Fr. Henry Wansbrough Answers Your Questions

Henry Wansbrough, O.S.B., M.A., S.T.L., L.S.S., is an eminent biblical scholar and the General Editor of The New Jerusalem Bible and Revised New Jerusalem Bible. A Benedictine monk of Ampleforth Abbey in northern England, he received an M.A. from the University of Oxford, a Licentiate of Sacred Theology from the University of Fribourg, and a Licentiate in Sacred Scripture in Rome. A member of the Pontifical Biblical Commission from 1997 to 2007, he has published more than twenty books, numerous scholarly articles, and more than a thousand book reviews.

The NJB came about after the 1973 revision of the French JB. The French was revised again in 1998 but never addressed in a corresponding English revision. Does that edition serve as a reference for the RNJB now? If so how? 

I did not make any use of or reference to the 1998 French edition. For the translation I used Nestle-Aland 27 as a basis, and the Stuttgartensia, but not slavishly. In cases of doubt I used the apparatus criticus of these two editions, and in a few cases departed from those editions – not many. For the introductions and notes I simply used my judgment, right or wrong. I know I still have a lot to learn, but I did my best, and still listen attentively to many sources and try to keep up with current scholarship.

  

Does the RNJB Old Testament more closely follow the Masoretic text than the Jerusalem and New Jerusalem Bible?

I treated the Masoretic Text with great reverence, but kept constantly in mind that the LXX was the original Bible of the Christian Church  

You position the RNJB as a Bible for proclamation. Does that mean you adhere to the Nova Vulgata, per Liturgiam authenticum? If so, how and where does that affect the text away from the witness of the original languages?   

I am not sure that I adhered to the Nova Vulgata as closely as LA would like (certainly on the later books of the OT), but I bore in mind that it was an edition made by serious scholars. The RNJB is not a translation from Latin, but the scholars who toiled over the Nova Vulgata deserve respect, and their decisions are often worth considering. I had constantly in mind that the text should be proudly proclaimed.

Could you comment on the differences between translating by committee, versus working as an individual translator? What advantages or disadvantages might the RNJB enjoy over committee-based translations? 

A major advantage is consistency throughout the volume. Amusingly, despite Alec Jones’ list of contributors, I found many tricks of style constant throughout the original JB, which clearly stemmed from Alec. An individual does at least get the work done! For a committee you need either a brilliant group of dedicated friends (like the three editors of the Jerome Commentary) or unlimited funds and an outstanding chairman (like Bruce Metzger, who, incidentally, took the trouble to thank me for the NJB which was used for the NRSV). Do such Titans still exist?

What is the connection of the RNJB with the Ecole Biblique's "Bible in its Traditions" text (if any)? What is the role of the Ecole with the Jerusalem Bible tradition, at this point? Is the RNJB still a product of the Ecole, or have the two gone their own ways now?  

The RNJB has grown out of the Ecole, not least from my period of study there under such great scholars as Benoit and Boismard, not to mention Barthelemy, under whom I also studied, but it is more through the skills and ways of working acquired at that great institution (building on my Oxford training) than any actual theories. I have differed from all these three scholars just mentioned.

Why did you decide to prefer a formal equivalence style of translation over the more dynamic equivalence style of the original Jerusalem Bible and the New Jerusalem Bible?  

I was persuaded to it partly by the Australian Bishops, especially Mark Coleridge, for whose scholarship I have a high respect. It also shows that the RNJB stands in a great tradition, going back to Wm Tyndale.

Will the Old Testament continue to spell out the Divine Name, or follow the tradition of LORD?  

I don’t know what you mean by ‘spell out the Divine Name’, but we have kept to ‘Lord’ (small caps). I was on the Papal Biblical Commission when it was chaired by Ratzinger. One of his early acts as Pope was to ask us what we would do about this, and we made this decision as a body. I think it is the right decision, and I also have unlimited respect for Benedict XVI as a scholar and as a listener.

