Publishing and republishing the World’s Most Popular Book (no, not Harry Potter) has spawned a mini industry of sorts. Variations of the Bible range from the classic to childrens to denim-bound Spanish. There are even serious discussions about whether Ebonics might be the best way to capture its nuance. And, of course, there have been Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Guju, and other desi language versions for decades.
Wikipedia notes –
The Bible continues to be the most translated book in the world. The following numbers are approximations. As of 2005, at least one book of the Bible has been translated into 2,400 of the 6,900 languages listed by SIL,[5] including 680 languages in Africa, followed by 590 in Asia, 420 in Oceania, 420 in Latin America and the Caribbean, 210 in Europe, and 75 in North America. The United Bible Societies are presently assisting in over 600 Bible translation projects. The Bible is available in whole or in part to some 98 percent of the world’s population in a language in which they are fluent.
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Joseph & Mary, Loincloth & Sari, Turban & Bindi |
To the list of the world’s interpretations of the Bible, India now adds another contribution…. the New Community Bible. While most desi Bible translations start with the King James text, for ex., and directly translate into local languages, the NCB is written in English but instead incorporates Indian cultural elements into the book –
THE words of the Bhagavad Gita and the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi have found a place in a controversial Bible published in India.An illustration depicts the holy family as Indian villagers: Mary wears a simple sari and has a bindi on her forehead, while Joseph has a turban and loincloth. There is also a full-page portrait of Mother Teresa, the nun who served the destitute on the streets of Kolkata, with the words: “Pure and blameless religion lies in coming to help orphans and widows.”
Promoters of the New Community Bible claim it will help Indian readers by drawing on “the rich culture and religious heritage of our motherland”.
A team of 30 scholars worked for more than 15 years on the new edition.
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p>In addition to the core simplified English translations, in-line study notes/guides provide context using elements from local religions –
This commentary draws on the Bhagavadgita, a Hindu holy book, as well as Indian epics such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata to help explain the Bible to an Indian audience.Jesus’ words about storing “treasure in heaven” in the gospel of Matthew are compared to the Bhagavadgita’s teaching that “work alone is your proper business never the fruits it may produce”.
The commentary refers to the songs of Mirabai, a popular 16th-century Hindu mystic. Her hymns of devotion to Krishna, a Hindu deity, are used to illustrate Mary Magdalene’s attitude to the resurrected Jesus.
The illustrations, in particular, directly visualize key aspects of the Bible but using motifs popular and familiar to every day Desis.
There are 24 line drawings, including those of mosque, temple and church with slippers outside, by the late Christopher Coelho.
The focus on local culture and traditions is interesting to say the least and has generated criticism from Hindu quarters – 
This does not mean that we accept all teachings of Indian tradition as those of the Church. We are merely adapting them to Christian teachings wherever we feel there are points of harmony,” emphasizes Thelakkat. There remain points of disagreement like the view of rebirth, he adds.
While the Church is upbeat about the experiment, it has invited cautious reactions from Hindu groups in the state. “The move is welcome, but it remains to be seen if it’s just another attempt to use Indian symbols to spread Christianity. In areas like north India where the roots of culture run deep, missionaries have often found it difficult to reach out to the masses with their philosophy,” says Jaya Prasad, a professor at the Sri Narayana college, Kollam and office bearer of Bharatiya Vichara Kendram, an RSS think tank.
“A selective approach is not proper. Accepting Mirabai should mean accepting Krishna and quoting from the Upanishad’s should mean backing philosophies like Advaita (non-duality). Is the Church ready,” he asks.
And conservative Christians aren’t exactly fans either –
Although approved by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India and published by the Society of St Paul, the Bible met the disapproval of Protestants and other Christian groups, who believe it diverts from biblical truth.
Pastor Vijay Thomas who heads a Bible college in Chennai, told Christian Today, “By making it appear ‘Indian’ with references to Hindu scriptures and great poets, people will not come to the truth. This is a complete turn back from the real Bible.”
Oswald Gracias, the Catholic Archbishop of Bombay, defended the Bible edition, saying, “I am sure this Bible, made in India and for Indians, will bring the word of God closer to millions of our people, not only Christians.”
