Tamil Bible 1836 by C.T.E Rhenius. This item is unavailable.Tamil Bible 1836 by C.T.E Rhenius

The New Testament, translated by Charles Theophilus Ewald Rhenius (C.T.E. Rhenius) and published in 1836 by the Madras Auxiliary Bible Society, is a massive milestone in the history of Tamil Christian literature.

Key features of this translation:

Simple and clear Tamil: Previous translations by the likes of Ziegenbalg and Fabricius had a somewhat difficult, Sanskrit-mixed, literal translation style. Rev. Rhenius changed that style and structured the verses according to the natural flow of the Tamil language (idiomatic translation).

A Bible for the common people: This translation was designed so that not only literary scholars, but also ordinary people with less formal education could easily read and understand it. This was a major reason for the rapid spread of Christianity in the Tirunelveli regions.

Grammatical excellence: Rhenius, an outstanding Tamil grammarian (who also authored a Tamil grammar book), crafted this very elegantly without distorting the meaning of the original Greek text, while simultaneously ensuring it did not deviate from Tamil grammatical traditions.

Unique word usage: He utilized words like Parabaran (God), Suvisesham (Gospel), and Sakkirathai (Diligence) in a style that was commonly spoken by the people. He avoided harsh words where they were unnecessary and instead used Tamil words with a pleasant phonetic rhythm.