Catholic Bibles

The Red "Barron" Takes His Aim at "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus"

2012-01-28T00:00:00.000-08:00

Students in my Catholic Apologetics class are analyzing the "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus" Youtube video and looking at the best apologetic responses. Fr. Barron, as usual, provides a fine commentary.

More Info on the HarperOne NABRE

2012-01-27T00:00:00.000-08:00

Set to be released sometime in April, HarperOne has slowly been releasing information about their NABRE edition. As mentioned in a post last year, this edition will come in imitation leather, hardcover, as well as an ebook format. It will contain the NABRE text, notes, and cross-references. The size of the print edition, 6 1/4 x 9 1/4, makes it quite comparable to the thinline Bibles HarperOne released in the NRSV translation. Unlike that edition, recent information released by HarperOne indicates that the NABRE edition will come with full-color maps. Below is the latest information from the HarperOne site:

The New American Bible revised edition is more than a mere Bible translation. Authorized by the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine and approved by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the New American Bible seeks to provide the best resource for understanding the church's sacred Scripture.

To begin with, the translation beautifully and accurately conveys the word of God in English, using the most recent scholarly resources available and translating directly from the original languages. While the Bible plays a central role in the church's life, it is also important to remember that it is an ancient book written over several centuries. It carries a rich tradition of interpretation over even more centuries.

That is why the many scholars and church teachers who worked years on this project did more than provide a clear and accessible translation; they also sought to provide additional help and guidance for those who truly want to understand what they are reading:

*Each book of the Bible begins with an introduction, providing the historical context of the work, its literary style, its main themes, its use in the history of the church, as well as an outline of the contents.

*As you read the Scriptures, notes have been provided at the bottom of the page offering explanations for particular passages, terms, and concepts.

*Since Scripture often refers to itself, a system of cross-references are provided so you can see where else historical figures, particular stories, or similar concepts are also treated in the Bible.

*At the end of the Bible, sixteen pages of color maps are provided to help orient the Bible's stories in their geographical context.

Geoffrey's Review for January

2012-01-26T04:19:00.000-08:00

This month, permanent guest blogger Geoffrey has prepared a concise review of Oxford's Catholic Bible: Personal Study Edition 2011.

This is not a study Bible for the timid and can be quite dense in places, but for those dedicated souls willing to slog through it and put their heart and soul into truly internalizing its scholarly riches, the rewards far outweigh the work.

As far as scholarship goes, the Catholic Bible, Personal Study Edition is "middle of the road"--neither overly conservative nor overly liberal. Essential truths of the faith are affirmed, but in a positive way that respects other points of view and emphasizes a historical-critical approach to Scripture without neglecting theological and inspirational methods of reading. Moderates like myself will feel right at home, however, those who are seeking a more traditional interpretation of Scripture should probably look elsewhere, such as Dr. Scott Hahn's magnificent series of commentaries.

Format-wise, I was afraid the two-column layout of the text would prove regrettable, but after spending time with my new Bible, I've actually come to like it. Essays and side notes are separated from the main text in clean, simple ways which are very pleasing to the eye. Also, all study materials, unlike in the Oxford Study Bible, have been updated to conform to the NABRE text. The font is also a decent size. The only negative thing I can think of is that the pages are a bit thin, so I'd imagine habitual notetakers will be disappointed; I have a taboo against writing in Bibles, so I don't really care.

If you're a Scripture student going for a degree in religion or history, or if you're preparing to enter the clergy, or if you simply desire to become a hardcore hobbyist, this Bible is essential, just as it purports to be. What are you waiting for? Buy it!

Some features of this edition include:
•Available in hardcover, paperback, and bonded leather
•Marginal references in the biblical text that point to specific pages in the Reading Guide are screened for greater visibility
•A 25-page glossary defines biblical terms with which students may not be familiar
•A 36-page section of authoritative, full color New Oxford Bible Maps (with place name index)

Mondays with Verbum Domini

2012-01-23T00:00:00.000-08:00

The word of God and the means of social communication

Linked to the relationship between the word of God and culture is the need for a careful and intelligent use of the communications media, both old and new. The Synod Fathers called for a proper knowledge of these media; they noted their rapid development and different levels of interaction, and asked for greater efforts to be made in gaining expertise in the various sectors involved, particularly in the new media, such as the internet. The Church already has a significant presence in the world of mass communications, and her magisterium has frequently intervened on the subject, beginning with the Second Vatican Council.[360] Discovering new methods of transmitting the Gospel message is part of the continuing evangelizing outreach of those who believe. Communications today take place through a worldwide network, and thus give new meaning to Christ’s words: “What I tell you in the dark, utter in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim upon the housetops” (Mt 10:27). God’s word should resound not only in the print media, but in other forms of communication as well. For this reason, together with the Synod Fathers, I express gratitude to those Catholics who are making serious efforts to promote a significant presence in the world of the media, and I ask for an ever wider and more qualified commitment in this regard.

Among the new forms of mass communication, nowadays we need to recognize the increased role of the internet, which represents a new forum for making the Gospel heard. Yet we also need to be aware that the virtual world will never be able to replace the real world, and that evangelization will be able to make use of the virtual world offered by the new media in order to create meaningful relationships only if it is able to offer the personal contact which remains indispensable. In the world of the internet, which enables billions of images to appear on millions of screens throughout the world, the face of Christ needs to be seen and his voice heard, for “if there is no room for Christ, there is no room for man”. -Verbum Domini 113

Popular Catholic Bible Myths: The NAB(RE) is a Paraphrase

2012-01-19T10:30:00.000-08:00

Today, I am beginning a new series of posts that will appear periodically on this blog. This series will be known as "Popular Catholic Bible Myths". Many of these "myths" are perpetuated on websites and discussion forums, where there is a tendency to circulate and restate popularly held beliefs that may not be accurate.

Today's Myth: The NAB(RE) is a paraphrase or mostly dynamic equivalence translation

I have found that this myth is assumed by quite a few people who discuss Bible translations at the various Catholic forums and websites. Go to any discussion forum thread about Catholic Bible translations and you are likely to find a few people dogmatically declaring the NAB(RE) to be a paraphrase or highly dynamic translation, compared to the more "noble" RSV or Douay-Rheims. Most notably Catholic Answers, which typically has reliable information, makes the following observation in their translation guide:

"Then there are mostly dynamic translations such as the New International Version (NIV) and the New American Bible (NAB)."

Yet, if you spend a little time with the NAB(RE) it becomes clear that it tends to be more formal/literal than dynamic. Is the NAB(RE) as formal/literal as the RSV? By no means. But it is not far off either, and certainly more literal than the majority of Bibles that have been produced during the past 40 years.

Here is what the translators had to say about the NAB(RE), beginning with the preface to the recently revised NABRE 2011 Old Testament mentions:

"In many ways it is a more literal translation than the original NAB and has attempted to be more consistent in rendering Hebrew (or Greek) words and idioms, especially in technical contexts, such as regulations for sacrifices."

Even back in 1986, the translators of the revised NAB NT devoted quite a bit of space to make the point in the preface:

"The primary aim of the revision is to produce a version as accurate and faithful to the meaning of the Greek original as is possible for a translation. The editors have consequently moved in the direction of a formal-equivalence approach to translation, matching the vocabulary, structure, and even word order of the original as closely as possible in the receptor language. Some other contemporary biblical versions have adopted, in varying degrees, a dynamic-equivalence approach, which attempts to respect the individuality of each language by expressing the meaning of the original in a linguistic structure suited to English, even though this may be very different from the corresponding Greek structure. While this approach often results in fresh and brilliant renderings, it has the disadvantages of more or less radically abandoning traditional biblical and liturgical terminology and phraseology, of expanding the text to include what more properly belongs in notes, commentaries, or preaching, and of tending toward paraphrase. A more formal approach seems better suited to the specific purposes intended for this translation."

In addition, the USCCB NABRE site states plainly that the "NABRE is a formal equivalent translation of Sacred Scripture, sponsored by the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, using the best manuscripts available."

There are of course instances where the NAB(RE) translates a phrase in a more dynamic-equivalence style, see the "mighty wind" in Genesis 1:2 as an example. But overall, sentence structure and vocabulary tend to follow a more formal equivalence philosophy.

It must be acknowledged that a major problem the NAB(RE) has faced over the years was that it was particularly uneven after the publication of the revised Psalms in 1991. Most people experienced with an edition of the NAB which had a mediating Old Testament translation completed in the 50's and 60's with no inclusive language, a revised New Testament which was far more literal than the original OT and NT with moderate inclusive language, and then a revised Psalter which used both vertical and horizontal inclusive language. It is no wonder that confusion has arisen over this translation.

Fortunately, the most recent New American Bible Revised Edition, published last March, has resolved a number of the problems of the previous edition. It is, overall, a more even translation, both in its translation philosophy, but also its use of inclusive language. There are, of course, no perfect translations, but the current NABRE is superior to the original, while only being slightly less literal than many of the formal translations, like the RSV, NRSV, and ESV.

Prayers for Scott Hahn

2012-01-18T13:31:00.000-08:00

Follow the below link for why:
Prayers for Scott Hahn

Review: Oxford NABRE Concise Concordance

2012-01-18T07:56:00.000-08:00

Although Oxford University Press dropped the ball in regards to their Catholic Study Bible NABRE by not keying the reading guides to the NABRE text, they have done a fine job with the release of the The New American Bible Revised Edition Concise Concordance. Although some retail bookstores have a publication date of mid-February, I received mine yesterday from Amazon.com. This concise concordance, printed in the USA, covers all 73 books of the Catholic canon, with 40,000 references and 5,890 key words. This is not an exhaustive concordance, like the RSV edition from Emmaus Road, but it does cover the most significant words needed for "personal and professional Bible research (v)" found in the NABRE. Also, there are capsule biographies for 435 of the most prominent personalities of the Bible.

Those of you who have the original NAB Concise Concordance will be quite familiar with this product's page layout. If you are interested in seeing this for yourself, Amazon.com does preview some pages which you can see here. It comes in a hardcover edition, with glued binding. The book's dimensions, coming in at 9.1 x 6.6 x 1 inches, make it very easy to carry with you to class or Bible study.

All in all a very good and helpful Bible study tool. While not being an exhaustive concordance, which I think the NABRE needs, it certainly is more thorough than the one found at the end of the Catholic Study Bible by Oxford. It will also be an aid for those of you who use the Little Rock Catholic Study Bible, which doesn't include a concordance. Hopefully we will continue to see more study tools released that are keyed to the NABRE.

Spot Check of This Past Sunday's Second Reading

2012-01-17T11:34:00.001-08:00

So, are you able to pick out which of the following translations of 1 Corinthians 6:13-15;17-20 is the NABRE, NRSV, or RSV? Which do you prefer and why? Remember, no cheating!

"The body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body; God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? But whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one Spirit with him. Avoid immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the immoral person sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body."

"The body is not meant for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? But he who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Shun immorality. Every other sin which a man commits is outside the body; but the immoral man sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."

"The body is meant not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body."

Mondays with Verbum Domini

2012-01-16T00:00:00.000-08:00

Sacred Scripture in the variety of artistic expressions

The relationship between the word of God and culture has found expression in many areas, especially in the arts. For this reason the great tradition of East and West has always esteemed works of art inspired by sacred Scripture, as for example the figurative arts and architecture, literature and music. I think too of the ancient language expressed by icons, which from the Eastern tradition is gradually spreading throughout the world. With the Synod Fathers, the whole Church expresses her appreciation, esteem and admiration of those artists “enamoured of beauty” who have drawn inspiration from the sacred texts. They have contributed to the decoration of our churches, to the celebration of our faith, to the enrichment of our liturgy and many of them have helped to make somehow perceptible, in time and space, realities that are unseen and eternal. I encourage the competent offices and groups to promote in the Church a solid formation of artists with regard to sacred Scripture in the light of the Church’s living Tradition and her magisterium. -Verbum Domini 112

EWTN Bookmark: Hahn and ICSB

2012-01-12T00:01:00.000-08:00

Thanks to an anonymous reader for alerting me to this. It seems that Dr. Hahn thinks the entire ICSB will be completed by 2014 or 2015. Let's hope so.

The beginning of this interview I found most helpful, where Hahn essentially compares the ICSB to the NIV Study Bible. He notes, rightly so, that there are no Catholic study Bibles that have that mix of being both academic and theological, like the NIV Study Bible. I think we would all agree that the Catholic Study Bible from Oxford is clearly more academic.

Tannin?

2012-01-11T07:21:00.000-08:00

Another reason why Pope Benedict is awesome.

BLT, Bible Translations, and Job

2012-01-10T11:29:00.000-08:00

Theophrastus, who is a frequent commentator on this blog, has begun a series of posts on his blog looking at fourteen Bible translations in light of the Book of Job. You can check out the beginning of this series here. This should be a fascinating series.

Come and See Bible Study Series

2012-01-09T06:03:00.000-08:00

The Come and See Catholic Bible Study Series is a resource I have not talked much about on this blog, but one that I highly recommend. I have found it to be most helpful for those in the beginner-intermediate level of Bible study. Many of these editions are at least 20 lessons long, beautifully produced, and include video instruction as well. For a quick look at the available studies, go here.

The author of the Wisdom study edition, mentioned above on EWTN Bookmark, is Bishop Jan Liesen of the Netherlands. I have had the blessing of hearing him teach on a number of occasions, back when Renewal Ministries held their School of Bible Study. He is a wonderful Scripture scholar and a humble servant of Holy Mother Church.

Mondays with Verbum Domini

2012-01-09T04:29:00.000-08:00

Knowledge of the Bible in schools and universities

One particular setting for an encounter between the word of God and culture is that of schools and universities. Pastors should be especially attentive to this milieu, promoting a deeper knowledge of the Bible and a grasp of its fruitful cultural implications also for the present day. Study centres supported by Catholic groups offer a distinct contribution to the promotion of culture and education – and this ought to be recognized. Nor must religious education be neglected, and religion teachers should be given careful training. Religious education is often the sole opportunity available for students to encounter the message of faith. In the teaching of religion, emphasis should be laid on knowledge of sacred Scripture, as a means of overcoming prejudices old and new, and enabling its truth to be better known. -Verbum Domini 111

And I say Amen! (Emphasis mine)

A Reader Question

2012-01-06T04:30:00.000-08:00

From time to time I receive a question from a reader that I think would make for an interesting discussion on this blog. The following comes from a reader who is the DRE of a parish and in charge of the parish's RCIA program.

He provides a little background information before getting to his main two questions:

One of my DRE joys is being chief catechist and bottle-washer for RCIA. Each year we provide everyone in the process a Bible and a CCC. The small white Doubleday hardback of the CCC is fine and not excessively expensive. The Bible, for the past 10years, has been the NAB in the Fireside Study Edition with flexible cover.

It met all our criteria:

1. We wanted everyone to have the same edition for our classes because we use the Scripture a lot for instruction and being able to give out page numbers saves us oceans of time in a class that is usually 95% Bible illiterate. They know a lot more about how to find their way around a Bible by the time Easter comes, but use 10 references in a class and wait for everyone to locate 2 Maccabees, then 1 Corinthians, then…well, we did that one year and vowed never again.

2. Translation as close as we can get to what they will hear year after year in the Mass. And a translation that is standard for Catholics in the US. [It irritates me no end that the bishops don’t insist that our liturgical texts and personal Scriptures agree, but that’s a different topic.]

3. Easy of use.

a. Those page numbers we need are prominent and easy to find in the upper right and left corners of each page.

b. Equally important, the verse numbers are also prominent and easy to see (bolded throughout the text, all along the left in poetry).

c. It also has blacked-in tabs along the sides, which helps us help them begin to locate some larger books (such as Psalms) we use each meeting.

d. Reasonable size print. Good contrast between print black and page whiteness.

e. Footnotes on the page with the verses they refer to. Ditto with cross references.

f. Paper quality and thinness that allows a 1400 page Bible and 200 pages of extra materials to measure 1.25 inches thick. Handy to carry, not too heavy, too.

g. The 200 extra pages include Dei Verbum, brief intro to how we got the Bible, chapter and verse divisions, etc., in the front. At the back it has an encyclopedic dictionary chock full of useful Catholic definitions, devotions, and general knowledge, 3 year reading cycle, and maps.

4. Quality—made to last for many years. It’s not a top-of-the-line Bible, but it is far from shabby or disposable-looking. A paperback Bible is no way to show them we consider the Bible important. We like to send them off with this basic formation tool in a near-permanent form.

5. Affordable. Buying in bulk we could get them for around $16-$18 apiece (plus shipping).

1) What do others use for RCIA?

2) What, if anything, are they going to do now that all the publishers are issuing new Bibles NABRE-form?

Review: ABS NABRE

2012-01-05T10:31:00.000-08:00

One of the more recent editions of the NABRE to be published comes from the American Bible Society. Available in both hardcover and paperback, the ABS NABRE is a fairly cheap edition if you are looking to have this translation on your bookshelf. On the ABS site, the hardcover goes for $16.49, while the paperback is only $7.25.