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p>The Bible’s publishers are steadfast in their defense –
Fr Joseph Thenasseril, chief editor of St Paul’s Publications that birthed this version says, “There are fundamentalists in every religion.” The general editor of the Bible, Fr Augustine Kanachikuzhy is staunch in his defence of the NCB. This edition was necessary, he says. “We have tried to root the Bible in the culture of this country, and have the permission of the local Cardinals to print this. All religions have some meeting ground and Indology has been taught at Catholic seminaries for decades…
…One of the NCB scholars, and rector of St Pious Seminary, Fr. Harold Vaz, says new editions of the Bible have always had their critics. There has been criticism of the Bible from the time the first translations were made from Greek to Latin. Were open to having a dialogue with people who have been objecting, so conflicting issues can be sorted out.”
Resistance to change in the Catholic Church is not new. When the Church encouraged the use of local languages instead of Latin for the mass, there were some Catholics who chorused their disapproval. Till date, there are Catholics campaigning for a return of the Latin Mass over 40 years after it was sent back to Rome.
My take? I’m all for it. Religion isn’t and shouldn’t be a static beast and its dynamic interpretation and re-telling is a hallmark of free speech, society and religion.
In Indonesia, Hindu Gods look like Indonesians, including Hanuman.
For a long time, religious theater in Kerala, had biblical characters act, and dress like someone from Kerala would.
Gautam Buddha becomes more East Asian looking in East Asia.
Sorry, totally OT, but Go Abhinav Bindra! India’s first individual gold!
I guess desi Jesus spends his missing years in Jerusalem cavorting with the feta cheese maids and learning kabbalah
I think this move is pragmatic. Outside of the Dalit community there don’t seem to be many full conversions. I would say that about 33% of the women in my Hindu extended family are quasi-Christian. They pray to Jesus but not exclusively. Basically they have adopted the ethics of liberal Christianity while placing Jesus in an Indic/Hindu metaphysical universe. Not a bad thing though I am rooting for Buddhism
i read the the new bible…and some suprising details i learned are: all 12 of the disciples were H1B computer programmers.. jesus rode into jeruslam on a elephant and there was no bread and wine during the last supper..it was chapathi and mango frooti…
The Mar Thoma Christians of Kerala were Christian before the arrival of the Europeans. Their Bible surely ought to have the longest contact with Indian tradition. Any information about their Bible?
Is it not just that? Kind of like a backdoor entry 😉
I am glad the RSS has welcomed this move, however cautiously. I don’t think this is any insiduous attempt at harvesting souls, and if it were it is inconceived, as it will only enable the boa constrictor that is Hinduism to co-opt Christ and invest him in the pantheon, and Jesus in the pantheon is a leap for Integral Humanism.
Here is something along the same lines from Kerala
Using Upanishads to annotate the Bible shows a certain skewed sense of history and philosophy. But it is progress, I am all for it.
Though, in the dark blue depths, the metaphysical boa stirs in its sleep:
“Hinduism is a conglomeration of beliefs and rituals; although it lacks missionaries its power of assimilation is immense.It does not know conversion in the Christian or Muslim sense, but it practices, with great success,appropriation. Like an enormous metaphysical boa, Hinduism slowly and relentlessly digests foreign cultures,gods,languages and beliefs.”
Octavio Paz, ‘In Light of India’, (page 55)
Jesus was a messenger of love, and a large majority of Indians revere him irrespective of religious background. He was (is) not controversial like later prophets in his teachings that unambiguously proffered common human values that were way ahead for his time and age. Having stated the obvious, let me also say the Bible inspite of its merits lacks the philosophical sophistication of the Upanishads and the Gita, and it is doubtful recourse for any person looking for above average mental involvement. I am talking of people who ‘rediscover’ religion not the ones born as Hindus or Muslims or Christians, or physicists and philosophers taking an academic interest. They vary only in degrees of sophistication. The realization that Religion itself in all forms is tosh and the world is part of one all pervading energy is true Moksha.
This is great! 🙂
my Hindu extended family are quasi-Christian. They pray to Jesus but not exclusively
This is the remarkable thing about religious faith in India. I even know some Indian Muslims who do the same. I only wish the evangelical Christian community in India could reciprocate with such graciousness!
feta cheese maids
LOL!
