Ewen MacEachen
Rugadh Eòghann MacEachann ann an Arisaig ann an Siorrachd Inbhir Nis, sa bhliadhna 1769. ‘S e sgoileir air leth a bh’ann agus thàinig e gu bhith na shagart Caitligeach. Dh’eadar-theangaich an t-Urr. MacEachann grunn thecstan cràbhach Caitligeach don Ghàidhlig, agus chlò-bhual e cuideachd faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla ann an 1842. Rinn e eadar-theangachadh dhan Tiomnadh Nuadh on Laidinn gu Gàidhlig anns na tritheadan ach cha robh e air a chlò-bhualadh na latha fhèin. An dèidh bàs MhicEachainn ann an 1849 bha làmh-sgrìobhainn an eadar-theangachadh air chall airson iomadh bliadhna. Chaidh a lorg a rithist agus thàinig e gu làmhan Cailean C. Granndach (1832-1889), a bha ann an Easgadal, ann an Siorrachd Inbhir Nis. Le cead Easbaigean Caitligeach na h-Alba, rinn an Granndach ùrachadh agus ath-dheachdadh air eadar-theangachadh MhicEachainn, le cuideachadh o Dhòmhnaill MhicPhearsain, sgoileir of Lochabair ann an Siorrachd Inbhir Nis. B’e crìoch a chùis gun do chruthaich iad eadar-theangachadh a bha a rèir Gàidhlig na sgìre aca fhèin mar a bha i air a bruidhinn nan latha fhèin.
Tiomnadh Nuadh (MacEachen) 1875
Ann an 1875 chaidh Tiomnadh Nuadh MhicEachainn a chlò-bhualadh ann an Obair Dheathainn le A. King and Co., Clò-bhualadairean. Bha an tecsta air a chlò-bhualadh ann an dà cholamh agus bha geàrr-chunntas chaibdealan agus bun-nòtaichean ann cuideachd. Aig beulaibh an leabhar bha litrichean ceadachaidh o dhà Easbaig Caitligeach Albannach ann agus litir on Riochdaire Abstolach, a chuir fàilte air an deachdadh ùr seo mar leabhar a bu chòr a bhith ann an dachaidhean nan uile, agus ann an làmhan gach neach. Aig an deireadh bha cuideachd Dearbhaidhean Pungan Creideamh agus Clàr-innse Leughaidhean. Bha an eadar-theangachadh gnàthasach agus faisg air cainnt làitheal an àm.
Leth-bhreac Didseatach
Ann an 2016 chaidh an Tiomnadh Nuadh seo a chuir ann an cruth didseatach airson Comann Bhìoball na h-Alba, le cuideachadh bho MissionAssist, o leth-bhreac tùsail o thasglann an Comann Bhìoball Bhreatannach is Chèin. Ann an 2017 chuir Comann Bhìoball na h-Alba an Tiomnadh Nuadh seo agus eadar-theangaichidhean eile air-loidhne ann an YouVersion agus anns an app fòn-làimhe ‘App Bhìoball’. Chaidh seo a dhèanamh airson comharrachadh 250 bliadhna on a chaidh a’ chiad eadar-theangachadh den Tiomnadh Nuadh on Ghreugais a chlò-bhualadh sa Ghàidhlig, ann an 1767.
© Comann Bhìoball na h‑Alba 2017
Ewen MacEachen
Ewen MacEachen was born in Arisaig, Inverness-shire in 1769. He was a great scholar and became a Roman Catholic priest. Rev. MacEachen translated a number of Catholic religious texts into Gaelic, and produced a Gaelic-English dictionary which was published in 1842. In the 1830s he translated the New Testament (Tiomnadh Nuadh) from Latin into Scots Gaelic but it was never published during his lifetime. After MacEachen’s death in 1849 the manuscript was lost for a long time. It was discovered and came into the hands of Colin C. Grant (1832-1889), of Eskadale in Inverness-shire. With the permission of the Catholic bishops of Scotland, Grant updated and revised MacEachen’s translation, assisted by Donald Macpherson, a scholar in Lochaber in Inverness-shire. The result was a translation in idiomatic everyday language.
Scots Gaelic Catholic New Testament 1875
In 1875 MacEachan’s New Testament was printed in Aberdeen by A. King and Co. Printers and Stereotypers. The text was printed in two columns and included chapter summaries and some footnotes. At the front it included letters of approval written to Colin Grant from two Scottish Catholic bishops, and a letter from the Delegate Apostolic for Scotland who welcomed this new Gaelic version “as a book that should be in the houses of all, and in the hands of each.” At the back were some Notes on Faith (Dearbhaidhnean air pongan creidimh) and an index of lectionary readings (Clàr-innse Leughaidhean). The language is idiomatic and close to everyday speech of his day.
Digital Edition
In October 2016 this New Testament was digitised for the Scottish Bible Society (SBS) with the help of MissionAssist, from an original copy in the Bible Society archives. In 2017 the Scottish Bible Society made this New Testament, and other Gaelic translations, freely available online on YouVersion, and in the smart phone app ‘App Bhìoball’. This was done to mark the 250th anniversary of the publication of the first Scots Gaelic New Testament translated from the original Greek in 1767.
© Scottish Bible Society 2017
