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Ecumenical Bibles

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JMJ

Well, I just received an invitation from Ignatius Press buy a copy of "Living the Truth in Love".

When looking at the 'sneek peek', I noticed that the scriptural references were from the "Revised Standard Version of the Holy Bible, Second Catholic Edition".

Now call me suspicious, but when confronted with a new bible I usually check Luke 1 26-38 just in case it is a protestant bible masquerading as a Catholic Bible.



Here's the Douay-Rheims Translation:

1:26. And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, 1:27. To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David: and the virgin's name was Mary. 1:28. And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. ... 1:38. And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord: be it done to me  according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. Source: EWTN

Here's the Knox Translation:

26 When the sixth month came, God sent the angel Gabriel to a city of Galilee called Nazareth, 27 where a virgin dwelt, betrothed to a man of David’s lineage; his name was Joseph, and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 Into her presence the angel came, and said, Hail, thou who art full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women.[4]  ... 38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; let it be unto me according to thy word. And with that the angel left her. Source: NewAdvent

Here's the Protestant NRSV Translation:

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’  ... 38Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her. (Source: Oremus)

Here's the Catholic Online Version:

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28 He went in and said to her, 'Rejoice, you who enjoy God's favour! The Lord is with you.' ... 38 Mary said, 'You see before you the Lord's servant, let it happen to me as you have said.' And the angel left her. (Source: Catholic Online)

A little tidbit that that I found while looking for a copy of the Ignatius bible:
Canada is currently the only country where the Roman Catholic lectionary is based on the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible, the copyright for which is held by the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Other English-speaking Episcopal Conferences are now also considering the possibility. (Source: CCCB )
Who do you think is the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America?
Since its founding in 1950, the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA has been a leading force for ecumenical cooperation among Christians in the United States. The 37 NCC member communions — from a wide spectrum of Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Evangelical, historic African American and Living Peace churches — include 45 million persons in more than 100,000 local congregations in communities across the nation. (Source)
 and now the moment you've been waiting for ... I'm not certain what I will find ...

Here's the New Revised Standard Version - Catholic Edition:

 26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, "Hail, full of grace, * the Lord is with you!" *  ... 38 And Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. (Source)
I'm happy to have found the following on Wikipedia:

Some minor changes were made to New Testament texts where variant readings aligned better with Catholic understanding and tradition. An appendix to the RSV Catholic Edition documented its departures from the 1962 RSV New Testament. Some of the more important changes were:
  • the use of the phrase "full of grace" in the angel's greeting to Mary (Luke 1:28)
  • the restoration of the story of the woman caught in adultery (John 7:53-8:11)
  • the inclusion of the longer ending to the Gospel according to Mark (16.9-20).
Some disputed verses or phrases that had been footnoted in the RSV were restored in the Catholic Edition (Luke 22.19-20; 24. 5, 12, 36, 40, 51-52). Footnotes regarding the value of New Testament coins were rewritten in terms of how long it took the average worker to earn the money (e.g. the denarius was no longer defined as "twenty cents" but as "a day's wage"). The book of Revelation, called "The Revelation To John", had added as a subtitle ("The Apocalypse"). Some of the changes made in the RSV Catholic Edition were later introduced into the RSV Second Edition of the New Testament in 1971 in preparation for the issuance of the RSV Common Bible. (Source)

So - at least this version (but not Catholic Online) passed my first test ...

Please note, I have no desire to actually purchase a blended Catho/Proto version of the Bible.  I'm fine with my Douay-Rheims and Knox translations.

So I'm pleased that the Ignatius Bible has passed the first test, disappointed that the Catholic Online New Jerusalem Bible did not.

P^3

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Comments

  1. AnonymousFebruary 27, 2016 at 2:39 PM

    I am a little confused with your post because the Ignatius RSV is not the same as the NRSV. I think they are of the same version, it is just the NRSV has more inclusive language but I am not sure if you were looking at the NRSV online or the RSV. Either way I totally agree with you in that I, too, have no desire to use a blended Catho/Proto version of the Bible. I also prefer the Douay-Rheims.

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    Replies
    1. TradicalFebruary 28, 2016 at 2:30 PM

      It's been a while since I wrote this article, so I forget which version(s) I looked at.

      My primary concern is that a protestant translator will look at the text with his perspective and it will (does) come through in the translation presenting itself as a danger to the Catholic readers.

      Sadly, I suspect that most Catholic translators would largely have the same perspective and likewise pose a danger to the Faith of those Catholics who actually read the bible!

      P^3

      Delete

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