Bible translations into Cherokee

Portions of the Bible have been translated into the Cherokee language since 1824 with translation work ongoing under the auspices of the Cherokee Bible Project (ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎭᎨᏓᎪᏪᎵ ᎠᏎᎸᎯ).[1]

History

In 1824, John 3, the first portion of the Bible, was translated into the Cherokee language by Cherokee native ᎠᏥ (John A'tsi Arch). It was circulated in manuscript, and received with wonderful avidity, being copied hundreds of times.[2] He completed the Gospel of John in 1824.[3]

David Brown, also a native Cherokee, completed a translation of the New Testament in September 1825. It was circulated only in handwritten manuscript form, as printing type for the Cherokee syllabary had not yet been created.

Both Arch and Brown translated the full New Testament into Cherokee.[4]

Samuel Worcester and Elias Boudinot, editor of the Cherokee Phoenix, published a revised translation of Matthew in 1829. This was published by the Cherokee National Press, New Echota. In the second edition, published in 1832, there is a statement that this translation had been "compared with the translation of George Lowrey and David Brown."[5]

Worcester and Boudinot continued with translation, publishing Acts in 1833 and John in 1838. Worcester, together with Stephen Foreman, published John 1–3 in 1840, 1 and 2 Timothy in 1844, James in 1847, 1 and 2 Peter in 1848, Luke in 1850, Exodus in 1853, Genesis in 1856, Mark in 1857, and Romans through Ephesians in 1858. With the assistance of Charles C. Torrey, they published Philippians through 2 Thessalonians, Titus through Hebrews and Jude through Revelation in 1859. Besides the first three books translated together with Boudinot, Matthew (1829), Acts (1833), and John (1838), which were published in New Echota, Georgia, all the rest of Worcester's texts were published by the Park Hill Mission Press. In the meantime, Evan and John B. Jones had published Mark, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Titus, Jude, and Philemon in 1847, and Galatians through Colossians, 1 and 2 Peter in 1848 and Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Hebrews and Revelation in 1849. Their work was published by the Cherokee Baptist Mission.[6]

With the help of Stephen Foreman, Worcester also translated portions of Psalms, Proverbs, and Isaiah.[7]

Jonah, translated by Amory N. Chamberlain, was published in Tahlequah in 1888. Joshua was at an advanced stage of translation, and was perhaps even completed.[8]

Jesse Bushyhead translated Genesis with Evan Jones.

Pre–20th-century Cherokee Bible translations
Translator(s) Book(s) Year(s) Publication details Notes
ᎠᏥ (John Arch) John 3; Gospel of John (manuscript) 1824 Circulated in manuscript First known Cherokee Bible translation
David Brown New Testament (manuscript) 1825 Circulated in manuscript Complete New Testament in Cherokee
David Brown; George Lowrey Matthew 1828–1829 Serialized in the Cherokee Phoenix First printed Cherokee biblical text
Samuel Worcester; Elias Boudinot Matthew (revised); Acts; John 1829; 1833; 1838 Cherokee National Press, New Echota Revised Matthew (1829); Acts (1833); John (1838)
Samuel Worcester; Stephen Foreman John 1–3; 1 Timothy; 2 Timothy; James; 1 Peter; 2 Peter; Luke; Exodus; Genesis; Mark; Romans; 1 Corinthians; 2 Corinthians; Galatians; Ephesians 1840–1858 Park Hill Mission Press Progressive New Testament and Old Testament translations
Samuel Worcester; Stephen Foreman; Charles C. Torrey Philippians; Colossians; 1 Thessalonians; 2 Thessalonians; Titus; Philemon; Hebrews; Jude; Revelation 1859 Park Hill Mission Press Completion of remaining New Testament books
Evan Jones; John B. Jones Mark; 1 Thessalonians; 2 Thessalonians; Titus; Jude; Philemon; Galatians; Ephesians; Philippians; Colossians; 1 Corinthians; 2 Corinthians; Romans; Hebrews; Revelation 1847–1849 Cherokee Baptist Mission Alternative Baptist translations of many New Testament books
Evan Jones; Jesse Bushyhead Genesis mid–19th century Cherokee Baptist Mission Old Testament translation
Samuel Worcester; Stephen Foreman Psalms (portions); Proverbs (portions); Isaiah (portions) mid–19th century Park Hill Mission Press Partial Old Testament translations
Amory N. Chamberlain Jonah; Joshua (in progress) 1888 Published in Tahlequah Late 19th-century Old Testament translation

20th century

Revisions of John (1948) and the New Testament (1951) were published in Westville, Oklahoma.[6]

In 1965, the Perkins School of Theology published a translation of Haggai by Jack and Anna Kilpatrick.[9]

21st century

In 2001, the Cherokee Bible Project, with permission from the American Bible Society, made the Gospel of John available online in both Cherokee Syllabary and in Latin phonetic transliteration with English translation. The earliest remaining example of such bilingual versions is from 2003.[10] The entire New Testament, as well as portions of the Old Testament, were made available in 2005, including the complete books of Jonah, Haggai, Genesis, Exodus, and portions of Kings, Proverbs, Psalms, Isaiah, Samuel, and Obadiah. The printed copy of Haggai was donated by a generous supporter after it was located in a library discard and posted online in 2013.[11]

Between 2006 and 2019, Timothy Legg led a project to compare the English and Cherokee translations of the New Testament, with verse-by-verse scans and transcriptions.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Cherokee Bible Project online since 2001". sites.google.com. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
  2. ^ Foster, Biography of Se-Quo-Yah, p. 120
  3. ^ Cherokee Messenger, by Althea Bass
  4. ^ Dodds, Richard T. (22 July 2022). "Cherokee - English (2014) Diglot New Testament" (in Cherokee). Franklin, North Carolina: Cherokee Bible Project, American Bible Society. Retrieved 16 September 2024 – via Digital Bible Society.
  5. ^ Early Bibles of America, by John Wright, pg. 278
  6. ^ a b Eric North, Eugene Nida, The Book of a Thousand Tongues, United Bible Societies, 1972
  7. ^ Early Bibles of America: Being a Descriptive Account of Bibles Published in the United States by John Wright
  8. ^ American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (1857). The Missionary herald. Published for the Board by Samuel T. Armstrong. p. 241. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  9. ^ The book of Haggai translated into Cherokee | WorldCat.org. OCLC 13025593.
  10. ^ "Archived copy". www.cherokeebible.com. Archived from the original on 22 June 2003. Retrieved 13 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. ^ "Cherokee Bible Project online since 2001". sites.google.com.
  12. ^ "Cherokee Dictionary". www.cherokeedictionary.net. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
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