The hardcover is 5 1/4 x 8 1/4 inches, encompassing 1440 pages. While the binding is glued, the Bible itself sits open nicely. The overall page layout is the standard one you see with most NAB's or NABRE's, although I would say the print is bit smaller than usual. While this makes reading a little more difficult, the payoff is that there is plenty of room at the top and bottom of each page for personal annotations. (See photo) The Bible paper is a basic white, quite similar to what you would find in the older RSV-CE hardcover/paperback published by Ignatius.

Along with the standard NABRE text, notes, and cross-references, the ABS NABRE includes the lectionary readings for both weekdays and Sundays. Also there are two sections of maps included in the appendix. The first section includes four black and white maps covering the ancient world, the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, Palestine in the Time of the Maccabees, and Palestine in New Testament Times. Immediately following these maps there are eight additional full-color maps which chart the Empires at around 1300 BC, Egypt and Sinai 1400-1200 BC, The United Kingdom of Israel in the Time of Kings Saul, David, and Solomon 1000-924 BC, Jerusalem in OT Times 960-44BC, Palestine in the Times of the Maccabees 175-63BC, Palestine in the Time of Jesus, Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus, and Paul's Third Journey and His Journey to Rome. I found it quite odd to have to different sets of maps, one in color and the other in black and white. (I should note that the wonderful Cambridge NRSV w/Apocrypha does the same.) Also, if you are going to chart Paul's Third and Fourth Journeys, why not include the first two?

Again, this is a very basic edition of the NABRE. I certainly appreciate the low price for it, along with the margin space for notes. Is this the best edition of the NABRE out there? By no means! Or rather "of course not!" I have a few questions, in particular, about its durability, particularly since this is the first ABS Bible that I have ever owned. We shall see!

Best Books of 2011 and Beyond

2012-01-04T05:25:00.000-08:00

Of all the "End of the Year" best books lists that are published each year at this time, my favorite has always been the one from Ignatius Insight. I appreciate seeing what books many of these fine Ignatius Press authors have read during the past year. After reading the list, I find myself desiring to find more time in life to be able to read a mere fraction of the books listed. But alas, that is not my lot in life at this point, so I must follow the wise words of Gandalf the Grey: "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."

With that said, I would like to try, once more, another book study. One which we will finish! :) Do we have any recommendations? Whatever book is chosen, we will focus on reading one chapter per week, in order to bring about, hopefully, greater discussion. Your contributions are essential for this to be fruitful!

Here are a couple of suggestions from me, although I am open to other recommendations:

Simply Jesus, NT Wright

The Meaning of the Bible, Knight and Levine

Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes: Cultural Studies in 1 Corinthians by Bailey

What are Your Bible Plans for 2012

2012-01-03T05:41:00.000-08:00

So, any of you planning to read the whole Bible in 2012? How about using a new daily devotional you received for Christmas? To be fair, I am not big on New Year's Resolutions, but I do find myself trying to place a greater emphasis on this or that aspect of my spiritual life at the beginning of each year.

So here are my plans:

1) I am going to continue to use the Liturgy of the Hours as my foundation for daily prayer. I had picked it up again starting in Advent. In the past I have used the older Little Office of Our Lady, which I am sure I will use from time to time. However, I want to really focus on praying with the Church each and every day, particularly Lauds and Vespers, along with Compline.

2) I am going to use the NABRE as my daily reading Bible. I did something similar to this a few years back, when I went with the NRSV for an entire year. I found that I was able to truly get a better grasp of the translation and why certain decisions were made. It will also allow me to get more familiar with the NABRE notes, which are often more debated than the translation itself. So, I hope to share some of my NABRE reading experiences with you throughout the year.

Mondays with Verbum Domini

2012-01-02T01:00:00.000-08:00

The Bible, a great code for cultures

"The Synod Fathers greatly stressed the importance of promoting a suitable knowledge of the Bible among those engaged in the area of culture, also in secularized contexts and among non-believers. Sacred Scripture contains anthropological and philosophical values that have had a positive influence on humanity as a whole. A sense of the Bible as a great code for cultures needs to be fully recovered." - Verbum Domini 110

2011 Best Sellers for Ignatius Press

2011-12-30T04:28:00.000-08:00

Books:
1. YOUCAT
2. Jesus of Nazareth, Vol 2
3. Unplanned
4. Be a Man!
5. He Comes! He Comes!
6. Jesus of Nazareth
7. Catholic Study Bible: New Testament Paperback)
8. Ignatius Bible (RSV) 2nd ed. (Hardcover)
9. Rome Sweet Home
10. Ignatius Bible (RSV) 2nd ed. (Paperback)

For more info, go here.

Christmas Loot

2011-12-27T12:58:00.000-08:00

A blessed Octive of Christmas to you all! I thought I would quickly check in and share with you a few of the Catholic Bibles related gifts I received (among a few others).

Simply Jesus by NT Wright

History in His Hands: A Christian Narrative of the West by Brennan Pursell

CCSS: 1 Corinthians by George T. Montague

CCSS: First and Second Peter, Jude by Daniel Keating

Amore Infinito: Songs inspired by the Poetry of John Paul II

U2: Achtung Baby Deluxe Edition

MST3K vs. Gamera

Mondays with Verbum Domini

2011-12-26T01:00:00.000-08:00

The value of culture for the life of humanity

"Saint John’s proclamation that the Word became flesh reveals the inseparable bond between God’s word and the human words by which he communicates with us. In this context the Synod Fathers considered the relationship between the word of God and culture. God does not reveal himself in the abstract, but by using languages, imagery and expressions that are bound to different cultures. This relationship has proved fruitful, as the history of the Church abundantly testifies. Today it is entering a new phase due to the spread of the Gospel and its taking root within different cultures, as well as more recent developments in the culture of the West. It calls in the first place for a recognition of the importance of culture as such for the life of every man and woman. The phenomenon of culture is, in its various aspects, an essential datum of human experience. “Man lives always according to a culture which is properly his, and which in turn creates among persons a bond which is properly theirs, one which determines the inter-human and social character of human existence”.

Down the centuries the word of God has inspired different cultures, giving rise to fundamental moral values, outstanding expressions of art and exemplary life-styles. Hence, in looking to a renewed encounter between the Bible and culture, I wish to reassure all those who are part of the world of culture that they have nothing to fear from openness to God’s word, which never destroys true culture, but rather is a constant stimulus to seek ever more appropriate, meaningful and humane forms of expression. Every authentic culture, if it is truly to be at the service of humanity, has to be open to transcendence and, in the end, to God." -Verbum Domini 109

"For a Child is Born to Us"

2011-12-25T00:00:00.000-08:00

A Blessed Christmas to You All!

2011-12-24T00:00:00.000-08:00

As we approach the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, I wanted to take the time to wish all of you a Merry Christmas. Thanks again for stopping by this blog over the past year, and I look forward to seeing what 2012 has in store. 2011 was indeed a banner year for Bible translations, with the NABRE, NIV2011, CEB, and KJV (400th), not to mention the wonderful new translation of the Roman Missal for those of us in the English-speaking world. May 2012 be as exciting!

Since posting will be sporadic during Christmas time, I leave you with this majestic doxology from the Letter of Jude (Judah):

"To the one who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished and exultant, in the presence of his glory, to the only God, our savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord be glory, majesty, power, and authority from ages past, now, and for ages to come. Amen!" - Jude 24-25

ICSB: Exodus

2011-12-22T00:00:00.000-08:00

Thanks to an anonymous comment made recently, we can now see that the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: Exodus will be released in January 2012. There appears to be a sale going on at Ignatius currently, which allows you to pre-order this volume for only $8.46. As usual, the description reads:

"Large format, featuring large text size and additional margin space for personal annotations! The larger format enhances both individual and group study.

Based on the Revised Standard Version - Second Catholic Edition, this volume leads readers through a penetrating study of the Book of Exodus using the biblical text itself and the Church's own guidelines for understanding the Bible. Ample notes accompany each page, providing fresh insights and commentary by renowned Bible scholars Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch, as well as time-tested interpretations from the Fathers of the Church. These helpful study notes explain what the biblical authors often assumed. They also provide rich historical, cultural, geographical and theological information pertinent to Exodus

The Ignatius Study Bible also includes Topical Essays, Word Studies and Charts. Each page includes an easy-to-use Cross-Reference Section. Study Questions are provided for Exodus. These can deepen your personal study of God's Holy Word. There is also an introductory essay covering questions of authorship, date, destination, structure and themes. An outline of Exodus is also included."

So, with 1-2 volumes of the ICSB OT being released each year, we can expect the complete ICSB by somewhere around 2034.

A Child is Born

2011-12-21T00:00:00.000-08:00

Those of you who enjoy reading comics and graphic novels should consider picking up Billy Tucci's A Child is Born. I received my copy a week ago, and have found many of the images to be quite fantastic. I am not a huge comic book guy, although I have collected a few over the years. This one-shot graphic novella of the birth of Jesus, according to Matthew and Luke, could be a great gift idea for a teenage boy (or girl) or young adult. Heck, I am 33 and like it, so it really is something that a person of any age could enjoy. The book is 32 pages long, and utilizes the KJV as the basis for the text.

There are a number of beautifully illustrated pages, but my favorites are found on pages 9 and 10, where Joseph approaches Mary after his dream in Matthew 1:20. Though we don't know exactly how Joseph approached Mary after the dream, Tucci does a remarkable job of showing the bond between the two, with little use of words. Tucci's illustration of Mary's facial expression and the posture of Joseph in this encounter is both touching and poignant. We see here the Holy Family truly coming together in their commitment to God and to each other.

Again, I highly recommend this book. An interview with Billy Tucci, who is Catholic, can be read here. We have talked about the New Evangelization here quite a bit recently, so I can't help but think that this comic book is an example of what is needed to engage the culture. More info on the book, include some sample pages, can be found at the Apostle Arts website.

7 Questions: Mary Sperry

2011-12-20T04:16:00.000-08:00

(One of the new series of posts you will see from time to time in 2012 is called 7 Questions. The purpose of 7 Questions is to highlight those people who are actively involved in producing, promoting, and supporting Catholic Bibles and study materials. For our inaugural edition Mary Sperry, who is no stranger to this blog, graciously took the time to respond to my questions. Mary Sperry is the Associate Director for the Utilization of the NAB at the USCCB.)

1)I wanted to start by having you tell us little bit about your job with the USCCB? How long have you been involved with the promotion of the NAB? What are some of the parts of the job you enjoy most? Least?

I came to work with the NAB 15 years ago – in early December 1996, shortly after completing my masters’ degree in liturgical studies at the Catholic University of America. (For 2 ½ years before I came to this job, I worked in the USCCB’s then-Secretariat for the Liturgy.) For the first 5 or so years, most of my work was legal and administrative, overseeing permissions and licensing, paying bills related to the NABRE translation, and reviewing manuscripts. Over the years, the job slowly evolved to focus increasingly on promotion of biblical literacy in general and the NABRE in particular. The promotion activity came to a head in spring 2011 when the NABRE was released.

I love the parts of the job that allow me to help people discover the wonders and richness of the Scriptural text and to meet Jesus in Scripture. A project I’m especially close to is the podcast of the daily readings. With tens of thousands of downloads each day from around the world, it’s a clear sign of people’s love for the Word of God. Least favorite: meetings, especially about administrative tasks. The only way meetings are good is if there are refreshments.

2) What interested you in working in the area of promoting the NAB?

I have always loved the Bible. My parents had a picture Bible that I can remember “reading” before I was 7. I still have vinyl records of audio versions of Bible stories that I received as Christmas gifts as a child. That love for and knowledge of Scripture grew through my years in Catholic grade school and high school. After graduation, I stayed involved with Scripture as a lector and in Bible studies. I kept buying and reading books about Scripture and taking classes. Even in working toward my liturgy degree, I took Scripture classes and stayed immersed in the Word.

The opportunity to work with the biblical scholars in preparing and promoting the NABRE is kind of a dream come true for someone who loves Scripture. I get to spend my days introducing people to the love of my life!

3) Perhaps you could share some information about the long process of finally getting the NABRE published?

It is a long process with a LOT of steps. First, the scholars of the Board of Control had to recommend preparing a new translation. These scholars based their decision on the availability of new scholarship and manuscript editions that allowed significant refinement of the text. That recommendation had to be approved by the bishops of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD). Only then could a budget and schedule be developed. Of course, the CCD had to approve those too.

The editorial board was selected in collaboration with the bishops who oversee Scripture translations. Those editors then identified possible revisers – all of whom had to be approved by the bishops.

Then, the revisers did their work, consulting the various manuscript traditions to get to the best possible version of the original. When the reviser finished, a member of the editorial board (“the shepherd”) reviewed it very carefully and raised any questions and concerns. Once those were resolved, the shepherd presented the text to half the editorial board which gave additional review and suggested any necessary changes. The board was divided into two groups to allow faster progress. Once each book had been completed and reviewed, the entire editorial board reviewed the complete text one more time before forwarding it to the bishops’ Scripture subcommittee.

The bishops then sent each book to at least one censor (I have no idea who the censors were for any given book as they remain anonymous. However, all censors are Catholic and approved by their local bishop. Usually they are professors of Scripture at Catholic universities and seminaries, though I think some may be retired.) The bishops then review the censors’ comments and may choose to forward them to the editorial board as suggestions for consideration or as required changes. The editorial board responds to each comment. That conversation goes back and forth until the bishops and the editorial board reach agreement. Only then does the bishops’ subcommittee recommend that the Administrative Committee recommend that the USCCB President grant the canonical rescript allowing publication. Only the NAB has to go through the USCCB Administrative Committee. Other translations go from the subcommittee to the President directly.

After that process was completed for most of the Old Testament, the bishops decided that they wanted a revision of the Psalter. That meant going through the process again, except with a single book. That took another 2 years.

Only then could the publishers finalize their settings of the NABRE and begin preparing auxiliary materials.

4) How's the reception been for the NABRE, since its publication on Ash Wednesday?

So far, it seems to be going well. We will have a better sense of diffusion of the text by Spring 2012 as our reports on such things always lag.

There was some confusion about the release of the NABRE and new Roman Missal (though they are completely unrelated projects), but that will diminish as the Missal becomes more familiar.

A new Bible translation taking hold happens over a period of time, not all at once. We expect that we’ll be working on promoting the NABRE for at least 3-5 years.

5) What is it like working with both Bishops and Biblical scholars?

Challenging for someone as impatient as I am! Neither bishops nor Bible scholars are noted for working in haste (nor would we want them to be).

It’s actually very inspiring to work closely with them. The sheer amount of knowledge that they possess is is overwhelming. Their commitment to conveying the text accurately and helping people to understand God’s Word is really a model for everyone who wants to teach and live the Gospel.

6) In general, is there anything that you would like to tell my readers about the NABRE?

Give it a chance. Read it for its own value, not only as it compares to other texts. And read the notes and cross references with care. You’ll be amazed at the insights you’ll discover and at how much more attuned you will become to canonical exegesis.

7) Finally, do you have a favorite passage or verse from the Bible?

That’s like asking a mother if she has a favorite child! I think I’ll go with the Gospel passage from which my parents chose my name: Luke 1:39-56.

New Female Doctor of the Church in 2012

2011-12-19T09:27:00.000-08:00

St. Hildegard of Bingen

Mondays with Verbum Domini

2011-12-19T00:00:00.000-08:00

The proclamation of the word of God and the protection of creation

"Engagement with the world, as demanded by God’s word, makes us look with new eyes at the entire created cosmos, which contains traces of that word through whom all things were made (cf. Jn 1:2). As men and women who believe in and proclaim the Gospel, we have a responsibility towards creation. Revelation makes known God’s plan for the cosmos, yet it also leads us to denounce that mistaken attitude which refuses to view all created realities as a reflection of their Creator, but instead as mere raw material, to be exploited without scruple. Man thus lacks that essential humility which would enable him to see creation as a gift from God, to be received and used in accordance with his plan. Instead, the arrogance of human beings who live “as if God did not exist” leads them to exploit and disfigure nature, failing to see it as the handiwork of the creative word. In this theological context, I would like to echo the statements of the Synod Fathers who reminded us that “accepting the word of God, attested to by Scripture and by the Church’s living Tradition, gives rise to a new way of seeing things, promotes an authentic ecology which has its deepest roots in the obedience of faith … [and] develops a renewed theological sensitivity to the goodness of all things, which are created in Christ”. We need to be re-educated in wonder and in the ability to recognize the beauty made manifest in created realities." -Verbum Domini 108

The Offering of Leviticus 3

2011-12-15T07:04:00.000-08:00

One of the things I do when I am preparing for a lecture for the CBSM class I teach is to compare the major translations as much as possible. This often means looking at the RSV, NRSV, and NABRE. This week, I am giving a summary lecture on the book of Leviticus. I am sure many of you know the old joke about those who desire to read the whole Bible in one year starting on January 1, but stopping completely in February after reaching Leviticus. However, while perhaps the experience for some, its unfortunate because Leviticus is an important book, not only for understanding Jewish worship, but also for coming into a more profound understanding of Christ's sacrifice on the Cross. You cannot fully understand a book like Hebrews, unless you have spent some serious time reading and meditating on Leviticus. But before you begin a study of Leviticus, make sure to have a good commentary or study Bible while doing it. I would highly recommend Oxford's Jewish Study Bible and the Catholic Study Bible. Both are fantastic resources!

