Durban - The Bible Society of South Africa has disputed claims that the current version of the Zulu Bible was translated from Xhosa and not from “biblical” languages.
The organisation’s spokeswoman, Mims Turley, said the 1959 version of the Zulu Bible used the source texts of the Bible which were in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.
“I believe the confusion may have been caused by the 1883 translation which used the word uThixo (Xhosa word for God) instead of uNkulunkulu (Zulu word for God), like the 1959 one,” she said.
The Bible Society decided to address the “confusion” after St Joseph Catholic Cathedral’s Bishop Mlungisi Dlungwane and Father Alexis Madela said the existing Zulu version posed language problems for Zulu speakers as it leant towards Xhosa from which it was translated.
The two were speaking about the motivation for another Zulu Bible translation the Roman Catholic Church was working on.
Turley conceded that she did not know much about the 1883 version, but said that in the 1959 translation, Biblia Hebraica (Hebrew and Aramaic) was used for the Old Testament and Novum Testamentum Graece (Greek) for the New Testament.
“The 1959 Zulu Bible, used by many churches, was not translated from Xhosa. In 1997, at the request of the isiZulu Language Board, its orthography was adapted to meet the new spelling and punctuation rules, but the content remained the same.”
Some churches, including the Nazareth Baptist Church (the Shembe church), still use the 1883 version.
Dlungwane said he was unaware that there were two versions of the Zulu Bible, but maintained that the one he was aware of was too heavily influenced by Xhosa.
The Bible Society is working on another Zulu Bible which will rival the Roman Catholic Church version.
“Three full-time translators are working on the project, and they are supported by an interconfessional review committee of 15 members comprising source-text experts, isiZulu linguists and church leaders,” said Turley.
The new version is expected to be available in five years time.
KZN Anglican Suffragan Bishop Nkosinathi Ndwandwe said the 1883 Bible had more Xhosa influences than just the word uThixo.
“Zulu speakers would complain that they did not understand some of the words; some would even point out the words that were in Xhosa instead of Zulu,” he said. He commended the Bible Society and the Catholics for the translations.
The Mercury