The University publishes an audiobook of the Bible with almost one hundred hours of recordings
This project, which brings the biblical text closer to the public in a more accessible format, marks the 50th anniversary of work of translation, commentary and digitization of the work.
25 | 03 | 2021
The University of Navarra has developed an audiobook of the Bible. In almost one hundred hours of recording, listeners have access to the entire content of the Holy Scriptures. The goal of this project, promoted by the School of Theology and the publishing house Ediciones Universidad de Navarra (EUNSA), is to bring the Bible closer to the citizens in a more accessible format.
In this way, you can listen to the passages of the Old and New Testament while walking, playing sports, cooking or doing any other activity at home, while traveling on public transportation, etc. This new audio format also makes it easier for those who are visually impaired or have difficulty reading the Bible to access knowledge .
"This is a version that aims to reach all audiences, through the voices of three recording professionals, who have been in charge of the narration of all the passages. We want to offer listening to the Bible in a simple way. The audiobook has an index by books and chapters that allows a quick search. It is available in streaming through the virtual Library Services of EUNSA", says Javier Balibrea, director of the publishing house of the University of Navarra.
The Bible: 5 billion copies
"Aside from its status as a religious book, the Bible occupies a very important place in the history of literature and culture in general. The fact that more than 5 billion copies have been distributed speaks for itself. Therefore, today, when the audiobook makes available to people so many works of world literature, when we can listen to Don Quixote, or works by Dickens or Borges, having the Bible in this format is a great success," explained Juan Chapa, professor at School of Theology at the University and director of department of programs of study Biblical and Church History.
The audiobook edition marks the 50th anniversary of work on biblical texts. The project project began in 1971, when the founder of the University, St. Josemaría Escrivá, entrusted the translation and commentary of the Sacred Scriptures to the School Theology Department. It began with the New Testament and culminated in 2004 with the publication of the entire Bible in five volumes. More than fifteen professors participated in this work publishing house , which includes nearly 3,000 notes and commentaries that help to understand the text in its context and in the rich tradition of the Church. It has since been translated into four languages and disseminated in numerous countries.
"'The Word brings us closer to God; let us not keep it far away. Let us always carry it with us, in our pockets, in our phones; let us give it a worthy place in our homes. With ideas like these, Pope Francis never fails to remind us that in the Bible we hear the voice of God and that, therefore, we should always have it at our fingertips, taking advantage of new technologies", says Professor Chapa. Following this desire of the Pope, in 2016, the University presented all the richness publishing house of its Bible in digital format and from now on, all the passages are also available in audio format.
The audiobook is available at available on the website of Ediciones Universidad de Navarra at the following link: https://bit.ly/3vV63du, at a price of 29.99 euros.
