Taiwan Church News
3760 Edition
March 18 ~ 24, 2024
Weekly Topical
God’s Truth Leads Us in the Way – A New Bunun Bible Launched!
Reported by Dalul from Kaohsiung
After 19 years of teamwork cooperation and translation, a new version of the Bunun Bible is officially launched. Three indigenous PCT Presbyteries, including Bunun, Bunun Ciubu, and Nanpu, stand together with the Bible Society in Taiwan (BST) to hold a Bible dedication and thanksgiving service at Ainung Presbyterian Church on March 16 to share the good news with their tribal fellows.
The vision to publish this new version of the Bunun Bible can be traced back to 2005, as the old version of the Bunun Bible had not yet completed the translation of all Old and New Testament books. This situation prompted these three PCT presbyteries to deliberate an alternative solution, if it is better to overhaul the old version Bunun Bible and publish a brand new one through recruiting a team of determined co-workers, veteran elders and professional translators working together with the BST.
For the Bunun Bible being able to be launched in 2024, Rev Sai Isqaqavut, chairman of the Bunun Bible Translation Committee, expresses his thanksgiving to the BST, pastors of those three Bunun presbyteries and various co-workers for their enthusiastic support and strenuous efforts.
In addition to being a great help in the practice of faith, Rev Sai Isqaqavut says, the new Bunun Bible can also preserves the cultural identity of the Bunun people. “Through language sharing and Bible translation, it is very significant to learn God lives within us from the perspectives of Bunun people,” he concludes.
Rev Peng Chi-hong, moderator of the PCT General Assembly, quotes Isaiah 48:17-18 to deliver a sermon entitled as “God’s Truth Leads Us in the Way”. He indicates that the Bunun people as an indigenous ethnic group, it is natural and necessary to have a Bunun Bible that manifests their ethnic identity. He also stresses, through the translation of the Bible into different mother tongues, each ethnic group can see and appreciate such diverse and amazing ministries of God.
In the meantime, Rev Peng mentions, the Bible translation can also serve as an educational guidance for future generations in preserving and transmission of indigenous cultures. He remarks that understanding language as an important and powerful medium is a truly vivid lesson we learned from the translation of the Bunun Bible in the past. After 19 years of mutual sharing and teamwork efforts to complete a new translation of Bunun Bible, people finally come to see how God’s truth leads the Bunun people in the way of blessings, he praises.
He also reminds the audience that the mission of the Bunun Bible should not stop at its completion of publication only, God’s Words in the very Bunun Bible should also be learned and followed in each day’s reading and sharing. Even if God’s laws and truth require great efforts to carry out and achieve, the Bible in any translated language call the people to listen to God’s Words, he says.
Therefore, Rev Peng concludes, when people follow God’s Words, their lives will be blessed with abundance, His people can build up each other in faith amid the community, and witness God’s promise through sacrifice. As a critical bridge to connect the Bunun people and the faith in God, he sincerely hopes, the publication of the Bunun Bible will become a precious opportunity for God’s mission and good news for the entire Bunun people.
Rev Fuyan Suda, vice moderator of the PCT General Assembly, also indicates that the publication of the Bunun Bible is an important milestone in missionary work to Taiwan’s aboriginal people. However, he suggests, the Bible is not for hobby collection or to be placed in a family hall as decoration. It needs to be opened frequently to read and learn God’s Words, he says, and this is the greatest function and benefit of opening the Bible.
He wishes that the three Bunun Presbyteries can use this Bible-launching occasion to proclaim the gospel and build up a dynamic fellowship within tribal communities, so that more people can come to learn the amazing connection between the indigenous people and God’s wonderful creation for us.
To prove the feasibility and efficient of the new Bunun Bible, all the biblical verses of the thanksgiving service are quoted from it to read aloud. Meanwhile, special gifts are also arranged to express deep gratitude to the brothers and sisters who make significant contributions to the translation ministry of the new Bunun Bible.
Translated by Peter Wolfe
