So, every once in a while I like to ask you, my loyal readers, a few questions concerning this blog. This blog began in 2008 because I felt that there were very few places online for Catholics to go to discuss issues concerning the quality of the various Catholic bible editions, the different study tools available, and, of course, the translations. Oh the translations! I hope this blog has been a help to you over these past seven years. It has become a labor of love. I wish I could do more, to be honest, but with a family and two jobs, I can't see where I could find the time to do more at this point. I am always looking for guest contributions, either as a one time thing or as a regular. I am happy to report that there will be some new guest contributions in the coming weeks. More on that later.
With all of that being said (or written), here are some questions I have for you:
1) What do you like most about this blog?
2) What would you like to see more of?
3) What could I do to make this blog better?
Please feel free to answer one, two, or all three questions in the comments. I would like to conclude with thanking all of you who have been loyal readers during these past seven years. Your readership, comments, kind emails, and guest posts have been a great encouragement to me. Some of you I have been blessed to meet in person or remain in contact through regular emails and Facebook. For those of you who are new to the blog, I welcome you and hope to see your comments at some point in the future. God bless!
Thanks for the blog Timothy. I like it most of all because i know I will find here the newest Catholic scriptural pubications and Bible editions available. I also have been greatly helped by the reviews of various editions of the Bible. I am not "into it" as most of you seem to be...e.g., am not spending mucho bucks to get a Bible in leather or rebound, LOL. I REALLY like your blog and its one of the few I have bookmarked to check daily.
ReplyDeleteHey Tim:
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering if there are any readers in your audience who are proficient in either Greek/Hebrew and could occasionally post on certain words or phrases and how they translate into english, spanish, ect. For instance, Luke 1:28. Favor/full of grace. Something like that. I don't know either language but I could attempt to do it thru online helps. Just a suggestion.
Timothy, I have been visiting your blog since 2008, and it is usually the first place I go when I turn my computer or ipad on! We have the same love for the Bible in all its translations and editions (Bible nerds). For me it started almost 12 years ago when I started investigating Christianity at Borders (remember them). That very first day I gathered about 5 Bibles from the shelves took them into the cafe and started reading all the different translations to find which one I liked best (I picked a small softback NIV Bible and bought it). My love for looking at (and buying) multiple translations started on that day and has only intensified over the last 12 years. Your blog for me is like drinking a beer (or two) in a pub on St. Patrick's Day.
ReplyDeleteSo Timothy, keep doing what your doing as time permits; family first, then the blog and then the two jobs when you can squeeze them in (just kidding). Thank you for doing what you do, and don't change anything!
Rolf
1) What do you like most about this blog?
ReplyDeleteI like the interviews with folks like Mary of NABRe, and I like the Leonard Bible makeovers. Love the translation comparisons.
2) What would you like to see more of? All o' the above!
3) What could I do to make this blog better? Can't think of anything!
This may be out in left field but have you ever considered comparing and reviewing missals and the bible texts they use? As well as their use for meditative reading and prayer?
ReplyDeleteYour blog is the greatest thing since peanut butter... I love peanut butter!
ReplyDeleteTim and all,
ReplyDeleteI was introduced to Leonard's rebind through this blog and have had two bibles rebound since then.
...was introduced to the excellent Cambridge edition of the NRSV with its comprehensive cross references. Although I don't much use it because of the inclusive principles employed, I do use it as backup for the cross references and to compare it to my (much used) Didache Bible - leather rebound by Leonard's btw!
...was recently introduced to the Didache Bible - now my go-to daily reader replacing my marked and highlighted RSV 2CE from St. Ignatius press.
...was introduced to Fr. King's edition of the Septuagint. A copy of the Septuagint is now sitting next to my study bible. However, it is the NETS version. What little Greek I've retained from my undergraduate days is helping me to go through some of the Greek texts in the intro.
I have been introduced to all kinds of people and have enjoyed their comments and views greatly.
We were asked what we liked about your blog.
I, for one, like everything...simply everything.
Larry
1) What I like most? Your blog is a resource for Biblically literate Catholics to compare the merits of different translations... both on the page, and behind the scenes.
ReplyDelete2) What I want more of? Interviews with translators, approvers, and ecclesiastical authorities ivolved with translation of scripture and its use in liturgical texts. Examples: future translation efforts like the new NABRE NT revision committee, the Fourth ed. of the Jerusalem Bible in France, or even the translators working on rendering the newest Latin revisions of the Liturgy of the Hours into English. See "The Portal" magazine from the Ordinariate in the UK for occasional examples of this kind of interview.
3) What would make it better? BEyond the translations themselves, occasionally featuring resources that use them: differences in approved lectionaries, the texts selected for different translations of the Liturgy of the Hours/Daily Office, etc.
Above all, thank you! Best wishes and blessings!
1) What I like most?
ReplyDeleteI just love it that there's a place in the world full of catholics who love the Bible.
2) What would I like to see more of?
Maybe I'd like some more of modern (truly modern) exegesis. In line with some documents by Cardinal Ratzinger that you have already published. The notes in our modern catholic bibles tend to be -as a rule- an antidote to faith. No miracles, no prophecy, no real words of Jesus, etc.. If one is looking for evidence of historicity or of fulfilled prophecy, or say, looking for some sound calculation of the weeks of Daniel, etc., one has to go to some evangelical site. We catholics "don't do supernatural". Well, I'd like to see some historical evidence of the supernatural in action in God's Message to Man.
