If any of you were reading this blog almost three years ago, one of my first posts was a list of my Top 5 Catholic Bible translations. At the time, I think perhaps my future wife and a co-worker were the only two who did! Well, a lot has changed over these past three years in regards to English language Catholic Bibles. I have certainly learned a great deal through my own studies and experiences in personal reading and ministry work, as well as through many numerous posts by all of you who taken the time to stop by this blog. Three years ago, I ranked the RSV, NRSV, NAB, NJB, and Douay-Rheims. I think it is time to revisit that top 5 list. So, over the next week or so, I am going to list my new Top 5. This is, of course, only one man's perspective, so I certainly don't think everyone will agree with me. And who knows, three years from now it could change.
So, I will open the comments up on this post for your top 5 favorite Catholic Bible translations into English. Please give a short reason why for each. Perhaps I will pick my favorite entry, who will then get a free box of Catholic Bible goodies.
(BTW, the summer contest for the Haydock Bible ends Saturday night, so get your entries in!)
13 comments:
Here's my top 5:
1. Douay-Rheims. Its the classic Catholic English Bible, has no doctrinal errors at all, and has superb footnotes. The only downside for me is sometimes the archaic language can be a challenge to comprehend.
2. Confraternity NT. It has all the positives of the DR, plus has milder archaic language so it's easier to comprehend. The negative is there is no OT.
3. Knox Bible. I won this one from you last year, and its been my main reading Bible since. Like the Confraternity, it has milder archaic language, but the minus is it changes some of the classic wording, such as "amen I say to you".
4. NABRE. I really want to like this Bible, but the translators and editors make it difficult. It has "amen I say to you", and is a fairly good tranlsation despite many critics (although if the changes made for the Liturgical NT version would have been included in the NABRE NT, it would be much better), but some of the revisions to the OT seem a little off to the left, and of course the notes and commentary seem a little bent to the left also.
5. Jerusalem Bible '66. I like this for casual reading. It reads more like a novel than like scripture, and could be a good contrast to more formal translations, as well as helping "clean the palate".
Honorable mention: RSVCE/RSV2CE. I don't own these verisons but have read enough sample passages to know they are very good, but not perfect. I have a gut feeling they may become the official Liturgical versions for the emerging Anglican Ordinariates.
Here's my top 5:
1. Douay-Rheims. Its the classic Catholic English Bible, has no doctrinal errors at all, and has superb footnotes. The only downside for me is sometimes the archaic language can be a challenge to comprehend.
2. Confraternity NT. It has all the positives of the DR, plus has milder archaic language so it's easier to comprehend. The negative is there is no OT.
3. Knox Bible. I won this one from you last year, and its been my main reading Bible since. Like the Confraternity, it has milder archaic language, but the minus is it changes some of the classic wording, such as "amen I say to you".
4. NABRE. I really want to like this Bible, but the translators and editors make it difficult. It has "amen I say to you", and is a fairly good tranlsation despite many critics (although if the changes made for the Liturgical NT version would have been included in the NABRE NT, it would be much better), but some of the revisions to the OT seem a little off to the left, and of course the notes and commentary seem a little bent to the left also.
5. Jerusalem Bible '66. I like this for casual reading. It reads more like a novel than like scripture, and could be a good contrast to more formal translations, as well as helping "clean the palate".
Honorable mention: RSVCE/RSV2CE. I don't own these verisons but have read enough sample passages to know they are very good, but not perfect. I have a gut feeling they may become the official Liturgical versions for the emerging Anglican Ordinariates.
Top 5:
1. RSV - Second Catholic Edition. I never cared for the RSV - CE until the Second Catholic Edition came out (The RSV - CE doesn't even make my top 5). Ignatius' study bible goes a long way to making this version #1.
2. New Jerusalem Bible. I have the full study edition in a bonded leather cover that came out in 1985. The single-column, study notes, cross-references, and eloquence of the translation make this a close #2.
3. NRSV - CE. If the translation didn't go overboard on the gender-inclusive language, this would most likely have been #1.
4. NAB and NABRE. I like some of the changes to the OT in the NABRE, but dislike others, so I can't say I prefer one version over the other. I don't care that much for the study notes, especially when the NJB, Ignatius Study Bible, and Navarre Bible are much better alternatives.
