tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18704476329189185122023-11-29T14:04:41.835-08:00Fiji Methodist HistoryAndrew Thornleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17500562312194784568noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1870447632918918512.post-77530244352992504692014-09-14T05:20:00.001-07:002014-09-14T05:21:03.954-07:001864 to 2014: The First Fijian Old Testament150 years after its first appearance in Fiji, the original translation of the Fijian Old Testament was republished at the 2014 Methodist Conference.<br />
The genesis of this project began following the republication of John Hunt's 1847 translation of the New Testament, which was launched on Viwa on the 200th anniversary of Hunt's birth - June 13 2012.<br />
At the Conference that year, Rev Dr Tuikilakila Waqairatu was elected President. He was an Old Testament scholar and became very interested in some excerpts of David Hazlewood's Fijian Old Testament which I passed on to him at the beginning of 2013. An existing copy of the 1864 Bible had gone missing while on transferral from the Fiji Museum to the National Archives. (Let us hope that it will be found eventually; it belonged to Sir Allport Barker, a former colonial official who bequeathed his considerable personal library to the Fiji during its days as a colony.)I managed to track down a clean copy of Hazlewood's translation in the Mitchell Library, Sydney. <br />
It is not the occasion to go into the considerable history behind the writing of this remarkable piece of Fijian literature. Suffice to say that Hazlewood's manuscript, completed in NSW a few months before his death in 1855, was picked up by James Calvert, en route to England for leave. There the manuscript was "revised" by Calvert, Joseph Waterhouse (also on leave) and a Bible Society editor named Mellor. It appears, thankfully, that they did not make extensive changes to Hazlewood's script (that was done 40 years later by Frederick Langham). So it was that in 1864, the Bible Society printed and published Hazlewood's translation.<br />
Like Hunt's translation, that of Hazlewood did not survive the passage of time, which has been the reason for the republication of the two foundational Fijian Scriptures.<br />
My gratitude is due to President Waqairatu for supporting this OT project which was way beyond my capacity to finance. A digital copy of the book was sent to China - Nanking, where 80% of the world's bibles are printed - and right on cue the finished result arrived in Fiji one week before Conference was due to meet at the end of August. The Chinese did a fantastic job - hard cover, sewn binding, B5 size with a clear copy of the original. Interim President Ratabacaca launched the Old Testament and sales were hot through Conference week. <br />
I am not a Fijian linguist but my good friend Talatala Peni Cabenalevu tells me that there is something very special about this first translation. Like Hunt, Hazlewood had a good grasp of idiomatic Fijian (and add to that everyday Fijian as well). So the prose of this 1864 edition is probably easier to understand than Langham's "standard" Fijian Bible which was written with chiefly language coming out of Langham's 30 years residence on Bau. <br />
And here are the words of Fijian scholar in Sydney to whom I gave a copy of the book. This is what she said:<br />
"I have read some of the psalms and looked a little at ecclesiastes this morning. You are very right in pointing out the difference in language. Hazlewood's translation is more organic to the nature and perhaps theology of Fiji. I myself am not particularly fluent in my language, but I see the spirit of the words which he uses to express or name things in the Fijian vernacular. I find it to be a good representation of the poetical fluidity of Fijian expression".<br />
In summary, as I told the Methodist Conference, Fijian now have access to three contrasting translations of the Bible: firstly the foundational texts of Hazlewood and Hunt which will forever(because of their faithfulness to the original languages) form the reference point for later revisions and translations; secondly the Langham revision of 1901, which became standard because there were no other versions for 80 years and thirdly the very recent Bible Society translation which I mentioned in an earlier blog and which tries to do what the Good New Bible did for English.<br />
Now we await the scholarly study of the various forms of Fijian language and idiom used in these three translations, stretching across more than 160 years.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top: An open Hazlewood republished Old Testament. Below: The Hazlewood and Hunt republished Scriptures.</td></tr>
