Our Mission Statement:
EBI exists to translate the Bible
· from the original Hebrew and Greek languages to Polish;
· by translators who are both scholarly prepared, and spiritually transformed
through the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit.
Moreover...
we also translate Christian literature helpful for hermeneutics, exegetics,
theology, discipleship and spiritual growth of the believers.
Something unique about our translation project!
Our translation is going to be the first one in the whole 1000-years history
of Poland done by Polish Evangelicals!
What is our driving motive?
Our desire is to be instrumental in the revival that Polish Christians pray
for. So, as we say, "We translate the Bible for Revival" among the
people of Poland.
We would like our translation to be:
· faithful to the original texts of the Bible (Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic);
· contemporary in terms of vocabulary, style, and communications;
· clear in its meaning for different people groups, such as Bible students,
families, and the general public (the so called seekers included).
An additional unique feature of our translation is that it is immediately
tested concerning its impact on those who are in search of salvation as well
as for those who long for greater closeness with the Lord. Thus, the printed
portions of our translation - mainly the Gospel of John - are being used on
a daily basis in evangelism, on a weekly basis in local churches, and on a
monthly basis during our Bible movement conferences. In each of these situations
we gather feedback and apply it to our work.
Why do we insist that our translators have a personal relationship with
Christ?
The Bible, itself, teaches us in 1 Corinthians 2:11-15 "For who among
men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?
Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we
have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God,
so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we
also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the
Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man
does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness
to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised
by no one." Translations done by those, who themselves were transformed
by the power of God, minister to Christians in a very unique way.
Such translations open readers' eyes to the treasures hidden in the Gospel,
to the important life-changing truths announced there, and help people to
live their lives fruitfully, reasonably, and joyously.
What more do we offer for those who want to know the exact meaning of
the text?
We are aware of the fact that translation is something more than just exchanging
the words of one language with the words of another. So...
· The translators provide the people who are particularly interested
in various biblical issues with the study notes;
· We offer a complete 12-volume commentary on the New Testament,
· We offer the books of the Bible translated (1) for Bible students;
(2) for the general public and (3) for family readings. On our web site you
can find the Bible arranged in three columns!
· We offer notes "From the Desk of the Translator" meant
for the edification of the believers. These notes are sent in English and
Polish, via internet, to about 300 people around the world. You also may subscribe
to receive them!
· We offer an outstanding selection of helps for parents by W. Foerster.
· We answer via e-mail all those who send us specific questions.
Where did the idea of "The Bible for Revival" come from?
Originally it was a step of faith and obedience on the part of an evangelical
pastor Rev. Piotr Zaremba. As a preacher, and therefore a person who studies
the Scriptures on a daily basis, he often refered to the original texts in
his sermon preparations, evangelism, pastoral care and lectures in Systematic
Theology and Ethics. Moreover, for seventeen years he was involved in translation
work giving the Polish evangelical community numerous substantial volumes
on evangelism, spiritual edification, and theological thought. Intermingled
with his passion for revival, those factors nearly inevitably lead to translation
of the Bible.
Who else is a member of the translators team?
The core team of the translators consists of Prof. Piotr Muchowski (Hebrew
text), Rev. Piotr Zaremba (Greek texts), Anna Józak (Greek text), Marta
Tylenda (as a Polish literature expert and renown journalist she makes sure
the Polish of the translation sounds proper).
What do we mean by the three-column Bible mentioned above?
More than twenty years of full-time involvement within Christian ministry
convinces us that in Poland there are basically three categories of people
interested in different kind of translations
1. Pastors, Bible teachers and Bible students tend to be interested "literal"
translations often accompanied by footnotes (Attention! A term "literal"
may be misleading). These translations give them some access to the culture
of the times of the Bible.
2. Those interested in the message of the Bible, the seekers and new converts,
usually prefer literary translations. The language of such translations is
smooth, easily readable, and great for evangelism.
3. Father, mothers and kids are interested in a translation they can read
without much study of the Biblical times. They welcome translations which,
without compromising the accuracy concerning the original texts, translate
rare terms in an explanatory way. We call this translation an exegetical one.
What have we achieved thus far?
F The books of the Bible so far translated: The Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus,
Leviticus, Numbers, Deutoronomy; The New Testament: Mark, Luke, John, Romans,
Colossians, Philemon, Hebrews.
F The books of the Bible so far translated and available on the web site:
Mark (literal, literary and footnotes), Luke (literal and footnotes), John
(literal, literary, exegetical and footnotes), Romans (literal and footnotes),
Colossians (literal and footnotes), Hebrews (literal and footnotes), Revelation
(footnotes).
F The books of the Bible published and available in print: The Gospel according
to John.
F Topical studies on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, some hot daily subjects,
such as divorce and military service, articles on some complex words of the
New Testament.
F The Commentary on the whole New Testament by William Barclay.
F Library for the Parents.
How can you obtain the fruits of our labor?
You may visit us on our web site. You may also e-mail us to receive our works
as attachments.