If this is essentially a whole new translation then why use “Jerusalem bible” in the title? Why not just give it a completely new translation name? 

1.     It is not wholly new.

2.     I have great respect for the Ecole and a great love for Jerusalem.

3.     Loyalty to DLT

4.     I am, after all, a Jew by birth.

Are discussions underway to revise the British lectionary around this translation? If so, how does Magnum Principiam change the process for approval? Did it allow you any greater freedom in your chosen rendering (vis a vis the preference for the Nova Vulgata mentioned above)? 

I am not party to the discussions of the EW Bishops’ Conference. If they ask me, I shall recommend that they adopt the RNJB. I was consistently conscious of the need for a revised lectionary, and hoped that the RNJB would be judged suitable. Many of the decisions were made with this possibility in mind.

If lectionary use was in mind during the revision process for the RNJB, were you able to consult with any representatives from the bishops' conference concerning the types of translation choices that would be needed to gain final approval? In the same vain, did you have any formal or informal access to information concerning the attempts of adapting the NRSV or the ESV by the ICPELL? 

I was, of course, Executive Secretary of ICPEL, but all our efforts were stymied by the working-methods of the Vatican. That Congregation is now under new management, Archbishop Arthur Roche! But the Congregation can act only on what is submitted to them by the local hierarchy.

  

Father Wansborough -- you have had a long and splendid career, and have touched many people with your writings and Bible translations. Looking beyond 2019, will you nominate a body or a person to manage future revisions or changes to the English Jerusalem Bible family of translations, or will the RNJB be the final word under the title of the "Jerusalem Bible"?

Thanks for the kind endorsement! I guess that the Lord will provide a scholar or scholars in due time with the necessary skill and enthusiasm to keep the tradition of translation and commentary going. I would not like to predict whether they will feel close enough to the tradition to continue to use the name. 

A big thank you, first of all, to Fr. Henry Wansbrough OSB for taking the time to answer these questions.  In addition, a special thanks to Chris Buckley for helping to facilitate this interview with David Moloney, Editorial Director at Darton, Longman & Todd.   

"Jesus of Nazareth Part II" is on the Way

According to the Vatican, the sequel to Pope Benedict's popular 2007 release Jesus of Nazareth has been completed and sent to the publishers. This edition will focus on the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus and picks up where the first volume left off. It is believed that it will still be a few months until we see Jesus of Nazareth II in English, perhaps by the end of the summer.

This gives us all plenty of time to re-read the first book over the next few months. If interested, we could have a little book discussion on this blog, examining each chapter of part I in detail. Hmm.....

Dr. Scott Hahn on 5 Years w/ Benedict XVI

On the fifth anniversary of Pope Benedict's election to the Papacy, Dr. Scott Hahn published a short piece in the National Catholic Register focusing on the Pope's impact on Biblical studies within the Church. Hahn shows how Benedict has devoted a lot of time and ink to building up Biblical studies in the Church. Of course this is nothing new for Benedict, whose many works were saturated with the Scriptures well before his election to the See of Peter. While this article is not very long, you can get a more comprehensive understanding of Pope Benedict's Biblical theology in Hahn's Covenant and Communion: The Biblical Theology 0f Pope Benedict XVI. As Hahn puts it at the end of the NCR article: "I believe this will be his lasting legacy to the Church: to restore the word of God to its rightful place at the center of Church life." I agree 100%.

Pope Benedict on the Fall

Yeah, not the fall of Adam and Eve, but rather his recent accident which left him with a broken wrist.

Reflecting on the experience, the Pope said: "My own guardian angel did not prevent my injury, certainly following superior orders. Perhaps the Lord wanted to teach me more patience and humility, give me more time for prayer and meditation".

This once again proves that the Holy Father knows his Paul: Colossians 1:24-25 and James: James 1:2-4.

