大象传媒

鈥橲 e An t-Urramach Seumas Sti霉bhart a rinn a鈥� chiad eadar-theangachadh dhen Tiomnadh Nuadh gu G脿idhlig na h-Alba. B鈥� esan am ministear ann an Cill Fhinn ann an Siorrachd Pheairt. Nochd an Tiomnadh Nuadh ann an seachd ceud deug, seasgad 鈥檚 a seachd (1767).

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Rugadh Seumas Sti霉bhart ann an seachd ceud deug (1700). Bha sin ann an Gleann Fhionnghlais anns na Tr貌iseachan. Th貌isich e mar mhinistear ann an Cill Fhinn ann an seachd ceud deug, trithead 鈥檚 a seachd (1737).

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Fhuair e moladh bho Shomhairle MacIain, an Sasannach ainmeil. Sgr矛obh MacIain don SSPCK 鈥� Society in Scotland for Propagating Christian Knowledge. Rinn e c脿ineadh orra. Cha robh iad air a bhith de貌nach na sgriobtaran a theagasg do na G脿idheil ann an G脿idhlig. Mhol MacIain Seumas Sti霉bhart airson na bha e a鈥� d猫anamh mar eadar-theangair.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Chaochail Seumas Sti霉bhart ann an seachd ceud deug, ochdad 鈥檚 a naoi (1789). Bha sin d脿 bhliadhna fichead 脿s d猫idh don Tiomnadh Nuadh nochdadh. Ach nuair a chaochail e, bha m貌ran lethbhreac dhen leabhar fhathast ann an st貌ras aig an Eaglais. Bha sin ann an D霉n 脠ideann. Cha robh iad a鈥� faighinn a-mach don Gh脿idhealtachd.

Chaidh Seumas Sti霉bhart a thiodhlacadh anns a鈥� chladh ann an Cill Fhinn. Ach cha deach clach-uaighe a thogail dha. Ceud bliadhna 脿s d猫idh a bh脿is, ge-t脿, thog Comunn G脿idhealach Pheairt carragh-cuimhne dha taobh a-muigh na h-eaglais ann an Cill Fhinn. Tha i ann fhathast.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Bha an SSPCK ag iarraidh a鈥� Gh脿idhlig a chleachdadh airson litearrachd ann am Beurla dh猫anamh nas fhe脿rr. Thug iad taic do dh鈥檈adar-theangachaidhean de na sgriobtaran gu G脿idhlig. Ann an seachd ceud deug, seachdad 鈥檚 a sia (1776) cho-dh霉in iad an Seann Tiomnadh a dh猫anamh ann an G脿idhlig. Bha an t-Oll Urr Iain Sti霉bhart, ministear ann an Lus, an s脿s anns a鈥� phr貌iseict. B鈥� esan mac Sheumais Sti霉bhairt.

It鈥檚 the Rev James Stuart [also 鈥淪tewart鈥漖 who made the first translation of the New Testament into Scottish Gaelic. He was the minister in Killin in Perthshire. The New Testament appeared in 1767.

聽 聽聽聽聽聽聽James Stuart was born in 1700. That was in Glen Fin(g)las in the Trossachs. He started as minister in Killin in 1737.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 He obtained praise from Samuel Johnson, the famous Englishman. Johnson wrote to the SSPCK 鈥� Society in Scotland for Propagating Christian Knowledge. He criticized them. They hadn鈥檛 been willing to teach the scriptures to the Gaels in Gaelic. Johnson praised James Stuart for what he was doing as a translator.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 James Stuart died in 1789. That was twenty two years after the New Testament appeared. But when he died, there were still many copies of the book in Church storage. That was in Edinburgh. They weren鈥檛 getting out to the Highlands.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 James Stuart was buried in the graveyard in Killin. But he didn鈥檛 have a gravestone raised for him. A hundred years after his death, however, the Gaelic Society of Perth raised a monument to him outside the church in Killin.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The SSPCK was wanting to use Gaelic to improve literacy in English. They promoted the translation[s] of the scriptures to Gaelic. In 1776, they decided to produce the Old Testament in Gaelic. The Rev Dr Iain Stuart, minister in Luss [on Loch Lomondside], was involved in the project. He was a son of James Stuart.