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<br />Andrew Thornleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17500562312194784568noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1870447632918918512.post-21360918372890875622013-05-23T21:32:00.000-07:002013-05-23T21:32:03.022-07:00Fijian New Version: Bible Society Translation PublishedIt is late May 2013 and I have just returned from a two week visit to Fiji. Readers of this blog will have been following my interest in Bible translation. The original Fijian New Testament, translated by John Hunt, was released last year to commemmorate the bicentenary of his birth. Now the Methodist Church in Fiji has agreed to republish the original Old Testament translation, completed in 1853 by David Hazlewood and published by the Bible Society in 1864. 150 years after this date, in August 2014 (and with all planning proceeding as hoped), the Hazlewood Old Testament will be relaunched.<br />
Meanwhile, to the Bible Society's great credit (and under the leadership of Rev. Solomoni Duru), the Fijian New Version[FNV] has been released. This is a translation which the Bible Society have been working on since the 1970s. It is a beautifully produced volume, printed in China on the thin paper well known to bible-users. The soft leather-look cover makes this a very appealing Bible and there are two colours - brown and blue. Somehow the Bible Society has managed to keep the cost very reasonable - F$35.00; it is doubtful that this price will be maintained for very long. An initial print run of 2,000 copies has almost sold out and a second printing is due towards the end of the year. Readers may purchase it at either the Methodist Bookshop or the Bible Society Bookshop in Nabua.<br />
The language and expression are different from the existing Methodist Bible; one would expect that. Some talatalas I have spoken too are not sure about the new wording but all are prepared to work with the new Bible and place it alongside their other treasured versions. From my point of view, I am happy about two things: firstly that the FNV retains the word "kalougata" despite the saturation of the Ah Koy Bible (SDA) throughout the country due to its free distribution. With the FNV being used ecumenically (by Catholics, Anglicans, Methodists and other denominational groups), the Ah Koy Bible will lose any currency that it had, since the numbers of Bible Society copies will continue to grow. Secondly, in one very important case, the FNV has corrected a huge distortion. In Luke 1:15, the word "yaqona" has been struck out and replaced, quite correctly,<br />
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by "gunu kaukauwa". This refers to the inappropriate insertion of "yaqona" by James Calvert when he was revising the Hunt translation. Hunt. like the FNV, was more faithful to the Greek and had used the word "mateni" in Verse 15. This was also correct. But Calvert was quite mischievous in replacing "mateni" with "yaqona". That has led to many improper uses of this verse, including to disparage a beverage central to Fijian culture and generally used in a moderate fashion.<br />
So I trust that the Methodists will fully endorse the New Fijian Version and encourage its use in churches as the years go by. My deep wish is that all Methodist talatalas, lay preachers and scholars of the Bible (of which there are many around Fiji) will soon come to have at their side the original translations of the Scriptures (those of Hunt and Hazlewood), a copy of the later revised Methodist Bible (to which many will inevitably remain loyal) and the Bible Society's Fijian New Version which is the product of the work of many Fijian scholars down the years.<br />
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Andrew Thornleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17500562312194784568noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1870447632918918512.post-57298181838094883622013-02-03T13:13:00.001-08:002013-02-03T13:21:19.806-08:00Fijian Biblical ManuscriptsOne of my major interests over the past years has been the study of the original translations of the Bible in Fijian. In June 2012, working with Tauga Vulaono, Save Nacanaitaba and a committed group of Fijian commentators, we republished John Hunt's first translation of the New Testament, completed on Viwa in 1847. This was produced in time for the 200th commemmoration of the birth of John Hunt. While in Fiji for the occasion, I delivered a seminar at USP where I pointed out the inadequacies of the various revisions of Hunt's translations, noting particularly the considerable efforts of James Calvert, which I argued have not improved upon the initial work of the very first translation. <br />
Work still needs to be done on a close comparison of Hunt's original translation with the later revisions. At least now we have ample copies of the 1847 New Testament in circulation, thanks largely to the ongoing commitment of Vulaono and Nacanaitaba to this project. The Methodist Church has yet to fully endorse the use of the 1847 translation but I am sure this will come with the passing of time. (At the same time I would be the first to support a modern Fijian translation of the New Testament, especially in the light of the woeful New Fijian translation [NFT] produced by Jim Ah Koy. This, it must be noted, was done by people unacquainted with Greek and - at Ah Koy's bidding - with disrespect to the inner beauty and subtlety of the Fijian language).<br />
