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The Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft ("German Bible Society") is a religious foundation regulated by public law. It is involved in publishing and in spreading the message of the Bible.
The Society publishes the Bible in the original languages and in translation, as well as the texts of the
apocrypha
Apocrypha are works, usually written, of unknown authorship or of doubtful origin. The word ''apocryphal'' (ἀπόκρυφος) was first applied to writings which were kept secret because they were the vehicles of esoteric knowledge considered ...
and scholarly works in
biblical studies
Biblical studies is the academic application of a set of diverse disciplines to the study of the Bible (the Old Testament and New Testament).''Introduction to Biblical Studies, Second Edition'' by Steve Moyise (Oct 27, 2004) pages 11–12 Fo ...
.
History
In 1965, independent regional Bible Societies came together as the Protestant Bible Organisation. The German Bible Society was formed in 1981 when this organization joined with the German Bible Foundation, made up of the Bible Societies of the Protestant Churches of the German states. The Society is based in the Möhringen district of Stuttgart. Its origins can be traced back to, among other things, the Canstein Bible Institution, founded in 1710.
; Published books
The German Bible Society's publishing operations cover more than 700 books and other products, of which 300 are Bible editions. It distributes more than 400,000 Bibles annually, mainly Martin Luther's translation of the Bible and the modern Good News Bible. The Society publishes the internationally accepted base texts for Bible translation: the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, the
Novum Testamentum Graece and the Greek New Testament. Its publications also include Children's Bibles, electronic Bibles and Bibles in other formats.
It also offers an online Bible dictionary compiled by subject experts.
* ''
Novum Testamentum Graece'' Nestle-Aland.
* ''
Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia
The Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, abbreviated as BHS or rarely BH4, is an edition of the Masoretic Text of the Hebrew Bible as preserved in the Leningrad Codex, and supplemented by masoretic and text-critical notes. It is the fourth edition in ...
''
* ''
Nova Vulgata
The ''Nova Vulgata'' (complete title: ''Nova Vulgata Bibliorum Sacrorum Editio'', ; abr. ''NV''), also called the Neo-Vulgate, is the official Classical Latin translation of the original-language texts of the Bible published by the Holy See. It ...
''
*
* ''Handkonkordanz zum griechischen Neuen Testament'', A. Schmoller
* ''Konkordanz zum hebräischen Alten Testament'', G. Lisowsky
Bible ministry
According to its constitution, the second main function of the German Bible Society is spreading the message of the Bible. The primary aim is to make the Bible accessible. In the past, this was seen as being achieved mainly through Bible distribution, but today it is also regarded as important to provide people with new ways of accessing the Bible. This work is carried out through 19 offices operated by regional Bible Societies.
Alongside 145 other Bible Societies around the world, the German Bible Society works to translate, publish and distribute the Holy Scriptures. Bible Societies seek to make the Bible available to all people in their mother language at a price they can afford. Since 1975, the German Bible Society's World Bible Support initiative has been raising funds in Germany to support projects in less wealthy countries which are working towards this goal.
Structure
The German Bible Society's executive units are the general assembly, the board and the management team. The principles and guidelines for its work are determined by the general assembly, which is made up of representatives of 23 regional Bible Societies, 14 Free Churches and Christian organisations, along with individuals.
The board is responsible for ensuring that the foundation's duties are fulfilled and for monitoring the Society's activities. It is made up of a chairperson, two deputies and up to 16 other members. The current chairperson (2011) is Johannes Friedrich, Bishop of Bavaria.
The management team is responsible for implementing policy. The Society's General Secretary is the Rev Klaus Sturm, who in January 2010 succeeded Jan-A. Bühner, General Secretary from 1997. Working with the General Secretary on the management team is Commercial Director Felix Breidenstein.
The German Bible Society is a member of the missionary services working group of the German Protestant Church.
It also works in partnership with the Catholic Bible Society to run the Stuttgart-based ecumenical travel agency 'Biblische Reisen', which offers study tours to
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
and to other significant places in Christianity and in religious life.
See also
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Bible society
A Bible society is a non-profit organization, usually nondenominational in makeup, devoted to translating, publishing, and distributing the Bible at affordable prices. In recent years they also are increasingly involved in advocating its credibi ...
*
British and Foreign Bible Society
The British and Foreign Bible Society, often known in England and Wales as simply the Bible Society, is a non-denominational Christian Bible society with charity status whose purpose is to make the Bible available throughout the world.
The Soc ...
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German Bible translations German language translations of the Bible have existed since the Middle Ages. The most influential is Luther's translation, which established High German as the literary language throughout Germany by the middle of the seventeenth century and whic ...
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Luther Bible
The Luther Bible (german: Lutherbibel) is a German language Bible translation from Latin sources by Martin Luther. The New Testament was first published in September 1522, and the complete Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments with Apocry ...
*
United Bible Societies
The United Bible Societies (UBS) is a global fellowship of around 150 Bible Societies operating in more than 240 countries and territories. It has working hubs in England, Singapore, Nairobi and Miami. The headquarters are located in Swindon, Eng ...
References
External links
German Bible Society WebsiteKing James Bible Society
{{Authority control
Bible societies
Christian organizations established in 1948
1948 establishments in Germany