This brings me to Leviticus 3, which describes the third offering prescribed by God through Moses. (Please note that Leviticus 7:11-36 goes into more detail about the three different types of this offering.) Depending on the translation, the Hebrew word shelamim may be translated in a number of different ways. Often, it is referred to in English as the Peace Offering, which is followed most notably by the RSV. Some scholars prefer this due to the closeness to the Hebrew word shalom. However, the NRSV and JPS translations prefer to go with Well-Being Offering, which is connected to the idea of peace. Lastly, the NABRE (and the NJB) went with Communion Offering. So which one is better?

In this offering, a herd animal was brought to the sanctuary, divided into several parts with the fatty portions being placed on the fires of the altar and given to God. A choice portion was given to the priest, while the remainder was returned to the offerer and his family to be eaten. It seems that his type of offering was the most common. The note in the NJB gives a good indication as to why it was so popular: "In early times, this sacrifice was the most common and formed the central rite at festivals, being the most perfect way of expressing the communal life, covenantal bond and fellowship existing between the worshipper and his God." In addition, the note found in the JSB points out: "Well-being offerings are thus the natural expression of gladness, the worshipper celebrating by feasting in the presence of God in acknowledgment of His loving-kindness (210)." Finally, Fr. Lawrence Boadt, who died last year, insisted in his introduction to Leviticus in the CSB that our understanding of the Eucharist is greatly enhanced by what we find in Leviticus.

So, with that brief background I provided, both of the Hebrew term and the ritual of the shelamim offering/sacrifice, which English translation better captures the intended meaning?

Advent Contest Winner

2011-12-15T05:59:00.001-08:00

The winner was chosen randomly by one of my high school students. And that winner is: Dennis S

Dennis please email me at mccorm45 (at) yahoo (dot) com with your full name and address and I will get your prize pack out to you.

Thanks to all 33 of you who entered.

Advent Contest Reminder

2011-12-14T01:00:00.000-08:00

This is just a reminder that the deadline for entries for the Advent contest is tonight at 11:59PM EST. I will announce the winner on Thursday, who will then need to email me his/her address. Please go here to enter and for contest rules.

Seeking a Permanent Guest Blogger

2011-12-13T09:03:00.000-08:00

After reviewing the helpful comments from you, my dear readers, regarding what you would like to see on this blog as we enter 2012, I have decided that this blog would be enhanced by the presence of one or two permanent guest columns. While I enjoy providing reviews and commentary on all things Catholic Bibles, I am convinced that this blog would benefit from some other voices. (I will continue to do my best in providing as much Catholic Bible info to you in 2012.)

I am happy to annoucence that we will continue in January with the new monthly humor post, entitled Geoffey's Biblical Comedary, which began this month. I look forward to reading what Geoffrey has in store for us in 2012. However, I would also like to add one more additional column for this blog. That is where you come in. I would like to open this column up to you. I know there are a number of very creative readers of this blog, who have a talent for writing and have a deep love of Scripture. So, if you are interested, please consult the following requirements to see if you are interest:

1) Compose 1-2 original columns per month on any subject related to Catholic Bibles. (Each column would be emailed to me directly, where I would then review and post directly to the site.)

2) Be engaged in the comment discussion after column is published each month.

3) Be a faithful Catholic, who honestly desires to promote the joy of reading the Holy Scriptures.

If you are interested, please email me your proposal to mccorm45 (at) yahoo (dot) com by the end of the week. I will review any applications and hopefully make an announcement before the end of Advent.

Mondays with Verbum Domini

2011-12-12T00:00:00.000-08:00

The proclamation of the word of God and the poor

Sacred Scripture manifests God’s special love for the poor and the needy (cf. Mt 25:31-46). The Synod Fathers frequently spoke of the importance of enabling these, our brothers and sisters, to hear the Gospel message and to experience the closeness of their pastors and communities. Indeed, “the poor are the first ones entitled to hear the proclamation of the Gospel; they need not only bread, but also words of life”. The diaconia of charity, which must never be lacking in our churches, should always be bound to the proclamation of the word and the celebration of the sacred mysteries. Yet we also need to recognize and appreciate the fact that the poor are themselves agents of evangelization. In the Bible, the true poor are those who entrust themselves totally to God; in the Gospel Jesus calls them blessed, “for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt 5:3; cf. Lk 6:20). The Lord exalts the simplicity of heart of those who find in God true riches, placing their hope in him, and not in the things of this world. The Church cannot let the poor down: “Pastors are called to listen to them, to learn from them, to guide them in their faith and to encourage them to take responsibility for lives”.

The Church also knows that poverty can exist as a virtue, to be cultivated and chosen freely, as so many saints have done. Poverty can likewise exist as indigence, often due to injustice or selfishness, marked by hunger and need, and as a source of conflict. In her proclamation of God’s word, the Church knows that a “virtuous circle” must be promoted between the poverty which is to be chosen and the poverty which is to be combated; we need to rediscover “moderation and solidarity, these values of the Gospel that are also universal … This entails decisions marked by justice and moderation”. -Verbum Domini 107

Advent Contest

2011-12-10T10:37:00.000-08:00

'Tis the season for an Advent contest. This one will be very straight forward. All you need to do to enter is simply to put your name in the comment section of this post. No anonymous entries will be considered. The winner will be randomly drawn at the end of the contest, which will be Wednesday, December 14th at 11:59PM. This contest is open to anyone in North America. (Sorry again to my loyal readers in the rest of the world.)

The winner will receive the following two items:

Oxford University Press NABRE Compact (black/blue pacific duvelle)

Pope Benedict's Heart of the Christian Life: Thoughts on the Mass (Ignatius)

Again, all entries are due by Wednesday at 11:59 PM (EST).

A blessed Advent to you all.

Review: Oxford NABRE Compact

2011-12-09T05:26:00.000-08:00

Published back in April, the OUP Compact NABRE remains one of the few, besides the St. Joseph Personal Size, compact versions of the NABRE available today. The edition I am reviewing is the one with the black/blue pacific duvelle cover, although it can be purchased in black duradera (with a zipper closure) and paperback. For an inside look of the NABRE compact, go here.

Those of you who have Oxford's original NAB compact will notice that they are very similar. This edition, like the prior one, consists of the following features:

Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation (Dei Verbum)
* Placement of the NABRE notes at the end of each book to enhance the readability of the biblical text
* Table of Weekday and Sunday Lectionary readings
* Table of weights and measures in the Bible
* Glossy presentation and family record pages
* Glossy section of Catholic prayers and devotions

(Please note that the Oxford site mentions that this edition also comes with a concordance and essay on the lectionary, which it does not.)

This compact edition of the NABRE has pretty much all you would need for a compact Bible. The only omission, really, would be a set of Oxford Maps placed in the appendix, although it is common for maps, certainly in Oxford compact editions, to be excluded. One might also desire the inclusion of a concordance, but that would simply make the volume less compact and certainly more bulky. As it stands, this edition is the ideal 4-1/2 x 6-1/8 size for a compact Bible.

The page layout is very clean, containing the sacred text and bolded paragraph headings. As mentioned above, all notes and cross-references are consigned to the back of each biblical book. For a standard sized Bible this would be annoying, but since it is a compact I don't mind it. The NABRE book introductions, including book outline, are placed at the beginning of each biblical book, which actually serves to break up and space the text quite nicely. I have read some reviews that complained about the font size being too small. Yes, it is small, but last time I checked this was a compact Bible. If you have seen any prior Oxford compact Bibles, this edition is pretty much the same. But please do preview this Bible before purchasing it, if this is an issue for you.

Overall, this is a well-constructed and fairly inexpensive compact from Oxford. Time will tell as to what other styles of the NABRE will be produced in 2012 and beyond. We certainly can look forward to what HarperOne will be releasing in the coming months. But as it stands now, I believe this is the most durable and readable compact NABRE on the market.

Some Initial Thoughts on the ESV Lectionary Thing

2011-12-07T07:18:00.000-08:00

Since finding out about the likely use of an adapted form of the ESV in the Australian lectionary, a few random thoughts have been floating around in my mind since yesterday. Some of these have already been brought up by commentators in the previous post, but I think they are worth repeating and discussing:

1) What does this say about the RSV-2CE? The fact that it has already been adapted and issued in a lectionary format, yet was passed up instead for an adapted ESV, makes me wonder whether the RSV-2CE will ever be a major translation for liturgical use (or study)? Also, there must be some sort of cost associated with adapting the ESV and getting permission to do so by Crossway or Oxford. It seems to me that the Australian Bishops were willing to incur an expense, presumably, to do this adaption, while they could have just simply used the RSV-2CE. Why?

2) What does this change to the ESV mean for other English speaking bishops conferences that were adapting the NRSV? Canada already has an adapted and approved NRSV lectionary, but what about the others? How did the Canadian Bishops get permission to make modifications to the NRSV, while the Australians were not? The Holy See did eventually approve the Canadian adapted NRSV for Mass.

3) Who is the copyright holder that is granting permission to do this adaption of the ESV? Crossway or Oxford?

4) What do I think about the ESV? There has not been, nor likely ever be, any official Catholic participation in this translation. The ESV is a product of a conservative Reformed tradition and does, at times, reflect that perspective. As Chrysostom suggested in his comment: “Change Lk 1:28 to the Angelic Salutation, add "only-begotten" in John 3:16, change "episkopos" and "presbyter" to "Bishop" and "Priest", take the indefinite article out of 1 Tim 3:15, and change a few words to "husband" instead of "man" ("not by the will of a husband..."), etc. to remove some overtly Calvinistic interpretations.” There is also the issue of whether to use “propitiation" (ESV) or “expiation" (RSV or NAB) in Romans 3:25. (Please note I realize the Vulgate and Nova Vulgata (and thus DR) use propitiationem, but how are those two important theological terms understood today?) The RSV, of course, had no Catholic participation when it was originally produced either, but later through editorial changes by the CBA (UK) and Ignatius Press. The NRSV, on the other hand, had active participation from a number of Catholic biblical scholars. Joel, a non-Catholic Christian, on his blog Unsettled Christianity wonders why any Catholic body would utilize the “Evangelical Standard Version”. I wonder as well.

ESV in Aussie Lectionary?

2011-12-06T08:08:00.000-08:00

This news comes from the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn in Australia. During his reflections on the year 2011, archbishop Mark Benedict Coleridge mentioned the following:

"Some years ago, I was asked to chair a commission which would prepare a new English-language Lectionary, using a modified form of the NRSV and a revised Grail Psalter. That seemed straight-forward enough, and the expectation was that the new Lectionary would be ready for publication at the same time as the Missal.

However, we struck problems with the copyright holders of the NRSV and have had some difficulties in our dealings with the Holy See. All of this so becalmed the project that there is now no hope that the Lectionary or any part of it will appear at the same time as the Missal. In fact, we have decided to move away from the NRSV and to prepare the Lectionary using a modified form of the English Standard Version (ESV), still with the revised Grail Psalter.

On this new basis, the project has progressed well; and the hope now is to have at least the first volume of the Lectionary (Sundays and Solemnities) ready for publication as close as possible to the appearance of the Missal."

Very interesting news! I wonder if this means an official Catholic edition of the ESV could be on the way? An edition of the ESV w/Apocrypha has already been translated and published by Oxford University Press. What I find most interesting is the last line, which seems to indicate that this project is almost complete. I would assume, then, that they have received approval from the creators of the ESV, whether that be Crossway or Oxford University Press, as well as tacit approval from Rome? Interesting....

Hat tip to Joel at Unsettled Christianity for the link.

Guest Review: Royal Electronic NABRE/D-R

2011-12-06T00:00:00.000-08:00

After months of anticipation (due to mysterious postponements from the manufacturer), I finally received my “Royal” brand NABRE/Douay Rheims with Baltimore Catechism electronic Bible from Christianbook.com. I was reluctant to order this because I already have a pocket electronic Bible I used for reference (the Franklin KJV-570), and a really cool Bible program called E-sword I got online for free. I liked the convenience of the KJV-570 for use as a concordance, but since it does not have the Deuteros in it, I decided to go ahead and get this new one from Royal.

I must say I am really impressed with the overall product here from Royal. It is about the same size as the Franklin (about 5.25” x 3.25” x 0.25”), but with a slightly thicker ridge in the back to accommodate the two AAA batteries instead of the watch battery. This one has many of the same features as the Franklin, including search the Bible by word or reference, bookmarks, clock, alarm, calculator, and phone book, but the Royal version has so much more and it moves through the Scripture passages and word searches instantly without delay.

There are so many cool features with this product. First off, I must say that this does not include the “original Douay-Rheims” as advertised, but yet the standard 1899 edition as reproduced by current book publishers. More specifically, I think the D-R text may have been taken from the Baronius Press 2005 or earlier edition because St. Matthew 24:27 reads: “For as lightning cometh out of the east and appeareth even into the west: so shall also the cowling of the Son of man be.” I thought this was actually the translation until I got a copy of a 2008 edition corrected by the same publisher: “coming of the Son of man”. (BTW, the original D-R reads “advent” in this verse.)

Regardless of this one inconsistency I have noticed, I am pleased that the Challoner version was used for this. I was even more pleased that the book introductions and all of Challoner’s notations are included as well! And of course, it is not only a D-R, but also a complete NABRE as well, with all of the cross-references, notes, and introductions included! You can toggle between the D-R and the NABRE with the touch of a button, and it even compensates for chapter and verse numbering differences (e.g. the Psalms.) You can also surf back and forth through the NABRE cross-reference webs quicker that anyone could ever do with a hard copy, even with the handy thumb tabs. The concordance feature is also very effecient; it lists the D-R and NABRE references separately, and you can search by Old, New, or Entire Bible. It includes over 18,000 words. Unlike the Franklin edition, it will only list the exact word you are searching for and not every conjugation thereof, which I think is easier when looking for a specific verse.

Yes, I am impressed with the efficiency and novelty of having two Bibles and a Catechism reference tool compact enough to fit in my pocket or Missal cover. But it also has a good devotional quality I did not expect as well. It has a weekly reading plan that covers the entire Bible in a year, inspirational verses grouped by topic and at random, and a generous selection of Catholic prayers and devotions. It also includes a backlight for low-light situations, and you can select normal or large size fonts.

Thank you to Jonny for another fine guest review.

Geoffrey's Biblical Comedary for December

2011-12-05T07:44:00.000-08:00

Geoffrey's Biblical Comedary
Bad Exegesis Lesson One: The Case for Indefinite Slacking

Brothers and sisters in Christ, in addressing observance of Jewish festivals, St. Paul writes, "One man esteems one day as better than another, while another man esteems all days alike. Let every one be fully convinced in his own mind" (Romans 14:5). From the context, the holy Apostle is encouraging legitimate diversity of practice within the Church. And I am writing to suggest one particularly legitimately diverse practice. No one disagrees that there is nothing wrong with observing Saturday as a sabbath in addition to the Lord's Day. And by corollary, any other day may be observed as a sabbath as well. Therefore, why not observe all days as sabbaths?

I am fully convinced in my own mind that God is calling me, personally, to never work again. "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). Why am I so certain? Because God loves me, and the Lord says, "It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep" (Psalm 127:2). Obviously, if any man wakes up to commute to a job in the morning instead of sleeping in, he has fallen out of God's favor. As it is written, "Blessed are the unemployed, for they shall inherit Wall Street."

Therefore, I invite you to join me in proclaiming the Gospel of Rest amid a Culture of Work. Do not be afraid to step up and assert your divine right. We are people of God's promise, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest" (Exodus 33:14).

(All Scripture is taken from the RSV, but if a copyright agent is reading this, my quotations are original translations of the Greek)

Mondays with Verbum Domini

2011-12-05T00:00:00.000-08:00

The proclamation of the word of God and the suffering

During the work of the Synod, the Fathers also considered the need to proclaim God’s word to all those who are suffering, whether physically, psychologically or spiritually. It is in times of pain that the ultimate questions about the meaning of one’s life make themselves acutely felt. If human words seem to fall silent before the mystery of evil and suffering, and if our society appears to value life only when it corresponds to certain standards of efficiency and well-being, the word of God makes us see that even these moments are mysteriously “embraced” by God’s love. Faith born of an encounter with God’s word helps us to realize that human life deserves to be lived fully, even when weakened by illness and pain. God created us for happiness and for life, whereas sickness and death came into the world as a result of sin (cf. Wis 2:23-24). Yet the Father of life is mankind’s physician par excellence, and he does not cease to bend lovingly over suffering humanity. We contemplate the culmination of God’s closeness to our sufferings in Jesus himself, “the Word incarnate. He suffered and died for us. By his passion and death he took our weakness upon himself and totally transformed it”.

