"The Book that Changed the World" hits Sydney

Photos courtesy of
Steven Yu, akayueh@gmail.com

On Friday evening at Village Church Annandale Rev Dr John Harris amazed the audience by producing a 1430s Geneva Bible and letting them turn its pages. As well as the expected list of family owners its contents included recipes, birth and death notices, and a poignant love note from a husband to his wife.

Even more astonishing is the fact that this Bible did not make the cut for Bible Society Australia's national Bible exhibition. Only 26 Bibles of the more than 6,000 in Bible Society's collection were deemed worthy of this honour. In place of this particular Bible is a 1607 Geneva Bible annotated by William Shakespeare himself. Other Bibles include those carried on the first fleet, and even one hand gifted by the Tsar of Russia to Governor Macquarie while he was travelling overland through Russia to England to report back on the progress of our fledgling nation.

One of my personal favourites are the Biblical portions published in the Awabakal aboriginal language by Lancelot Threlkeld. Revolutionary in his approach and using the strategy 'first obtain the language and then preach the Gospel' he was one hundred years ahead of his time. This approach drew a gruff response from Samuel Marsden who saw that he was sacked by the London Missionary Society in 1828. Undeterred, Threlkeld opened a coal mine in the Lake Macquarie area to fund his continuing work. In spite of his endeavours and vigorous defense of the aboriginal people in the courts there were sadly only tens of people left speaking the Awabakal language by 1841, and none soon after.