Did you know that the first Bible published in the Americas was not in English? It was in fact in the Algonquin language of the Massachusetts Indians, and this was the work of an English missionary named John Eliot who arrived in Boston on this day 378 years ago.
Eliot, who began his work across the Atlantic as the minister of a small church congregation, became the first Christian missionary to dedicate his life to ministry among a Native American people group, learning the local Native dialect to assist him in this task.
Having learned the language, he also saw the necessity of giving the story of God’s love to the people in a more permanent way than just through his own personal ministry. To this end, he worked on a translation of the Bible, which was published in 1663.
Read more on the Wycliffe UK Blog here.
Eliot’s work in translation and linguistics began over 300 years ago. But today, more than 340 million people still do not have a single word of Scripture in the language they understand best. Find out how you can give the Story.
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John 20:21 