200 Years Of Malayalam Bible

200 Years Of Malayalam Bible

Philipose Ramban, a local scholar from Kayamkulam in south Kerala, translated the Bible from Syriac into Malayalam in 1811.He did this for a better understanding of the scripture for the local devotees.Reverend Claudius Buchannan, a missionary who toured southern India in the early 19th century, persuaded Ramban to translate the holy text into the regional language.During his visit to the state, the Orthodox Church authorities in Travancore gave Buchannan a copy of the Bible in Syriac- known in local parlance as ‘Suriyani’.

For centuries, Syriac was the litrugical language of Christians in the state, who believe that the gospel was preached in Kerala by St Thomas the Apostle.While appreciating the gesture, Buchannan told the Church leaders to translate the Syriac text into Malayalam and gave guidance to some local Suriyani and Tamil scholars to undertake the task.

Malankara Syrian Orthodox church will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the first translation of the Bible into Malayalam. Church historians say Philipose Ramban, , a scholar from Kayamkulam, translated the Bible Philipose Ramban, a local scholar from Kayamkulam in south Kerala, translated the Bible from Syriac into Malayalam in 1811.He did this for a better understanding of the scripture for the local devotees.Reverend Claudius Buchannan, a missionary who toured southern India in the early 19th century, persuaded Ramban to translate the holy text into the  regional language.

During his visit to the state, the Orthodox Church authorities in Travancore gave Buchannan a copy of the Bible in Syriac- known in local parlance as ‘Suriyani’.For centuries, Syriac was the litrugical language of Christians in the state, who believe that the gospel was preached in Kerala by St Thomas the Apostle.While appreciating the gesture, Buchannan told the Church leaders to translate the Syriac text into Malayalam and gave guidance to some local Suriyani and Tamil scholars to undertake the task.

“Four Gospels translated by the Ramban made up the first version of the Bible, which appeared in book format in Malayalam. The translation was completed in 1811 and printed in ‘Kallachu’ (lithographic printing) at a press in Bombay.