Kochi: A significant milestone in the spiritual life of the Kerala Church will be marked today with the official release of the revised POC Bible. The release ceremony will take place at 12 PM at the POC headquarters in Palarivattom. The event will be led by KCBC President Cardinal Mar Baselios Cleemis Catholicos and renowned academic Prof. M.K. Sanu. Bishops and heads of religious congregations from across the state will also be present.
The journey to revise the POC Bible began back in 2008, following papal directives to periodically update translations of the Holy Scriptures to reflect both linguistic clarity and theological accuracy. Although the conversation around the need for a revision started as early as 1992, it was in 2005 that Dr. Cyrus Velamparambil, then Secretary of the KCBC Bible Commission, formally presented a proposal to revise the New Testament.
Under the leadership of Convener Dr. Augustine Mulloor, a team of biblical scholars and linguists began translating the scriptures from the original texts. Contributors to the New Testament revision included Dr. Antony Therath, Dr. Joseph Thondiparambil, Dr. Johnson Puthussery, Dr. Kurian Valuparambil, linguist Dr. Cherian Kuniyanthodath, and Professor Shev. Primus Perincherry. Their work culminated in the publication of the revised New Testament in 2012.
In 2015, a new initiative was launched to update the Old Testament. The project was spearheaded by Dr. Joshi Mayyattil, with support from scholars such as Bishop Dr. Joseph Thondiparambil, Dr. James Anaparambil, Dr. Abraham Pezhumkattil, Dr. Sebastian Kuttiyanikkal, Dr. Antony Tharekadavil, Dr. Jacob Prasad, Dr. Johnson Puthussery, and linguists Prof. Primus Perincherry and Prof. Dominic Pazhampassery. This extensive revision was completed in phases and finalized in 2024.
The newly published edition of the complete POC Bible features refined translations and enhanced language clarity, the result of rigorous proofreading and theological precision. Fr. Thomas Tharayil, Director of the POC, and Bible Commission Secretary Dr. Joju Kokkat expressed deep pride in this momentous achievement, calling it a landmark for the Kerala Church, the Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council (KCBC), the POC, and the Bible Commission. Today’s release is expected to be a memorable moment in the liturgical and cultural life of Kerala’s Catholic community.