依撒依亚 (Yīsāyīyà): Isaiah (Catholic Chinese transl…

Catholic vs Protestant Chinese Bibles use different transliterations. 依撒依亚 is the Catholic 思高本 (Sīgāo běn, Studium Biblicum Version, 1968) rendering; the Protestant 和合本 (Héhébǎn, Chinese Union Version, 1919) writes the same prophet as 以赛亚 (Yǐsàiyà). Knowing both forms helps when comparing translations or visiting different churches.

history

Isaiah (8th century BCE) is one of the major Hebrew prophets, traditionally credited with the Book of Isaiah. The Catholic 依撒依亚 transliteration was standardized in 1968 by Franciscan scholars at the Studium Biblicum in Hong Kong, who based their renderings on Hebrew/Greek phonetics rather than the older English-derived Protestant forms.