Bible Society of India Andhra Pradesh Auxiliary

Bible Society of India Andhra Pradesh Auxiliary

BSI AP Auxiliary
Formation	1951
Founded at	Secunderabad
Type	Bible Society
Legal status	Charitable trust
Purpose	Literary
Headquarters	Bangalore
Location	Guntur[1]
Region	Andhra Pradesh
Services	Raising contribution, translating, printing, distribution
Official language	Lambadi, Telugu and Urdu
Secretary General	Rev. B. Samuel Rajasekhar
President	Medidi Johnson[2]
Main organ	The Bible Society of India Trust Association
Parent organization	Bible Society of India
Subsidiaries	1 (Visakhapatnam)
Affiliations	United Bible Societies
Budget (2014[3])	Rs.1.10,00,000.00[3]
Slogan	Applying God's word in the world
Website	http://www.bsind.org/andhra_pradesh.html
Formerly called	Book Depot of the Tamil Nadu Auxiliary

The Bible Society of India Andhra Pradesh Auxiliary^[4] is located in Guntur.^[1]

From 1951 through 2016, the Andhra Pradesh Auxiliary was housed at the Bible House on Rashtrapathi Road in Secunderabad until it was moved to Guntur.^[5] This Auxiliary translated the Telugu and Lambadi versions of the Bible.

Telugu version

In the Annual report of the British & Foreign Bible Society^[6] John Hay had undertaken the revision of the Telugu Bible (of Lyman Jewett?). In the same report, mention was made of the Secunderabad Branch.^[7]

Auxiliary Secretaries
Rev. E. Prakasam, AELC (1953-1963)[4][8] Rev. A. B. Masilamani, CBCNC (1963-1969)[4][8] Rev. B. G. Prasada Rao, CSI (1969-1976)[4][9] Rev. T. B. D. Prakasa Rao, CSI (1976-1981)[4][10] Rev. L. Prakasam, CBCNC (1981-1998)[4][11] Rev. G. Babu Rao, CBCNC (1998-2000)[4] Rev. N. L. Victor, SA (2000-2012)[4][12] Rev. B. S. Raja Sekhar,(2012[13]-)[4][12]

In 1953, the Telugu Bible was revised from earlier version which had been translated by John Hay, Edward Pritchett,^[14] John Smith Wardlaw (1813-), James William Gordon, John Redmond Bacon and Dhanavada Anantam.^[15]

Rev. A. B. Masilamani who majored in Greek^[16] at Serampore College was Auxiliary Secretary as well part of the Translation Team providing stylistic corrections in Telugu. Modern translations of the Telugu Bible in common language were taken up by Rev. G. Babu Rao,^[17] and Victor Premasagar, both of whom were Scholars of Biblical Hebrew and Biblical Greek as well as colleagues at the Protestant Regional Theologiate in Secunderabad.

During the Auxiliary Secretaryship of Rev. B. G. Prasada Rao, a team consisting of Rev. Suppogu Israel and Rev. G. Babu Rao began translating portions of the Bible into modern Telugu which included,

• Portions translated into modern Telugu
  • Book of Ruth, 1976^[18]
  • Man You Cannot Ignore, 1976^[19]

The Old Testament Scholar, Dr. Graham S. Ogden, Asia-Pacific Regional Translations Coordinator of the United Bible Societies used to liaise with the Auxiliary during the Secretaryship of L. Prakasam, providing scholarly inputs and also reviewing the progress of the Telugu-Old Testament Common Language Project Coordinator, Rev. G. Babu Rao.

A Living Bible in Telugu was also proposed as early as 1980.^[20]

Lambadi version

In 2001, the Lambadi version translated by B. E. Devaraj was released.

References

Notes

1. BSI auxiliary office opened in Guntur in The Hindu, Guntur, February 3, 2016.
2. Google groups
3. The Sowing Circle, Volume 31, Number 1, January–April 2015
4. Prema Sakshi, Volume 6, Issue 4, August 2008. pp.11-41. Prema Sakshi, a monthly registered (APTEL 07419/01/2002) magazine published by I. C. Ashok Kumar at Neena Publications, Door Number 1-5-4/1/A, First Floor, Behind Sai Raja Deluxe Cinema, Musheerabad, Hyderabad 500 048.
5. "Guntur"
6. Annual report of the British & Foreign Bible Society, British and Foreign Bible Society, Printed for the Society by J. Tilling, 1867.
7. Howard Benjamin Grose, Missions: an international Baptist magazine, Volume 9, 1918.
8. Annual Report of the American Bible Society, Volume 147, 1963, American Bible Society, p.140.
9. Annual Report of the American Bible Society, Volume 160, 1975, p.105
10. Annual Report of the American Bible Society, Volume 165, 1980, p.90
11. Pastors who served Calvary Baptist Church, Visakhapatnam
12. Sowing Circle, Volume 28, 2, May–August 2012, pp.46-47
13. Sowing Circle : A publication of the Bible Society of India, Volume 28, Number 2, (May - August 2012), pp.24, 25, 46, 47.
14. Arrived in India, November 17, 1811
15. John Hay, Edward Pritchett, John Smith Wardlaw, John Redmond Bacon, Dhanavada Anantam, The Holy Bible containing the Old and New Testaments: translated into the Telugu language (with references), under the auspices of the British and Foreign Bible Society, Bible Society of India, Pakistan and Ceylon, Secunderabad Auxiliary, 1953.
16. G. Babu Rao, in Souvenir of Birth Centenary Greetings of Rev. Dr. A. B. Masilamani, New Life Associates, Hyderabad, 2014, p.19
17. H. S. Wilson (Edited), The Church on the Move, Essays in honour of Victor Premasagar, Christian Literature Society, Madras, 1988, p.vi.
18. Suppogu Israel, G. Babu Rao (Translated), Book of Ruth, The Bible Society of India, Bangalore, 1976.
19. Suppogu Israel, G. Babu Rao (Translated), Man You Cannot Ignore, The Bible Society of India, Bangalore, 1976.
20. Roger E. Hudlund, World Christianity: South Asia, Volume 3 of World Christianity, Missions Advanced Research and Communication Center, Missions Advanced Research and Communication Center, 1980. p.60.

Further reading

• I. C. Ashok Kumar (August 2008). "Prema Sakshi". 6 (4).
• "The Encyclopaedia of Missions". 1891.