Eddie Arthur: Wycliffe UK

• Genesis 1-11: God and the Whole World
• Genesis 12 – Acts 2 (ish) God and the
People of Israel
• Acts 2 (ish) – Revelation 22 God and the
Whole World (again)

• Dispersion of
language and
humanity.
• Limits human
capacity for disorder
• Multiplies our artistic
ability
• Extends our ability to
understand the Divine
• Babel was missional

• Was not needed
• A miracle of hearing
• Underlines Babel
• Any language can be
used for the
expression of the
Gospel

\"Christianity seems
unique in being the only
world religion that is
transmitted without the
language or originating
culture of its founder\"
(Lamin Sanneh)

Incarnation is translation. When God in
Christ became man, Divinity was translated
into humanity, as though humanity were a
receptor language. Here was a clear
statement of what would otherwise be veiled
in obscurity or uncertainty, the statement
‘This is what God is like’. (Andrew Walls)

God’s loving desire to restore all creation to
God’s self resulted in the joyful event and
message of Jesus. The incarnation
translates and embodies God’s love for
creation. (Darryl Gurder)

But behind the Christian doctrine of the
substantial equality of the Scriptures in all
languages, there lies the even profounder
doctrine of the Incarnation, by which the
fullest divine communication has reached
beyond the forms of human words into the
human form itself. The Word [of God]
became flesh and dwelt among us. (Kwame
Bediako)

• The Son was born
into a specific
linguistic and cultural
setting
• Human language and
culture are used for
God’s ultimate self-
revelation
• Revelation was not
fixed in this culture

There is probably no
more important single
explanation for the
massive presence of
Christianity on the
African continent than
the availability of the
Scriptures in many
African languages.
(Kwame Bediako)

What do you call God?

• Translation forces a
break with the past
• Translation forges a
link with indigenous
culture
• Translation gives a
voice to the
marginalised

How many languages 2454
have God’s Word?
522
68
1900AD 2008 AD
1800AD

How many languages
have God’s Word?
Some
Scripture
848
Adequate Bible Adequate New
438 Testament 1168

Leaving thousands
without God’s word!
In Progress
No work begun
1,998
2,393
Some
Scripture
848
Adequate Bible Adequate New
438 Testament 1168

Translation needs