Biblica, formerly International Bible Society, was founded in 1809 and is the worldwide copyright holder of the
New International Version
The New International Version (NIV) is an English translation of the Bible first published in 1978 by Biblica (formerly the International Bible Society). The ''NIV'' was created as a modern translation, by Bible scholars using the earliest an ...
of the Bible (NIV), licensing commercial rights to
Zondervan
Zondervan is an international Christian media and publishing company located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Zondervan is a founding member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA). They are a part of HarperCollins Christian Publ ...
in the United States and to
Hodder & Stoughton
Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint (trade name), imprint of Hachette (publisher), Hachette.
History
Early history
The firm has its origins in the 1840s, with Matthew Hodder's employment, aged 14, with Messrs ...
in the United Kingdom. Biblica is also a member of the
Forum of Bible Agencies International
The Forum of Bible Agencies International is an alliance of more than 25 international Bible Agencies and other missions organizations which provides access to the Bible and encourages its use worldwide.
The Forum provides standards for Bible tran ...
and Every Tribe Every Nation.
History
![Biblica-Headquarters-2016](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Biblica-Headquarters-2016.jpg)
Biblica was founded December 4, 1809, in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
as the ''New York Bible Society'' by a small group including
Henry Rutgers
Henry Rutgers (October 7, 1745 – February 17, 1830) was a United States Revolutionary War hero and philanthropist from New York City. Rutgers University was named after him, and he donated a bond which placed the college on sound financial f ...
,
William Colgate
William Colgate (January 25, 1783 – March 25, 1857) was an English-American soap industrialist who founded in 1806 what became the Colgate-Palmolive company.
Early life
William Colgate was born in Hollingbourne, Kent, England, on January 25, ...
, Theodorus Van Wyke and Thomas Eddy.
Biblica experienced its first merger in 1819 when it merged with the ''New York Auxiliary Bible Society''. It was renamed ''New York International Bible Society'' in 1974, ''International Bible Society'' (IBS) in 1988. The organization moved to Colorado Springs from New York in 1988 and moved into its current facility in 1989. It merged with
Living Bibles International Living Bibles International (LBI) (1968–1992) was an American religious publisher dedicated to producing modern language translations of the New Testament in around 100 languages worldwide.
The foundation was started by Kenneth N. Taylor as a ...
in 1992 and International Bible Society and
Send the Light
Send the Light (STL) was a British Christian book distributor which had absorbed other Christian publishers and bookshops, and eventually merged with the International Bible Society to become one of the largest non-profit book distributors in t ...
(STL) in 2007, forming a new organization called ''IBS-STL''.
In 2009, it adopted the name ''Biblica''.
Translations
Biblica's international ministry began in 1810 with its sponsorship of
William Carey’s
Bible translation
The Bible has been translated into many languages from the biblical languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. all of the Bible has been translated into 724 languages, the New Testament has been translated into an additional 1,617 languages, and ...
work in India. The worldwide work expanded in 1992 following the merger with
Living Bibles International Living Bibles International (LBI) (1968–1992) was an American religious publisher dedicated to producing modern language translations of the New Testament in around 100 languages worldwide.
The foundation was started by Kenneth N. Taylor as a ...
, through which Biblica developed its global translation ministry. The reach of Biblica around the world again expanded through its merger with Send the Light (STL) in 2007.
Biblica is perhaps best known for its
New International Version
The New International Version (NIV) is an English translation of the Bible first published in 1978 by Biblica (formerly the International Bible Society). The ''NIV'' was created as a modern translation, by Bible scholars using the earliest an ...
(NIV) version of the Bible, the best-selling contemporary English translation.
[ Nicola Menzie]
NIV More Popular Than KJV, NLT Bibles; 11 Million Copies Sold Worldwide
christianpost.com, USA, March 26, 2013
See also
*
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 ...
*
New International Version
The New International Version (NIV) is an English translation of the Bible first published in 1978 by Biblica (formerly the International Bible Society). The ''NIV'' was created as a modern translation, by Bible scholars using the earliest an ...
*
Zondervan
Zondervan is an international Christian media and publishing company located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Zondervan is a founding member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA). They are a part of HarperCollins Christian Publ ...
References
External links
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{{Authority control
Bible societies
Religious organizations established in 1809
Religion in Colorado Springs, Colorado
Christianity in Colorado
Organizations based in Colorado Springs, Colorado
Christian organizations established in the 19th century
1809 establishments in the United States