The book that changed Sweden: 500 years of the Swedish New Testament.
(Photo: Getty/iStock)2026 is the 500th anniversary of the first New Testament in Swedish. This is the story …
Summary
This year marks the 500th anniversary of the publication of “Thet Nyia Testamentit på Swensko” (The New Testament in Swedish), which was the first complete New Testament printed in the Swedish language.
The book helped lay the foundations of the modern Swedish language, accelerated the spread of the Reformation, and contributed to the emergence of Sweden as a unified nation.
Five centuries later, churches, scholars and Christian organisations across Sweden have been marking the anniversary with services, exhibitions, concerts, lectures and new publications celebrating the enduring legacy of the translation.
Reformation Background
In 1516, Erasmus published the first printed edition of the Greek New Testament, allowing scholars to work directly from the original Greek rather than relying primarily on the Latin Bible used in Western Europe for centuries.
On 31 October 1517, the Reformation started when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg. Over the following years, the combination of the Renaissance, the printing press and the Reformation led to a market for the Scriptures printed in the languages spoken by ordinary people, rather than Latin.
Luther printed the New Testament in the German language in September 1522, which was followed by printed New Testaments in French and Dutch in 1523, and Danish in 1524.
Scholars from different European countries went to Wittenberg University to study Lutheran ideas and learn Greek and Hebrew under Philipp Melanchthon. Among them were the brothers Olaus and Laurentius Petri from Sweden and William Tyndale from England. The two Petri brothers returned to Sweden, preaching justification by faith and the authority of Scripture. CT.
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