Biblical Literacy in Native Tongues Throughout History
The concept of biblical literacy in native tongues has a long history, rooted in both practical necessity and theological understanding. The Old Testament provides early examples of the need to make scripture accessible to people in their spoken language. For instance, after the Babylonian exile, many Israelites spoke Aramaic rather than Hebrew as their primary language. To address this, the Levites, whose role included teaching God's word, likely explained the Hebrew Scriptures in Aramaic, and eventually, significant portions of the Hebrew Bible were translated into Aramaic [1]. This demonstrates an early recognition that understanding the text required it to be presented in a language comprehensible to the audience.
The New Testament era further emphasizes the importance of communicating divine truth across linguistic barriers. The miracle of Pentecost, where the apostles spoke in various languages, is understood by Thomas Aquinas as God's provision for the disciples to preach to "all nations" without needing to be taught foreign languages themselves [3]. This event, described in Acts 2, is seen as a reversal of the confusion of tongues at Babel, where language differences led to dispersion [2]. At Pentecost, the ability to speak in diverse tongues facilitated the spread of the Gospel, breaking down national barriers that had previously emerged from linguistic division [2].
Throughout Christian history, the translation of the Bible into vernacular languages has been a recurring theme, often driven by the conviction that all people should have direct access to God's word. This emphasis on native tongues contrasts with periods or traditions where sacred texts were primarily maintained in original or liturgical languages, such as Latin in the Western Church for many centuries. The historical development shows a consistent tension between the preservation of original texts and the desire for widespread understanding among diverse linguistic groups.
Sources
- Nehemiah (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Nehemiah 8:7: 8:7-9 The Levites always had the role of teaching people God’s word (Deut 33:10; Mal 2:5-6). In this case, they probably explained the meaning of the Hebrew Scriptures to smaller groups of people in Aramaic. Most of the people spoke Aramaic, the language of Babylon, rather than Hebrew as their first language. Jewish leaders eventually translated large portions of the Hebrew Bible into Aramaic, allowing people to hear and study the Bible in a language they understood.”
- Genesis (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Genesis 11:7: confound their language--literally, "their lip"; it was a failure in utterance, occasioning a difference in dialect which was intelligible only to those of the same tribe. Thus easily by God their purpose was defeated, and they were compelled to the dispersion they had combined to prevent. It is only from the Scriptures we learn the true origin of the different nations and languages of the world. By one miracle of tongues men were dispersed and gradually fell from true religion. By another, national barriers were broken down--that all men might be bro”
- theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Second Part of the Second Part (Secunda Secundae), Of the Grace of Tongues, Art. 1: Article: Whether those who received the gift of tongues spoke in every language? I answer that, Christ's first disciples were chosen by Him in order that they might disperse throughout the whole world, and preach His faith everywhere, according to Mt. 28:19, "Going . . . teach ye all nations." Now it was not fitting that they who were being sent to teach others should need to be taught by others, either as to how they should speak to other people, or as to how they were to understand ”