B16 and the Bible

Courtesy of Catholicculture.com:

Pope Benedict XVI met on April 23 with members of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, which had recently concluded a meeting devoted to discussion of "Inspiration and truth in the Bible." In his address to the group the Holy Father mentioned the three criteria for proper interpretation of the Scriptures, as identified by the teaching of Vatican II: the unity of the Bible; the living tradition of the Church; and "the cohesion of the individual truths of faith, both with one another and with the overall plan of Revelation and the fullness of the divine economy enclosed in that plan." A detached, academic approach is not adequate for understanding the Bible, he stressed; exegetes must read the Scriptures "within the faith of the Church."

When I lead a Bible study, I always spend the first meeting talking about the relationship between the Bible and the Church. The best, and most concise, document that I have found which deals with this is found in the section on Sacred Scripture of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Lately, I have also referred to the foreword of Benedict XVI's Jesus of Nazareth. Here, the Pope emphasizes the importance of the historical-critical method, which he describes as an indispensable tool. Yet, the historical-critical method can never be used alone, but rather must be used in "the unity of the Bible; the living tradition of the Church; and the cohesion of the individual truths of faith, both with one another and with the overall plan of Revelation and the fullness of the divine economy enclosed in that plan."

Vatican is Now on YouTube

Yes, it is both true and official. You can check out the Vatican's new site at YouTube here.

The site, itself, states that: "This channel offers news coverage of the main activities of the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI and of relevant Vatican events.It is updated daily.Video images are produced by Centro Televisio Vaticano (CTV), texts by Vatican Radio (RV) and CTV.This video-news presents the Catholic Churchs position regarding the principal issues of the world today."

Joseph Ratzinger's Episcopal Ordination

Pope Benedict's episcopal ordination took place on May 28, 1977 in the Archdiocese of Munich. Sorry, but there will be no English translation forthcoming.

(Thanks to Ignatius Insight)

Pope Benedict: St. Paul and the Sacraments

Below is another summary from the Vatican Information Services on yesterdays audience by Pope Benedict. He continued his year long catechesis on St. Paul this time focusing on the Sacraments:

In his general audience this morning, held in the Paul VI Hall in the presence of 5,000 people, Benedict XVI spoke on St. Paul's teaching concerning the Sacraments.

The Holy Father indicated how "from St. Paul we have learned that there is a new beginning of history in Jesus Christ, ... Who is man and God. With Him, Who comes from God, a new history begins, formed by the 'yes' He pronounced to the Father, ... out of love and truth".

"How can we enter", the Pope asked, "into this new beginning, this new history? ... How can Jesus reach my own life, my own being? The fundamental response of St. Paul, of all the New Testament, is: by the Holy Spirit" which "at the Pentecost created the beginning of a new humanity, a new community: the Church, the body of Christ".

The spirit of Christ "touches me within ... using two visible elements: the Word of announcement and the Sacraments, in particular Baptism and the Eucharist. ... Faith comes not from reading but from listening. It is not only an interior experience but a relationship".
"The Word became flesh in Jesus to create a new humanity. For this reason, the Word of announcement becomes Sacrament. ... No-one can baptise himself; ... no-one can become Christian by himself. ... We can only become Christian through the meditation of others, and this gives us the gift of faith. ... Autonomous Christianity is a self-contradiction. ... These 'others' are, in the first place, the community of believers, the Church. ... Only Christ can constitute the Church, Christ is the true giver of the Sacraments".

"Being Christian is more than a cosmetic operation that embellishes life, ... it is a new beginning and rebirth, death and resurrection. ... It is not purely spiritual but involves the body, the cosmos, and extends to the new earth and to the new heavens".

On the subject of the Eucharist, the Holy Father pointed out that St. Paul speaks of the institution of this Sacrament in his First Letter to the Corinthians, and he explained that "with the gift of the chalice of the new covenant Christ gives us the true sacrifice, the only true sacrifice is the love of the Son".

After highlighting how the Apostle of the Gentiles says that the chalice we bless is communion with the Blood of Christ and the bread we share is communion with the Body of Christ, the Pope pointed out that "Christ unites Himself with each one of us, and with the men and women around us".

