The Bible was Trubar’s inspiration, foundation and starting point for everything he did. When we think about the message of this giant, the father of the nation, we must first stop at the cornerstone. Without exaggeration we can say that it was reading the Bible that lit a fire in the young Trubar which burned in him to the end of his life and showed itself in printing Slovene books and in passionate appeals to his people. Trubar knew from living experience that the Bible is the main means God has chosen to reveal himself to people. Reading this book had first of all a spiritual meaning for him: this is how a person becomes a Christian and how he can remain one. But with Trubar it makes no sense to separate the “spiritual” from the “cultural”, or the “religious” from the “secular”. He constantly stressed the need to translate the Bible into the languages of the people, because he was convinced that reading and knowing God’s word is the source of every good thing, from the most spiritual – knowing God, being reconciled with him and having prayers answered – to the entirely worldly, such as peace, prosperity in the land and people living well together.
In a time that did not yet know the fateful Enlightenment split between “church” and “secular”, Trubar could see the Bible as a kind of axis, a centre, a spring from which the whole of society drinks. The natural result was that his translation of the Bible became the foundation of the national language and so of national awareness. Trubar was also aware of how the Bible brings us the truth. That is why he encourages reading and deep reflection. In the Church Order he points out that the whole of God’s revelation is a mystery: “… the true Christian teaching is a great and high wisdom of God which nothing can grasp, and in eternity, looking upon God, we shall learn this wisdom.” The Bible is “the beginning of wisdom”, which gives us, “weak and simple people”, what we need for this present life.
Source: Bible Society of Slovenia