Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Fathers of the Church Bible (NABRE)


Description:
Bringing together Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition in one volume!
The Fathers of the Church Bible, NABRE will instruct in the faith and enliven your interest in Scripture through the insights from the Church fathers. You'll enjoy the latest NABRE translation of the Bible, along with 88 full color inserts covering a wide range of writings from the Church fathers, including:

What is the canon of Scripture?
What was God doing before creation?
One being with two natures
The Resurrection of the Body
The Heavenly Hierarchy
Baptism: Immersion or Sprinkling?
And so much more!


Each topic features the wisdom of one or more of the Church fathers including St. Augustine, St. Justin Martyr, St. John Chrysostom, St. Cyprian, Irenaeus, Tertullian, St. Gregory the Great, St. Ambrose, and more.

The Fathers of the Church Bible, NABRE is ideal for anyone wanting to combine Scripture with insights on the Church fathers, their lives, and their thoughts on topics crucial to the Church and our Faith.


The Fathers of the Church Bible is scheduled for publication on April 25.




Your Thoughts

Every once in a while I like to devote a post on this blog to hear back from you.  I am always appreciative of the comments and emails that I receive from you.  The vast majority of them have been positive, which helps to sustain my  desire to keep this blog going for the foreseeable future.  

As I am sure many of you have noticed, blogging has been a bit light as of late.  This has been due to primarily two reasons: 1)  Life has been busy due to the most recent death of my father, responsibilities at home, and a crazy work schedule; 2) There hasn't been too much to report over the past few weeks in regards to Catholic Bibles.  I think we are in this sort of "dead zone" concerning Catholic Bible information and editions.  I have been looking around various booksellers and publishers and I just don't see to many new Catholic Bibles scheduled for release in the coming months.  To be sure, there are prospects of things to come, like news on the eventual revision of the NABRE, a possible ESV-CE, the completion of the ICSB, a possible premium leather edition of a Catholic Bible, new editions of the CCSS, and a brand new version of the Catholic Bibles Blog Theme Song.  So I am sure things will pick up in the coming months.  

So, I would like to hear from you.  What do you like about this blog?  What features would you like to see  in the future?  I should also mention that I am looking for someone who would like to be a semi-regular contributor.  This person would need to be able to commit to at least two articles a month.  If you are interested, send me an email.

Lastly, thank you for your readership.  As I have mentioned on this blog before, the Catholic Bibles Blog was started due to my own frustration with the lack of information about Catholic Bible editions on the Internet.  At the very least, I think this blog has provided a forum for people to discover what is out there and to perhaps dream about what we would like to see published in the future.  

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you! 

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

The Canon

The Baker Book House Blog, run by Louis, always provides interesting articles/posts that concern all of Christianity. He recently posted an article called What Was in the “Canon” of the First Four Centuries? It is definitely worth a look, particularly the fascinating quotes from the various Protestant authors he cites.

And if you didn't know, Baker Book House is a wonderful Christian bookstore that is located in Grand Rapids.  I have ordered from them in the past, but plan to stop by in person one of these days when life is less hectic. 

Friday, January 25, 2013

A Prayer on the Day of the March for Life

 
Virgin of Guadalupe,
Patroness of unborn children,
we implore your intercession
for every child at risk of abortion.
Help expectant parents to welcome from God
the priceless gift of their child’s life.
 
Console parents who have lost that gift
through abortion,
and lead them to forgiveness and healing
through the Divine Mercy of your Son.
 
Teach us to cherish
and to care for family and friends
until God calls them home.
Help us never to see others as burdens.
Guide our public officials
to defend each and every human life
through just laws.
Inspire us all to bring our faith into public life,
to speak for those who have no voice.

We ask this in the name of your Son,
Jesus Christ, who is Love and Mercy itself.
Amen.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Future CCSS Volumes

The Gospel of Luke by Timothy Gray (2015)
The Gospel of John by Francis Martin and William W. Wright IV (2014)
The Acts of the Apostles by William Kurz, SJ (Fall 2013)
Romans by Scott Hahn (2015)
Philippians, Colossians, Philemon by Dennis Hamm, SJ (Fall 2013)
Hebrews by Mary Healy (2014)
James, 1-3 John by Kelly Anderson and Daniel Keating (2014)
Revelation by Peter S. Williamson (2014)

**Keep in mind there were no volumes released in 2012**

Monday, January 21, 2013

More on Dr. Ken Howell and the Early Christian Fathers Series

As I mentioned last week, Dr. Kenneth Howell will be releasing his second volume in the Early Christian Fathers Series on February 1.  I was able to find some additional information for you to consider, including a video of a lecture he did back in 2009 entitled “The Issue of Authority in Early Christianity” which you can view here.

