The Bible and Brest

The Bible was the main book in our land in the XVI century. The Statutes of Lithuania were largely based on the Bible, and the version of the Statute, published in 1588, even began with a biblical quote.

The Brest Bible made the city distinctive in Belarus and well-known abroad.

In the 1920s Brest hosted the first translation of the New Testament and the Psalms into modern Belarusian language. This translation, made by Lukaš Dziekuc’-Malej and Anton Luckevič, was published 4 times during the twentieth century — in 1931, 1948, 1985 and 1991. The overall number of copies reached about 50,000. This is the most widespread and one of the best Belarusian translations of biblical texts.

Even today the Bible is the foundation of life for lots of Brest residents. It is read and honored in families. Even at the monument to the 1000 anniversary of Brest (put up in 2009) one can find information on this Holy book, without which it is impossible to imagine the past and present of the city.