Trust Formed to Translate Sacred Texts Into English

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, has announced the establishment of the International Sacred Literature Trust to bring together scholars and literary figures from the world’s major religious communities to produce accurate new English translations of their sacred texts.

He made the announcement at U.N. headquarters Monday in his capacity as president of the World Wide Fund for Nature. According to Prince Philip, a major goal of the project is to enable more people to understand what the major faiths teach about conservation.

Hugh Lock, an international adviser to the trust, said Islam teaches that tree planting is pleasing to God, Buddhism stresses animal rights, Hindus see all of nature as interconnected, and the Bible praises the world in its natural state.

Prince Philip predicted that the $7-million project will foster better interfaith understanding in general. He said the translations will contribute to “interfaith dialogue and, hopefully, to a better understanding between followers of different religions and beliefs.”

Assisi Meetings

The trust is supported by Bahaist, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh and Taoist organizations. It grew out of a series of meetings in Assisi, Italy, in 1986 in connection with the 25th anniversary celebrations of the World Wide Fund for Nature, during which leaders of different faiths realized that they could not read each other’s sacred texts in a common language.

The project plans to publish the first English version of the Koran approved by the Muslim World League and the Imams of Mecca and the first English translation of the Greek Orthodox Bible (including certain apocryphal books), which will be prepared in cooperation with the patriarch of Constantinople. It will also translate Australian aboriginal religious stories and record and translate Shinto oral traditions of Japan for the first time.

In addition to these first-time translations, the trust will work with the Edgar M. Bronfman Foundation Library of Jewish Classics and the Bahai International Community to create new English translations of major Jewish and Bahaist texts.

Martin Palmer said the translations will try to “capture the voice of the original,” as well as striving for accuracy by having each faith choose an initial translator whose text will be edited, if possible, by a member of the same faith. The completed text will then be given to a committee of religious experts for final approval.