The merits of the Maltese translation of the Bible by Prof. P. P. Saydon

Abstract

The readers of this review are quite familiar with the Maltese translation of the Bible by the Right Rev. Mgr. Prof. P. P. Saydon. The editor was kind enough to give notice of each book as it came out of the press. In this short note we propose to sum up its merits from the literary and scientific aspects. Prof. Saydon's translation is really a literary monument and we are of opinion that it will surely exercise a deep influence on Maltese prose for many years to come; fortunately it has been completed at a time when our language is undergoing a profound change under the powerful hammering of foreign languages, such as English, which are poles apart from it as to vocabulary, grammar and syntax. Prof. Saydon has set himself firmly against the strong current tending to undermine the Semitic structure of the language with a consequent loss of vitality of expressIon and beauty.