A COPY of the original iTaukei language Old Testament edition is being displayed at the Methodist Church conference at the Furnival Park at Toorak, Suva.
The Bible, which only contains the books of Genesis, Exodus and Psalms, is on display with other historical Methodist Christian books at the National Archives of Fiji tent.
Assistant librarian of the National Archives Asena Koroi said the Bible was translated by Reverend David Hazlewood.
“Reverend Hazelwood is a well-known author translating Fijian (iTaukei) into English and English into Fijian (iTaukei),” Ms Koroi said.
She said the original was kept at the Mitchell Library, Sydney, Australia, and the translated original iTaukei language Old Testament was given to the National Archives of Fiji last year by Dr Andrew Thornley.
This year Ms Koroi said was the first time the translated original iTaukei language Old Testament edition was being displayed in public. Meanwhile, a letter by Dr Thornley to this newspaper last year stated that Reverend Hazlewood’s Old Testament translation was published by the British and Foreign Bible Society in 1864. Dr Thornley said Reverend Hazlewood was a gifted linguist, along with his native language of English, he was skilled in six other languages —French, Latin, Hebrew, Greek, Tongan and iTaukei.