Jesus’ closeness to those who suffer is constant: it is prolonged in time thanks to the working of the Holy Spirit in the mission of the Church, in the word and in the sacraments, in men and women of good will, and in charitable initiatives undertaken with fraternal love by communities, thus making known God’s true face and his love. The Synod thanked God for the luminous witness, often hidden, of all the many Christians – priests, religious and lay faithful – who have lent and continue to lend their hands, eyes and hearts to Christ, the true physician of body and soul. It exhorts all to continue to care for the infirm and to bring them the life-giving presence of the Lord Jesus in the word and in the Eucharist. Those who suffer should be helped to read the Scriptures and to realize that their condition itself enables them to share in a special way in Christ’s redemptive suffering for the salvation of the world (cf. 2 Cor 4:8-11,14). -Verbum Domini 106

Spot Check: Isaiah 40 for Second Sunday of Advent

2011-12-02T00:00:00.000-08:00

This weekend we will hear, in the first reading, from Isaiah 40, which is often regarded as the beginning of the "Book of Consolation" for the Israelites. The lectionary combines two sections of Isaiah 40, verses 1-5 & 9-11 for the reading. Below are how the RSV and NABRE render this passage:

"Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins. A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken. Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, "Behold your God!" Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arms, he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young." (RSV)

"Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God. Speak to the heart of Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her service has ended, that her guilt is expiated, That she has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her sins. A voice proclaims: In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God! Every valley shall be lifted up, every mountain and hill made low; The rugged land shall be a plain, the rough country, a broad valley. Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken. Go up onto a high mountain, Zion, herald of good news! Cry out at the top of your voice, Jerusalem, herald of good news! Cry out, do not fear! Say to the cities of Judah: Here is your God! Here comes with power the Lord GOD, who rules by his strong arm; Here is his reward with him, his recompense before him. Like a shepherd he feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs, Carrying them in his bosom, leading the ewes with care." (NABRE)

Your thoughts?

New: Spanish Bible, Sagrada Biblia Edición Inmaculada

2011-12-01T15:00:00.000-08:00

I provide this information for any of you interested in Spanish language Bibles, although I must admit that I am woefully ignorant of the quality of the translation. Perhaps one of my fine readers will be able to provide some helpful information.

Saint Benedict Press: SAGRADA BIBLIA Edición Inmaculada

Permita que su hogar sea un lugar de paz y oración con la ayuda de la Sagrada Biblia, Edición Inmaculada. Esta lujosa Biblia se convertirá en uno de sus objetos más apreciados que diariamente le recordará el amor y la misericordia de Dios y preservará en sus páginas los grandes acontecimientos familiares.

Esta elegante Sagrada Biblia, Edición Inmaculada contiene:
◦Una sección para escribir sus acontecimientos familiares en papel de primera
◦Elegantes páginas de filo dorado
◦Una lujosa y duradera encuadernación
◦Una vasta sección a todo color sobre la vida de Cristo
◦Un Diccionario Católico que facilitará su estudio
◦Hermosas ilustraciones de profetas, patriarcas y otros héroes bíblicos
◦Un peregrinaje a todo color de la Tierra Santa y varias iglesias
◦Una composición tipográfica fácil de leer
◦Mucho, mucho más!

Lleve la Sagrada Biblia, Edición Inmaculada a su hogar y a los hogares de sus seres queridos. Es el regalo perfecto para bodas, aniversarios, estrenos de casas, padres primerizos y otras ocasiones especiales.

La traducción usada en esta Biblia es el texto clásico de Torres Amat, traducido al español de la vulgata latina de San Jerónimo.

Help make your home a place of peace and prayer with the Sagrada Biblia Edición Inmaculada. This deluxe Family Bible will become one of your most treasured belongings, reminding you daily of God's love and care and preserving within its pages the great milestones of your family.

Special features of the Sagrada Biblia Edición Inmaculada: Elegant, easy-to-read typesetting, Special Family Record section on the finest Parchtex Paper, Beautifully gilded page edges, Deluxe side-sewn binding to ensure your Family Bible will last for generations, Devotional aids including an inspiring 48 page full color section on the Life of Christ, Study aids including an extensive Biblical Dictionary, Beautiful Old Master illustrations of Prophets, Patriarchs and other Heroes and Heroines of the Bible, A pilgrimage in pictures to shrines and the Holy Land and much, much more!

Bring the Sagrada Biblia Edición Inmaculada into your home and the homes of those you love. It is the perfect gift for Weddings and Anniversaries, Housewarmings, New Parents and Any Special Occasion!

The translation used in the Sagrada Biblia Edición Inmaculada is the classic Torres Amat text, a translation into Spanish of the Latin Vulgate of Saint Jerome.

NRSV w/ Grail Psalms on Sale

2011-12-01T06:33:00.000-08:00

Amazon UK has slashed its prices for the Collins NRSV w/ Grail Psalms. You can now purchase it for £12.90. For a brief review I did on this Bible, you can go here.

I wonder if this means that the adapted NRSV w/ Revised Grail Psalter, which is being prepared for the UK lectionary, will be coming out in 2012?

Thanks to reader Llanbedr for alerting me to this.

Bible Study Series: Judah 17-25

2011-11-30T12:25:00.000-08:00

(Sorry for the lapse of time between entries on this, November just seemed to fly by!)

“But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; they said to you, "In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions." It is these who set up divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God; wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And convince some, who doubt; save some, by snatching them out of the fire; on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. Now to him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you without blemish before the presence of his glory with rejoicing, to the only God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and for ever. Amen.” (RSV)

“But you, dear friends, remember the words spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, “In the end time scoffers will come living according to their own ungodly desires.” These people create divisions. Since they don’t have the Spirit, they are worldly. A strategy for the faithful But you, dear friends: build each other up on the foundation of your most holy faith, pray in the Holy Spirit, keep each other in the love of God, wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will give you eternal life. Have mercy on those who doubt. Save some by snatching them from the fire. Fearing God, have mercy on some, hating even the clothing contaminated by their sinful urges. Blessing To the one who is able to protect you from falling, and to present you blameless and rejoicing before his glorious presence, to the only God our savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, belong glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time, now and forever. Amen.” (CEB)

After spending the main body of his epistle denouncing the false teachers, Judah now turns to his final exhortation which serves as a beautiful sending off for those beloved and “rescued by God’s power.” As the Navarre commentary points out, this final section serves as a call to “guard the faith, to practice virtue and to set good example (651).” There are a few different ways to “divide” this section and perhaps the easiest would be to break it into two: 1) Warning and Exhortations (17-23) and 2) Closing Benediction (24-25).

Verses 17-19 begin by reminding the community that the Apostles predicted that there would be disruptions and ungodly people who would arise at various points. (See also Acts 20:29-30; 1 Tim 4:1-3; 2 Pet 3:3 for more on this.) Of course, this also harkens back to our Lord’s statement in Matthew 24 that “False Christs and false prophets” would come. These scoffers, who “create division”, do not have the Spirit, and as Wright suggests, simply “are living at the merely human level (203).” Therefore, without the Spirit, they can’t truly be Christians as they claim to be (Perkins 155). As most of us know, this problem persists to this day in and outside the Church. In some ways, it is a sign of the messianic age, which was initiated by Christ and will last until his Second Advent. The question for all Christians, then, is how we respond to this reality. This is what Judah is concerned with in the verses that follow.

Judah charges these young Christians to be built up in their “most holy faith (20)” which they received. This brings us back to the point Judah made in verse 3, where he called them to “contend for the faith”. Thus being filled with holy faith, the Christian is urged to prayer. We see what he means beginning at the end of verse 20, where Judah exhorts them to “pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God; wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” This is truly a remarkable call for the believer, wrapped within a deep and rich Trinitarian theology. As the Navarre commentary points out, this invocation is tied to the three theological virtues of faith, hope, and love (651). Citing from the Catechism of the Catholic Church #1812, we see that the “theological virtues relate directly to God. They dispose Christians to live in a relationship with the Holy Trinity. They have the One and Triune God for their origin, motive, and object.”

Verses 22-23 are rendered differently depending on which version of the Bible you own. The Greek text is uncertain at several points due to the existence of variants. (Perhaps one of my astute readers would like to comment with greater detail on this?) In any case, they follow closely to the preceding verses. Here, Judah calls for greater communal action and mercy to those who need to be snatched “out of the fire”. Wright is helpful by summarizing this as if Judah is saying to them: “Make sure you look carefully to see what condition people are in, and apply the mercy of God appropriately in each case (205).” While it is true that as Christians we need to be mindful where sin exists, it is equally important that we seek to heal through mercy, just as our Lord did for us.

This short, but wonderful, epistle ends with a beautiful benediction/doxology. These final words remind us that all glory is due to our heavenly Father through our Lord Jesus Christ. We are reminded here how the Church has always addressed her prayers at Mass, to the Father through the Son (and in the Spirit). Through these trials, we are called to remain fixed on Jesus, who will present us “without blemish” to the throne of his Father. And as Perkins explains: “God’s eternal power and majesty makes it clear that he can bring the faithful to that glorious destiny (158).” Amen.

Your Thoughts

2011-11-29T00:00:00.000-08:00

As we have now entered a new liturgical year, with a new Roman Missal, and soon will be entering a new calendar year, it is perhaps as good a time as any to consider how this blog is doing. I have been operating this blog for over three years now, and it has certainly been a blast. I truly mean that. The interaction with all of you has been both enlightening and incredibly enjoyable. I have also been blessed with a number of key contacts from various Church positions and publishers, who have provided me with information and materials that I have been able to share with you. Many thanks to them for answering my questions over the past few years.

So where does that leave the Catholic Bibles Blog heading into 2012? That is where you come in. What would you like to see more of in 2012? What would you like to see less of? For example, I was contacted by a reader who was interested in having a regular series utilizing Lectio Divina. Is that something that would be of interest? One thing that I did more of this past year was to include 'guest posts/reviews', thus it may be time to consider having one or two permanent contributors to this blog. Please feel free to be a honest and open with your thoughts.

And of course, a thousand sincere thanks to all of you have been involved in some way with this site, either through posting, comments, or just reading. May God bless you during this Advent season.

Mondays with Verbum Domini

2011-11-28T00:00:00.000-08:00

The proclamation of the word of God and migrants

The word of God makes us attentive to history and to emerging realities. In considering the Church’s mission of evangelization, the Synod thus decided to address as well the complex phenomenon of movements of migration, which in recent years have taken on unprecedented proportions. This issue is fraught with extremely delicate questions about the security of nations and the welcome to be given to those seeking refuge or improved conditions of living, health and work. Large numbers of people who know nothing of Christ, or who have an inadequate understanding of him, are settling in countries of Christian tradition. At the same time, persons from nations deeply marked by Christian faith are emigrating to countries where Christ needs to be proclaimed and a new evangelization is demanded. These situations offer new possibilities for the spread of God’s word. In this regard the Synod Fathers stated that migrants are entitled to hear the kerygma, which is to be proposed, not imposed. If they are Christians, they require forms of pastoral care which can enable them to grow in the faith and to become in turn messengers of the Gospel. Taking into account the complexity of the phenomenon, a mobilization of all dioceses involved is essential, so that movements of migration will also be seen as an opportunity to discover new forms of presence and proclamation. It is also necessary that they ensure, to the extent possible, that these our brothers and sisters receive adequate welcome and attention, so that, touched by the Good News, they will be able to be heralds of God’s word and witnesses to the Risen Jesus, the hope of the world. -Verbum Domini 105

First Sunday of Advent Reflections

2011-11-27T11:00:00.000-08:00

So, how was your experience with the new Third Edition of the Roman Missal? My parish did a great job adapting to the new wording and the people were quite eager for the changes. Our pastor reminded us in the homily that the prayers are now more clearly related to their scriptural foundations. He also used the Gospel reading from Mark "to keep watch" as being analogous to our need to be more alert and engaged as we pray this new Missal. All and all a truly wonderful morning Mass. Probably the biggest place of stumbling will remain saying "And with your Spirit" in all instances. Most did well for the first few instances, but reverted back, somewhat unconsciously, during the Liturgy of the Eucharist. I particularly enjoyed hearing the more accurate wording for the collect and prayer after communion. Our pastor also used Eucharistic Prayer 3 which seemed to be a bit more reverent and majestic than then prior translation.

Enough with my experiences, how about you?

A Blessed Thanksgiving to You All!

2011-11-24T00:00:00.000-08:00

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
for his mercy endures forever;
Give thanks to the God of gods;
for his mercy endures forever;
Give thanks to the Lord of lords;
for his mercy endures forever."
-Psalm 136:1-3

DIY Bookbinding + Leather Bibles

2011-11-22T06:59:00.000-08:00

J. Mark Bertrand's blog Bible Design and Binding is a site I check each week, due to its high quality photos and discussion on the best of the best in Bible design. Recently, he posted on how to do your own bookbinding, which you can read here. If I had any skill at all, I might attempt to do this with a couple of my Bibles, but alas I do not.

One topic that is brought up here on this blog quite frequently is the general lack of premium leather Catholic Bibles. This becomes all the more frustrating when you see how many editions the new NIV2011 comes in. However, with the release of the NABRE, there may be a possibility of a premium leather edition of it in the near future depending on any future publishers. As for the other main Catholic translations, most notably the RSV and NRSV, I wonder what the future holds. Any time I have contacted Ignatius Press, they routinely tell me that they have no plans of releasing the RSV-2CE in any new editions. Well, that is too bad if you ask me. As for the NRSV, HarperOne has indicated additional future releases of the NRSV-CE are likely, but who knows what they will actually do. So, we shall see. Do you have any hopes or desires for premium editions of Catholic Bible translations?

The New Evangelization and the Bible Part 4

2011-11-21T07:27:00.000-08:00

In some Protestant circles, this week is National Bible Week. I am not too sure, but I think this is the first that I have heard of this celebration. Is anybody else familiar with this? Either way, this does bring up an interesting set of questions which will serve as a conclusion to this series of posts on the New Evangelization and the Bible in the Church. So far, we have looked at what some recent Popes and biblical scholars have had to say about the role of the Bible in evangelization, along with a brief discussion on which translations would be the best to use. So, in light of National Bible Week, I would like to ask you these questions:

1) What scriptural materials or programs do you think work well in evangelizing people, particularly lapsed or inactive Catholics? (BTW, I hate the word "programs" in relation to ministry, but that is for another time.)

2) How does the New Media, particularly the internet, fit into this discussion? (I have in mind Brandon Vogt's book The Church and New Media: Blogging Converts, Online Activists, and Bishops Who Tweet and how that can relate to our topic of the Bible.)

3) What would you like to see the Church do to promote greater scriptural literacy?

Mondays with Verbum Domini

2011-11-21T00:00:00.000-08:00

The proclamation of the word of God and young people

The Synod paid particular attention to the proclamation of God’s word to the younger generation. Young people are already active members of the Church and they represent its future. Often we encounter in them a spontaneous openness to hearing the word of God and a sincere desire to know Jesus. Youth is a time when genuine and irrepressible questions arise about the meaning of life and the direction our own lives should take. Only God can give the true answer to these questions. Concern for young people calls for courage and clarity in the message we proclaim; we need to help young people to gain confidence and familiarity with sacred Scripture so it can become a compass pointing out the path to follow. Young people need witnesses and teachers who can walk with them, teaching them to love the Gospel and to share it, especially with their peers, and thus to become authentic and credible messengers.

God’s word needs to be presented in a way that brings out its implications for each person’s vocation and assists young people in choosing the direction they will give to their lives, including that of total consecration to God. Authentic vocations to the consecrated life and to the priesthood find fertile ground in a faith-filled contact with the word of God. I repeat once again the appeal I made at the beginning of my pontificate to open wide the doors to Christ: “If we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful and great. No! Only in this friendship are the doors of life opened wide. Only in this friendship is the great potential of human existence truly revealed. … Dear young people: do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away and he gives you everything. When we give ourselves to him, we receive a hundredfold in return. Yes, open, open wide the doors to Christ – and you will find true life”
-Verbum Domini 104

NRSV Catholic E-Bible Available

2011-11-19T00:59:00.000-08:00

We have been discussing E-books a lot lately, so it is somewhat ironic that the NRSV has now been made available in a new E-book format. According to HarperOne: "This unique one-column setting allows people to read the Bible as a work of literature. Each book is introduced with an original wood-cut. Overall, this special easy-to-read setting makes the Bible a wonderful reading experience. It also includes a concordance index to help people find key passages."

Exodus in the NABRE

2011-11-18T05:25:00.000-08:00

On Thursday nights, I have the wonderful privilege of teaching an Old Testament narrative class to adults, through the Catholic Biblical School of Michigan. In many ways, it is the highlight of my week since the students are very receptive and show a great desire to engage the Holy Scriptures. Having just spent a number of weeks in the book of Genesis, we have now turned to Exodus. The course primarily relies on the RSV-CE as its teaching text, but I have been using the NABRE quite closely as well. I have found that, when comparing translations, there can be a tendency to just choose those famous passages, like Is. 7:14, to see how one translation stacks up against another. However, it really does take a willingness to sit down with a translation, and read large portions of it, before one can really grasp its worth.

That brings me back to my reading of Exodus, using both the NABRE and RSV-CE. What I have found is that there are some interesting decisions that the NABRE makes which, in general, I find to be quite helpful. One may ask whether the NABRE is as literal as the RSV? Overall, no. But it is certainly a lot closer than the original NAB and in many ways is more readable. Below I am going to provide some examples of what I have found during my reading:

1) There is a verse numbering difference between the NABRE and the RSV in regards to the second, third, and fourth plagues. The NABRE appears to follow the Hebrew numbering, while the RSV does not. Those of you who are familiar with the NAB(RE) know that it will often do this, see the book of the prophet Joel for another instance of this.

