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VIENNA, Austria — Exactly 150 years after the beginning of organised
Bible work in the country, the Austrian Bible Society
(ÖBG) recently celebrated the impact of the Scriptures on the Austrian
people. In a ceremony recalling the sacrifices of early Bible workers, the
ÖBG gave thanks for the achievements of the past and recommitted itself
to taking the Word of God into the future.
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“The
Bible is the foundation of all churches,” he said. “The
Bible unites us and we cannot be separated again.”
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Dr Jutta Henner, ÖBG General Secretary, gave a history of Bible Society work in Austria, which developed out of a Vienna-based agency founded in 1850 by the British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS), and pointed to the progress made over the last century in uniting the churches around the Word of God.
“This celebration of 150 years of Bible Society work shows the good ecumenical climate that now exists in this country,” said Dr Henner.
Pointing out that this unity was not always the case, Dr Henner recalled the way in which the arrival of organised Bible work led to further tensions between the already divided churches. Some were strongly opposed to Bible distribution, and made it extremely difficult, and at times dangerous, for early Bible Society colporteurs to operate.
She said that today, although the Roman Catholic Church, which represents 70 per cent of Austria’s population, has its own Bible organisation – Katholisches Bibelwerk – there is a close working relationship with the Bible Society, whose member churches include the Lutheran, Reformed, Methodist, Baptist, Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, and Pentecostal churches, and the Salvation Army.
Giving thanks for this inter-church co-operation, Roman Catholic Suffragan Bishop in Vienna, the Rt Rev Dr Helmut Krätzl, emphasised the importance of the Bible.
“The Bible is the foundation of all churches,” he said. “The Bible unites us and we cannot be separated again.”
As well as giving thanks for the achievements of the past, the celebrations
were also a time to reflect on the Bible Society’s role and vision for
the future. Emphasising the need to respond to the new challenge of secularisation,
Dr Henner told the gathering that the ÖBG has committed to take advantage
of fresh opportunities to share the Word of God with more people.
A turbulent historyThe history of Bible work in Austria is a turbulent one. Edward Millard, the first Bible distributor from the British and Foreign Bible Society, arrived in Vienna in September 1850 and faced opposition and hostility from some powerful quarters. Eighteen months later, the government closed down the Bible Society’s operation, but not before Mr Millard had distributed 36,000 Bibles – a remarkable achievement for the time. It was only in 1864 that the Bible Society was able to resume work in the country, although conditions were still hazardous for colporteurs, who were persecuted and expelled. One colporteur was even murdered at the end of the 19th century. In 1920, after the upheavals of World War I, Bible Society work was re-established in the much-diminished country of Austria. However, during World War II the leaders of Nazi Germany forbade Bible Society staff in Vienna to sell any Scriptures. In 1947 a Bible Society committee was formed, which joined the UBS as a full member in the same year. The independent Austrian Bible Society was formed in 1970. |
Paying tribute to the work of the Bible Society, the Most Rev Dr Michael Staikos, Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Vienna, highlighted the importance of opening the Word of God to people in today’s world.
“The distribution of the Scriptures is important, especially in our time when many people are convinced that they can live without God and his Word,” he said.
To further commemorate the anniversary, an interconfessional church service was held on September 24 in Vienna’s main Reformed Church. In a sermon based on the New Testament story of Mary and Martha, Dr Johannes Langhoff, ÖBG board member and Reformed Church pastor, and Dr Henner embraced the need of all Christians, as well as the Bible Society, to “read the Bible and live in the world.”
“God is calling us to live as inspired and inspiring people,” said Dr Henner, while Dr Langhoff added that the “variety of Christian traditions, denominations and churches is a big treasure”. (WR 356/8 - 12.00) e-120