My attention is now directed to the Fijian Old Testament. The missionary responsible for this was David Hazlewood, a Hebrew scholar. Three of the Old Testament books were published on Viwa in 1850 - Genesis, Exodus and Psalms. The Mitchell Library in Sydney holds copies of those. Hazlewood completed his work in NSW and died shortly after. His manuscript was taken to England by James Calvert and prepared for publication by the Bible Society. James Calvert, by his own admission, had no knowledge of the scriptural languages. He was assisted by a Bible Society scholar and together they worked on the Hazlewood manuscript, the first Fijian Old Testament being published in 1864.<br />
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On a recent trip to England, I visited the Bible Society archives in the Cambridge University Archives. I was looking for the original Hazlewood manuscript brought to England by Calvert. Much to my dismay I learnt that the Bible Society has lost hundreds of files, many holding original manuscripts, dated between 1857 and 1900. It is very possible that the complete Hazlewood translation may never be located. Andrew Thornleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17500562312194784568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1870447632918918512.post-39682383515385323672012-07-09T05:26:00.001-07:002012-07-09T05:26:23.943-07:00The Next Generation of Fiji Methodist Historians<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It was a delight while in Fiji recently to find the state of Fiji's Methodist history scholarship in good condition. It was not so long ago that we tragically lost Dr Tevita Baleiwaqa when he was approaching the culmination of many years of fruitful research in his role as History Lecturer at Davuilevu. Now the succession is well under way. The recently retired Head of History at Davuilevu, Rev. Jolame Lasawa (also Deputy Principal at Davuilevu), has now commenced doctoral studies at USP - his topic being the History of Fiji Methodist Church since its independence in 1964. <br />
The new Head of History is Rev. Peni Cabenalevu (pictured at Viwa), recently graduated with a Masters in Theology from Pacific Theological College. Peni's thesis topic was a study of Ratu Ravisa (Varani) and the influence of the island of Viwa on Fiji's political and religious scene from 1848-1855. Peni is also a very knowledgeable student of his native language. Teaching alongside Peni is Rev. Ilimeleki Susu - from the western side of Viti Levu (Sabeto). Susu's B.D. thesis on Fijian dissenters from the west (people such as Navosavakadua and Apolosi) covered a lot of new ground with an excellent component of oral history. His Master's thesis was on Methodist Theological Education (PTC) up to 1972.<br />
Completing a talented young quartet is Ms Kirstie Barry, Australian born and with impeccable missionary connections (both Waterhouses and Leleans). Kirstie has become fascinated with the life and work of her great grand Uncle, Arthur Lelean, who served as a missionary in Ra and Ba from 1918 to the end of the 1930s. While obviously influenced by her Christian upbringing, Kirstie brings to bear on her topic a sharp intellectual mind and her writings (currently nearing the end of doctoral study) will add a fresh and deep dimension to our understanding of Fiji Methodist History.Andrew Thornleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17500562312194784568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1870447632918918512.post-25967350619908537672012-07-08T03:48:00.000-07:002012-07-08T03:50:25.298-07:00Celebrations on Viwa, 13 June 2012I have just returned from a 7 week stay in Fiji, during which time I attended the celebrations on Viwa for the 200th birthday of John Hunt (born in Lincolnshire 13 June 1812). There were many memorable moments on that day at Viwa, not least the weather which was true to the wet side of the island - rain all day. The locals brushed it off, describing it as an important history lesson in showing what the missionaries had to put up with. The Viwa people were perfect hosts, taking the visitors into their homes for morning tea before delivering them to shelters for the official welcome to Ratu Epenisa, a direct descendant of Seru Cakobau. Also there were chiefs from the major confederations as well as Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi. The church's top executive were in attendance and the whole occasion was hosted by Rev. Peni Cabenalevu, a talatala from Viwa itself.<br />
