Yakutsk, July 5, 2024
Photo: ibt.org.ru
Audiobooks of Genesis, Exodus, and the “Children's Bible” in the Yakut language were recorded in Yakutsk by employees of the Institute for Bible Translation (IBT), reports Foma News.
The translation work on these books was carried out over several years with the blessing of Archbishop Roman of Yakutsk and Lensk, reports the IBT website.
The Book of Genesis was translated by IBT staff member and theological editor of both books, S. A. Leontyeva, while Exodus was translated by writer, journalist, and employee of the newspaper Il Tümen, R. S. Sibiryakova.
Photo: ibt.org.ru
In 2022, the books of Genesis and Exodus were published in a single edition, which was presented at the Yakutsk Theological Seminary and the National Library of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).
At the end of February and the beginning of March 2024, the Book of Genesis was recorded in the studio of the Yakutsk Theological Seminary. The recording was completed in two weeks.
Two months later, work began on the audiobooks of Exodus and the “Children's Bible” in the same studio, which took about a month.
The Yakut language translations can be viewed and listened to on the Institute for Bible Translation’s website.
***
Orthodox Christianity first came to Yakutia in the 17th century with the Russian expansion into Siberia. Russian explorers, hunters, and missionaries gradually introduced the local people to the faith, and by the 19th century Orthodoxy was firmly established there. Missionaries translated Scripture and other texts into the Yakut language, and religious schools were opened. Once shamanistic, Yakutia has fully embraced Orthodoxy. The diocesan cathedral in this republic’s capital city of Sahka serves as a religion hub for the vast region. Yakutia is also home to several Orthodox monasteries.
The Yakutia Republic of the Russian Federation is slightly smaller than Australia, but very sparsely populated due to the inhospitable climate and rough terrain. The Yakut language is part of the Siberian branch of the Turkic language family. Formerly without a written language, Yakut was given an adapted form of the Cyrillic Alphabet by Russian missionaries.
