. |
| Tarjumeh-ye Pirouz Sayar | « چه خدا چندان جهان را دوست داشته است که پسر خویش، آن پسر یگانه، را بداده تا ان کس که بر او ایمان آوَرد هلاک نگردد. بلکه حیات جاودان یابد. |
| Dari (Afghan dialect) | زیرا خدا به دنیا آنقدر محبت داشت که پسر یگانۀ خود را داد تا هر که به او ایمان بیاورد هلاک نگردد، بلکه صاحب زندگی ابدی شود. |
| Institute for Bible Translation Institute for Bible Translation The Institute for Bible Translation was founded in Stockholm, Sweden in 1973 by Borislav Arapovic, its main task being to publish Bibles for "non-Slavic peoples in Slavic countries." These 85 million people in non-Slavic ethnic groups living in the former Soviet Union - now CIS, including Russia -... , 1997 (Tajiki) |
«Зеро Худо ҷаҳонро чунон дӯст дошт, ки Писари ягонаи Худро дод, то ҳар кӣ ба Ӯ имон оварад, талаф нашавад, балки ҳаёти ҷовидонӣ ёбад. |
| Transliteration (Tajiki) | Zero Xudo ǧahonro čunon döst došt, ki Pisari yagonai Xudro dod, to har kiy ba Ö imon ovarad, talaf našavad, balki hayâti ǧovidoniy yâbad. |