5. Douay - Rheims. Classic translation that contains familiar wording found in common prayers and in Mass. Archaic wording a downside. If the RSV - Second Catholic Edition didn't exist, the RSV - CE would be my #5.
My top 5:
1) NABRE - I like the recent changes made to the OT, it reads a lot smoother and the Psalms are very good, a huge improvement! I like that it is used at Mass (with alterations.) It helps me to use this translation more than the others since I am a lector and I teach RCIA and bible study (which also uses the NAB/RE.)
2) RSV-2CE - I like this translation for liturgical readings (such as the LOTH) and bible study. If I converse with a Protestant on any of the bible forums, I use the RSV-2CE for quotes.
3) Revised English Bible - I like this translation because it is very literary and has some interesting alternative phrasing.
4) Jerusalem Bible - A classic, very poetic, it is like reading a bible story, makes reading the bible enjoyable. But it is a little too loose for study.
5) Christian Community Bible - It a very clear translation to read without sounding as loose as the Jerusalem Bible, but also less poetic.
1. New Cambridge Paragraph Bible (KJV+A) while simultaneously listening to Steve Webb's Douay Rheims recording on your iPod. When you have had enough of scribbling "supersubstantial" in the margin and have learned that there is only peace towards men of goodwill, start listening to the NRSV while you read and scribble some more. Once you have imported all biblical knowledge into this literary masterpiece, you can put the headphones away.
2-5. Modify the above to Scrivener's edition if you want too many cross-references and a cluttered page. :)
1. NEB/REB. No matter what people think, say or write I always find myself going back to the NEB which I first began using after learning of its recommendation by Venerable Fulton Sheen in the early 80s. I always seem to find a new slant or understanding of a passage (particularly the Pauline epistles) and I frequently turn to for alternative personal reading/understanding of lectionary. REB is to the NEB what the NJB is to the JB and I often turn to it after using the NEB but primarily because my NEB is a leather handheld size while my REB is Oxford Study edition with notes. I kind of see these two as “one”.
2. NRSV. Because of its more literal translation in a fresh manner yet which still has some ring of the traditional to it. I use it primarily in the Life with God edition published by Renovare so as to have some devotional/spirituality notes to complement the more scholarly ones in other Bibles.
3. JB. If I am in need for a traditional scholarly take on a passage I reach for my Jerusalem Bible (1966) because I do not think any other Catholic Bible has its depth of annotations, etc. that remain faithful to the Tradition.
4. NABRE. I refer to this one simply because of its proximate connection to the liturgy and its universal use in parish groups. I bought the Little Rock Study Bible edition. The NABRE has failed to win me over to the “NAB School” mostly (again) because of the school of Biblical scholarship it continues to espouse.
5. Everyone Series. This is the translation by Bishop N.T. Wright and the main reason I list it last is that it is not available in a complete one-volume handheld edition. I use this primarily as a preparation for the Sunday readings since Wright’s commentary is like getting a decent homily every week.
1. Confraternity: Traditional, Orthodox, and accessible. Cross references and commentary helpful but not in the way. I like the way it reads.
2. RSV-2CE: It is modern, it is traditional, it is orthodox. But I almost never use it because of the format options and lack of references.
3. NJB Saints Devotional Edition: I use this when I just want to sit and read the Bible for pleasure or devotion. I like the saints meditations on scripture.
4. Douay-Rheims: Can't beat it for orthodoxy.
5. RSV-CE: There are a ton of format options. It is a venerable and good read. Even though it is #5 this is probably my most used version simply because I have many copies and I can find a format for any situation.
1. RSV2CE - I basically just find this one the easiest to use. Distracting renderings are rare, and the languages is both accessible and dignified. It's a translation that I feel like I could take in to almost any setting and no one would hear the differences and say, "That's odd. What translation are you using?"
2. Jerusalem Bible - Where the RSV2CE is the easiest to use, the JB is, for me, the most enjoyable to read. Although it has its odd passages ("Have you met the janitors of Shadowland?"), the literary style has a certain character that just registers with me. I find it the easiest translation to pray with on that account. The layout and study notes (I have the Philippine Bible Society edition) are icing on the cake. Still, the well-noted dynamism of the translation and general oddities make me list this as second rather than first.
