Sicilian Bible Portions

Sicilian, called sicilianu and siciliano (in Italian), is a Romance language, spoken on the island of Sicily and neighbouring areas in southern Italy. Scripture Portions: The first book of Scriptures in Sicilian were the books of Ruth (Libru di Ruth; italiano: Il Libro di Ruth) and the Song of Songs of Solomon (La Cantica di li Cantici; italiano: El Cantico de’ Cantici di Salomone) published in London 1860. These were followed by the Gospel of Matthew (Lu Santu Vancelu di Gesù Cristu Secunnu Matteu; italiano: Il Vangelo di S. Matteo) published in London 1861. They were translated into Sicilian by Luigi Scalia (volgarizzato in dialetto siciliano dall' Luigi Scalia). The translations were commissioned by Prince Louis Luciano Bonaparte. He was a great linguist who commissioned translations into lesser languages and dialects of Europe. The Gospel of Matthew was also published with his linguistic comparative observations on the nature of Sicilian (Osservazioni linguistico-camparative sulla natura del siciliano). These portions were published in 1860 and 1861, with 250 copies, by Strangeways and Walden, of 28 Castle Street, Leicester Square, London. Digital Edition: These books were digitised for the Bible Society with the help of MissionAssist in 2021.