2) The NABRE will at times translate some of the more confusing (perhaps?) Hebrew metaphors and idioms into more readable English. For example, Moses refers to himself as having "uncircumcised lips" in Exodus 6:12, which the RSV translated literally into English. In the NABRE, Moses refers to himself as being a "poor speaker". (The NRSV is identical to the NABRE in this case.) Is this a good change? It certainly does clear up any possible confusion that the typical reader may have in understanding the Hebrew idiom. In any case, the NABRE translators do include a helpful note explaining what is the literal rendering of the Hebrew.

3) Snakes and Serpents! In Genesis 3:1, the NABRE went with snake over the more traditional serpent. In Exodus, we find the return of snakes as well as serpents. Is there a difference? Apparently so. Even though most translations, like the RSV, use the same word "serpent" for Moses' rod (4:3) and Aaron's rod (7:9), they are technically two different Hebrew words: nahash and tannin, respectively (Larsson Bound for Freedom 54). Nahash was the same Hebrew word used in Genesis 3, which the NABRE translated consistently in this case. The word tannin though may indicate a more ferocious reptile than a serpent, perhaps a large sea monster or dragon (Ezek 29:3) or crocodile. While one could debate which English terms would be best in translating these two Hebrew words, at least the NABRE made the distinction.

4) One of the most famous idioms of Exodus is the "hardening of Pharoah's heart" which is found some 20 times in Exodus 5-11. Sometimes it is clear that the LORD does the hardening, while on other occasions Pharoah is the one who does so. It is interesting to note that there are three different Hebrew words used in these instances, the most notably being hazaq and kaved. In most cases, however, the RSV simply translates "Pharoah's heart was hardened". The NABRE translates each term differently, kaved as Pharoah was "obstinate", while hazaq as Pharoah's "heart was hardened". (Again, there is also some helpful translator notes which assist the reader in recognizing the difference.) Now, one could argue that this is either not a big deal ultimately or that another word instead of "obstinate" should be used, but the main point is that the NABRE does make the distinction, much like it did with the snake/serpent issue addressed above.

More to come....

SBP NABRE on Kindle Too!

2011-11-17T04:47:00.000-08:00

Below is the press release for the Kindle version for the Saint Benedict Press NABRE:

"SAINT BENEDICT PRESS RELEASES NEW AMERICAN BIBLE REVISED EDITION IN E-BOOK FORM

PUBLISHER PRICES E-BIBLE AT JUST $3.95 THROUGH NATIONAL BIBLE WEEK

Charlotte, NC (November 16, 2011) — Saint Benedict Press announced today its publication of the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) in e-book form, at a special discounted price of $3.95.

Saint Benedict Press is a proud publisher of the NABRE, the first major update to the New American Bible (NAB) in twenty years. Saint Benedict Press released three print editions of the NABRE on March 9th of this year. The new e-Bible is the Press’ first offering of the NABRE in digital form. It is available for the Kindle from Amazon.com and for the Nook from BN.com.

The e-book version of the NABRE is discounted from its original price of $5.95 to $3.95 from now until the end of National Bible Week (Nov. 20-26).

Over the past three years, Saint Benedict Press has increased its line of Catholic Bibles beginning with the publication of several Douay Rheims and Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition Bibles in 2008.

With the addition of the NABRE in March of 2011, Saint Benedict Press became the only publisher to simultaneously sell all three major English translations of the Catholic Bible. Today the Press publishes 28 Bibles between the three translations, with a wide variety of sizes, features and formats.

“The e-book version of the NABRE contains the full text of the Bible, plus supplemental features including a cycle of daily and Sunday Mass readings, a listing of Popes, and a manual of favorite Catholic prayers,” said Conor Gallagher, Vice President of Publishing, Saint Benedict Press. “Our customers will welcome the cross-referencing available in our NABRE e-book, its search-ability, and of course its unbeatable price.”

Reflecting the work of nearly 100 scholars and extensively reviewed and approved by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the NABRE takes into account the best current scholarship as well as the new discovery of ancient manuscripts to improve understanding of the Biblical text."

Pope Benedict on Psalm 110

2011-11-16T12:47:00.001-08:00

From today's audience:

Psalm 110 (109)

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In our catechesis on Christian prayer, we now turn to Psalm 110, one of the famous “royal psalms”, originally linked to the enthronement of a Davidic monarch. The Church reads this Psalm as a prophecy of Christ, the messianic king and eternal priest, risen from the dead and seated at the right hand of the Father. Saint Peter, in his speech on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:32-36), applies its words to the Lord’s victory over death and his exaltation in glory. From ancient times, the mysterious third verse of the Psalm has been interpreted as a reference to the king’s divine sonship, while the fourth verse speaks of him as “a priest for ever, according to the order of Melchizedek”. The Letter to the Hebrews specifically applies this imagery to Christ, the Son of God and our perfect high priest, who lives eternally to make intercession for all those who, through him, approach the Father (cf. Heb 7:25). The final verses of the Psalm present the triumphant King as executing judgment over the nations. As we pray this Psalm, we acclaim the victory of our risen Lord and King, while striving to live ever more fully the royal and priestly dignity which is ours as members of his Body through Baptism.

The New Evangelization and the Bible Part 3

2011-11-15T00:00:00.000-08:00

As we continue our look at the relationship between the New Evangelization and the Bible, I would like to turn to an article from Frank J. Matera, the Andrews Kelly Ryan Professor of Biblical Studies at the Catholic University of America. The article is found on the USCCB's Doctrine site, under the Intellectual Tasks section. You can read the whole article here. Below are two selections from this paper. The first assesses the current situation in the West where the Christian narrative is competing against others, both religious and secular. The second section comes from the end of the paper, where Matera makes three points about how Scripture can contribute to the New Evangelization:

"Consider for a moment why movies, literature, art, and pop culture are so important. On the one hand, they entertain us. But on the other, they are always telling us stories that capture our imagination. These stories are important because they help us to understand the story of our lives. And so, when we read novels, listen to music, look at art, or watch movies, we insert ourselves into the story world they create to understand something of the story of our life. Christianity has a compelling narrative inscribed into its architecture, music, and especially its Scriptures. But today we live in a world of competing narratives: secular stories as well as religious ones, narratives that de-construct meaning as well as narratives that create meaning. Whereas formerly Christianity could present its holy men and women as models to be imitated, today we live in a world that models itself after entertainers and sport figures; we live in a world of competing narratives, and all of them are vying for our allegiance."

and

"First, it reminds us that we must provide people with a narrative that will help them understand the story of their lives. We must provide them with a narrative that explains who they are, what God has done, and what God is doing. We must provide them with Scripture’s story that gives them a profound and abiding sense of hope. Second, the outline of this narrative is already found in the sacred texts we proclaim every week. But the narrative will only come alive if we understand and present it in a credible way. Our task, then, is to understand the narrative anew in light of our time and our place. Third, if we hope to proclaim the gospel in a world of competing narratives, we must proclaim a narrative that enables people to understand the full dimension of salvation: the salvation of the body as well as of the soul, the salvation of the community as well as of the individual, the salvation of creation as well as of humanity. In a word, we must proclaim a vision of salvation that includes the whole of God’s good creation."

Additional Helpful Comments from Fr. Barron on the Third Roman Missal

2011-11-14T10:23:00.000-08:00

Mondays with Verbum Domini

2011-11-14T00:00:00.000-08:00

The word of God and practical charity

Commitment to justice, reconciliation and peace finds its ultimate foundation and fulfilment in the love revealed to us in Christ. By listening to the testimonies offered during the Synod, we saw more clearly the bond between a love-filled hearing of God’s word and selfless service of our brothers and sisters; all believers should see the need to “translate the word that we have heard into gestures of love, because this is the only way to make the Gospel proclamation credible, despite the human weakness that marks individuals”. Jesus passed through this world doing good (cf. Acts 10:38). Listening with docility to the word of God in the Church awakens “charity and justice towards all, especially towards the poor”. We should never forget that “love – caritas – will always prove necessary, even in the most just society … whoever wants to eliminate love is preparing to eliminate man as such”. I therefore encourage the faithful to meditate often on the Apostle Paul’s hymn to charity and to draw inspiration from it: “Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong but delights in the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends” (1 Cor 13:4-8).

Love of neighbour, rooted in the love of God, ought to see us constantly committed as individuals and as an ecclesial community, both local and universal. As Saint Augustine says: “It is essential to realize that love is the fullness of the Law, as it is of all the divine Scriptures … Whoever claims to have understood the Scriptures, or any part of them, without striving as a result to grow in this twofold love of God and neighbour, makes it clear that he has not yet understood them”.

The Revised 'Gloria' in the New Roman Missal

2011-11-12T04:22:00.001-08:00

The older version:

'Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, You alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.'

The version in the Third Edition:

'Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to people of good will. We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father.
Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God,
Son of the Father, you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us; you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us.
For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. Amen.'

Fr. Barron on the New Missal

2011-11-11T04:14:00.000-08:00

The New Evangelization and the Bible Part 2

2011-11-08T08:15:00.000-08:00

So, clearly, the Scriptures have an essential role in the New Evangelization. Here, in the United States, we Catholics have an ever increasing abundance of Bible editions and related materials to choose from that can be utilized for this task. I am not sure that has always been the case, but this has certainly changed in the last 10-15 years. That fact that a blog like this exists "where Catholics and other Christians can discuss Catholic Bible editions, study tools, and other issues concerning the Catholic faith" is a testament to the growth in Biblical awareness for Catholic Americans.

Now knowing that the call to a New Evangelization has as one of its main goals the reaching out to those who are either former Catholics or non-practicing ones, I ask you this question: What English Bible translation do you think best meets the need for this task? As we examine this question, we need to recognize that many of these people, though not all, have little or no regular encounter with the Holy Scriptures. What Bible translation do we evanglize with and which one do we encourage others to read? Why?

How's Your Parish Doing with the New Roman Missal?

2011-11-07T05:28:00.000-08:00

So, what is going on in your parishes as we are now less than three weeks from the full implementation of the new Roman Missal (3rd Edition)? My parish has already distributed new Order of Mass cards, by Magnificat, and yesterday was the first time we used the new Gloria in Mass. Although I need to find out the composer of the new Gloria setting, I found it to be quite beautiful.

At the high school where I teach, all of the theology teachers have devoted three days to discussing the new Missal. All in all, the kids have been very receptive to it. We will have our first school Mass, with the new Missal, on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8th.

Mondays with Verbum Domini

2011-11-07T00:00:00.000-08:00

The proclamation of God’s word, reconciliation and peace between peoples

Among the many areas where commitment is needed, the Synod earnestly called for the promotion of reconciliation and peace. In the present context it is more necessary than ever to rediscover the word of God as a source of reconciliation and peace, since in that word God is reconciling to himself all things (cf. 2 Cor 5:18-20; Eph 1:10): Christ “is our peace” (Eph 2:14), the one who breaks down the walls of division. A number of interventions at the Synod documented the grave and violent conflicts and tensions present on our planet. At times these hostilities seem to take on the appearance of interreligious conflict. Here I wish to affirm once more that religion can never justify intolerance or war. We cannot kill in God’s name! Each religion must encourage the right use of reason and promote ethical values that consolidate civil coexistence.

In fidelity to the work of reconciliation accomplished by God in Jesus Christ crucified and risen, Catholics and men and women of goodwill must commit themselves to being an example of reconciliation for the building of a just and peaceful society. We should never forget that “where human words become powerless because the tragic clash of violence and arms prevails, the prophetic power of God’s word does not waver, reminding us that peace is possible and that we ourselves must be instruments of reconciliation and peace”. -Verbum Domini 102

A New NABRE on Kindle

2011-11-05T00:00:00.001-07:00

Michael Pierce, who recently contacted me through this blog, wanted me to alert you to a new Kindle edition of the NABRE. While it is not the first version of the NABRE to be available for the Kindle, it does have a number of unique features according to the product description:

We are proud to release an electronic edition of the New American Bible: Revised Edition (NABRE), which features an excellent formatting true to the paper edition and multiple navigation aids, which allow opening any verse in the Bible in seconds (as explained in detail in the book itself). All material, including footnotes, is preserved and cross referenced within the text. This is the one electronic Bible that every believer must have because it is more convenient and faster to use than the paper edition.

Michael provided a little background information about the production of this edition:

We asked USCCB/CCD for a permission to release a Kindle version of NAB in early 2010. We promised them that our Kindle conversion would be superior because it would go beyond just great formatting of the Bible on the Kindle and hyperlinked TOC; our approach is to make a Kindle Bible the most navigable and convenient to use out of electronic Bibles. At that time, the USCCB indicated that NABRE was still not approved for publication. Once NABRE was released, we worked for months to make the perfect conversion to the Kindle and then CCD had to review and approve our work (it is a long process in itself because they did review the entire work and we had to sign some contracts with them).

NABRE has similar features and navigation as the following publications:
Kindle Catholic English-Latin Diglot Bible (D-R and Vulgate)
Kindle Catholic Bible (D-R)

Also, Michael is willing to field any questions from you about this new product. Please do so by submitting questions in the comment box.

New NABRE Responses

2011-11-03T08:21:00.000-07:00

Thanks again to Mary Sperry for taking the time to respond to these questions:

1. I know that the process of Bible translation is often an ongoing process. Are there any plans for either minor revisions or major revisions of the NAB/NABRE or its notes in the coming few years?
At present, nothing has been firmly determined. I would expect that a plan for the future will be developed in 2012.

2. A number of readers have noted that since the NAB NT notes quote the older NAB OT, they no longer are in harmony with the NABRE OT. (For example, the note to Matthew 24:15 now misquotes Daniel 12:11). Are there any plans to make at least minor updates to the NAB NT notes so they refer to the NABRE text?
While these updates seem minor, they would require complete reprinting (and likely some resetting) by the publishers. As such, they are unlikely to take place in the near future.

3. When will the revised edition of the Textual Notes on the New American Bible (promised in the NABRE introduction) appear?
We are hoping to post them on the USCCB website soon. There are two reasons for the delay: 1) We are still working out major bugs in the principal elements of the site. 2) The files of the textual notes are in a somewhat outdated computer program which we need to convert to make sure that the symbols and diacritical markings are retained. Obviously, that’s not a task we can hand off to a temp. Realistically, I’m hoping for early 2012. In addition, the Catholic Biblical Association will be offering a print edition for people who want a copy for their bookshelves.

4. Were the cross-references in the NABRE substantially revised from the NAB OT cross-references?
Yes, they are far more extensive.

5. Some readers have concerns that the cross-references in the NAB are not very extensive. Are licensed publishers permitted to integrate more extensive cross-references in an edition, or are they contractually limited to only use the existing NAB/NABRE cross-references?
Usually, the complaint I hear is the opposite: that the NAB helps are far too extensive! That being said, publishers may, if they wish, add to these materials as long as they are distinguished rom what comes as part of the “official” NABRE.

6. The decision was made to not use traditional Catholic phrasing in places such as Luke 1:28 and Isaiah 7:14. Is there a chance of an update rectifying these problems?
It is unlikely that either of these will change soon as they are accurate renderings of the underlying Greek and Hebrew, respectively. Though I am aware of debates about translating the Greek of Luke 1, I am far more knowledgeable about Isaiah 7:14 as I was in the office for most of the translation process on the OT. (During the NT translation, I was in high school and college and blissfully unaware of how heated translation debates can become!) In the case of Isaiah 7:14, the Hebrew word “almah” is accurately translated as “young woman.” Hebrew has a different word for “virgin” (“bethulah”) which Isaiah uses in 62:5. The NABRE uses different renderings following different Hebrew words in the original.

7. Are there any plans for an update of the New Testament?
Not at present.

8. If so, try to add "full of grace" somewhere, and please, please don't go the way of many other translations and add more "inclusive" language.
If the NT is updated (a multi-year process at best), I would expect (and this is just my informed opinion based on the OT translation experience) that “full of grace” would likely appear (at least) in a note as an alternative reading. Any revised translation will strive to preserve the distinctions made in the original between gender-specific group nouns and gender-inclusive group nouns to the extent possible given modern English’s lack of a human yet gender-neutral third person singular pronoun.

9. Along these lines, is there any chance the Bible will be brought in to conformity with the liturgy?
Translations of Scripture follow different rules than do liturgical translations. Bible translators are called upon to translate the best available critical editions of the original texts. Liturgiam authenticam sets out different standards that are, in some cases (most sepcifically the reliance on the Nova Vulgata), in conflict with the Bible translation directions established by Pope Pius XII in Divino Afflate Spiritu in 1942.

10. Is there a set schedule for review and revision of the text and notes?
No. The bishops of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine consult with a board of scholars to determine when a review and/or revision is needed.

11. If there is an update of the notes, is there any chance the tone will be substantially altered, rejecting at least the wholesale preaching as a foregone assumption the debated two-source Q-theory in the gospels? Or even a move to bring the notes back in to (greater) continuity with the sacred Tradition of the Church?
I would have to disagree with the underlying assumption of this question. Among other things, the NABRE introduction to the Gospel of Matthew clearly identifies the Two-Source theory as “The one now favored by the majority of scholars.” In addition, the notes are part of the canonical review.