In addition, the fine website Called to Communion has an essay from Dr. Howell which is quite good.  Below is the summary, although you can read the entire article here.

Summary: In this article I attempt to explain three different frameworks for interpreting the Church Fathers (patristic literature) and the consequences for adopting one over the others. I first describe each framework in a general manner and then show by way of illustration how these apply to the task of interpreting the Church Fathers. Secondly, I discuss some key texts from the earliest patristic literature (Ignatius of Antioch, Didache, Clement of Rome) that serve as tests cases for the three frameworks. Finally, I argue for one of these frameworks as the most productive and truest to Christian ideals. The themes presented here are treated in more detail in two works: Ignatius of Antioch: A New Translation and Theological Commentary and Clement of Rome and the Didache: A New Translation and Theological Commentary, both of which are published by CHResources.



Friday, January 18, 2013

Sunday Knox: Isaiah 62:1-5

Here is a comparison between the Knox and NAB(RE) translations of the first reading for this coming Sunday.  (Major differences between the original NAB and the NABRE are noted within the NAB text.)


Knox:
"For love of Sion I will no more be silent, for love of Jerusalem I will never rest, until he, the Just One, is revealed to her like the dawn, until he, her deliverer, shines out like a flame. All the nations, all the kings of the nations, shall see him, the just, the glorious,[a] and a new name shall be given thee by the Lord’s own lips. The Lord upholds thee, his crown, his pride; thy God upholds thee, his royal diadem. No longer shall men call thee Forsaken, or thy land Desolate; thou shall be called My Beloved, and thy land a Home, now the Lord takes delight in thee, now thy land is populous once again.[b] Gladly as a man takes home the maiden of his choice, thy sons shall come home to thee; gladly the Lord shall greet thee, as bridegroom his bride."

Knox Footnotes:

  1. Isaias 62:2 Instead of ‘Just One’, ‘the just’ and ‘the glorious’, the Hebrew text has ‘justice’ (i.e. redress, restoration), ‘deliverance’ and ‘glory’.
  2. Isaias 62:4 In the Hebrew text, the land is to be called not ‘a Home’, but ‘a Wife’, and it is to be ‘espoused’, not ‘populous’, once again.


NAB(RE):
"For Zion’s sake I will not be silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet, until her vindication shines forth like the dawn and her victory like a burning torch. Nations shall behold your vindication, and all the kings your glory; you shall be called by a new name pronounced (bestowed) by the mouth of the LORD. You shall be a glorious crown in the hand of the LORD, a royal diadem held by your God. No more shall people call you “Forsaken," or your land “Desolate," but you shall be called “My Delight," ("My Delight is in her") and your land “Espoused.” For the LORD delights in you and makes your land his spouse. As a young man marries a virgin, your Builder shall marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride so shall your God rejoice in you."

NABRE Footnotes:

[62:112] As in chap. 60, the prophet addresses Zion, announcing the reversal of her fortune. Several motifs reappear: light and glory (60:13, 1920), tribute of nations (60:11), and especially the marriage (61:10; cf. also 54:58).


Wednesday, January 16, 2013

New Translation of Clement and Didache

 
Available February 1st in paperback and ebook:
 
The Letter to the Corinthians by Clement of Rome and the Didache are two of the most important documents from the earliest days of Christianity. Here we stand at the very fount of Christian teaching outside the New Testament. Here we stand at the very fount of Christian teaching outside the New Testament. Clement’s letter and the Didache reveal how Christians were implementing and living out the faith taught by Jesus and passed on by the twelve apostles. The constant threat of schism and doctrinal deviation prompted these earliest writers to pen some of the most enduring wisdom known to the church.
When read in conjunction with Ignatius of Antioch’s seven letters, these works display a remarkable unity of faith and morality in the late first century, even before the death of the last apostle, John. These writings show that Rome in the West, Corinth in Greece, and Antioch of Syria in the East held a common faith, taught a common morality, and worshiped in a structured liturgy. The faith delivered to the church was increasingly universal and yet unified.
For Christians today, these earliest writings harken back to a time when the unity of faith and morals was a cherished gift and goal among professing believers. No Christian can remain unchallenged and unchanged while reading and absorbing these writings. In a time when Christians everywhere are seeking a greater visible unity of faith and order, these documents provide rich food for thought.
 
