Albanian Bible (SQI)

Overview

This is a full Bible translation in Albanian. The history of Bible translation into Albanian spans centuries, beginning with Gjon Buzuku's selected Scripture portions printed in 1555 as part of the first known Albanian book, the Meshari [1]. The first complete New Testament in Albanian was published in 1827 by the British and Foreign Bible Society, translated by Vangjel Meksi in the Tosk dialect [2]. Following the fall of communism in 1991, the Albanian Bible Society produced the first complete Bible in Albanian in 1994, translated from the Italian Nuova Diodati (1991 revision) [2][3]. That translation was later revised, with a New Testament revision in 2002 and an Old Testament revision in 2009 [3]. An earlier important milestone was the 1977 publication of the first New Testament in modern standard Albanian by Dom Simon Filipaj, working with the United Bible Societies office in Belgrade [2].

Translation History

  • 1555 -- Gjon Buzuku published the Meshari, the first known book in Albanian, containing selected Scripture portions [1].
  • 1824 -- The Gospel of Matthew published in Albanian (Tosk), translated by Vangjel Meksi [2].
  • 1827 -- Complete New Testament published in Tosk Albanian by the British and Foreign Bible Society [2].
  • 1866-1872 -- Kostandin Kristoforidhi translated the New Testament into both Gheg and Tosk dialects, along with the Psalms and Gospels [2].
  • 1977 -- Dom Simon Filipaj published the first New Testament in modern standard Albanian [2].
  • 1994 -- The Albanian Bible Society published the first complete Albanian Bible, translated from the Italian Nuova Diodati [2][3].
  • 2002 -- New Testament revision published [3].
  • 2009 -- Old Testament revision published [3].

References