12. Many people do not like the NAB notes, finding them far too critical/skeptical and in discontinuity with sacred tradition (cf. the Holy Father's comments on the proper use of the historical-critical method, esp. those found in the prologue of "Jesus of Nazareth"), but can't find an edition of the NAB with different ones. Is there any way that different notes could be included, as long as they received imprimatur and were licensed, as the myriad commentaries and annotations that can be found in many different versions of the RSV? The "New Catholic Answer Bible" already has inserts that amount to essentially additional theological annotation, granted a separate imprimatur from the Bible itself.
No. The NABRE notes are a constitutive part of the text and cannot be eliminated apart from very special circumstances (most notably parallel Bibles and audio Bibles). The notes are part of the text as reviewed for the approval to publish.

13. Some publishers have gone half-way to having end-notes, but this is not a satisfactory solution to the "note problem", as one ends up with what amounts to a text edition.
Permission to move to end notes is granted rarely and will become even more rare in the future as it tends, effectively, to eliminate the notes.

14. The note of Matthew 19:13-15 comment of an understanding of some scholars who think of that passage of the Bible as a justification for the practice of infant baptism. I would be important to me to know more about that, and I want to know where I can find more information.
I would recommend a good commentary on the Gospel of Matthew.

15. Will the NT be revised to reflect the Lectionary, i.e., "hail full of grace", "Christ" rather than "Messiah", etc.
Answered above, #9.

16. It would also be nice if the footnotes and commentary could be revised to show less of a critical stance, and more of a faith based POV. Perhaps develope two sets of footnotes: one for editions marketed to history buffs, and one for editions for the average Catholic that inspire faith rather than put cracks in it.
Preparing a second set of notes is certainly a possibility. While any notes will, of course, reflect the best available biblical scholarship, there are reasonable concerns that the present notes presume a theological sophistication that may not be widely present. The language used in many of the notes is hard for many NABRE readers to understand, limiting the utility of these resources.

17. How were the footnotes and commentaries in the NABRE formulated? I'm just curious as to the whole process all the annotations had to go through. I'm wondering whether there are any parallels with the story of the new Mass translation.
I can’t speak to the process of the new Mass translation beyond the requirements of liturgical law. The canons require separate paths for approval for Bible translations and liturgical translations. Liturgical translations must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the bishops of an episcopal conference and confirmed by the Holy See’s Congregation for Divine Worship. A Bible translation must be approved by either the Holy See or the conference of bishops. In practice, the Holy See tends to refer such approvals to the local conference. The USCCB established a process for such approval in the late 1980s. This process was applied to the OT revision. In accord with that policy, any revision of the NAB is reviewed by the Subcommittee on Scripture Translations and proposed to the Administrative Committee which is asked to recommend that the Conference President approve its publication. Other Bible translations need not be presented to the Administrative Committee.

Now, as to the more specific question of the introductions and notes: These materials are developed in the same way as the rest of the translation. The editorial board identifies possible translators who are approved by at least the chairman of the bishops’ subcommittee. Those translators who agree to undertake the task create the translation and accompanying materials using the best available critical edition (noting any especially significant alternative readings). When submitted, the translator’s work includes the text plus an introduction, notes, and textual notes. That work is reviewed by an editor who engages in dialogue with the translator as necessary. The editor then presents the book to a group of editors who make comments and changes. Ultimately, each book is presented to the full editorial board for final review and comment. Then the text is submitted to the Subcommittee on Scripture Translations. The subcommittee assigns one or two censors to each book. Each censor submits comments, queries, and recommended changes to the subcommittee. The subcommittee reviews these recommendations and passes some of them on to the editorial board for further consideration. To clarify, the censors and the subcommittee review the notes and and the introductions as well as the text. The subcommittee and the editorial board then discuss the suggested changes until all parties are in agreement. Only then does the full text move to the Administrative Committee for a vote. (And yes, that takes as long as it sounds!)

18. Also, is a Catholic required to believe in the verbal inerrancy of Sacred Scripture?
Catholics are not required to believe in plenary verbal inerrancy. I would refer you to the excellent resources from the Pontifical Biblical Commision: On the Historicity of the Gospels and The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church

19. Why is there no Imprimatur or Nihil Obstat for the NABRE OT? Is this forthcoming?
According to the canonists, the canonical rescript replaces the imprimatur. As I am not a canonist, I cannot explain this in any further detail.

20. Why is the Imprimatur for the 1991 Psalms listed at the beginning of the NABRE?
That’s actually an error caused by a contractual inconsistency. Hopefully, it will be corrected on reprints.

21. How many years can we expect to see the modified 1991 NAB Psalms in the liturgy instead of the Revised Grail Psalter?

Has the format and approval process to integrate the NABRE OT into the Lectionary began yet (or is this on a tentative back-burner?)

Has the format and approval process to integrate the NABRE OT and NT into the Breviary began yet (or is this on a tentative back-burner?)
I put all these questions together because they have the same answer. That decision rests with the Bishops’ Committee on Divine Worship. Of course, the Confraternity will ensure that they have access to the text files if they would find them helpful.

22. Are there any future plans at this time for a more literal and/or traditional english Bible translation that meets the requirements for Liturgiam Authenticam or is it the general concensus of the USCCB that the NABRE can stand indefinitly?
Answered above, see #9.

23. The NABRE website is a big improvement over the old NAB website! It's really nice! The only issue I've run into is that it isn't as easy to hyperlink directly to a notes as it was with the old website. Do you have any advice about how to do that?
If you can explain exactly what you want to do, I’ll pass that on to the developers and see what’s possible. (I know even less about web design than I do about canon law.)

24. Who is the intended audience of the NABRE notes? Several commenters on this blog have noticed that the notes are sometimes pretty academic and might be unclear to anyone without a college-level understanding of Biblical scholarship. For instance the note at Job 13:15 says, "Many translations adopt the Ketib reading, “I have no hope.”" The term "Ketib" doesn't appear anywhere else in the NABRE and is left unexplained. It seems that the note assumes that the reader knows Hebrew spelling and the quirks of the Masoretic text, which most people do not.
See the response to #16 above.

25. Now that the NABRE is complete what is going to happen to all the translators/editors? What are they currently working on?
Some of the translators and editors have passed from this life. (In this month of All Souls, prayers would be most appreciated.) Some have retired. (Keep in mind that this revision project began in 1992.) The majority continue teaching and writing at universities and seminaries in the US and around the world. If you Google their names, you can catch up with most of them.

26. Was there an effort to de-emphasize marriage in the revised Song of Songs? For instance the introductory essay now reads: "It represents an inspired portray of ideal human love, a resounding affirmation of the goodness of human sexuality that is applicable to the sacredness and the depth of marriage." In the original NAB this was two sentences that read: "While the Song is thus commonly understood by most Catholic scholars, it is also possible to see in it an inspired portrayal of ideal human love. Here we would have from God a description of the sacredness and the depth of married union." Also, the speakers are identified as "W", "M", and "D" (Woman, Man, and Daughters of Jerusalem) in the NABRE, but they were "B", "G", and "D" (Bride, Groom, and Daughters of Jerusalem) in the NAB. Another example of this is the way that the note to Song 4:12 was revised, where "Lover" was "Bridegroom" and "fruitful, committed relationship" was "fidelity".

I don't read the Song of Solomon, but this is ridiculous. It's already too pornographic as is: the only thing that saves it is a very strong metaphorical interpretation, and it looks like it's getting less metaphorical by the minute.

I wonder if it has anything to do with the newish train in Catholic thought that says, "Celibacy is not inherently better than the alternative, just a different vocation", compared to the older, traditional, Patristic, "celibacy is a higher calling than marriage".

And even the marital overtones are being lost! The above poster certainly seems justified after a glance at the Song of Solomon in my NABRE - it's starting to sound a lot more "significant other"-ish instead of Bride of Christ-ish or even the Sacrament of Matrimony-al.

What's next, the Catholic Church saying, "the spread of fornication is inevitable, we must justify it" like other denominations (when they said, "birth control is on the rise, so we better accommodate it or lose parishioners"). I love the Catholic Church as a bastion against such relativism, as a staunch defender of the natural law morality!

Since this whole comment deals with Song of Songs, I thought I’d handle it in a single response. First, the marginal notes identifying the speakers are not part of the Hebrew text. They were added in a later Greek recension. The revised text follows the Hebrew very closely. The Hebrew text most commonly describes the speakers as lovers or beloveds. (Some translations use “darling” which I personally find a bit cloying in modern English.)

I must, however, strongly object to the statement that the Song of Songs is pornographic. Pornography is typically defined as work that has no meaning or value apart from its ability to arouse. To characterize a book of the Bible as pornographic would seem to cast aspersions on the Church’s decision to include this book in the canon of Scripture by saying is has no theological import.

Without question, the language of Song of Songs is graphic and erotic. (In some places, the Hebrew is even more graphic than the English rendering. The revisers were careful to avoid vulgarity here and in other places.) However, the language does speak to the fact that human sexuality is a gift of God which has great value and, as such, deserves appropriate expression. The text can be read metaphorically. You may wish to read Bernard of Clairvaux’s commentary which is probably the landmark metaphorical reading of the text.

I would dispute that the revised text downplays marriage. The marital imagery is mentioned frequently in the introduction and the text includes many references to the faithful, committed, and fruitful union that is marriage.

27. I'm curious if the notes on St. Paul's letters, especially Romans, will reflect any development in that area given all the recent focus on what Paul meant by "law" and "works".
Any future revision of the NABRE will reflect the best available scholarship on the text.

28. Has the Confraternity given thought to proposing to the Canadian bishops to take the NABRE for their Lectionary instead of the NRSV? Or the UK bishops?
As a matter of course, the Confraternity does not propose, though we stand ready to respond to any queries or requests from episcopal conferences.

29. An Anglicianised version would be nice.
Such an edition is being prepared by Pauline Publications Africa for distribution in Africa. This edition will be accompanied by introductions and notes commissioned by the Kenyan Episcopal Conference to situate the scriptural text in the African context.

30. I did find much of the American country-bumpkin vernacular in the original NAB to be terrible (such as "dilly-dally" in the Binding of Isaac), but it seems most has been removed in the NABRE (of which the OT still has a lion's share of problems, but at least not that one, which made the Bible read like it took place in Tennessee instead of the Near East).
I’m not sure what text you are reading, but the NAB translation of Genesis 22 does not use the word “dilly-dally.” You may be thinking of the word “yonder” which is a viable English word, though no longer in frequent usage. Just another sign of how language changes over time.

I want to thank Tim for the opportunity to respond to these question and thank you all for your excellent questions and for your obvious love of God’s Holy Word.

The New Evangelization and the Bible Part 1

2011-11-02T07:32:00.000-07:00

Blessed Pope John Paul II, following the lead of Pope Paul VI in Evangelii Nuntiandi, called on the whole Church to be involved in a New Evangelization leading up to the Millennium year of 2000. In his encyclical letter Redemptoris Missio, JPII declared that "the moment has come to commit all of the Church's energies to a new evangelization and to the mission ad gentes. No believer in Christ, no institution of the Church can avoid this supreme duty: to proclaim Christ to all peoples(2-3)." This is quite a charge, and one that needs to be heeded, particularly in the West.

Following the lead of his venerable predecessors, Pope Benedict has recently declared that October 11, 2012 will begin a "Year of Faith". It will mark not only the fifty year anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, but also the Synod of Bishops meeting on the New Evangelization.

So, my question to you is what role do the Holy Scriptures have in the New Evangelization?

Here is what Blessed John Paul II said in this regard, in paragraph 39 of his wonderful apostolic letter Novo Millennio Ineunte:

"There is no doubt that this primacy of holiness and prayer is inconceivable without a renewed listening to the word of God. Ever since the Second Vatican Council underlined the pre-eminent role of the word of God in the life of the Church, great progress has certainly been made in devout listening to Sacred Scripture and attentive study of it. Scripture has its rightful place of honour in the public prayer of the Church. Individuals and communities now make extensive use of the Bible, and among lay people there are many who devote themselves to Scripture with the valuable help of theological and biblical studies. But it is above all the work of evangelization and catechesis which is drawing new life from attentiveness to the word of God. Dear brothers and sisters, this development needs to be consolidated and deepened, also by making sure that every family has a Bible. It is especially necessary that listening to the word of God should become a life-giving encounter, in the ancient and ever valid tradition of lectio divina, which draws from the biblical text the living word which questions, directs and shapes our lives."

More recently, Pope Benedict XVI in his recent post-synodal apostolic exhortation Verbum Domini (96) remarked:

"Pope John Paul II, taking up the prophetic words of Pope Paul VI in the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi, had in a variety of ways reminded the faithful of the need for a new missionary season for the entire people of God. At the dawn of the third millennium not only are there still many peoples who have not come to know the Good News, but also a great many Christians who need to have the word of God once more persuasively proclaimed to them, so that they can concretely experience the power of the Gospel. Many of our brothers and sisters are “baptized, but insufficiently evangelized”. In a number of cases, nations once rich in faith and in vocations are losing their identity under the influence of a secularized culture. The need for a new evangelization, so deeply felt by my venerable Predecessor, must be valiantly reaffirmed, in the certainty that God’s word is effective. The Church, sure of her Lord’s fidelity, never tires of proclaiming the good news of the Gospel and invites all Christians to discover anew the attraction of following Christ."

The use of Scripture in our daily prayer is essential, but how are we to use Scripture in the active evangelization of our culture?

A Blessed All Saints Day!

2011-11-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

I, John, saw another angel come up from the East,
holding the seal of the living God.
He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels
who were given power to damage the land and the sea,
"Do not damage the land or the sea or the trees
until we put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God."
I heard the number of those who had been marked with the seal,
one hundred and forty-four thousand marked
from every tribe of the children of Israel.

After this I had a vision of a great multitude,
which no one could count,
from every nation, race, people, and tongue.
They stood before the throne and before the Lamb,
wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.
They cried out in a loud voice:

"Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne,
and from the Lamb."

All the angels stood around the throne
and around the elders and the four living creatures.
They prostrated themselves before the throne,
worshiped God, and exclaimed:

"Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving,
honor, power, and might
be to our God forever and ever. Amen."

Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me,
"Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?"
I said to him, "My lord, you are the one who knows."
He said to me, "These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress;they have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.-Revelation 7 (NABRE)

Bible Study Series: Judah 5-16

2011-10-31T07:15:00.000-07:00

“Now I desire to remind you, though you were once for all fully informed, that he who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels that did not keep their own position but left their proper dwelling have been kept by him in eternal chains in the nether gloom until the judgment of the great day; just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise acted immorally and indulged in unnatural lust, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. Yet in like manner these men in their dreamings defile the flesh, reject authority, and revile the glorious ones. But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, disputed about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a reviling judgment upon him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you." But these men revile whatever they do not understand, and by those things that they know by instinct as irrational animals do, they are destroyed. Woe to them! For they walk in the way of Cain, and abandon themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam's error, and perish in Korah's rebellion. These are blemishes on your love feasts, as they boldly carouse together, looking after themselves; waterless clouds, carried along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars for whom the nether gloom of darkness has been reserved for ever. It was of these also that Enoch in the seventh generation from Adam prophesied, saying, "Behold, the Lord came with his holy myriads, to execute judgment on all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness which they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him." These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own passions, loud-mouthed boasters, flattering people to gain advantage.” (RSV)

NT Wright acknowledges a number of difficulties when reading this section from Judah. As he suggests, one of the main issues is coming to grips with the fact that “things could have been, or could be again, quite as bad as he (Judah) is making out (199).” In this context, particularly with the harsh and direct tone that Judah takes, it can be tempting to accuse Judah of “demonizing people” as Wright suggests some may do today. But as he points out, distancing themselves (ourselves) “from what Judah has perceived as the enormous danger facing the church, opening up in front of the little community like a huge hole in the road into which, unless they watch out, they will stumble to their doom (199).”

I begin with this wisdom from Wright because it captures the reality of what is at stake in the mind of Judah as he writes his letter to this young Christian community (and to us). This section of Judah (5-16) focuses on the false teachers/ungodly people in the midst of this community. There are a lot of unique references to the Old Testament (as well as apocryphal literature) in this section. While often the discussion on this section turns to either the unnatural lust of the ungodly or Judah’s use of apocryphal books (which I am sure will occur in the comments), I am going to focus on verse 5.

In verse 5, Judah begins: “I wish to remind you, although you know all things, that [the] Lord who once saved a people from the land of Egypt later destroyed those who did not believe (NABRE).” (I should note that “Lord” in verse 5 is attested to in some ancient manuscripts, while others read “he” or “Jesus” or God”.) Judah sets the tone for the rest of this section by pointing out that even those who had seen the Lord free them from bondage in Egypt, and brought them safely to Mt. Sinai, quickly fell away and were “destroyed.” Their lack of faith is a warning to this new community of Christian believers. Like the ancient Hebrews, our call is to remain faithful, knowing that our journey with God will not always be easy. This is not only for the new believer, like the community to which Judah writes, but also to those who have remained steadfast throughout their lives. It is important to remember Judah’s charge at the very beginning of this letter to “contend for the faith.” All are called to remain, in a truly active sense, faithful and to trust in the Lord. May we not be like the Hebrews, who in Exodus 16:16-21, did not trust that the LORD would provide each day the manna that they (and we) need. Lack of faith and trust can lead us down a road to where we begin to act like the ungodly, which inevitably brings about judgment.

