Chuvash Pentateuch given warm welcomeCHEBOKSARY, Chuvashiya, Russian Federation — The publication of the Chuvash Pentateuch was warmly welcomed by church leaders and top government officials at a launch ceremony on June 18 in the Chuvash capital, Cheboksary. The new Scripture, which contains the first five books of the Old Testament, marks an important milestone in a project, which, when complete, will make the two million Chuvash-speakers the first of Russia’s ethnic minorities to have access to the complete Bible in their language. Russian and Yiddish are the only languages of the Russian Federation in which a complete Bible is currently available. The launch came at an important time for the Chuvash people. On June 24 they celebrated the 450th anniversary of their integration into Russia. (WR 362/38 - 09.01) e-156 |