Highlights of the day included singing from the Centenary Choir, the cutting of a cake to honour the birthday of John Hunt and the unveiling of a plaque commemmorating the ministry of Hunt and his wife Hannah on the island of Viwa from 1842-8. Central to the day was the launch of John Hunt's original translation of the Fijian New Testament, printed by the missionary printer, Rev. Thomas Jaggar, on the island of Viwa in 1847. Hunt was assisted in this translation project by a number of first generation itaukei converts, including the man described by Hunt as Fiji's first theologian, Noa Koroinavugona.<br />
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It is heartening to report that the republication of this New Testament has captured the imagination and appreciation of the Church, the talatalas and the people. The New Testament is selling well, not least because of the hard work of Tauga Vulaono and her husband, Save Nacanaitaba. They have jointly financed the first print run of the New Testament and have marketed it through the media. Requests for the New Testament have come from beyond Suva and Tauga and Save will be responding to these requests so that the New Testament gradually becomes known around the islands.<br />
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In Suva copies are available from the Methodist Bookshop and the shop will accept orders as well for multiple copies.Andrew Thornleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17500562312194784568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1870447632918918512.post-48212582796536034262012-03-24T22:38:00.003-07:002012-03-24T22:54:46.059-07:002012 - A Critical Year for the Methodist Church<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHhLv1LhRKIaFDJft02M8fh3NVkX20L6RnU5XjDsJ-_331JYmgfmdqA-Yi-MvKrBxLTl0W40MkgZfVKqtC-NdByAiua04upihDikwebNzkHCW0e5Cc1w0zqiWTLLm7yWZRuDZ4-QZ2_-1Q/s1600/Oct+98.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 281px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723709065444179378" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHhLv1LhRKIaFDJft02M8fh3NVkX20L6RnU5XjDsJ-_331JYmgfmdqA-Yi-MvKrBxLTl0W40MkgZfVKqtC-NdByAiua04upihDikwebNzkHCW0e5Cc1w0zqiWTLLm7yWZRuDZ4-QZ2_-1Q/s320/Oct+98.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div>The photo that accompanies this entry - taken a number of years ago - is of the current Assistant General Secretary of the Methodist Church,Rev. Tevita Baninavua(left) and standing next to him is Rev Dr Tevita Baleiwaqa, formerly - until his untimely death - Church History Lecturer at Davuilevu Methodist Theological College. They are standing outside the Baker Hall at Davuilevu. Tevita Banivanua, along with his Executive colleagues, faces a particular challenge this year. The last Methodist Conference was in 2008 and since then the government has banned the annual meeting. This year, as part of the government's preparation for a new constitution, the authorities have said that the Methodist Conference may go ahead. This will very likely see the elevation of Tevita Banivanua to the position of General Secretary and the election of Rev Tuikilakila Waqairatu as President. The latter is currently among a group of ministers held captive to the vagaries of Fijian law for allegedly holding a church meeting without the requisite police permit. In the light of the regime's recent decision to abolish the Great Council of Chiefs, the Church is under increasing pressure in its determination to maintain as far as possible a point of view separate from that of the government. The Church must reassert its right to hold meetings essential to the proper functioning of all church organisations and which have no direct political implication.</div>Andrew Thornleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17500562312194784568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1870447632918918512.post-79810976119239338622012-02-28T20:51:00.006-08:002012-02-28T21:21:03.301-08:00A memorable Qase Levu: Rev. A.J.Small<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN3n7xmGmuViARE2NSwH2cxlF58jM1o_dySMGXgWGD4_QvLFKlExH0zxnwQ3rRegVMsqndo13n59T1vSVo4uxO_B6q-vQphcaHgcQEDeIKYpf31pgqto2Cg1zeBxZWyYc-b_vXP4B78MRN/s1600/Small+Gravestone+Detail.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714422163732808386" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN3n7xmGmuViARE2NSwH2cxlF58jM1o_dySMGXgWGD4_QvLFKlExH0zxnwQ3rRegVMsqndo13n59T1vSVo4uxO_B6q-vQphcaHgcQEDeIKYpf31pgqto2Cg1zeBxZWyYc-b_vXP4B78MRN/s320/Small+Gravestone+Detail.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSwhB2tz4VG2coqtlFNhEiwYqURRpOKgQRRN9TO0ynA0MUbN7fAhH066Um1LY9LZiBZAPdZh2lluRZgwbSWuXgkwGfbvaYWxLmQJ2J_XqRQ9E7DyOpMa6MBBZMWKetaioZxOHsHG5gUSb/s1600/Small+Gravestone.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714422152301690450" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSwhB2tz4VG2coqtlFNhEiwYqURRpOKgQRRN9TO0ynA0MUbN7fAhH066Um1LY9LZiBZAPdZh2lluRZgwbSWuXgkwGfbvaYWxLmQJ2J_XqRQ9E7DyOpMa6MBBZMWKetaioZxOHsHG5gUSb/s320/Small+Gravestone.