The verses that follow provide a series of examples of ungodly actions done by both man and angel. Judah sites Old Testament passages and the writings from OT apocrypha (1 Enoch and Assumption of Moses?) to show that those who remain unfaithful and engage in wickedness are condemned. Of note, verse 12 mentions abuse at “love feasts” which indicates that there were liturgical abuses even back in the first century (see also 1 Corinthians 11). The Navarre commentary notes that “these false teachers are quite happy to attend Christian assemblies, but they end an immoral life and cause scandal (650).” Again, this small letter is not only useful to the original readers, but also to us in 2011.

Verses 17-25 will conclude this letter with additional warnings, but also with an important exhortation and benediction. We’ll look at that in the coming days. But for now, I open the comment box to you for your thoughts and wisdom, particularly in the middle section of this portion of Jude.

Mondays with Verbum Domini

2011-10-31T00:00:00.000-07:00

The word of God and commitment to justice in society

God’s word inspires men and women to build relationships based on rectitude and justice, and testifies to the great value in God’s eyes of every effort to create a more just and more liveable world. The word of God itself unambiguously denounces injustices and promotes solidarity and equality. In the light of the Lord’s words, let us discern the “signs of the times” present in history, and not flee from a commitment to those who suffer and the victims of forms of selfishness.
The Synod recalled that a commitment to justice and to changing our world is an essential element of evangelization. In the words of Pope Paul VI, we must “reach and as it were overturn with the force of the Gospel the standards of judgement, the interests, the thought-patterns, the sources of inspiration and life-styles of humanity that are in contrast with the word of God and with his plan for salvation”.

For this reason, the Synod Fathers wished to say a special word to all those who take part in political and social life. Evangelization and the spread of God’s word ought to inspire their activity in the world, as they work for the true common good in respecting and promoting the dignity of every person. Certainly it is not the direct task of the Church to create a more just society, although she does have the right and duty to intervene on ethical and moral issues related to the good of individuals and peoples. It is primarily the task of the lay faithful, formed in the school of the Gospel, to be directly involved in political and social activity. For this reason, the Synod recommends that they receive a suitable formation in the principles of the Church’s social teaching.

I would like also to call the attention of everyone to the importance of defending and promoting the human rights of every person, based on the natural law written on the human heart, which, as such, are “universal, inviolable and inalienable”. The Church expresses the hope that by the recognition of these rights human dignity will be more effectively acknowledged and universally promoted, inasmuch as it is a distinctive mark imprinted by the Creator on his creatures, taken up and redeemed by Jesus Christ through his incarnation, death and resurrection. The spread of the word of God cannot fail to strengthen the recognition of, and respect for, the human rights of every person.- Verbum Domini 100

Sirach 24 in the RSV-2CE

2011-10-27T10:10:00.000-07:00

So I was reading through Sirach 24 in the RSV-2CE recently and noticed that there are quite a few additions to it, in comparison with the original RSV-CE. As we have noted in some previous posts, the RSV-2CE does choose to side with the Douay-Rheims in a number of instances, against the RSV-CE. Whether that is a good or bad thing is not so much my concern, but rather it is frustrating that the RSV-2CE is lacking important textual notes indicating why a particular verse has been added (or removed). Sirach 24, in many ways, is a perfect example. Here are a few:

Sirach 24:1
Wisdom will praise herself, and will glory in the midst of her people. (RSV-CE)

Wisdom will praise herself and is honored by God, and will glory in the midst of her people. (RSV-2CE)

Wisdom shall praise her own self, and shall be honoured in God, and shall glory in the midst of her people. (DR)

Sirach 24:2
In the assembly of the Most High she will open her mouth, and in the presence of his host she will glory. (RSV-CE)

In the assembly of the Most High she will open her mouth, and in the presence of his host she will glory. In the midst of her people she is exalted; in holy fulness she is admired. In the multitude of the chosen she fins praise, and among the blessed she is blessed. (RSV-2CE)

And shall open her mouth in the churches of the most High, and shall glorify herself in the sight of his power, And in the midst of her own people she shall be exalted, and shall be admired in the holy assembly. And in the multitude of the elect she shall have praise, and among the blessed she shall be blessed. (DR v. 2-4)

Sirach 24:3
I came forth from the mouth of the Most High, and covered the earth like a mist. (RSV-CE)

I came forth from the mouth of the Most High, the first-born before all creatures. I ordained that an unfailing light should arise in the heavens, and covered the earth like a mist. (RSV-2CE)

I came out of the mouth of the most High, the firstborn before all creatures:
I made that in the heavens there should rise light that never faileth, and as a cloud I covered all the earth. (DR v. 5-6)

Sirach 24:12
I took root in an honored people, in the portion of the Lord, who is their inheritance. (RSV-CE)

I took root in an honored people, in the portion of the Lord, who is their inheritance, and my abode was in the full assembly of the saints. (RSV-2CE)

And I took root in an honourable people, and in the portion of my God his inheritance, and my abode is in the full assembly of saints. (DR 16)

Putting textual criticism issues aside for the moment, why are there no textual notes in the RSV-2CE to indicate these changes? Again, remember, there isn't even a preface to the RSV-2CE which states their philosophy for the 2nd Edition. The one thing that is very clear to me, the more I read the RSV-2CE, is that not only was the editing selective and geared toward lining it up with the Douay-Rheims, but that the description of the revision given by Ignatius as "minor revisions to some of the archaic language used in the first edition" is not telling the whole story. It is more extensive than that, and the only tool we have to seeing the changes does not come from Ignatius Press, but through the RSV Concordance offered by Emmaus Road.

The Kingdom New Testament by NT Wright

2011-10-27T07:16:00.001-07:00

You can now view the introduction and some selections from NT Wright's translation of the New Testament here. Those of you who have purchased his For Everybody commentary series are familiar with the translation, but this is the first time it has been gathered into one volume. This hardbound edition comes in a single-column page layout, along with quite a few maps. Not sure at this point if I will be purchasing this volume. How about you?

The Ordinariate and the RSV-2CE Lectionary

2011-10-27T04:11:00.000-07:00

Thanks to reader Francesco for pointing out this post from The Anglo-Catholic about the Anglican Ordinariate's use of the RSV-2CE. The post informs us that an AU parish in the US has acquired the entire stock of Ignatius' RSV-2CE Lectionaries and are going to be selling them at a 67% discount off the regular price to incoming Anglicans.

New Scott Hahn Commentary on 1&2 Chronicles

2011-10-26T03:00:00.000-07:00

The release date for this title, which is being published by Baker Academic, is February 12, 2012. Here is a description of this upcoming title:

Bestselling author and theologian Scott Hahn views the author of Chronicles as the first biblical theologian. Chronicles offers the first attempt to understand and interpret the entire sweep of Old Testament history from the creation of the world to the Israelites' return from exile.

This commentary presents 1-2 Chronicles as a liturgical and theological interpretation of Israel's history. Hahn emphasizes the liturgical structure and content of Chronicles and provides fresh insight on salvation history: past, present, and future. He also shows how Chronicles provides important insights into key New Testament concepts. The book gives professors, students, and pastors a better understanding of Chronicles, salvation history, and theological interpretation of the Old Testament.

Baker also provides a table of contents:

Now the Records Are Ancient: An Introduction to Chronicles

1 Chronicles
1. Chronicle of All Divine History: A Genealogy of Grace in a Time of Exile and Restoration (1 Chr. 1-9)
2. Highly Exalted for the Sake of His People Israel: The Rise of David and His Kingdom (1 Chr. 10-16)
3. His Throne Shall be Established Forever: God's Covenant with King David (1 Chr. 17)
4. God Gives Rest to His People: The Beginnings of the Temple-Kingdom Age (1 Chr. 18-29)

2 Chronicles
5. Liturgy and Empire: Theocracy in the Temple Age (2 Chr. 1-9)
6. In Rebellion Since That Day: After the House of David Is Divided (2 Chr. 10-28)
7. Exile and Return: The Fall and Rise of the Kingdom (2 Chr. 29-36)
Indexes

Bible Study Series: Judah 1-4

2011-10-25T06:49:00.000-07:00

“Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: 2 May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. 3 Beloved, being very eager to write to you of our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For admission has been secretly gained by some who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly persons who pervert the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” (RSV)

“From Jude, servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James; to those who are called, to those who are dear to God the Father and kept safe for Jesus Christ, 2 mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance. 3 My dear friends, at a time when I was eagerly looking forward to writing to you about the salvation that we all share, I felt that I must write to you encouraging you to fight hard for the faith which has been once and for all entrusted to God's holy people. 4 Certain people have infiltrated among you, who were long ago marked down for condemnation on this account; without any reverence they pervert the grace of our God to debauchery and deny all religion, rejecting our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” (NJB)

Verses 1-4 contain the salutary greeting and the occasion for the writing of this letter. The writer of this letter identifies himself as Judah (Jude or Judas). (We discussed in the introductory post about the issue of authorship, so I will direct you here for more info.)

(1-2) It can be tempting to quickly pass through the opening salutations in many of the NT letters, which is a shame since examples like this one prove to be quite beautiful and rich. As the compact Navarre New Testament point out: “In the way he describes his addressees, the writer provides a description what a Christian is: his life starts with a call from God, it develops thanks to the grace of God, and reaches its culmination in Jesus Christ (649).” Indeed, it is a striking description, which should bring great solace to all those who are “kept safe for Christ” no matter if you are living in the first or the twenty-first century. As many early Christian letters offer the reader “grace and peace” this one is more expansive in bestowing “mercy, peace, and love” in abundance to those who are “beloved in God.” We will see this again in the concluding remarks (Perkins 147). Hahn and Mitch suggest that this is an expanded form of the “Jewish greeting of shalom (ICSBNT 485).”

(3-4) The need to be “kept safe” is due to the infiltration of false teachers into the community to which Judah writes. Judah clearly sensed the vulnerability of these Christians against those false teachers, hence his quick transition from the opening greeting to immediately addressing the problem at hand. These false teachers, or intruders, “pervert the grace of our God” through immoral living (debauchery) and by proposing a false understanding of Jesus. (More will be revealed about this in subsequent verses.) That is why Judah encourages them to “contend for the faith”, because as NT Wright suggests: “The very heart of the Christian faith is under direct attack, and unless those who are grasped by the truth of the gospel do their best to maintain it those who are heading in another direction are going to take a lot of people with them (Wright 195).”

HarperOne's NABRE

2011-10-24T08:53:00.000-07:00

A possible paperback cover has emerged for HarperOne's upcoming NABRE release, which is set for February 29th/March 6th. While I haven't been able to find any images of the page layout, it does seem that this NABRE will include the cross-references and notes on the same page as the sacred text. This edition will have "durable binding" and include maps, according to the HarperOne site.

Mondays with Verbum Domini

2011-10-24T04:27:00.001-07:00

Serving Jesus in “the least of his brethren” (Mt 25:40)

The word of God sheds light on human existence and stirs our conscience to take a deeper look at our lives, inasmuch as all human history stands under God’s judgment: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations” (Mt 25:31-32). Nowadays we tend to halt in a superficial way before the importance of the passing moment, as if it had nothing to do with the future. The Gospel, on the other hand, reminds us that every moment of our life is important and must be lived intensely, in the knowledge that everyone will have to give an account of his or her life. In the twenty-fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, the Son of Man considers whatever we do or do not do to “the least of his brethren” (cf. 25:40, 45) as done or not done to himself: “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me” (25:35-36). The word of God itself emphasizes the need for our engagement in the world and our responsibility before Christ, the Lord of history. As we proclaim the Gospel, let us encourage one another to do good and to commit ourselves to justice, reconciliation and peace. -Verbum Domini 99

Catholic Answers on the Canon

2011-10-21T07:42:00.001-07:00

Last Chance for New NABRE Questions

2011-10-21T07:36:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day for you to submit any questions you have about the NARBE to Mary Sperry. Please follow this link to submit questions in the comment section.

Picture of the Day

2011-10-20T06:07:00.000-07:00

Beginning the Letter of Judah

2011-10-19T09:22:00.000-07:00

The Letter of Jude is a short, but fascinating writing of the New Testament. Much like the equally short Letter to Philemon by Paul, there can be a tendency to fly through these letters without stopping to appreciate the importance of the message. (Hopefully we will be able to do so with this ongoing study.) This letter provides us a small insight into Judah’s fierce reaction to false teachers and bad morality. In many ways, this letter shows that the early Church had real issues it needed to deal with, some of them not unlike ones we deal with today. A couple of further points to consider before we proceed:

Author:
In Greek, the writer calls himself Ioudas. For various reasons, most likely do to connection to Judas Iscariot, many translations have preferred to translate the name as Jude. Along with Jude or Judas, it is also possible to refer to this writer as Judah. N.T. Wright prefers to call him Judah, since that name is both “royal and ancient.” I will use them interchangeably during this study, although I tend to prefer Judah. It should be noted that there are a number of people with the same name mentioned in the New Testament, including Judas Iscariot, Judas Barsabbas (Acts 15:22), the Apostle Judas the Son of James (Lk 6:16) sometimes called Thaddeus (Mk 3:18), and another Judas, a kinsman of Jesus and brother to James (Mt 13:55/Mark 6:3). Since the latter Judas is the only one mentioned to have a brother named James, which our letter writer refers to in the opening verse, most scholars tend to believe that this is the Judas who wrote the epistle.

Date:
As with many books in the New Testament, it is difficult to give a precise date of composition. Some commentaries date it as early as the 50’s while others think it was composed at the beginning of the second century. The letter is not addressed to any particular person or community, and the opponents to which Jude describes cannot be pinpointed precisely. Many scholars are uncertain as to whether he is arguing against Jews, Jewish-Christians, or Gnostics. Also, there is the issue of the literary connection between Jude and 2 Peter. The possibility that one drew information from another is likely, but did Jude borrow from 2 Peter or vice-versa?

Outline:
Jude 1-4
Jude 5-16
Jude 17-25

Resources that I will be utilizing:
Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament
The Navarre Bible New Testament Compact Edition
The Early Christian Letters for Everyone (NT Wright)
Interpretation: First and Second Peter, James, and Jude (Perkins)
New Oxford Annotated Bible 4th Edition

If News Existed in 1200 BC

2011-10-18T04:34:00.000-07:00

A funny video that rightfully mocks, among other things, the current state of the media.

(Thanks to Mark Shea for posting.)

New NABRE Questions

2011-10-17T10:06:00.000-07:00

Back in early 2010 Mary Sperry, Associate Director for the Utilization of the NAB at the USCCB, answered questions from readers of this blog regarding the upcoming publication of the NABRE. It turned out to be a great opportunity to gain some insight into what could be expected with the NABRE. Recently, Mary has agreed to field some additional questions from you, my wonderful readers. This is in many ways an opportune time, since we have been able to read and assess the NABRE for a little over 6 months now.

So, over the next couple of days, please use the comment box to ask any question you would like in regards to the NABRE. Please do not address any questions in regards to NABRE editions, since the USCCB does not publish the NABRE. And, of course, please make sure that all questions are charitable in tone. (If charity is lacking in your comment, I will not be charitable in moderating it.)

The deadline for submitting questions is Friday.

B16 Announces 2012-2013 as "Year of Faith"

2011-10-17T07:59:00.000-07:00

Mondays with Verbum Domini

2011-10-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

I believe that this is a very important section in the document. I have bolded some parts which I think are particularly noteworthy.

The word of God and Christian witness

The immense horizons of the Church’s mission and the complexity of today’s situation call for new ways of effectively communicating the word of God. The Holy Spirit, the protagonist of all evangelization, will never fail to guide Christ’s Church in this activity. Yet it is important that every form of proclamation keep in mind, first of all, the intrinsic relationship between the communication of God’s word and Christian witness. The very credibility of our proclamation depends on this. On the one hand, the word must communicate every-thing that the Lord himself has told us. On the other hand, it is indispensable, through witness, to make this word credible, lest it appear merely as a beautiful philosophy or utopia, rather than a reality that can be lived and itself give life. This reciprocity between word and witness reflects the way in which God himself communicated through the incarnation of his Word. The word of God reaches men and women “through an encounter with witnesses who make it present and alive”. In a particular way, young people need to be introduced to the word of God “through encounter and authentic witness by adults, through the positive influence of friends and the great company of the ecclesial community”.

There is a close relationship between the testimony of Scripture, as the self-attestation of God’s word, and the witness given by the lives of believers. One implies and leads to the other. Christian witness communicates the word attested in the Scriptures. For their part, the Scriptures explain the witness which Christians are called to give by their lives. Those who encounter credible witnesses of the Gospel thus come to realize how effective God’s word can be in those who receive it.