3. Revised Grail Psalter - I hope this isn't cheating, but I've found that, over the past several months, I've picked up the revised Grail more than any Bible in my book case. I always liked singing the original Grail Psalms in the Liturgy of the Hours and when they were used at Mass, but there were those occasional hiccups in the rendering that were just grating on the ears (most notably "he revives my drooping spirit" in Psalm 23). The revisions seem to be a major improvement in that regard, and, like the JB, it's a more dynamic translation that actually makes the texts easier to pray.
4. RSVCE - I still love the original RSV, and even moreso for the fact that study helps are actually available for it that will likely never be for the 2CE. I was close to putting the NRSV here for the study aids, but just can't do it as I really prefer the ESV to the NRSV, but the ESV isn't available in a Catholic edition.
5. NAB/NABRE/NABL - All lumped together, and that's why they're fifth. I feel like the NAB has to be on this list due to its "official" capacity: we are all familiar with it and all have to use it. But the differences from what's available in print to what's in the Lectionary, coupled with the fact that the bishops seem to be indifferent to updating the Lectionary for the Revised Edition, make me wonder why the revision was even done. There are a great many places where I prefer the NAB's rendering, but it's just too hit-or-miss, and from what I've seen (I haven't spent much time with it at all) the RE doesn't do enough to make those changes.
Part One:
1. New Jerusalem Bible.
It reads like a book. It has the best layout of any Bible ever published. It's dynamic without being loose, it's faithful, and the commentary is more orthodox than many of the others - like the NAB. Great cross-references. It uses the word "Yahweh", God's personal name, which I personally like (instead of the euphemism "LORD"), as conducive to filial piety to God as He is presented in the OT, but it removes some of the power of certain passages: "Thus saith Yahweh" instead of "Thus saith the LORD"! A drawback is the lack of certain phraseology ("Hail, O favored one!" - blech), but it's not a deal-breaker at all. It's great for reading the Word, not as great for detailed study, but for that I prefer an Interlinear (McReynolds, Comfort or Green).
1.1. Navarre Bible New Testament Expanded Edition.
The best New Testament around. It has the RSV and the Vulgate, and a very traditional and orthodox Patristic commentary on the facing page, even if it's not very scholarly in the historical-critical sense. I list this here because it's not a translation of its own, but if there's only one Bible or NT you own, this should be it. The best Bible (the Vulgate), the second best English Bible (the RSV-CE), and the most orthodox and the greatest devotional commentary money can buy, all in one book. This is a winner.
2. Revised Standard Version - (Second) Catholic Edition.
It's a modern-day classic. It's pretty literal - probably the most literal but readable modern English Catholic-acceptable translation around (I have a problem with certain renderings in the ESV that make it in to the "Calvinist gospel" instead of a truly "Standard" version) - so it's good for study if Greek is Greek to you. It has the proper phraseology, and as the RSV is the standard for quotations of the Bible in English in scholarly work. The number of editions is staggering, including two of the most orthodox and faithful commentaries in existence, the scholarly Navarre (RSV-CE and Vulgate) and the excellent layman's Bible, the Ignatius New Testament (RSV-2CE). A drawback is the awkward, archaic syntax, which makes some passages, especially of St Paul, less clear at first sight, and doesn't read easily if your goal is to read the Bible like a book. The OT retains archaic verbiage ("Thou") when referring to God, but doesn't have the corresponding verbs ("Didst"), which is jarring and unaesthetic.
I'll include the New Oxford Annotated Bible Expanded Edition here, which is the best ecumenical Bible there is, and is great for apologetics, pointing out differences in Protestant/Catholic interpretations. I also include the NRSV here as "2.5", as I don't want to waste a space on it, just for the NOAB 4th Ed. and New Interpreter's, even though I don't like the gender-inclusiveness of the translation, which makes St Paul look like a feminist.
3. Douay-Challoner Bible
It's the classic. We grew up with it. It's the most orthodox Bible out there, and the most classic. Much of the wording has a grandeur and power lost in modern translations. Drawbacks: it's not as accurate, being drawn from more modern instead of ancient mss. (although I tend to like the passages, such as the Comma Johanneum and the Pericope Adulterae, that modern versions tend to relegate to the margins). It's uneven in places. It is extremely archaic in syntax, grammar, and punctuation (quotation marks?), and is very hard to read as a book: if you can understand St Paul in this Bible, it's proof you have a college degree in liberal arts/languages/humanities/philosophy. However, it is absolutely unequalled for splendour of sound and euphony in public reading. I won't read the Psalms in any other version than this or the KJV.
