A Greek couple who have lived in Malta for over two years have set themselves the mammoth task of digitising all the hundreds of versions of the Holy Bible in a range of languages and make them available to the public for free.
It all started about a year ago when George Liapis was sitting in his Rabat living room and wanted to search for an excerpt from the Bible. Since he did not have a hard copy at hand, he searched online – only to be disappointed by the quality of websites dedicated to the world’s most popular book.
Liapis, a marketing specialist employed with Times of Malta, got an idea: to create a beautifully crafted website that offers free access to the Bible in a way that makes it easy to read and enjoy.
He discussed the idea with his wife Christina Athanasiou, also a marketeer, who loved the idea. They started working on the project. They created BlessType, a website still in its infancy, that so far includes one version (known as the King James version) of the Bible in English.
This is just the beginning. The Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, and over the centuries it was translated into various languages – resulting in hundreds of different versions that differ mainly in the translation of the original words.
The couple are determined to embark on a mammoth task: to include over 600 versions of the Bible – each version translated into different languages – and offer them to readers for free.
“To us the Bible is the most important book in history. Even if you are not religious, you have to admit that as a book it has immense historical value and extreme value as a literature piece. Take the Apocalypse, for example; just look at how many books from the fantasy world it has inspired,” says Liapis.
The Bible is the most important book in history. Even if you are not religious, you have to admit that as a book it has immense historical value and extreme value as a literature piece
The Bible is one of the world’s most quoted and debated books. Yet research shows only 35 per cent of Europeans actually read it. Having a website that makes it easy and enjoyable to read would help educate the public on this important book.
“We aim to create something that will be in the heart and core for the Bible-reading experience. We want this to be the reading website for the Bible. This book is too big and too important for the websites that are currently representing it. It deserves better,” says Liapis, insisting it will remain free for the public.
The couple want to add another layer to this. Once all versions are uploaded, they want to include a system that allows religious scholars and official representatives of various religions to comment on the various versions – to be able to guide readers on official interpretations.
The couple, who moved from Malta to Lisbon recently, were raised Greek Orthodox.
“We have a deep respect for the Bible. We are not the overly religious type. But we love churches. During the two and a half years we spent living in Malta we enjoyed visiting the many churches. We lived in Rabat and, when we’d walk to Mdina and hear the choir singing, it would bring tears to our eyes.
“Our walks in Mdina and Valletta revealed the different nature of the island’s beauty, encompassed in the dozens of religious artefacts spread throughout the narrow streets and dimly-lit pavements. The passion of the Knights for crafting objects of such beauty was surprisingly one of the main inspiring factors that led to the creation of BlessType. If we weren’t residing in Malta, this website probably wouldn’t have been born.”
But BlessType can only see the light of day with financial help. The couple need funds to be able to pay designers, photographers and other professionals and have set up a crowdfunding campaign with the aim of collecting €120,000. For details visit their Kickstarter campaign.