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>These are photos of the grave of Rev. Arthur J. Small, who was the longest serving Australian Methodist missionary in Fiji. He started at Bua in 1879 and served in many areas before becoming Qase Levu in 1900. He oversaw the shift of the mission HQ from Bau to Suva in 1903. He was the first missionary to live at the Pender St. property and his home stood for almost 100 years. The printing press was housed in the original wooden building next to the Butt St. Methodist Church. The Qase Levu was a man of gentle temperament with great wisdom and concern for all people. Small died in 1924 and his funeral stopped the nation. People lined the road from Davuilevu (where the funeral service was held) to the Suva cemetery.</div></div>Andrew Thornleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17500562312194784568noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1870447632918918512.post-79846946215723963992012-01-28T13:02:00.000-08:002012-01-28T13:09:27.893-08:00The Commodore and the ChurchRecently the Fiji Government has announced the lifting of the Public Emergency Decree controlling the media and the holding of meetings including Methodist Church gatherings outside of Sunday worship. This included of course the quite extraordinary cancellation of the Bose ko Viti from 2009 - 2011.<br />What terrifies the government is the likely elevation of Tuikilakila Waqairatu to the position of Qase Levu.<br />The new Public Order Act, which replaces the PER does little to give comfort to the Methodist Church. They still require police permission for many of their meetings and they have little certainty that the Conference of 2012 and the Choir Competition will be allowed to go ahead.<br />It really is a test of the genuineness of this government in preparing for elections in 2014, to now see if the Church is permitted to resume its normal freedom of operation and go about its work without the degree of state/military interference that has been happening for more than three yearsAndrew Thornleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17500562312194784568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1870447632918918512.post-23480341495702830972012-01-27T17:38:00.000-08:002012-01-27T17:58:19.662-08:00To the Glory of Whom?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPgbFARokuBzZakpHRylbD2FfUfl8I2TaX5RmQC_SSFMwBV81G0asCHhq9TmksPNfqeaopvSXeT3pBKtSQIlvLIKpIAxEWJXczPRcjz111oxsoZVagmmf0byksyYX-f-_KIHEFsUjtGp_P/s1600/P6240032.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702496250830309074" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPgbFARokuBzZakpHRylbD2FfUfl8I2TaX5RmQC_SSFMwBV81G0asCHhq9TmksPNfqeaopvSXeT3pBKtSQIlvLIKpIAxEWJXczPRcjz111oxsoZVagmmf0byksyYX-f-_KIHEFsUjtGp_P/s320/P6240032.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div>It is some time since I added a blog to this site but thank you to my loyal friends who keep checking up from time to time. It is January 2012, the year in which we remember the birth of Rev. John Hunt(1812), who with his wife Hannah came to Fiji from Lincolnshire and spent nine valuable years in establishing Christianity in Fiji. It was a delight to trace direct descendants of John and Hannah Hunt, through their eldest daughter Eliza; their are a number of families and they live in the United States of America, very aware of their missionary heritage.<br />Since completing my trilogy on early Wesleyan History in Fiji, I have become absorbed in a project that involves the republication of the first Fijian New Testament, which was translated by Hunt while at Viwa - directly from Greek to Fijian. One thousand copies were printed on Viwa, itself an amazing achievement by the missionary printer Thomas Jaggar.<br />Hunt knew he was dying in 1848 and he requested his missionary colleague, James Calvert, to arrange for the Bible Society in England to print a further edition of 10,000 copies of the NT, with corrections to the Viwa edition that Hunt gave to Calvert. Calvert had other ideas. There is too much about this story to go into detail at this point (I'll be presenting a seminar on this at USP in May of 2012). The short account is that Calvert's towering and less than likeable personal ambition would not allow him to let Hunt's idiomatic translation receive the approval of the Bible Society and thereby become enshrined as the normative New Testament in Fijian. No, to the contrary, Calvert spent the next 15 years, until the early 1860s, mutilating Hunt's translation and producing a new edition that put paid to the original beautiful language that Hunt had laboured to produce.<br />Thus is something the Fijians are going to find very hard to accept: that thei current New Testament is a very inferior version, produced by a man determined at almost any cost to secure a legacy in print.</div>Andrew Thornleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17500562312194784568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1870447632918918512.post-59876533598402019422009-08-01T05:58:00.000-07:002009-08-01T06:12:52.249-07:00Cancellation of Fiji Methodist Conference 2009<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Kmt3nQUxDQ74z_MSY_HbKbUU4gzj_JsW8l5Y7MNg2XUKGVGehtQe-ni0T3aQGesXU4Wc89UP2nRNSoM4JB9J7zWRCxm_k5iKxkSex229q8G55u3ZAp7D7_TCWgn6-gBOIGEWhsi-l4_c/s1600-h/scan0006.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364982283794955874" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Kmt3nQUxDQ74z_MSY_HbKbUU4gzj_JsW8l5Y7MNg2XUKGVGehtQe-ni0T3aQGesXU4Wc89UP2nRNSoM4JB9J7zWRCxm_k5iKxkSex229q8G55u3ZAp7D7_TCWgn6-gBOIGEWhsi-l4_c/s320/scan0006.jpg" /></a><br /><div>Under huge and targetted pressure from the Interim Regime led by Commodore Bainimarama, the Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma has cancelled this year's Conference. Whatever the circumstances that may justify a decision, those responsible for it should understand the consequences of their actions. When the Conference was held up in 1987 because of the Coup events then, that decision was made by the Church unilaterally. This time, the Church has bowed to secular authorities some of whom are taking great satisfaction from their persecution and building new religious followings of their own, the genuinenes of which has to be questioned.</div><br /><div>The key principle in this whole affair was set down a long time ago, in 1839, by the celebrated missionary John Hunt. When faced with the determination of a high chief (the secular authority)to alter decisions taken at the Annual Meeting of the missionaries [known then as the District Meeting but today as the Bose Ko Viti], John Hunt stated quite categorically that the deliberations and decisions of the Bose Ko Viti came under the direct ordinance of God and as such could not be changed because of providential "interference" as he called it in those very church decisions. This is the principle that has been compromised by today's Methodist Church. </div><br /><div>This was the time when they had to take the harder road - to say, in an adaptation of Martin Luther's words: "Here We Stand, we can do no other".</div>Andrew Thornleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17500562312194784568noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1870447632918918512.post-10912610017511254562009-06-03T20:10:00.000-07:002009-06-03T20:29:15.137-07:00Church State Crisis<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1AK5jluQLqPOak87_svliy0kvkAp9A6piguRz-tS2LIH4_zOhyphenhyphenRzFR7dGoyoS27us_-M8ehQ2scejGXgHT1UX80oqqkeplmVd1Zno5tk294iWbK-dxjsvKOXSPAvLW0qrdma_DWlW-wN1/s1600-h/scan.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 218px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343309280863516450" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1AK5jluQLqPOak87_svliy0kvkAp9A6piguRz-tS2LIH4_zOhyphenhyphenRzFR7dGoyoS27us_-M8ehQ2scejGXgHT1UX80oqqkeplmVd1Zno5tk294iWbK-dxjsvKOXSPAvLW0qrdma_DWlW-wN1/s320/scan.jpg" /></a><br /><div>In all its 174 year history, the Methodist Church has never failed to meet as a Conference. This is a major gathering that stands at the centre of church life and organisation. It appears now, in 2009, that the Conference tradition is to be broken by the strong-armed tactics of the current military ruler. The claimed sticking point is the failure of the Methodist Church leadership to do the regime's bidding and dismiss Revs Kanailagi and Lasaro for alleged "political" comments ; failing that the Methodist Conference would be banned. Quite correctly, the Qase Levu, Ame Tugaue, the GS Tuikilakila and the Assoc GS, Tevita Banivanua - all well-educated, moderate and respected men - replied that ministers cannot be dismissed at the will of any particular individual or administration but that certain processes, involving fairness and justice, must be followed. Yet the army gave the church one hour to act on its demand! The Methodists must stand together in solidarity and seek the religious freedoms that they are entitled to from any reasonable secular dispensation. </div>Andrew Thornleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17500562312194784568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1870447632918918512.post-66344399606963195622009-03-25T15:57:00.000-07:002009-03-25T16:12:56.282-07:00Kalougata and Bible Translation<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcQCJv85GHfjLwZkQFsvX4UNNJ3P9OjuduIXKYe6eKeT4Mnth1Y5ai07qHd9wBAHnMt2W0d9vP8a4ht_GzZ0tHLTqOq5aD_JHeHw6eTUu8S-pYTpYl1AADgxllWSAkfAXThtvNitudHDNV/s1600-h/0003.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317267178566442226" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 230px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcQCJv85GHfjLwZkQFsvX4UNNJ3P9OjuduIXKYe6eKeT4Mnth1Y5ai07qHd9wBAHnMt2W0d9vP8a4ht_GzZ0tHLTqOq5aD_JHeHw6eTUu8S-pYTpYl1AADgxllWSAkfAXThtvNitudHDNV/s320/0003.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I have recently been involved in correspondence with the Editor of the Fiji Daily Post. He asked me to write a brief article on the history of the Fijian word "kalougata" and its use by the earliest Bible translators. My article was subsequently picked up by the widely read and very interesting Blogsite "Babasiga" and an interesting discussion followed.</div><br /><div>The wider context of this "Kalougata" debate is that the Fijian citizen James Ah Koy is financing a new Fijian translation of the Bible in which the word 'kalougata' (blessing) has been deleted. Ah Koy believes that the word is a curse but he has a very narrow understanding of the meaning and background of the word; I tried to point this out in my article.</div><br /><div>The problem with Ah Koy's efforts, no matter how well intentioned, is that his translators are translating from English, not from the original biblical languages of Hebrew and Greek. This will inevitably result in an inferior translation.</div><br /><div>The first translators of Scripture into Fijian were very fine scholars, John Hunt with the New Testament and David Hazlewood with the Old Testament. Hunt translated from Greek into Fijian and Hazlewood from Hebrew into Fijian. The sad fact is that later revsions of their work, by men like James Calvert and Frederick Langham, simply let to a poorer standard of translation. This is why I am currently involved in a project to see both the Hunt New Testament, firstly, and then the Hazlewood Old Testament, reprinted to make them more widely available, NOT to replace our current version, but to complement them and give greater depth and understanding in the reading of the Fijian scriptures.</div>Andrew Thornleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17500562312194784568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1870447632918918512.post-8205373393852172232009-01-12T01:37:00.000-08:002009-01-12T01:52:51.972-08:002009: Launch of Next Part of 1847 Fijian New Testament<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDVqe7gN-4C_q2_9JPBKIG4PaEXQ5uzTuVvbqVO1dydMmJZWQHerNIS-Ix_2pavvnEFVpcBzstfo4CugfzLYIABQpTXbHA-vhZNMZE7EAsxdX43Up8VWjeugQh7YJMY1LbwfVgGxEVdm8D/s1600-h/scan0003.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290342904801505330" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 132px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDVqe7gN-4C_q2_9JPBKIG4PaEXQ5uzTuVvbqVO1dydMmJZWQHerNIS-Ix_2pavvnEFVpcBzstfo4CugfzLYIABQpTXbHA-vhZNMZE7EAsxdX43Up8VWjeugQh7YJMY1LbwfVgGxEVdm8D/s200/scan0003.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Welcome to the new year - 2009. A very important Fiji Methodist Conference will be held this year at Rewa. It was here in 1839 that the Methodists started a mission station, staffed by Thomas Jaggar. He was both an ordained minister and a printer. He came to Rewa with his family, bringing with him also a rudimentary Printing Press which was immediately put to work, printing catechisms, hymn sheets, school work books and segments of scripture</div><br /><div>Thomas Jaggar was also a scholar of the Fijian language and he translated the Gospel of John. He sent it to his colleague at Viwa, the now celebrated John Hunt, who was working on a full translation of the New Testament into Fijian. Hunt accepted Jaggar's translation of John's Gospel and it was the only book in the 1847 NT not translated by Hunt.</div><br /><div>At the Rewa Conference, three of the books of the 1847 NT will be re-published: Luke, John and Acts. This follows the publication of the books of Matthew and Mark in 2005 (see illustration).</div><br /><div>It is significant that the fine work of Jaggar will be recognised at the place where he first carried out his printing, translating and mission work. </div>Andrew Thornleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17500562312194784568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1870447632918918512.post-77127217927869013782008-12-19T20:48:00.000-08:002009-01-07T01:08:55.941-08:00Publication Developments<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLhuVhvC-rw5id4FTOE-S1xAs4hN2WTyHhMgCEaqWHENsj91z_8s37rdfESpofXR8kBx4plKd_6dh-GdkxANp2jnDM1f0bd056YAs4kY1vhtSdVdfxRGsq-RwoGbruz71ufQg4Ko2MOP_c/s1600-h/Exodus.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281735325441618466" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 53px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 80px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLhuVhvC-rw5id4FTOE-S1xAs4hN2WTyHhMgCEaqWHENsj91z_8s37rdfESpofXR8kBx4plKd_6dh-GdkxANp2jnDM1f0bd056YAs4kY1vhtSdVdfxRGsq-RwoGbruz71ufQg4Ko2MOP_c/s200/Exodus.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcdEBYibHVrJCmQZcDOskE5V5irIGKE6cWGZES-g0zsm4li0mF6lyYyrIPmHsIKsGEPf8IpFORH4gLSjtA9ffKz8vbgy8_sh7bs3h2-15WSuD3DN0h4te2W1phKzwnjXqnTU17gRRUDzll/s1600-h/Inheritance.