Below are the English translations for Acts 2:1-4 in the various Catholic Bible editions. Which one do you like best? Why? (I did not add the JB or NJB because I just don't see many young adult American Catholics using either of those translations. They also rank in the bottom half of my non-scientific poll on the right.)
"And when the days of the Pentecost were accomplished, they were all together in one place: And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a mighty wind coming, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them parted tongues as it were of fire, and it sat upon every one of them: And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they began to speak with divers tongues, according as the Holy Ghost gave them to speak." -Douay-Rheims
"When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim." - NAB
"When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." -RSV
"When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability." -NRSV
Happy Pentecost to you all!
10 comments:
NRSV wins my vote (again!). It speaks in exceedingly clear and specific language. It conveys uncluttered data about the event.
As an engineer, I like that.
The NRSV is not overly poetic but uses the lyrical quality of the English language advantageously in places like the Psalms... and that is more than the NAB can claim in any of its books.
You know, I think that is a bit of an unfair comparison, because like most narrative passages, it is relatively straightforward to understand in any translation. (It is also a familiar passage.)
For a more meaningful challenge, try comparing non-narrative, complex, less familiar material, such as one of the more difficult passages of Hebrews, or Romans, or Leviticus, or of the long speeches of Job.
I agree, the NRSV sounds the best.
Here is another version which I like better:
And when the days of Pentecost were drawing to a close, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a violet wind blowing, and it filled the whole house were they were sitting. And there appeared to them parted tongues as of fire, which settled upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in foreign tongues, even as the Holy Spirit prompted them to speak.
(Confraternity NT, Catholic Family Bible 1950)
Theophrastus,
You are right about the straightforward nature of a narrative, but there are a few things in Acts 2:1-4 that are different. Most notably the use of "tongues" or "languages". Plus, this post is tied into the Feast of Pentecost. Perhaps I could next post on something in 1 Cor. 12?
1 Cor. 12 is certainly a more challenging passage (but, of course, there are even more difficulty passages).
The problem with evaluating the Acts Pentecost passage is that it is all too familiar with us -- most of us have seen charismatics "speaking in tongues" (on TV or movies, for example) and we've all heard of it. This mental image shades our understanding of the text (and is the reason why the word choice of "tongues" vs. "languages" is not a problem even for many unsophisticated readers). It's similar to watching a memorable film before reading a book -- it is difficult to shake the images and get a fresh read on the text.
This is one argument I've heard of translations that adopt unusual wordings (such as the New English Bible). It is true that many readings may be unorthodox, but they may be able to shake us from our preconceptions.
In any case, choosing a more difficult passage is more likely to reveal deep differences in translations.
I must agree with rolf. The Confraternity version is the best: poetic and lyrical, yet clear and understandable.
Off topic:
I know you are interested in the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible by Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch. Here is the recent news from Mark Brumley, CEO-President of Ignatius Press. I have transcribed from this radio interview starting at 4:30.
Caller: I am uh -- I've been trying to study the Bible, and I recently bought, uh, from you all, uh, Scott Hahn's, um, um, study of Matthew -- and he does this with another author --
Brumley: That's Curtis Mitch.
Caller: I'm sorry?
Brumley: Curtis Mitch.
Caller: Yes, and, uh, it looks like they're going to try to do it for each book of the, uh, Bible. I'm wondering, at this point, is that, is that the best source that, that you all have to sell for really studying the Bible, or is there another study Bible I could be studying while -- until that thing gets completed?
Brumley: Well, I mean, I, eh, uh, there are other Catholic study Bibles and we're, in the Fall, we're planning to publish the New Testament together in a single volume.
Caller: Uh-huh.
Brumley: Uh, and then, you know, we're cranking out -- we're going to start cranking out the Old Testament volumes as fast as we can. Uh, we are going to do it faster than we've done the New Testament volumes, obviously, or it would take forever. But, um, there are other Catholic study Bibles. I think that, um, what we're doing with the, uh, Ignatius Catholic Study Bible with Scott Hahn and, uh, Curtis Mitch is really the best, uh, out there. So I would encourage people to, you know, get the booklets and use the booklets for, for Bible study -- parish Bible studies or whatever. Uh, and the reason why I think they're good is that they bring together a good translation -- which in this case is, its the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. Uh, so it is not just a Revised Standard Version, it is not just a Catholic Edition, but it is the Second Catholic Edition, which is, which is a very good, uh, translation. And on top of that we have, um, these great annotations, done by Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch, and, uh, these annotations look at the historical context of the, of the texts but also in -- we bring in the teachings of the Church Fathers, and some of the great commentators in the early centuries of the Church, so that you get both, you know, something that is solid from a historical point of view, but also has this fuller, uh, sort of deeper spiritual tradition of understanding the Bible. So that's, that's what I would recommend. There are, you know, there are, uh, other study Bibles out there, but, um, I don't think any of them have that -- that fullness of what we have in the, in those -- in those Ignatius Catholic Study Bible booklets.
Here is the transcript slightly rewritten to remove pauses and grammatical lapses. Again, this is 4 minutes and 30 seconds into this radio interview:
Caller: I have been trying to study the Bible, and I recently bought Scott Hahn's [and Curtis Mitch's] study of Matthew. I understand they are preparing a study for every book of the Bible. Is that the best source for studying the Bible, or is there another study Bible I can use until it is finished?
Brumley: In the Fall, we're planning to publish the New Testament together in a single volume. We are going to be cranking out the Old Testaments volumes as fast as we can -- faster than the New Testament volumes (or else it might take forever). There are other Catholic study bibles, but I think that the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible with Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch is the best out there. I encourage people to use the booklets for personal or parish Bible studies. The reason why I think they're good is that they use a good translation (the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition -- not just the RSV, not just the RSV-CE, but the Second Catholic Edition.) On top of that they have great annotations (done by Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch) that look both at the historical context of the texts and also the teachings of the Church Fathers and some great commentators from the early centuries of the Church. You get both something solid from a historical point of view and also a fuller, deeper spiritual tradition of understanding the Bible. So that's what I would recommend. There are other [Catholic] study Bibles out there, but I don't think any of them have the fullness of what we have in the in the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible booklets.
Theophrastus,
Thanks for the transcription. I am going to post on it. You are a man of many talents!
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