first published by the Church Missionary Society in 1816

Susoo

The Susu or Sosoxui language, called Soussou in French, is a west African coastal language, spoken by the Suso or Soso people of Sierra Leone and Guinea, where it is a national language. The first items to be publish in this language were a spelling book and Anglican catechism in 1801.

Susoo Matthew

The first seven chapters of the Gospel of Matthew translated into the Susoo language spoken in Guinea and Sierra Leone. It was translated by Rev. John Godfrey Wilhelm, a German missionary who was born Strasburg in Alsace and came to Sierra Leone in 1811. He died in Sierra Leone in 1834 aged 56. He translated much of the New Testament but only the first seven chapters of Matthew were printed. They were published by the Church Missionary Society (CMS) in 1816. It is one of the earliest missionary translations from Africa. Wilhelm later translated a considerable portion of the New Testament, but only this small part appears to have been printed.

The whole Gospel of Matthew was published by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK) in 1869.

Digital Edition

This digital edition was digitised in 2018, with the help of MissionAssist using an original book, from the British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS) archives.