Referring then to chapter ten of the First Letter to the Corinthians in which St. Paul speaks of us becoming "one body, for we all partake of the one bread", Benedict XVI affirmed that "the realism of the Church is much more profound and authentic than that of the nation State, because Christ truly gives us His Body, converts us into His Body ... and unites us to one another. ... The Church is not just a corporation like a State, it is a body; it is not an organisation but an organism".

The Pope then recalled how St. Paul defines the Sacrament of Matrimony as "a great mystery. ... Married love has as its model the love of Christ for His Church", he said. "People will enjoy a rewarding experience of true marriage if a constant human and emotive development remains united to the effectiveness of the Word and the significance of Baptism. ... Participating in the Body and the Blood of the Lord consolidates the union and makes it visible, a union that grace then makes indissoluble".

A Little Humor during the Last Week in Ordinary Time

I spotted this at the American Chesterton Society blog. It combines three things I like all in one comic: 1) The Pope; 2) Cats (I have two!); 3) GK Chesterton. You just can't beat that!

Pope Benedict Meditation on Christ the King

This short talk was given by Pope Benedict XVI on November 23, 2008 on the Feast of Christ the King. It took place during his usual Sunday Angelus:

Today, on this final Sunday of the liturgical year, the solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of the Universe. We know from the Gospels that Jesus refused the title of king when this was intended in a political sense, along the lines of the "kings of the nations" (cf Mt 20:24). Instead, during his passion, he took upon himself a singular regalness before Pilate, who asked him: "Are you a king?" and Jesus replied: "You say I am a king" (Jn 18:37); but shortly before this he declared: "my kingdom is not one of this world" (Jn 18:36). The royalty of Christ, in fact, is the revelation and accomplishment of God the Father, who governs all things with love and justice. The Father entrusted to his Son the mission of giving eternal life to man, loving him even unto the supreme sacrifice, and at the same time conferring on him the power of judgment, from the moment he became Son of man, like us in every way (Jn 5:21-22,26-27).

Today's Gospel insists upon the universal royalty of Christ the Judge, with the magnificent parable of the final judgment, which St Matthew placed immediately before his account of the Passion (25:31-46). The images are simple, the language is common, but the message is extremely important: it is the truth on our ultimate destiny and on the criteria with which we will be valued. "I was hungry and you gave me good, I was thirsty and you gave me to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me" (Mt 25:35) and so forth. Who isn't familiar with this? It's a part of our civilization. It's marked the story of the peoples of Christian culture: the hierarchy of values, institutions, the host of beneficial social works. In effect, the reign of Christ is not of this world, but brings to completion all the good that, thanks be to God, exists in man and in history. If we put into practice our love for our neighbor, according to the Gospel message, we then pave the way for the lordship of God, and his kingdom is realized by means of us. If instead each one thinks only of his own interests, the world can't help but go forward in ruins.

Dear friends, the kingdom of God is not a question of honors and appearances, but as St Paul writes, it is "justice, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Rm 4:17). To the Lord takes our good to heart, that each man and woman might have life, and especially that his "smallest" of children might join in the banquet he has prepared for all. Thus he knows not what to make of those kind of hypocrites who say "Lord, Lord" and then transgress his commandments (cf Mt 7:21). In his eternal kingdom, God welcomes those who push themselves day after day to put into practice his word. For this the Virgin Mary, the humblest of all creatures, is the greatest in his eyes and sits as Queen at the right hand of Christ the King. To her heavenly intercession let us entrust ourselves again with a child's trust, that we might realize our Christian mission in the world.

Benedict XVI on St. Paul and Justification

Being the year of St. Paul, Pope Benedict has devoted many of his public talks to the Apostle. At today's weekly audience, he spoke on St. Paul and justification. I particularly like the definition he gives, based on Paul, of what faith is: "Faith is looking at Christ, trusting in Christ ... conforming to Christ." Thanks to the Vatican Information Service for the article:

VATICAN CITY, 19 NOV 2008 (VIS) "Continuing his series of lessons on St. Paul, Benedict XVI dedicated his general audience, held in St. Peter's Square this morning, to the "question of justification. How do human beings make themselves just in the eyes of God?" This question that occupies a central place in the Apostle's Letters.

