from wGood to see that John Hunt's translation of parts of the Bible will be available soon as it apparently has much to commend it, compared with the translation from a later time. Vinaka vakalevu Dr Andrew Thornley.
from Fiji Village
Fijian translation of New Testament nears completion
Publish date/time: 07/04/2010 [11:56]
The compilation of the original Fijian translation of the New Testament by missionary, Reverend John Hunt is nearing completion. Two years from the bi-centennial of the famous Methodist missionary's birth, the Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma will launch the second in the series of the Hunt New Testament which contains the gospels of Luke, John and the Acts of the Apostles this Friday.
Renown (ed) Pacific Church Historian Dr Andrew Thornley who had a part in editing the second book, said this is part of the original Fijian translation of the New Testament completed by Hunt in 1847 while he was on Viwa.
Thornley said since 1847, the first Fijian New Testament has been considerably revised, with many textual changes adding that as a result of these extensive revisions, Hunt's original Fijian translation, made directly from Greek into Fijian, has been lost to the Fiji people.
Thornley believes that Hunt's translation is important because some of his Fijian informants were among the outstanding first generation of Christian converts Ratu Ravisa, Noa Koroivugona and Adi Litia Vatea adding that the 1847 translation is more faithful to the original Greek.
----------
And from the Fiji Times Friday, and I do like the use of hyphens to make it more interesting!
Bible translation takes shape
Harold Koi
Friday, April 09, 2010
RESTORATION of a lost translation of the Fijian Bible from the original Greek text was now into its second phase.
Davuilevu Methodist Th-eological College's Rever-end James Bhagwan said after years of painstaking work, the compilation of the original Fijian translation of the New Testament by missionary Reverend John Hunt was nearing completion.
Rev Bhagwan said the Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma would launch the second in the series of the Hunt New Testament which contains the gospels of Luke, John and the Acts of the Apostles at the Davu-ilevu Theological College today.
He said renowned Pacific Church Historian, Dr Andr-ew Thornley and Tauga Vulaono -- who in 2007 rele-ased the first book of the series containing the gos-pels of Matthew and Mark have also edited the second book.
Rev Bhagwan said accor-ding to Dr Thornley, the bo-ok was part of the original Fijian translation of the New Testament completed by the Methodist missionary Rev John Hunt in 1847.
"Since 1847, the first Fiji-an New Testament has been considerably revised, with many textual changes. As a result of these extensive re-visions, Hunt's original Fij-ian translation, made dire-ctly from Greek into Fijian, has been lost to the Fijian people," he said.
He said Rev John Hunt was better known as a pioneer amongst Wesleyan missionaries introducing Chris-tianity to Fiji.