In this interplay between witness and word we can understand what Pope Paul VI stated in the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi. Our responsibility is not limited to suggesting shared values to the world; rather, we need to arrive at an explicit proclamation of the word of God. Only in this way will we be faithful to Christ’s mandate: “The Good News proclaimed by the witness of life sooner or later has to be proclaimed by the word of life. There is no true evangelization unless the name, the teaching, the life, the promises, the Kingdom and the mystery of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, are proclaimed”.

The fact that the proclamation of the word of God calls for the testimony of one’s life is a datum clearly present in the Christian consciousness from the beginning. Christ himself is the faithful and true witness (cf. Acts 1:5; 3:14), it is he who testifies to the Truth (cf. Jn 18:37). Here I would like to echo the countless testimonials which we had the grace of hearing during the synodal assembly. We were profoundly moved to hear the stories of those who lived their faith and bore outstanding witness to the Gospel even under regimes hostile to Christianity or in situations of persecution.

None of this should cause us fear. Jesus himself said to his disciples: “A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you” (Jn 15:20). For this reason I would like, with the whole Church, to lift up to God a hymn of praise for the witness of our many faithful brothers and sisters who, even in our day, have given their lives to communicate the truth of God’s love revealed to us in the crucified and risen Christ. I also express the whole Church’s gratitude for those Christians who have not yielded in the face of obstacles and even persecutions for the sake of the Gospel. We likewise embrace with deep fraternal affection the faithful of all those Christian communities, particularly in Asia and in Africa, who presently risk their life or social segregation because of their faith. Here we encounter the true spirit of the Gospel, which proclaims blessed those who are persecuted on account of the Lord Jesus (cf. Mt 5:11). In so doing, we once more call upon the governments of nations to guarantee everyone freedom of conscience and religion, as well as the ability to express their faith publicly. -Verbum Domini 97

Pope Benedict on Psalm 126

2011-10-14T05:14:00.000-07:00

From Wednesday's Audience:

Psalm 126

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In our continuing catechesis on Christian prayer, we now turn to Psalm 126. This Psalm is a joyful prayer of thanksgiving for God’s fidelity to his promises in bringing about Israel’s return from the Babylonian Exile: “The Lord has done great things for us, and we rejoiced” (v. 3). A similar spirit of joy and thanksgiving should mark our own prayer as we recall the care which God has shown to us in the events of our lives, even those which seem dark and bitter. The Psalmist implores God to continue to grant Israel his saving help: “May those who sow in tears, reap with shouts of joy” (v. 5). This imagery of the seed which silently grows to maturity reminds us that God’s salvation is at once a gift already received and the object of our hope, a promise whose fulfilment remains in the future. Jesus will use this same imagery to express the passage from death to life, from darkness to light, which must take place in the lives of all who put their faith in him and share in his paschal mystery (cf. Jn 12:24). As we pray this Psalm, may we echo the song of the Virgin Mary by rejoicing in the great things which the Almighty has done for us (cf. Lk 1:49) and by awaiting in hope the fulfilment of God’s promises.

Via The Holy See Website

An Apologetics Question

2011-10-13T04:15:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I teach theology at a Catholic high school. Last year I received approval to teach an apologetics class to our graduating seniors. I am happy to say that I have had a great response for the class and will be teaching two section of Catholic Apologetics this coming Spring. So, I just wanted to throw out a question to you: What apologetics materials do you like and which ones do you think would be good for a class of high school seniors? We will be discussing topics such as the meaning and history of Catholic apologetics, the existence of God, and the standard hot button issues that divide Catholics and Protestants.

Bible Study Series Update

2011-10-12T09:26:00.000-07:00

First off, thank you for all the comments and ideas. I have certainly read them and considered each of them as I begin this new regular series. I think one of the more helpful suggestions was that we should begin with a shorter book of the Bible. I agree 100%. In addition, I think it might be interesting if we were to examine some of the lesser known or referenced books of the Bible to start with. (I am sure we will at some point turn to the Gospels or Genesis or Romans in the future.)

There are, of course, many ways in which I could go about leading these studies. Should it be more historical? Pastoral? Theological? Spiritual? I think that any decent Catholic Bible study should encompass all those things in some way, particularly in light of Dei Verbum and paragraphs 105-119 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Ultimately, my main goal is to provide a space where we can examine particular passages of Scripture from a Catholic perspective.

The plan, then, is that I will divide up each Biblical book we will study into more manageable pieces. For each "piece" discussed, I will provide the text, from at least one English translation, along with some insights I have gathered from a variety of sources. (I will list the sources that I use for each post.) This is not meant to be the only word on that piece of Scripture, so I encourage all of you to contribute insights you have found. These insights can be historical, pastoral, theological, translational, and spiritual. My hope is that our discussions on each passage could last a couple of days, with around two studies posted per week. (Perhaps I am being ambitious?)

So what are we going to study first? Well, in light of the release of NT Wright's The Early Christian Letters for Everyone, we will begin with the Letter of Judah (Jude). While it is a very short letter, there is a lot in those 25 verses that can be applicable to today. I will likely break the letter up into three sections starting next week. We'll get started early next week with an intro post on some of the issues related to the letter we are studying. I hope you will consider joining me in this new series.

NOAB RSV Changes?

2011-10-10T05:00:00.000-07:00

This news from reader Jonny:

I ordered The New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha (RSV) in genuine leather a few months ago, and have been very pleased with its overall quality and usefulness as a study tool. I was so impressed, in fact, that I ordered two more for relatives as a Christmas gift! I was very pleasantly surprised to see when I received these, that Oxford University Press has completely overhauled and improved the quality of construction of the book!

Yes, my first copy was probably the best quality and my overall favorite Bible to use for personal study, but it had a couple of small quirks that I did not really mind. It was in genuine leather, but it was kind of a stiff, leather wallet looking leather that bent inside with the spine when the book was opened. Also, there were small creases near the top inside corners at some places throughout.

The newer edition is just beautiful. It is still has the sewn binding, but it is bound in a softer, more textured genuine leather that does not bend inside the spine when opened. Also, it is slightly smaller. In addition to being an eighth of an inch shorter it is actually a half inch thinner (just a bit shy of 1 1/2/”)! And the amazing thing is that that the pages look more opaque than the previous edition.

I ordered these both times from Amazon and got them delivered with free shipping. I have found that usually the new products that are shipped by Amazon are the most current edition, so I think this change must be very recent. I did not think that I would ever see a Catholic-approved Bible (minus the “expanded” Apocrypha books included in this edition) that would rival the overall quality of the Cambridge KJV that I own, but I think Oxford has done it now.

I wonder if the leather cover is the same as the one use for the NOAB 4th edition?

Mondays with Verbum Domini

2011-10-10T04:15:00.000-07:00

Proclamation and the new evangelization

Pope John Paul II, taking up the prophetic words of Pope Paul VI in the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi, had in a variety of ways reminded the faithful of the need for a new missionary season for the entire people of God. At the dawn of the third millennium not only are there still many peoples who have not come to know the Good News, but also a great many Christians who need to have the word of God once more persuasively proclaimed to them, so that they can concretely experience the power of the Gospel. Many of our brothers and sisters are “baptized, but insufficiently evangelized”. In a number of cases, nations once rich in faith and in vocations are losing their identity under the influence of a secularized culture. The need for a new evangelization, so deeply felt by my venerable Predecessor, must be valiantly reaffirmed, in the certainty that God’s word is effective. The Church, sure of her Lord’s fidelity, never tires of proclaiming the good news of the Gospel and invites all Christians to discover anew the attraction of following Christ. -Verbum Domini 96

Upcoming Catholic Bible Releases

2011-10-07T07:47:00.000-07:00

A few times a year I like to do a post focusing on the upcoming Bible releases in the various Catholic translations. With the rush of new editions over the past year or so, due to the publication of the NABRE and the releases from Saint Benedict Press and HarperOne, I think we are entering a bit of a slow period. So, below is what I have found concerning the Big Three (RSV, NRSV, and NABRE) doing my own internet searching, along with information I have gathered through corresponding with a few publishers:

RSV (First and Second Editions)
From what I have been able to gather, there are no new publications scheduled in any Catholic edition of the RSV. A contact with Ignatius stated that they are looking into a large-print edition of the RSV-2CE, but no plans have been set as of yet. The only other RSV-related material that is set to be released is the ICSB Exodus volume which is due sometime early next year. I still believe that the definitive edition of the RSV-CE (or RSV-2CE) has yet to be produced. Perhaps that edition only exists in my mind, but you never know what might happen in the next few years. We'll just have to wait and see.

NRSV
While HarperOne has released the NRSV-CE in numerous creative editions over the past few years, there are currently no new editions of the NRSV set for publications. I should point out that a contact at HarperOne has made it known that they will be releasing a NRSV with cross-references at some point in the near future. It is uncertain whether or not this cross-reference edition will come in a specifically Catholic version.

NABRE
This month, Oxford University Press will publish the Catholic Bible Personal Study Edition (NABRE). The problems and inconsistencies relating to Oxford's Catholic Study Bible (NABRE) are supposedly resolved in this edition, which comes in hardcover, paperback, and bonded leather. (Publication date on a corrected CSB NABRE has not been released.)

HarperOne will begin publishing the NABRE in early 2012. While details are scarce as to what this edition will include, it will come in a black and white imitation leather and paperback edition. This edition is due at the end of February 2012.

Also, one of my contacts has mentioned to me that there are a few prominent publishers that may soon begin producing more high-quality editions of the NABRE. Some of the possibilities are quite exciting, but we will see what happens.

Am I missing anything?

Bible Study Series

2011-10-06T08:28:00.000-07:00

Now that the first month of class is over at the high school, and I am finally settling into a fairly consistent daily routine, I want to propose a new series of posts to you. I have contemplated doing an informal online Bible study on this blog for some time, but I want to make sure there are people who are committed to doing the reading along with me as well as making comments. What I am thinking about is that this study would consist in roughly two posts a week on the designated Biblical book. I would divide up whatever book we would study and provide some initial thoughts on each section in hopes of spurring on a discussion in the comment box. I am open to any suggestions on alternative ways of doing this, so let me know. If this interests you, please "RSVP" in the comment box along with your vote as to which Biblical book we should study first. Let's give this a go!

New CCSS Volumes Out Next Month

2011-10-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

Next month, Baker Academic, a Protestant publishing house, will release two more volumes in the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture series. The two volumes are Fr. George T. Montague's First Corinthians and Daniel Keating's First and Second Peter, Jude. Each volume is keyed to the NABRE, but does make note of significant differences found in the RSV, NRSV, JB, and NJB.

Pope Benedict on Psalm 23

2011-10-06T05:30:00.000-07:00

From the October 5th audience:

Psalm 23

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Continuing our catechesis on Christian prayer, we now turn to Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want”. With its exquisite pastoral imagery this much-beloved Psalm speaks of the radical trust in God’s loving care which is an essential aspect of prayer. The Psalmist begins by presenting God as a good shepherd who guides him to green pastures, standing at his side and protecting him from every danger. “He leads me beside still waters; he refreshes my soul” (vv. 2-3). The scene then passes to the shepherd’s tent, where the Lord welcomes him as a guest, gracing him with the gifts of food, oil and wine. “You prepare a table before me … you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows” (v. 5). God’s protection continues to accompany the Psalmist with goodness and mercy along his way, a way which leads to length of days in the Lord’s Temple (v. 6). The powerful image of God as the Shepherd of Israel accompanied the whole religious history of the Chosen People, from the Exodus to the return to the Promised Land. It finds its ultimate expression and fulfilment in the coming of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who gave his life for his sheep, preparing for us the table of his Body and Blood as a foretaste of the definitive messianic banquet which awaits us in heaven.

Scott Hahn and Fr. Barron on Theology and the Bible

2011-10-04T10:27:00.000-07:00

If you are interested in hearing Scott Hahn's conversion story, you can listen to it here.

A Look into the Process of Translation (ESV-style)

2011-10-03T07:22:00.000-07:00

Just getting back from two senior retreats at the high school, thus the small amount of blog content over the past week. As I get back into the daily routine, I thought I would post this Youtube video which examines a particular translation decision that the ESV Committee had to decide in regards to the word "slave". The debate about how to translate "slave" in this instance is fascinating, but more importantly this clip gives you a quite a bit of insight into the world of Bible translations. (Thanks to Louis at Baker Book House Blog for posting.)

Mondays with Verbum Domini

2011-10-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

The necessity of the “missio ad gentes”

In calling upon all the faithful to proclaim God’s word, the Synod Fathers restated the need in our day too for a decisive commitment to the missio ad gentes. In no way can the Church restrict her pastoral work to the “ordinary maintenance” of those who already know the Gospel of Christ. Missionary outreach is a clear sign of the maturity of an ecclesial community. The Fathers also insisted that the word of God is the saving truth which men and women in every age need to hear. For this reason, it must be explicitly proclaimed. The Church must go out to meet each person in the strength of the Spirit (cf. 1 Cor 2:5) and continue her prophetic defence of people’s right and freedom to hear the word of God, while constantly seeking out the most effective ways of proclaiming that word, even at the risk of persecution. The Church feels duty-bound to proclaim to every man and woman the word that saves (cf. Rom 1:14). -Verbum Domini 95

Cast Your Vote on Your Favorite RSV!

2011-09-27T08:50:00.000-07:00

Reasons why you chose one over the others are encouraged in the comments.

First Things Article on the NIV2011

2011-09-26T06:29:00.001-07:00

There is an interesting (and free) article by Leroy Huizenga, director of the Christian Leadership Center and assistant professor of Scripture at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, in the most recent edition of First Things about the new NIV. I find it fascinating to observe this debate in the Evangelical world over the issue of Biblical translation, since it often parallels discussions we have on this blog. Since this year has been an important year for English Bible translations (KJV 400th, NABRE, NIV2011, and CEB), it makes it all the more interesting to compare the decisions made by the NIV translation committee with those of the NABRE team. (Psalm 8 is an example where they differ.) The article is free to read, but below is the opening couple of paragraphs, so be sure to check out the entire article:

With more than 400 million copies in print, the New International Version is the most popular English Bible. First published as a full Protestant Bible by the evangelical Committee on Bible Translation in 1978, the new edition replaces both the slight revision of 1984 and the controversial, gender-inclusive Today’s New International Version of 2005. Roughly 95 percent of the 1984 text remains, but the other 5 percent reveals an evangelicalism married to modernity, and this is a problem for the translation itself.

The most salutary changes are renderings of crucial Pauline phrases where the new NIV sticks closer to the text. In a reflection of the influence that the “new perspective” on Paul and Judaism has exerted in recent decades, no longer does a rigid Protestant orthodoxy centered on a forensic conception of justification push Paul in theologically tendentious directions.

For instance, erga nomou is now “works of the law” instead of “observing the law” (e.g., Romans 3:28 and Galatians 2:16), dikaiosunē theou is now “righteousness of God” instead of “righteousness from God” (e.g., Romans 1:17), and sarx is now usually “flesh,” not “sinful nature.” No longer do readers encounter a Paul who teaches that the problem with the law is that it is impossible to fulfill and that faith alone causes God to count believers as legally righteous when in point of fact they remain sinners. Rather, the new NIV here makes it possible for English readers to discover a more Catholic or Orthodox or truly Lutheran Paul, one who teaches that the problem with the Jewish law is its ethnic and temporary character and that human salvation concerns our real sacramental participation in divine life, real transformation, and ultimate resurrection.

Problems that plagued the old NIV persist in the new, however, particularly in renderings resulting from the use of lively language at the expense of fidelity to the form of the original. ......continue reading here.

Mondays with Verbum Domini

2011-09-26T04:25:00.000-07:00

All the baptized are responsible for this proclamation

Since the entire People of God is a people which has been “sent”, the Synod reaffirmed that “the mission of proclaiming the word of God is the task of all of the disciples of Jesus Christ based on their Baptism”. No believer in Christ can feel dispensed from this responsibility which comes from the fact of our sacramentally belonging to the Body of Christ. A consciousness of this must be revived in every family, parish, community, association and ecclesial movement. The Church, as a mystery of communion, is thus entirely missionary, and everyone, according to his or her proper state in life, is called to give an incisive contribution to the proclamation of Christ.

Bishops and priests, in accordance with their specific mission, are the first to be called to live a life completely at the service of the word, to proclaim the Gospel, to celebrate the sacraments and to form the faithful in the authentic knowledge of Scripture. Deacons too must feel themselves called to cooperate, in accordance with their specific mission, in this task of evangelization.

Throughout the Church’s history the consecrated life has been outstanding for explicitly taking up the task of proclaiming and preaching the word of God in the missio ad gentes and in the most difficult situations, for being ever ready to adapt to new situations and for setting out courageously and boldly along fresh paths in meeting new challenges for the effective proclamation of God’s word.

The laity are called to exercise their own prophetic role, which derives directly from their Baptism, and to bear witness to the Gospel in daily life, wherever they find themselves. In this regard the Synod Fathers expressed “the greatest esteem, gratitude and encouragement for the service to evangelization which so many of the lay faithful, and women in particular, provide with generosity and commitment in their communities throughout the world, following the example of Mary Magdalene, the first witness of the joy of Easter”. The Synod also recognized with gratitude that the ecclesial movements and the new communities are a great force for evangelization in our times and an incentive to the development of new ways of proclaiming the Gospel. -Verbum Domini 94

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