Global InformationBible translations into French information
Bible translations into French date back to the Medieval era.[1] After a number of French Bible translations in the Middle Ages, the first printed translation of the Bible into French was the work of the French theologian Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples in 1530 in Antwerp. This was substantially revised and improved in 1535 by Pierre Robert Olivétan. This Bible, in turn, became the basis of the first French Catholic Bible, published at Leuven in 1550, the work of Nicholas de Leuze and François de Larben. Finally, the Bible de Port-Royal, prepared by Antoine Lemaistre and his brother Louis Isaac Lemaistre, finished in 1695, achieved broad acceptance among both Catholics and Protestants. Jean-Frédéric Ostervald's version (1744) also enjoyed widespread popularity.
Among Catholics, the most notable contemporary French translation is La Bible de Jérusalem, available in English as The Jerusalem Bible, which appeared first in French in 1954 and was revised in 1973. This translation, and its concise footnotes and apparatus, has served as the basis for versions in many other languages besides French.
Many Francophone Protestants now use the Louis Segond version, which was finished in 1880, and revised substantially between 1975 and 1978. The Revised Louis Segond Bible is published by the American Bible Society. In 2007 the Geneva Bible Society published an updated edition of the Segond text called Segond 21. It is described by its sponsors as "L'original, avec les mots d'aujourd'hui"[2] ("the original, with today's words").
Another modern French Bible is the Bible du semeur (Bible of the Sower), finished in 1999. This is a more thought-for-thought translation than Segond's, and it uses a more contemporary language. It is published by Biblica (formerly the International Bible Society). Another similarly translated Bible which is used by French readers is the Bible en français courant, published in 1987 by the Alliance Biblique Universelle.
The first Bible translation into French for Jews was La Bible, traduction nouvelle by Samuel Cahen, published in 1831.[3] Later, Zadoc Kahn, chief rabbi of France, went on to lead in producing "a children's edition, Bible de la jeunesse (The Bible for Children)". Also, he led in producing La Bible du rabbinat francais (The Bible of the French rabbinate) published in 1899.[4] The 1966 revision of this is still the chief Jewish version of the Hebrew Scriptures in French.
André Chouraqui has published a version designed for use by both Jews and Christians; though Jewish himself, he included the New Testament.
Jehovah's Witnesses have translated their Bible into French under the name La Bible.Traduction du monde nouveau (New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures); formerly it was called Les Saintes Écritures. Traduction du monde nouveau.[5]
- ^ Auwers, Jean-Marie. La Bible en français. Guide des traductions courantes. 1999.
- ^ "La Maison de la Bible - Librairie Chrétienne". Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
- ^ p. 120. Greenspoon, Leonard. Jewish Bible translations: personalities, passions, politics, progress. U of Nebraska Press, 2020.
- ^ p. 120, 121. Greenspoon, Leonard. Jewish Bible translations: personalities, passions, politics, progress. U of Nebraska Press, 2020.
- ^ "Revised New World Translation Released in French". JW.ORG. 20 July 2018.