Bible translations into Danish prior to the Danish Reformation were limited. However in the mid-16th century with the Reformation's emphasis on direct study of the Bible, the need for Danish-language editions accelerated. Currently, the oversees translation and production of Church of Denmark-authorized Danish-language Bibles with the most recent full translation completed in 1992.

Prior to the Reformation

Prior to the Danish Reformation, only a few biblical writings had been translated into Danish. The most extensive was the ''Gammeldansk Bibel'' written and translating the first 12 books of the Bible from the Latin

Vulgate The Vulgate (; also called (Bible in common tongue), ) is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. The Vulgate is largely the work of Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels u ...

into Middle Danish. The translation was a difficult process resulting in a mix of

literal translation Literal translation, direct translation or word-for-word translation, is a translation of a text done by translating each word separately, without looking at how the words are used together in a phrase or sentence. In Translation studies, trans ...

and interpretation.

Post Reformation

Since the 1500s, however, the history of Danish Bible translations can generally be divided into three main periods.

The legacy of Luther (16th – 17th century)

With the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

came an increased interest ensuring the Bible was accessible to everyone. In 1522,

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Reformation, Protestant Refo ...

published his new translation of the New Testament from Greek and, in 1534, a translation of the entire Bible based on the Greek and Hebrew scriptures. In 1524, Christian II had Luther's translation used for a Danish-language printing of the New Testament. In 1550, Christian III authorized the first complete translation of the Bible into Danish, which was overseen by a panel of seven theologians and printed by the German printer with 85

woodcut Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with gouges—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. Areas that ...

s from Erhard Altdorfer. Additional translations were made in 1589 under Frederick II and in 1633 under Christian IV. These translations were more idiomatic and focused on conveying the meaning of the scripture.

The Resen–Svaneian tradition (17th – 19th century)

In 1607, Bishop published a new Danish translation of the entire Bible directly from the Hebrew and Greek sources, and in 1647 a revised edition was completed by Hans Svane. These translations marked a philosophical shift in Bible translation, favoring a translation that hewed more closely to the original Hebrew and Greek sources in order to preserve the

divine inspiration Divine inspiration is the concept of a supernatural force, typically a deity, causing a person or people to experience a creative desire. It has been a commonly reported aspect of many religions, for thousands of years. Divine inspiration is ofte ...

of the text. This philosophy guided translations until the early 20th century and included

Christian VI Christian VI (30 November 1699 – 6 August 1746) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1730 to 1746. The eldest surviving son of Frederick IV and Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, he is considered one of Denmark-Norway's more anonymous kings, bu ...

’s 1740 Bible, the first published under the Kongelige Vajsenhus's monopoly. The last translation in the Resen–Svaneian tradition was made by the Danish Bible Society in 1871, combining a new Old Testament translation with the 1819 New Testament translation made under Frederick VI.

Modern translations (20th – 21st century)

During the 20th century, as modern

Biblical criticism Biblical criticism is the use of critical analysis to understand and explain the Bible. During the eighteenth century, when it began as ''historical-biblical criticism,'' it was based on two distinguishing characteristics: (1) the concern to ...

and

biblical exegesis Biblical criticism is the use of critical analysis to understand and explain the Bible. During the eighteenth century, when it began as ''historical-biblical criticism,'' it was based on two distinguishing characteristics: (1) the concern to ...

interpretations gained favor, new linguistic and archaeological understandings expanded the understanding of the original Hebrew and Greek sources. This resulted in a shift in translation philosophy and new Danish translations of the Old Testament in 1931 and New Testament in 1948. The latest edition in this tradition is the Church of Denmark's ''Danish Authorized Version of 1992'' completed by the Danish Bible Society.

Other translations

In parallel with these three traditions, a number of other scripture translations into Danish were published, including Jewish translations of the

Pentateuch The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the sa ...

by Chief Rabbi Abraham Wolff in 1891 and a revised version that added the haftaroth in 1894; Catholic translations from the Vulgate published in 1893 and 1931; and the Danish Contemporary Bible 2020, which modernized the language of the Bible to appeal to young and secular readers.

References

{{reflist, 30em

External links

Danish Bibelen 1871 Edition

The earliest translation of the Bible into Danish from 1480

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

Danish literature 1647 books