Lostone – I believe it was nimbu pani not mango…
Interesting stuff. Desi Jesus will certainly be an improvement on the callow schoolmarm of American Republicanism that has become the dominant image. The Judean radical who proposed social revolution died long ago.
And since Jesus Lived in India during his early manhood, where he studied Buddhism, tantric practices and magic, which helped him survive the crucifixion, I’d say this new Bible just brings him home. After all, Jesus is buried in Kashmir.
What’s the controversy? Other fictional stories are often revised when books are translated for foreign markets.
The New Community Bible is referred to as a catholic Bible at the NCB website. It’s interesting that the Catholics have taken the lead in the latest revision and the Protestants are taking issue. Usually it’s the other way around! Maybe dropping the ‘catholic’ prefix might gain it a more universal acceptance among Christians in India.
I am Boa Constrictor of Borg. Resistance is futile if less than one milliohm. Your gods will be assimilated.
Actually, the all-digesting boa constrictor model of Hinduism makes sense. It’s why many Hindu prayers begin with “OM”. Of course, in the original versions, it was followed by “NOM NOM NOM NOM”.
How does it matter how one depicts fictional characters? There is no proof that Jesus, Mary, Joseph, or any of the biblical characters ever existed.
16 · pingpong said
lol. When I read this, I had the image of cookie monster eating up the Bible.
I, for one, wouldn’t mind having Jesus become the God of Brotherly Love/Humanitarianism. I think there is a demand for such a God in the Hindu pantheon.
It’s interesting that the Catholics have taken the lead in the latest revision and the Protestants are taking issue.
hm. pope gregory the great advised st. augustine of canterbury to allow for synthesis with local traditions so long as those traditions were sanctified and christianized, and did not conflict with christianity as such. so it shouldn’t be THAT surprising. protestantism has many strains which object to indigenization and cultural embeddedness. part of it might have to do the hyperindividualism of some protestant sects, which don’t view communities/cultures as more than the sum of their parts.
17 · Komg Qiu said
There is some proof of a historial Jesus from idependent Roman historians (e.g., Josephus, Suetonious).
http://www.anenglishmanscastle.com/YMCA.jpg
Targeting a different demographic?
It’s about time!
Even if Isha (Jesus) was not desi, he and the people of that region at the time would resemble desis more than anglo-saxons, which is how they’ve been presented in the Western world for thousands of years.
Not to mention that there is ample evidence to indicate that Jesus was a brother, if anything.
22 · Ishani said
Are you talking about the wrongful execution?
Jesus was a Jew, A semite. You want to see what Jews of the day looked like, the Druzes or Yezidis, or some other middle eastern groups of today. If anything, there is more black african ancestry among todays mid-east Semites than there was 2000 years ago, because most of the black DNA flow (mostly mitochondrial) came in after Islam. For what it’s worth, I’ve read a description from the Vatican archives which is supposed to be of Jesus (or another prominent Jewish rabbi of 2000 years ago), describing a decidedly Semitic type, forked beard mandatory among Jews of the day, long thin nose, well shaped mouth, hair light on the top from the sun, but darkening to a more “oriental” color further down. Skin tanned by the sun, eyes greenish brown, well formed mouth, often seen to smile, never to laugh.
While I understand the pressures of PC-ism, I’ve never quite figured out why Jesus is so likely to look like a sub-Saharan black African. There isn’t much in what descriptions we have of Hebrews/Jews at that time to suggest that. I is nearly certain, however, that at least one of the apostles, (Thomas) if not Jesus himself, certainly settled in India.
“I is nearly certain,”
grammatical error unintended.
Vinod’mone (this is addressed to Anna’mol too if you read this),
You are both Christian so it pains me to share my misgivings. I do not see any dynamism in this endeavour. This is the self-same message of Catholic Christianity being delivered in a different dress.
This is not like a sermon from the United Church of Christ or even from the Episcopalians whose leader the Rev.Katherine Jefferts Schori Jesus states that Jesus is [may be] the Christian way to God, but perhaps not the only way and that for “Christians to assume that God may not act in other ways is to put God in a very small box.” As for Shelby Spong this would make no sense to him.
