British and Foreign Bible Society (1804-), learned society
The British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS), founded in 1804, is a non-denominational Christian Bible society whose purpose is to make the Bible available throughout the world in modern translation.
Overview
The Society was formed on March 7, 1804 with the purpose to offer affordable Bible in Welsh for Welsh-speaking Christians. Soon the Society expanded its work to England, the rest of Europe and beyond.
The approach was intended since the beginning to be ecumenical and from 1813 the inclusion of the OT Apocrypha was allowed. In many parts of the world (including some Christian countries) the publication of the first translations of the Bible in the local languages was a direct outcome of the activities of the Society, which in his history has produced Biblical texts in more than 700 languages.
In 1946 the United Bible Societies was established to coordinate the various Bible Societies in the world.