When Paul met the Risen One on the road to Damascus, said the Pope, "he was a successful man: blameless as to righteousness under the Law". Yet "the conversion of Damascus radically changed his life, and he began to consider all the gains of his irreprehensible religious career as 'rubbish' in the face of the sublimity of his knowledge of Jesus Christ.

"The Letter to the Philippians", he added, "provides moving testimony of Paul's shift from a justice founded on the Law and achieved by observing certain prescribed actions, to a justice based upon faith in Jesus Christ. ... It is because of this personal experience of the relationship with Jesus Christ that Paul focuses his Gospel on a steadfast contrast between two alternative paths to justice: one based on the works of the Law, the other founded on the grace of faith in Christ".

Thus St. Paul "reaffirms to the Christians of Rome that 'all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by His grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus', and the Apostle adds that 'we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the Law'".

"Luther", said the Pope, "translated this as 'justified by faith alone', ... yet before returning to this point it is necessary to clarify which is the 'Law' from which we have been freed and what are the works that do not justify us. In the community of Corinth there already existed an opinion, that crops up again throughout history, to the effect that it is the moral law, and that hence Christian freedom means freedom from ethics. ... Obviously this is an incorrect interpretation. Christian freedom is not debauchery, ... it is not freedom from doing good".

"For St. Paul, as for his contemporaries, the word Law meant the Torah in its entirety, ... which imposed ... a series of actions ranging from an ethical core to ritual observances ... and substantially defined the identity of the just man, ... such as circumcision, dietary laws, etc. ... All these precepts - expressive of a social, cultural and religious identity - were very important" in the Hellenistic age when polytheism was rife and Israel felt threatened in its identity and feared "the loss of faith in the One God and in His promises".

For this reason it was necessary counteract Greek pressure with "a wall that protected the precious heritage of the faith. This wall was represented by the Jewish precepts". Yet Paul, after his encounter with Christ, understood that "the God of Israel, the only true God, has become the God of all peoples and the wall ... between Israel and the pagans is no longer necessary. Christ protects us from polytheism and its deviations. Christ guarantees our identity within the diversity of cultures, ... it is He Who makes us just".

"Being just simply means being with Christ, being in Christ, that is all. The other precepts are no longer necessary. ... For this reason Luther's 'sola fide' is true if it is not placed in opposition to charity, to love. Faith is looking at Christ, trusting in Christ ... conforming to Christ. And the form of Christ's life was love. ... We become just in communion with Christ Who is love. ... Justice is defined in charity".

"We can only pray to the Lord to help us believe", Benedict XVI concluded. "Thus belief becomes life, unity with Christ, transformation. ... And transformed by His love, by love for God and mankind, we will truly be just in the eyes of God". "

Ratzinger on Biblical Interpretation

"The exegete must realize that he, does not stand in some neutral area, above or outside history and the Church. Such a presumed immediacy regarding the purely historical can only lead to dead ends. The first presupposition of all exegesis is that it accepts the Bible as a book. In so doing, it has already chosen a place for itself which does not simply follow from the study of literature. It has identified this particular literature as the product of a coherent history, and this history as the proper space for coming to understanding. If it wishes to be theology, it must take a further step. It must recognize that the faith of the Church is that form of "sympathia" without which the Bible remains a closed book. It must come to acknowledge this faith as a hermeneutic, the space for understanding, which does not do dogmatic violence to the Bible, but precisely allows the solitary possibility for the Bible to be itself."

--Lecture delivered on 27th January 1988 at Saint Peter's Church in New York, New York.

This entire talk can be read in HarperOne's The Essential Pope Benedict, which is a really good collection of some of Pope Benedict's (Cardinal Ratzinger's) main theological and scriptural works.