On Friday, the propaganda office of the Shanghai United Front Work Department stated that the Shanghai dialect spoken one hundred years ago was recorded in China's first dialectical Bible version.
The first dialectical Bible version was the Shanghai Colloquial Version, published in Shanghai as early as 1908, according to an article titled “Shanghai Dialect of One Hundred Years Ago Was Recorded in This Religious Classic” posted by the department on WeChat, one of the most popular social media platforms in China.
Since Christianity was introduced to China in 1807, the Church has translated the Bible into classical Chinese and various dialects, with more than a thousand versions.
Shanghai developed at a very fast pace in modern China, attracting a large population. The post introduced, “In 1847, the Church translated the Gospel of John in the New Testament into Shanghai dialect and then published it, which was the first dialectical version of the Bible. For the whole Bible in dialectical versions, the Shanghai Colloquial Version was published earlier, being more influential. The picture shows the Bible in the Shanghai Colloquial Version, published in 1920.”
The version is now collected in the showroom of sinicization of Christianity in Fitch Memorial Church.
The article continued, “The Church of those years (at that time) translated religious classics into dialects understood by the local people so that the religion could be known, understood, and accepted by the local people. It inspires us that the religious community should be guided to recognize and adapt to the characteristics of society and the time, being a religion with Chinese characteristics, and promote economic and social development positively.”
- Translated by Olinda Wang
周五，上海统战部宣传处发布帖子，介绍百年前的上海话记录在中国第一本方言《圣经》译本中。
在题为《百余年前的上海话，记录在了这本宗教经典中》微信文章中，1908年，上海出版了全本的上海土白《圣经》译本。
自1807年，基督教传入中国以来，“教会为便于传教，在将《圣经》翻译成文言文的同时，也译成各种方言和民族语言，版本总数达千种以上。”
而近代以来的上海超常规发展，人口集聚。帖子介绍说：“1847年，教会将《圣经•新约》中的《约翰福音》译成上海方言并出版，是中国基督教第一本方言《圣经》译本。在全本《圣经》方言译本中，上海土白译本出版时间（1908）较早，影响较大。图中是1920年版的上海土白译本《旧新约圣经》。”
该译本如今收藏在鸿德堂的基督教中国化展示厅。
文章说：“当年的教会，将宗教经典译成当地人听得懂的方言，让宗教被当地人了解、理解和接受。这一历史案例给我们的启迪是：应该引导宗教界认清所处的社会特色和时代特征，想方设法与之适应，并成为推动经济社会发展的积极因素，进而成为中国化的宗教。”
百年前的上海话记录在中国第一本方言《圣经》译本
On Friday, the propaganda office of the Shanghai United Front Work Department stated that the Shanghai dialect spoken one hundred years ago was recorded in China's first dialectical Bible version.
The first dialectical Bible version was the Shanghai Colloquial Version, published in Shanghai as early as 1908, according to an article titled “Shanghai Dialect of One Hundred Years Ago Was Recorded in This Religious Classic” posted by the department on WeChat, one of the most popular social media platforms in China.
Since Christianity was introduced to China in 1807, the Church has translated the Bible into classical Chinese and various dialects, with more than a thousand versions.
Shanghai developed at a very fast pace in modern China, attracting a large population. The post introduced, “In 1847, the Church translated the Gospel of John in the New Testament into Shanghai dialect and then published it, which was the first dialectical version of the Bible. For the whole Bible in dialectical versions, the Shanghai Colloquial Version was published earlier, being more influential. The picture shows the Bible in the Shanghai Colloquial Version, published in 1920.”
The version is now collected in the showroom of sinicization of Christianity in Fitch Memorial Church.
The article continued, “The Church of those years (at that time) translated religious classics into dialects understood by the local people so that the religion could be known, understood, and accepted by the local people. It inspires us that the religious community should be guided to recognize and adapt to the characteristics of society and the time, being a religion with Chinese characteristics, and promote economic and social development positively.”
- Translated by Olinda Wang
Shanghai Old Dialect Recorded in First Dialectical Bible Version