I find condescending, this statement from Oswald Gracias, the Catholic Archbishop of Bombay,
So then which God is Fr.Gracias talking about? Either the “God” of the Indians (Hindus isn’t it we know) is the same as the God Fr.Gracias, in which case Hindus/Indians are “worshipping” differently than they are supposed to, or the so-called gods of the Hindus/Indians are no gods at all – naturally, there is only one God.
There is a long history of missionaries using Hindu symbols, slicing and dicing Hindus, creating and defining Hinduism by the use of strawmen and all. This is but natural given the nature of religion.
I am disappointed that the larger Churches of India, mainly the Catholic, CSI, and CNI, continue to maintain a distant and even disdainful attitude towards Hindus and Hinduism. I have not found any one of them taking exception to the remarks of Pope John Paul II who used the occasion of Dipavali to call for claiming India for Christ or the current Pope in his earlier station who dismissed Yoga as auto-eroticism. I have found understanding among the Churches I wok with here in the US in my city (Episcopalians, Methodists, AME, UCC, and the Nat.Baptist Convention). Needless to say my interactions with Christians everywhere have been v.v.different regardless of their beliefs, which is why I emphasise this as a difficulty I have with the establishment rather than its adherents.
Unfortunately centuries of interaction with religious groups have also transformed Hindus’ understanding of their tradition leading many to find equivalents of relgious entities and phenomena such as God, worship, incarnation, prayer, or Host, in their own tradition thus mangling the ideas of Deva, Puja, Avatar, abhishekam and prasadam.
26 · jyotsana said
Does Eggs know something I don’t? Did he share any suggestions on technique? I am very interested in his wisdom.
Just as desis are attracted to SM, people need some gods in local contexts. Christianty is no exception, St. George, St. Marc, Our Lady Of Guadalupe and Mount Mary of many places are being celebrated for this reason. Portrait of Jesus has been rejected by the true beleivers thru history. But the estalished religion(Catholics particularly) always supported localization to increase the size of the offering plate. I hope there are no localized Jesus in existence, other than portraits.
Tirumala Venkateswara, Badrinath Narasimha, Guruvayoor appan, Thiruvananthapuram Padmanabhaswamy are all needed for the same reason. Many local gods were patronized and converted to mainstream gods, as well. The geeks would call it L10N and i18N of gods.
My take? I’m all for it. Religion isn’t and shouldn’t be a static beast and its dynamic interpretation and re-telling is a hallmark of free speech, society and religion.
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Translation, as long as more people are converted into Christianity, everything is fair. If anyone else tries this to convert christians into something else then all hell should break lose. I am introducing the Flying Spaghetti Monster into the next book along with Jesus, hope to convert some of those lost souls to the great FSM.
Err–not to be a Philistine ;-), but that sounds like quite, err–a lot of time and effort! Whatever, I’m catholic (small “c”!! 😉 enough to say let people do, and fund, what they like.
He..he.. I like this protest..
..Catholics protest Indianised Bible,/a>
Only in Talib Nadu.
31 · Ponniyin Selvan said
Nothing but the best for me!
18 · Pagla said
Why? Because Hinduism doesn’t support “brotherly love” and “humanitarianism”? Read the Gita and figure out what Krishna is saying. It’s exactly that genius.
The folks publishing these Bibles are obviously trying to dupe the Hindus into converting to Christianity because they’ll think that the characters are of their culture and heritage. Very sneaky but not surprising considering these same guys are performing aarti for Jesus. People who don’t understand Hinduism claim that it “absorbs” other religions and is a “boa constrictor”. But hey I myself can be called Buddhist since I firmly believe the Buddha came to preserve and not destroy.
be
Maybe India is illiberal enough that religion matters in terms of numbers of adherents, but why are you carrying this attitude over to the US? I think of Hinduism here as “elite” (i.e., when we get together, it’s some peeps with education and $$)–so, who cares if some idiot is, to use your preferred language, “dupe[d]” into converting to Christianity? This stuff is all going on at the low level–I don’t think high SES Christians give a damn either–it’s definitely the lower-class ones that are into this conversion thing (one way or the other).
Jindal being a fairly rare exception that “proves the rule.”