3) What could you do to make this blog better?
The blog is great the way it is Thimothy.
Timothy,
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed your blog for the last few years. It has been a pleasure to read what others are thinking in the Catholic Bible world. Thanks for all your work on it. You do a fine job.
I suppose I would like to see more commentary on not only Bible translations but on commentaries themselves, such as those in the latest annotated Bibles coming out.
There's so much controversy surrounding Bible notes and their quality, etc., and it would be helpful to have some guest scholars to elucidate the matter of Catholic commentary and where it is going and has been (for example, compare the notes of the newly released Didache Bible with those of the NABRE, and you will find some interesting variance).
There have been some pretty solid commentators in the Catholic world who have vocalized concern over the NABRE notes, for instance, and seem astonished that they were ever approved, but then others who think they are excellent; for most of us lay folk, it would be helpful if some solid Catholic biblical scholars were able to clarify issues from time to time. (But maybe that is not in the purview of this blog...)
Cardinal Ratzinger has written some excellent work on Biblical criticism, and it would be interesting to hear some of the Church Bible "biggies" and their take on some of these issues: in a nutshell, helping the informed-and-educated-but-not-necessarily-Bible-scholar guy or gal safely navigate the jungle of Biblical criticism without losing the authentic faith on the one hand and not becoming a fundamentalist on the other! (Fr. Barron is great at this balance, it seems.)
You do a great job getting interviews, providing resources, etc. It would be enjoyable to see even more. Time permitting of course, as you do have your priorities straight!
Thanks again for all you do to encourage Bible competency in the Catholic world and beyond! And feeding the hunger of Bible nerds like us.
Timothy,
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed your blog for the last few years. It has been a pleasure to read what others are thinking in the Catholic Bible world. Thanks for all your work on it. You do a fine job.
I suppose I would like to see more commentary on not only Bible translations but on commentaries themselves, such as those in the latest annotated Bibles coming out.
There's so much controversy surrounding Bible notes and their quality, etc., and it would be helpful to have some guest scholars to elucidate the matter of Catholic commentary and where it is going and has been (for example, compare the notes of the newly released Didache Bible with those of the NABRE, and you will find some interesting variance).
There have been some pretty solid commentators in the Catholic world who have vocalized concern over the NABRE notes, for instance, and seem astonished that they were ever approved, but then others who think they are excellent; for most of us lay folk, it would be helpful if some solid Catholic biblical scholars were able to clarify issues from time to time. (But maybe that is not in the purview of this blog...)
Cardinal Ratzinger has written some excellent work on Biblical criticism, and it would be interesting to hear some of the Church Bible "biggies" and their take on some of these issues: in a nutshell, helping the informed-and-educated-but-not-necessarily-Bible-scholar guy or gal safely navigate the jungle of Biblical criticism without losing the authentic faith on the one hand and not becoming a fundamentalist on the other! (Fr. Barron is great at this balance, it seems.)
You do a great job getting interviews, providing resources, etc. It would be enjoyable to see even more. Time permitting of course, as you do have your priorities straight!
Thanks again for all you do to encourage Bible competency in the Catholic world and beyond! And feeding the hunger of Bible nerds like us.
ReplyDeleteTim been reading your blog for several years now and I always find your it interesting and informative. Because of this blog I purchased the CTS Bible ( a bible I would never have heard about) and use it for daily reading. I was going to purchase the recently released Didach Bible now waiting to see what the NABRE Didach will look like. I also enjoy reading the responses from your followers--the regulars add a lot to research and absorb. All in all a very good blog. I appreciate your efforts in maintaining this informative blog. Before closing I find your interviews and reviews extremely helpful. Hope to see more in the future.
Via this blog you are truly evangelizing-God Bless.
Lenny V
Your blog is my favorite spot on the Internet. I get enlightened, encouraged, challenged and inspired constantly.
ReplyDeleteHi Tim,
ReplyDeleteThe Catholic Bibles Blog is one of my favorite places on the Internet. I get almost all my news about new Catholic publications and Bible translations here. I do enjoy it when you post interviews/Q&As; I learned about Logos Bible software from your interview/Q&A with Dr. Andrew Jones, and that software has pretty well revolutionized my Bible study and religious reading. I do appreciate all the folks who take the time to contribute in the comments sections, as they have taught me a lot as well. In terms of a wish list, if you should ever gain new insight into a passage of Scripture due to variations in Bible translations, I find things like that very fascinating. Feel free to share things like that if you like. Heck, you wouldn't even have to post your thoughts about the passage, it could even be a post as simple as something like: Post title=Bible reference and translation abbreviation (e.g. Jn 18:4-6 NABRE). Body of post could just be the Scriptural text from the translation in question. Keep up the great work on the web site. May God bless you!
I'm probably a little odd as a "loyal reader." I enjoy the stuff about Bible translations. I appreciate that your newsy articles are very cutting-edge current and you have important source connections. I don't care about the stuff featuring church liturgy (but I'm not Catholic). The stuff that features the Knox Bible doesn't interest me (I am suspicious of translations prepared by a single translator). This answer probably doesn't surprise you. I visit your blog almost every day.
ReplyDeleteI'm mostly interested in Bible translations and also peoples opinions of them.
ReplyDelete