Indeed! The NABRE has made it to the print section of the USA Today. You can read that article, with a very interesting discussion of "booty", right
here. Whatever you think of the NABRE, at least there is an effort being made to promote it in the media.
6 comments:
Yes, I suppose the media effort is good. Then I saw the word Almah (Virgin or Youn Maiden) - and not being a Scripture scholar I Binged it ... and found this:
http://www.jewsforjesus.org/publications/issues/9_1/almah
Why does ancient scripture have to be translated into the "living" language of today? I know dynamic versus formal equivalence BUT ... to translate the term without respect to the "doctrine" of the virgin birth because of an "ambiguity" of the word seems to suggest an ideological bias against the doctrine.
It is the Spirit in relation to the 2 or 3 gathered in my name going over the Scripture that is "Living" ... the words today seem more like Babel.
And then there is what Msgr Pope said in his post.
http://blog.adw.org/2011/03/when-words-get-in-the-way-%E2%80%93-a-meditation-of-the-value-and-limits-of-language/
But what do I know ...
Dave
A distressed layman (layperson, lay-thing, or just plain lay)
Dave: The translation of 'almah as young woman was not an attenpt to accommodate changes in English. The Hebrew word 'almah means a "young woman of marriageable age." A formal equivalent translation of the original Hebrew requires that it be translated as the NABRE translates it.
Mary,
Wouldn't that be a virgin in biblical times?
It seems pretty obvious ...
The quote from the article,
"The 1970 version of Isaiah 7:14 says "the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel."
"The 2011 text refers to "the young woman" instead. It elaborates that the original Hebrew word, almah, may, or may not, signify a virgin."
And if it may or may not refer to a virgin, why change it and not simply note in the footnote about the difference in interpretations.
Keeping the 1970 translation fits in with doctrine and the word "almah" is acknowledged as being "open" to interpretation. Doesn't seem compelling enough to change it.
In this case NABRE seems to want to downplay the virginal birth ...
And (as a side note) today the thought of a "young woman of marriageable age" is laughable and has no idiomatic, dynamic or formal equivalence - esp. with the entire "concept"/word of marriage losing its meaning. I wonder how the next translation will deal with that.
We risk losing the lessons of the past when we try an make everything fit into today's words that are so watered down to mean nothing - try reading a text message. Better to keep old words and teach people what they mean ...
Alas, forgive me, I am thankful to a Trappist monk and a Taoist monk who actually showed me the "Way" (poor follower that I am) and my foray into biblical scholarship has left me with a sour taste. Thank God I didn't have to rely on the Bible alone for my Faith. It is still a worthwhile effort and I love word study, etc. But ...
God's blessing and peace.
Dave
P.S. Like the Priest at my parish said once when we were talking about the Roman Missal changes - most people won't even care. My interpretation is that the Faithful are "lukewarm" ... they probably won't even notice ...
P.P.S. Thank God for the Magistrarium and the likes of Scott Hahn and Brant Pitre to provide supplemental reading for Scripture. At least, after reading their stuff, I feel like I can walk in the shoes of first century disciple in order to understand my life today and the teachings of Jesus.
P.P.P.S. BTW - I am not a Traditionalist. My 9 years of study under a Taoist monk and the last 25 years in the Benedictine contemplative traditions has given me a disposition that prefers the silence in between the words.
And from Get Religion:
http://www.getreligion.org/2011/03/shake-your-booty-out-of-the-bible/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+getreligion%2FDmXm+%28GetReligion%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
Dave,
Thanks for the links!
MSNBC also did a short segment about the NABRE this morning.
Sharon
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