Timeline of Marathi Scripture

YEAR	EVENT[i]
1809	Printed 1,000 copies of NT by Serampore Press.
1811	NT by Baptist Missionary Society (BMS). Now it is called Old Version by BSI.
1813	Samuel Newell and family arrived Bombay, started preaching in Marathi using Serampore translation. Produced Harmony of Gospels, re-written some portions of Serampore translation to Devangari script. Realized Serampore translation have to be discarded. A new translation began, later came to be called “American version”.
1816	Translated NT and Genesis out of original Hebrew and Greek into Marathi from 1816-21. Newell died in Feb 1821 due to cholera.
1819	OT completed by Serampore Press. Multiple issues: 1) This was translated by Pandit Vaijanath, who later was found as belonging to a dialect from Nagpur not from Pune. 2) Done in Nagari script, rather than Devanagari. 3) Poorly printed. There it was not used widely and did not serve as a basis for another translation.
1819	Gospel Mathew by Bombay Auxiliary Bible Society.
1822	“American translators” approached the Bombay Auxiliary Bible Society for help. Rs 4,000 granted for publication of NT and another organization provided paper.
1824	Revised Version of BMS.
1824	Revised Serampore translation[ii].
1826	NT (American version) completed. Translated by 5 person and a pandit.
1830	NT (American version) revised. By then only on translator, Allen Graves.
1830	Another Gospel Mathew  published by Rev. William Mitchell of Church Mission Society.
1831	Discussed on which NT to be revised. American version was selected over Serampore.
1837	A committee was formed. Dr. D.O. Allen of American Mission served on committee.
1847	Bible published
1848	Revised NT
1851	Another edition of NT appeared. Translated by Rev. H. Ballatine of American Mission, at Ahmednagar. Hence called “Nagar NT”. It was considered good and Bombay Auxiliary adopted it as basis for their revision of NT in 1857. But still criticized the language as “Padre Marathi” meaning language of the church.
1855	Whole Bible revised and compiled NT and OT in one volume.
1872	Another revision issued
1879	Another revision under Rev Baba Padmanji, an Indian Christian.
1880	A committee constituted with Dr. D. Makkudar as Secretary.
1882	Genesis and Ephesians done.
1893	Baba appointed as full time translator and Dr. Mackiche as Chairman
1893	A paraphrase Bible appeared
1902	Baba and J. E. Abbot
1907	Published NT revision.
1924	Pandita Ramabhai translated the Bible into vernacular Marathi, published under Mukti Mission.
1939	Simplified Translation NT (Revised Jubilee Edition) of Ramabhai’s translation, published by Ramabai Mukti Mission.
1982	IBS published Living Bible.
1993	WBTC published Easy-to-Read NT
2002	BSI Children's Bible
2010	“Subodh Bible”  or “The Marathi Bible” translated by Father Francis D’Britto. 2000 copies printed and sold within 20 days. Published by Rajhans Prakashan.
2012	Easy to Read version by WBTC

 

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[i] Unless quoted  information are primarily from: Hooper, J.S.M. 1963. Bible Translation in India, Pakistan and Ceylon (Revised by  W. J. Culshaw). London: Oxford University Press. Page 95 – 100.

[ii] William Allen Smalley. 1991. Translation as Mission: Bible Translation in the Modern Missionary Movement. Georgia, USA: Mercer University Press. Page 46.