Much attention has been focussed on the Middle East in recent years, and Islamic religion and culture have been in the forefront of current events. This being the case, it was with no little feeling of gratitude to the Lord that I made an announcement on this blog back in December, that my first book, Polycarp: The Crown of Fire, would be translated into Turkish, based on a request from missionary contacts in the Middle East. That has now happened, and Atesten Tac: Polikarp (Izmir Episkoposu) is available. As I mentioned in that announcement, Polycarp was the bishop of Smyrna, which survives today as the city of Izmir in modern Turkey. This may in fact account for part of the interest, as Polycarp would be better known there than in many parts of the world. Interestingly, it seems that the translator used 'Izmir' throughout the text (and in the title, as you can see in the picture above) rather than the older 'Smyrna,' perhaps in an effort to provide a point of contact with modern inhabitants of Polycarp's home town. I'd like to comment further on the translation, but my Turkish is, shall we say, a bit rusty. But my publisher has provided new artwork for the cover, which my wife thinks is a decided improvement over the old one for the English edition. If you know of anyone for whom this translation could be of some benefit, here is a Turkish website that has the book available. The book arrived in the mail, interestingly, on the very day of mass demonstrations in Polycarp's home town demanding that Turkey remain a secular state, and not be ruled by Islamic sharia law; and two days after a bombing in Izmir. We are immensely grateful for this translation, which is the first time anything I've written has been translated into another language, and our prayers are that God would be pleased to use this for His glory in that part of the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment