Releasing Greek-Bulgarian Interlinear of the New Testament ONLINE

November 1, 2023 by  
Filed under Books, Featured, News, Publication

The day after All Saints Day in Bulgarian is celebrated as the Day of National Awakening. In honor and contribution to the National Awakening, we are proud to release the first Greek-Bulgarian Interlinear of the New Testament ONLINE @ https://evangelieto.com/

Evangelieto.com means The Gospel in Bulgarian and is also a common reference the New Testament texts. This new website is a natural continuation of Bibliata.com – the first Bulgarian Bible online, we released back in the cold winter of 1996.

For Easter 2015, after over eight years of hard work and much difficulties, Cup & Cross Ministries was able to complete and publish the first ever Greek-Bulgarian interlinear based on the Nestle-Aland 28/ UBS-4 texts. This first edition is dedicated to those students of the Bible, who prefer working with the original texts, rather than using the multitude of new Bible revisions often with religious and ideological orientation.

For the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, our Greek-Bulgarian Interlinear of the New Testament was presented in Bulgaria’s capital Sofia on All Saints Day 2017. The Greek Bulgarian Interlinear of the New Testament proposed the following solutions to the translation of the Bible in Bulgarian:
1. A non-received text – Textus Haud Receptus
2. Critical Edition of the Greek New Testament alike Revised Textus Receptus, Tischendorf, Westcott and Hort, von Soden, Nestle-Aland, UBS and SBL GNTs
3. Literal translation from Greek made word for word without dynamic equivalents
4. Linguistic paradigm for repetitive parallel permutation structures in the Greek-Bulgarian translation alike form criticism of the Bible
5. Analytical Greek New Testament with complete morphology of the words

This new translation took several years to refine through multiple revisions, re-readings, and new re-translate where needed in order to produce an interlinear with priority advantages and distinctive features as follows:
1. The text is arranged in three lines – Greek original, literal translation and for the first time in a Bulgarian publication, an analytical apparatus with detailed morphology of the words.
2. A brand-new word for word translation, not phrase for phrase or simple imposed text on an already existing translation, challenges the reader into a deeper understanding of the Word.
3. Unnecessary text markers and explanations have been avoided because the parallel stylistics between Greek and Bulgarian are much more similar than other languages even when accompanied with Strong’s numbering.
4. The literal meaning of the text is shown without the dynamic equivalent characteristic of other interlinear editions.
5. All participles/predicates are literally translated avoiding the superimposition of like, as, which, etc., when they are not in the original text.
6. All definite articles are given as in the Greek before the word (not at the end part of the word as it is done in Bulgarian) even in the tradition of Nomina Sacra.
7. Enforced literalism on understandable New Testament terminology such as Lord/Master, church/ecclesia/congregation/gathering/assembly, baptism, etc. is avoided.
8. The literal word for word translation preserves case and gender as possible in over 90% of the New Testament text.
9. The applied critical apparatus in addition to the analytical morphology, includes designation of all verses and passages of critical difference with the Nestle-Aland GNT.
10. Hitherto missing morphology now provided, not only shows why a given word is translated in the chosen way, but enables the reader to navigate through more complex grammatical structures of the Greek language and understand them.

To translate the Bible is like to climb upon top of Mount Everest. You put everything at stake. You spend yourself to the last. You forget the pain and fatigue. You leave behind the unimportant things. You carry only the most important ones. Every breath is for eternity. Every step is last. And so, all the way to the top! The price is unbearable, but the reward is extraordinary. Because there, from the top, you finally see things differently. And it is almost impossible to go back down. Even if you can, down now feels different. And one can only hope others too will climb this peak, to perceive and translate for the next. So, that they too can see. For this reason, our interlinear is by no means the last. It is only a seed, which will bear long lasting fruit. For the generations…

Bibliata.com celebrates 25 years in online ministry by reading through the whole New Testament in one day

September 20, 2021 by  
Filed under Featured, Missions, News

One of our first ministry websites, Bibliata.com just celebrated 25 years of ministry online. It began in the fall of 1996 with the sole purpose to reach Bulgarians online with the Bible. We began the Bibliata.com anniversary celebration with an out loud reading through the whole Bulgarian Bible on September 16 involving many churches and Christian communities in Bulgaria and abroad.

After 25 years with several million annual views and visitors, it has become the standard for the Bulgarian Bible online. Through the years, virtually all Bulgarian Bible versions as well as many others in foreign and original tongues were published. Audio Bible, Video Bible, extensive Bible commentary, a national sermon archive, multiple device apps and Bible study platforms are only a few of the projects completed. Additionally, a new Bulgarian translation in the works since 2007 is close to its publication date for the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. But this is not all…

The story of the Bulgarian Bible online is centered not only in products and projects, but in the very people we work with to create a community of believers, who pray, talk, grow and live together in the footsteps of the Savior. And this is worth much more than just 25 years of work and perseverance…

Bibliata.com celebrates 20 years in ministry online

September 25, 2016 by  
Filed under Featured, News

20One of our first ministry websites, Bibliata.com just celebrated 20 years of ministry online. It began in the fall of 1996 with the sole purpose to reach Bulgarians online with the Bible. We began the Bibliata.com anniversary celebration with an out loud reading through the whole Bulgarian Bible on September 16-18, 2016 involving many churches and Christian communities in Bulgaria and abroad.

After 20 years with several million annual views and visitors, it has become the standard for the Bulgarian Bible online. Through the years, virtually all Bulgarian Bible versions as well as many others in foreign and original tongues were published. Audio Bible, Video Bible, extensive Bible commentary, a national sermon archive, multiple device apps and Bible study platforms are only a few of the projects completed. Additionally, a new Bulgarian translation in the works since 2007 is close to its publication date for the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. But this is not all…

The story of the Bulgarian Bible online is centered not only in products and projects, but in the very people we work with to create a community of believers, who pray, talk, grow and live together in the footsteps of the Savior. And this is worth much more than just 20 years of work and perseverance…

Online Pentecostal Academic Journals

August 5, 2014 by  
Filed under Featured, News, Research

pentecostal

Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies (AJPS) – associated with the Asia Pacific Theological Seminary in the Philippines (Assemblies of God Philippines) – volumes from 1998-present – FREE ONLINE

Australasian Pentecostal Studies (APS) – 1999-present – FREE ONLINE

Canadian Journal of Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity – 2010-present – FREE ONLINE

Cyberjournal for Pentecostal-Charismatic Research – 1997-2013 – FREE ONLINE

Encounter: Journal for Pentecostal Ministry – associated with the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary – volumes from 2004-present – FREE ONLINE

Journal of the European Pentecostal Theological Association (JEPTA) – associated with the European Pentecostal Theological Association – volumes from 1981-present – FREE ONLINE through 2009 / Members access to 2010-present

Journal for Pentecostal Theology (JPT) – volumes from 1992-present – Members access only

The Pentecostal Educator – associated with the World Alliance for Pentecostal Theological Education – volumes 2014-present – FREE ONLINE [FORTHCOMING]

PentecoStudies: Online Journal for the Interdisciplinary Study of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements – 2004-present – subscription

Pneuma: Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies – volumes from 1979-present – Members access only

PneumAfrica: The Online Journal of African Pentecostal Christianity – associated with the Association for Pentecostal Theological Education in Africa – volumes from 2013-present – FREE ONLINE

Pneuma Review – volumes from 1998-present – FREE ONLINE

I have intentionally not included the more pastoral and popular publications: Paraclete (1967-1995), Enrichment Journal (1995-present), or Enrich: A Journal for Pentecostal Ministry.

[CURRENT ON JULY 19, 2014]

Mobile Bible School in Bulgaria Implements Three Online Programs

March 20, 2010 by  
Filed under Featured, News

As our Mobile Bible School demands constant upgrade and the addition of various new modules, we have been able to implement three complete Bible training schools available in the Bulgarian vernacular within our program. They are presented as media resources to the students and now we have been successful in posting them online to a larger audience, which has interest in them. This include church pastors and independent churches, lay ministers and ministry teams, all the way to the common folk who want to learn about the Bible. These three programs have been historically present in Bulgaria since the Fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and it is our hope that with their internet presentation they will continue to serve for the purpose of ministry training. They are:

oasis1. Oasis of Love Bible School which was taught in Bulgaria by American missionary Keith de Mayo and his colleagues in 1990-1994. After the Fall of the Berlin wall, Oasis of Love became the first major ministry training center on a national level in the capital Sofia. Several hundred ministry students finished the school and entered the ministry by 1994. We were blessed to be able to gather the recordings of the lessons and publish them online. (icon)

SOC2. The School of Christ International directed by Rev. B.H. Clendennen (May 22, 1922 – December 13, 2009) was introduced in Bulgaria around 2000-2001 and for a brief time received great attention, especially among the Roma Gipsy churches of Southwestern Bulgaria. It introduced a new approach to Bible training through media resources, which were flexible to present and easy to replicate in the local church, thus becoming an important training device for the ministry in the Bulgarian context. (icon)

isom3. International School of Ministry (ISOM) is a largely recognized training tool for churches around the globe. It comprises the teachings of leading ministers and renowned theologians, who have gathered together in one team to impart to a next generation what they have learned about the ministry. The chosen theme series covers virtually every aspect of Christian ministry and are invaluable training tools for both ministers and members within the local church (icon)