The Bible in the Vernacular Languages: The Case of Lithuanian
April 18, 2023
12:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Location
1501 UH
Calendar
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Gina Kavaliūnaitė Holvoet
I will briefly discuss the first translations of the Scripture – the Targums, the Septuagint, the Vulgate – and the translations into the vernaculars. I will also briefly characterize the versions made in the Middle Ages and the Age of Reformation. Why was the Catholic Church averse to vernacular translations for a long time? Why were the first translators of the Bible into English, John Wycliff and William Tyndale, declared heretics? What is special about missionary translations? Did all American presidents take the oath with their hand on an English Bible? How similar and how different can Bible translations be? What's the difference between Protestant and Catholic Bible translations? Finally, I will talk about the Bible translators and translations of one of the three Baltic countries. Why was a Lithuanian Bible printed in London, and why did King Charles II decree a collection for its printing? Which Bible translations do Lithuanians read nowadays?
Bio: Gina Kavaliūnaitė (PhD) is a senior research fellow at the Dept. of Baltic Studies in Vilnius University. Her major research focus is history of Lithuanian Bible translations. Kavaliūnaitė edited 3 vols. of Chylinski Bible (17 c.), she works on digitalization of its New and Old Testament (www.chylinskibible.flf.vu.lt). Kavaliūnaitė is an author of many articles in the field. Since 2016 she is a director of an international academic network aiming at teaching Lithuanian and research thereof.
Date posted
Mar 28, 2023
Date updated
Mar 28, 2023