Bible World to educate and enthuse
Egypt’s young Christians
EGYPT
— With funding having been “miraculously
provided,” the Bible Society of Egypt
is forging ahead with the development of a “contemporary and creative
Bible experience” on the first floor of Bible House in Cairo. Setting
its sights high, the Society is aiming for Bible World to play a key
role in improving understanding among Egyptians, especially children,
of the nature of the Scriptures and of the importance of having God’s
Word in their own language.
In a country where Christians are in a
minority, the Bible is generally poorly understood. Even Christians
themselves often lack the knowledge to be confident in emphasising the
Bible’s historicity and reliability. So one of the main objectives
of Bible World will be to inform young people about what the Bible is,
how it came into existence and why it can be trusted.
Awareness
Secondly, Bible World is designed to boost
awareness among Egyptians of the need for a translation of the Bible
in Modern Standard Arabic. Many Egyptian Christians believe that, like
the Koran, the original Arabic Bible text should not be altered, not
realising that the current Arabic text, which most people now find difficult
to understand, in fact dates only from 1865.
Bible World, the Bible Society believes,
will fill young Egyptians with a desire to have God’s Word in a
modern translation of their heart language.
There are at least 500,000 Christian children
in the Greater Cairo area, the Society estimates, all of whom are in
a minority in their classrooms.
Drawing from Religious Education classes
during the school year and Sunday School classes during the summer,
Bible World will be able to receive around 9,600 children a year when
operating at full capacity.
Imagination
Arriving in groups of 12, the children
will pass through a series of seven rooms, each decorated appropriately
to take them on a journey of the imagination from the earliest days
of recording God’s Word to the Bible in the modern world. In the
‘Scriptorium’, children will learn about the earliest Bible
manuscripts found in Egypt and about the key role their ancestors played
in preserving God’s Word. Another room will contain a replica of
Gutenberg’s printing press, while yet another, designed to resemble
a space capsule, will take the children on a ‘journey through time’
to learn more about the history of the Bible, its preservation and its
distribution. Finally, in a room equipped with computers, visitors will
play games designed to reinforce what they have just learned. The results
from these games and from a related quiz will allow staff to quickly
assess whether Bible World is achieving its objectives and to make adjustments
if necessary. The Society also plans to undertake long-term follow-up
work among visitors.
Ancient manuscript
If further funds become available, Bible
World will also have an ancient manuscript room focusing on the development
of the Septuagint, the early Coptic translations and Arab manuscripts,
and a research room where visitors such as Bible scholars will be able
to undertake detailed studies of particular issues relating to Bible
texts or history, referring to 10,000 microfiche records of the most
important Arabic Bible translations.
Equip young people
With the basic infrastructure now in place
and scriptwriters working on the audiovisual elements, Bible World is
well on the way towards becoming a facility that will complement and
strengthen the ministry of local churches and equip young Egyptian Christians
to be “better informed, with a love for and trust in God’s
Word, and better witnesses as they go about their daily lives in this
society.”
This report refers to project EGY1030.
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