Who was the first to translate the Bible from Greek/Hebrew into German?

Who was the first to translate the Bible from Greek/Hebrew into German?

• A. John Wycliffe
• B. Martin Luther
• C. William Tyndale
• D. Erasmus

Answer: (B)

Translating biblical texts into the vernacular from their original languages is a turning point for both faith and language, because it makes the scriptures accessible to everyday readers rather than just church scholars. Martin Luther did the first major German Bible translation directly from the original Greek for the New Testament and Hebrew for the Old Testament. He published the New Testament in 1522 and completed the entire Bible by 1534. His aim was to render the text in clear, understandable German that ordinary people could read, which also helped shape the development of standard German. Wycliffe translated into English, not German, so his work isn’t the German translation in question. William Tyndale also produced English translations from Hebrew and Greek. Erasmus was a scholar who published editions of the Greek New Testament (and Latin) for study, not a German Bible translation.

Translating biblical texts into the vernacular from their original languages is a turning point for both faith and language, because it makes the scriptures accessible to everyday readers rather than just church scholars.

Martin Luther did the first major German Bible translation directly from the original Greek for the New Testament and Hebrew for the Old Testament. He published the New Testament in 1522 and completed the entire Bible by 1534. His aim was to render the text in clear, understandable German that ordinary people could read, which also helped shape the development of standard German.

Wycliffe translated into English, not German, so his work isn’t the German translation in question. William Tyndale also produced English translations from Hebrew and Greek. Erasmus was a scholar who published editions of the Greek New Testament (and Latin) for study, not a German Bible translation.