4. Jerusalem Bible 1966.
In many places, the most poetic Bible available. It reads like a novel. For additional bonus points, JRR Tolkien translated Jonah. It has an inimitable literary quality many other Bibles lack. Same excellent presentation as NJB. However, the full edition is very hard to find and very expensive; one can only find the "Readers Editions" which lack almost all of the footnotes, most of the book introductions, and the entire critical apparatus. There are some odd renderings based on an overly-literal translation from the French instead of the original languages, some of which are utterly painful, but when this Bible gets it right, it gets it right. It uses Yahweh like the NJB.
5. New American Bible.
I've not seen the NABRE yet. I have to include this just because it's what the official readings are drawn from here. It's about on par with an NRSV without notes. With the notes, the orthodoxy of this Bible drops through the floor and can be very faith-challenging (to the point of possible losing of faith, in my opinion) for a layman, uninitiated in to the critical arts, who is not comfortable reading Fathers Brown's or Fitzmyer's material. Some of the readings are just plain terrible, although when they are, it's from over-literalness to the Greek ("Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace" anyone?). It's incredibly uneven, with some good renderings and some terrible (see above), and overall is a mediocre, lukewarm translation. The standard edition has type that's too small for my eyes, and I'm comfortable reading pocket-sized books and LCL Brenton's LXX. I like the St Joseph edition (the white pleatherbound one), just for the presentation, with the ten commandments, all of the inserts on how to pray the Rosary, pictures, etc., and the commentary seems to be slightly more orthodox. Whether it's a different commentary or a different presentation with all of the Rosary inserts, I don't know :-)
Don't know if anyone is aware oif this but I have notices that the 1966 Jerusalem Bible is being offered more and more on Ebay and at decent prices. A friend just scored a bonded leather edition for $25 and that's not all that unusual. You might want to check it out every now and then.
1. Douay-Rheims, Challoner.
I am referring the one commonly published nowadays, that has become the standard for DRB in print and online. True, it is more difficult to read, but it is a very literal translation that connects you to the ancient Latin translations from apostolic times. I think it is ideal for meditation and memorization, which is that not what the Scriptures are meant for altogether? I think the best medium sized edition is the Standard Size hardcover (leather wrapped) from Baronius Press.
2. RSV-CE
This is the most literally translated Catholic Bible that most closely connects Catholics and Protestants together in Scripture. Based on the KJV, but more accurate and without all of the errors in the TR, this is a great way for everyone to share Scripture together. The original edition is the best; it is the only modern Bible I know of that is published with full phonetical markings in the text, and it is compact enough to carry with other study books or missal, but yet the print is big enough to read easily. It is being published by Ignatius Press in the form of a blue hardback. I actually just got a new one recently as my old one needed to be replaced. It is now being printed in Columbia instead on the USA, but the cover is blue-er and seems to be of a slightly higher quality (the cover on my old one was flakey.)
3. New Jerusalem Bible
I am referring to the full-size edition with the complete notes. I like the way this one reads, and the ton of notes, references, and study helps. It is interesting how proper nouns are sometimes rendered differently in this translation, and is good to use when comparing differenting interpretations in Bible Study.
4. I do not feel obligated to include the NABRE on a top five list just because I live in the United States, but I will anyway.
New American Bible, Revised Edition.
I don't find myself using this one a whole lot for Bible study at home or at my Parish, because the RSV-CE or CE2 is used for the Bible Studies and for RCIA. but I do reference it occasionally out of curiosity and find additional interesting information or interpretations.
5. With the four mentioned above, does one really need any more? I am not sure I know the answer, so I will refrain from listing another.
1. NAB: courtesy of the USCCB.
2. RSV: in the King James tradition.
3. CCD: currently reading the 1962 edition.
4. JB: my high school graduation present.
5. NEB: underrated but still worth a read.
Honorable mention: the EOB. This looks very interesting to me.
Post a Comment