Vernacular Bible and Religious Reform
International Colloquium in Leuven
In the religious developments in Northwest Europe, the Bible has often been instrumental, whether as a point of reference, as a stumbling block, or simply in and of itself. For instance: does the layperson have the right to read the Scriptures (in the vernacular)? Or is the emphasis rather on the pastor or the preacher as the intermediary between God’s Word and the laity? In what sense was the layperson not just a passive recipient of the Scripture translation, but did he also exert a directional influence on the translation process?
In our modern times, these questions are stil valid. Attempts to adapt the text to the needs of the ‘modern’ reader, on the basis of the discoveries of biblical science, aroused and arouse without fail, resistance from a part of the Church community that insisted on the established Bible language, which was perceived as superior.
The aim of this colloquium is to highlight the reciprocal influence that the vernacular Bible translations and religious reforms had on each other. We therefore invite the submission of paper proposals, for a lecture during the colloquium.
Click here for more information. You can read the program here.
Organising Institutions: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (University of Leuven) (B), VU University Amsterdam (NL), Netherlands Bible Society (NL), Johannes a Lasco Bibliothek Emden (D). The conference takes place within the framework of Refo500.