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281734917998568946" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 55px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 80px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcdEBYibHVrJCmQZcDOskE5V5irIGKE6cWGZES-g0zsm4li0mF6lyYyrIPmHsIKsGEPf8IpFORH4gLSjtA9ffKz8vbgy8_sh7bs3h2-15WSuD3DN0h4te2W1phKzwnjXqnTU17gRRUDzll/s200/Inheritance.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>For those who are interested, two of my books on early Fiji Methodism have just been published on Google Books. I think that this development is the result of the publisher, Institute of Pacific Studies(IPS) at the USP, being closed down in its current form. Since IPS owns copyright on its books, it has probably given permission for Google Books to publish the books in their entirety. As a result you can find the whole content of <em>The Inheritance of Hope</em> and <em>Exodus of the I Taukei,</em> both the English text and Fijian translation. </div></div><br /><p></p>Andrew Thornleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17500562312194784568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1870447632918918512.post-66222201816441967962008-11-04T13:20:00.000-08:002008-11-04T22:12:44.663-08:00John Garrett On Fiji Methodism since Independence<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyKLswAVRExdRaNmHq0sB0I8QPsoYpBLtTbNVvjphdtKsic6CpoPWfVsIfFi0UWpusT5wY3xLl0IhZLxqJXg7Ktb3VTTboJkVZ6DxYkCh6tvJaWzJk3R16Zlbc-_UmTmnNsCUcJYkMPlJy/s1600-h/3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264999023760960722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 135px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyKLswAVRExdRaNmHq0sB0I8QPsoYpBLtTbNVvjphdtKsic6CpoPWfVsIfFi0UWpusT5wY3xLl0IhZLxqJXg7Ktb3VTTboJkVZ6DxYkCh6tvJaWzJk3R16Zlbc-_UmTmnNsCUcJYkMPlJy/s200/3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Pacific Church Historian John Garrett made a very important contribution to our understanding of modern Fijian Methodism in an address he gave in 1995. Garrett's address was published in <em>Mai Kea Ki Vei: Stories of Methodism in Fiji and Rotuma</em> (Fiji Methodist Church, 1996). Garrett noted the tension within Methodism of a strong nationalist strain alongside a wider ecumenical and liberal strain. The founding President, Rev. Setareki Tuilovoni, was able to maintain a bridge between these two aspects of Fiji Methodism. Since Tuilovoni's passing, these two features have not sat so comfortably together. I will have more to say on this in future "posts". The photo that accompanies this message shows Rev Setareki Tuilovoni, founding President of the Methodist Church in Fiji, together with his family.</div>Andrew Thornleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17500562312194784568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1870447632918918512.post-69965150088031314562008-11-03T13:39:00.000-08:002008-11-03T21:24:35.521-08:00Fiji Methodist History<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGmK3IsC0ub5Jx7VVKo4_2DZuB78WjH61zUyGOhOxN8nUUfZtEJ15n671e2lS9WJvhHLgszvWuWTD9gfEPfKVhZf4eLqvHqX62Gd7kxYXyUbgS03yPQ6U1bF5jJhLUser4dZCaJieNS5r_/s1600-h/Andrew.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264553167518466050" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 145px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGmK3IsC0ub5Jx7VVKo4_2DZuB78WjH61zUyGOhOxN8nUUfZtEJ15n671e2lS9WJvhHLgszvWuWTD9gfEPfKVhZf4eLqvHqX62Gd7kxYXyUbgS03yPQ6U1bF5jJhLUser4dZCaJieNS5r_/s200/Andrew.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">Greetings to Everyone of You.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;">I have started this column as a means to communicate with all those around our globe who share an interest in the history of Fiji Methodism and related topics. I hope that you can feel free to contribute your knowledge and ideas. Christianity came to Fiji with a strong Methodist focus; the first missionaries were both English ministers and Tongan converts, together (at the very beginning) with three remarkable Tahitian pastors of the LMS.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;">My own studies have included many different aspects of Fiji Methodist History from the beginnings up till recent times. In the last few years, I have become interested in the first translations of the Fiji Bible and that is the project in which I am currently involved. I will share with you about my work in this area in future columns.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Meanwhile, a very warm Ni Sa Bula to you all and I hope to hear from you, with your particular interests and questions.</span></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Andrew Thornley, Sydney.</span> </div>Andrew Thornleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17500562312194784568noreply@blogger.com0