New Arabic Peshitta Bible a ‘Great
Event’
for the Church in Iraq
MOSUL, Iraq — Churches in Iraq recently
celebrated the publication of the first Peshitta Bible to be printed in one
complete volume. This much-treasured 19th century Arabic translation, also known
as the Mosul Bible, was previously only available in three separate books. The
first consignment of the new Bibles, which were printed by the Bible
Society in Lebanon (BSL), arrived in time for the celebrations to mark the
250th anniversary of the Dominican Fathers – a Roman Catholic Order –
in Iraq. Other churches also welcomed the Peshitta Bibles. Mar Raphaël
I Bidawid, Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldean Church of the East – Iraq’s
largest Christian denomination – hailed the publication of the new Peshitta
Bible as “a great event for the Church in Iraq.” (WR 357/27 - 1/2.01)
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Bible in Today’s
Arabic on Society Website
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Arabic-speakers across the world can now access
the entire text of the Arabic Bible through the website of the Bible
Society in Lebanon (BSL). The site allows visitors to download and read
Today’s Arabic Version (TAV), a translation completed in
1992 which has been very popular in churches in the Arab world and is slowly
replacing the older 19th-century Arabic translations.“The Bible will be
able to go places where it was impossible to go before, reaching people who
never dreamt of receiving their own copy of the Scriptures, and speaking to
them in a language they can understand,” said Mike Bassous, BSL Deputy
General Secretary. “This is the power of God’s Word through the Internet.”
(WR 357/28 - 1/2.01) e-121
Bible Society Encourages
Christians at Bookfair
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Middle Eastern Christians at the 44th Arabic
and International Bookfair in Beirut in November were encouraged and, in many
cases, surprised by the presence of the Bible Society
in Lebanon (BSL). As well as providing fellowship and Scriptures for Christians
who, as a minority in the region, often feel isolated, the Society stand also
gave many other visitors the chance to encounter God’s Word for the first
time. The bookfair, which ran from November 3-17, is the second largest in the
Arab world, attracting more than 2,000 visitors daily. Although the Bible Society
has been participating for about 20 years, many people expressed surprise at
seeing Bibles displayed so openly. The Society was one of only three publishers
displaying Scriptures and Christian literature out of a total of 200, and made
sales amounting to more than US$4,300 during the fair, as well as giving away
tens of thousands of Scripture calendars. (WR 357/29 - 1/2.01) e-121
Bible Society Scriptures
Popular on Goodwill Ship
BEIRUT,
Lebanon — Thousands of Bible Society Scriptures were sold aboard Logos
II, the world’s second-largest floating bookstore, when it anchored
at Beirut Port in November. The ship, whose main objective is to promote international
goodwill and understanding, stocked up on Scriptures from the Bible
Society in Lebanon (BSL) before opening to customers on November 6. Scripture
sales during the two weeks the ship was in port reached more than US$8,000–
almost double the amount sold at the Bible Society stand at the Arabic and International
Bookfair, which took place at the same time across town. The Scriptures, in
Arabic and Armenian, were among 500,000 other books on display. Logos II
is owned and operated by Educational Books Exhibits Ltd – a non-profit
organisation based in the UK – and is staffed by 200 Christian volunteers
of more than 35 nationalities. Over the past decade it has visited more than
60 countries, welcoming more than six million visitors on board. (WR 357/30
- 1/2.01) [PHOTOS] e-121