Just to be clear here, what I’m saying is (1) upper-class American Christians have never actively tried to “convert” me, (2) lower-class Americans have brought it up at times, in an off-putting way, and (3) middle-to-upper-class Hindu-Americans are hardly at risk of being “dupe[d]” into converting (i.e., if they do so, it’s out of their own free will) so, (4) given that we’re in America, NYC Chatwala is unattractively paranoid. ((5) I doubt that small groups of lower-class Hindu-Americans are at risk of being “dupe[d]” either, b/c they are, from all accounts, relying on their own “group” to negotiate the difficulties of being lower-class in the US.)
You are both Christian so it pains me to share my misgivings.
vinod is as christian as i am muslim 🙂
38 · razib _the_atheist said
Razib I would rather have you or Vinod tell me than make that determination myself.
Rob,
There is a perverse interpretation of your position made by some particularly graceless groups here in the US. Any attempt to question literature, school curriculum, organize, or even celebrate pujas, is instantly passed off as an attempt by dominant rahmincal elites to arrogate minority status here in the US! In fact the said groups have made a nice little career by making a smear of the B word as in “Brahminizing the Hindus of America”. The term Hindu-American is supposed to be an attempt to create a sectarian identity – never mind the many XXXX-American groups! Ineresting.
IMO, this is just another sly attempt to try and convert people to Christianity by making Christianity “more familiar”
Translation: Only poor people are affected, and they don’t matter, so who cares?
They matter, to me, in that I want to increase their welfare, so I’m willing to redesign social and political institutions do so. You’re right, though, that I could give a damn about their views on “culture.”
For all this talk about Christianity luring ‘innocent and poor’ followers through false inducements, Christianity has been a failure in India. Even though Christians dominated India for close to 300 years in some places, their percentages population wise are quite meagre. Except Kerala and North eastern states they are not in big numbers, hovering around the 5% mark in states like Tamilnadu. If caste based reservations are extended to include Christians, we could see a bigger percentage. I recently read a tamil article where a few Dalit Christians were lamenting that their grandparents converted for a few bags of rice and now they could not get the caste certificate because of their Christian names. They made sure their kids get Hindu names.
I wonder what made the Africans / North eastern Indians move to Christianity but not Indians in general. Could be that Brit colonialists were basically in for the money and good life and not necessarily with a missionary zeal.
my great-grandfather was an orphan in gujarat and was brought up by irish misionaries. he eventually became a doctor and he kept christianity as his religion but he wasn’t all that religious. my mom grew up in ahmedabad and she said it was tough to be christian in such a hindu state, esp at school, and she said she doesn’t agree with misionaries coming over and trying to convert people even though she is christian herself. my great-grandfather married a christian woman and had some kids but she passed away and his second wife was muslim. one of his daughters from his second wife married a muslim guy and her family practise islam. my dad’s hindu so what i’m trying to say is that i have hindus, christians and muslims in my family. how wierd is that?
since i have had close relations with some of the christian community in india, i can say that it’s fine if someone decides on their own if they want to convert. but it’s not cool for christians to go to poor uneducated people and try to convert them. people who convert during the last 100 years have converted to protestant christianity and not the catholic church. i think some of the motivation behind this is for the ‘lower castes’ to get away from the caste system. then again some of them would like to stay as lower castes in order to benefit from some subsidies and university places set aside for them like what’s going on with the gujjars.
Wow! Very surprised in the turn this discussion seems to have taken. Would have thought all this deep rooted sectarian feelings were left buried back in the desh. jyotsna seems to have bug up her bonnet about Christians. Ah well, quite revealing…
Reading 101 would help Rob.
The hindu in me is happy about this but the conservative in me is not. If in this modern times if we cannot have religion provide a sense of permanency and absolutism, I don’t know what could.
But free speech has nothing to do with religion IMO. In a fast changing world religion is the one of the most important institutions that should be shouting stop. I can accept dynamism in Hinduism as it was always broadly defined.
For the record, jyotsana, that wasn’t me that said that, it was #45. No harm done, though.
Xtianity has failed in the west so its planting trojans in Desi heartland
48 · rob said
Sorry. That should have been Kev.
On 2nd thoughts, forget I said it.