 
Until then, you can get the previously released Ignatius of Antioch and Polycarp of Smyrna translated by the same author Dr. Kenneth Howell.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Msgr. Pope on "the Flesh"

I was recently talking with someone and I recalled that there is a common misunderstanding of the meaning of the Biblical phrase “the flesh.” There are many references to “the flesh” in New Testament Scripture, especially in the letters of St. Paul. The phrase confuses some who think it synonymous with the physical body........(continue here)

(Keep in mind, the RSV, NRSV, and NAB(RE) generally translate sarx as "the flesh" in most instances.)

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Death of My Father

I typically do not bring personal concerns to this blog, but I would greatly appreciate prayers for the soul of my father who passed away on Friday. His obituary is below:

Timothy Paul McCormick died January 11, 2013. He was 69 years old, and a current resident of Sterling Heights, MI. Timothy had previously lived in Warren, and was raised in Grosse Pointe. He was born March 31, 1943 in Detroit to Willard and Eleanore McCormick. Tim graduated from Grosse Pointe High School in 1961, and then graduated from Central Michigan University with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration.

Following college, Timothy worked for Hudson's, and subsequently began a very long and successful career as a pharmaceutical sales representative for Abbott Laboratories. He was a loyal employee as his career lasted decades with Abbott Labs, and he was recognized several times for his high level of work.

Timothy loved sports. He played tennis in high school and college, and continued to play into his adult life. He also enjoyed playing golf. Tim was a die-hard Detroit Lions fan, in addition to following the Detroit Tigers and the PGA Tour. Actively following the stock market was another of Tim's hobbies.

Timothy was the loving father of Lisa Marie McCormick, Jill McCormick Page (Tim), Timothy Paul McCormick Jr. (Rakhi) and Matthew John McCormick; the beloved grandfather of Dylan, Riley, Timmy and Allie Page, Gianna and Judah McCormick; and the brother of Patrick McCormick (Darlene).

The family will receive friends on Sunday, January 13, 2013, from 2-8 p.m. at A.J. Desmond & Sons Funeral Home, 2600 Crooks Road, Troy (between Maple and Big Beaver) with a Rosary at 7 p.m.

The Funeral Mass will be on Monday, January 15 - 10 a.m. at Holy Name Church, 630 Harmon, Birmingham, with Rev. Msgr. John Zenz officiating. Visitation at church begins Monday at 9:30 a.m.

Memorial tributes may be made to:
Mary's Mantle (a safe haven for expectant mothers), P.O. Box 115, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303 or donate online at marysmantle.net.

Friday, January 11, 2013

Sunday Knox: Luke 3:15-16, 21-22

From the Gospel for this Sunday's Feast of the Baptism of the Lord:


"And now the people was full of expectation; all had the same surmise in their hearts, whether John might not be the Christ. But John gave them their answer by saying publicly, As for me, I am baptizing you with water; but one is yet to come who is mightier than I, so that I am not worthy to untie the strap of his shoes. He will baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. It was while all the people were being baptized that Jesus was baptized too, and stood there praying. Suddenly heaven was opened,  and the Holy Spirit came down upon him in bodily form, like a dove, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased." -Knox Bible


"The people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Christ (Messiah). John answered them all, saying, 'I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.' After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, 'You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.'” -NAB(RE)

* [3:16] He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire: in contrast to John’s baptism with water, Jesus is said to baptize with the holy Spirit and with fire. From the point of view of the early Christian community, the Spirit and fire must have been understood in the light of the fire symbolism of the pouring out of the Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:14); but as part of John’s preaching, the Spirit and fire should be related to their purifying and refining characteristics (Ez 36:2527; Mal 3:23). See note on Mt 3:11.

* [3:2122] This episode in Luke focuses on the heavenly message identifying Jesus as Son and, through the allusion to Is 42:1, as Servant of Yahweh. The relationship of Jesus to the Father has already been announced in the infancy narrative (Lk 1:32, 35; 2:49); it occurs here at the beginning of Jesus’ Galilean ministry and will reappear in Lk 9:35 before another major section of Luke’s gospel, the travel narrative (Lk 9:5119:27). Elsewhere in Luke’s writings (Lk 4:18; Acts 10:38), this incident will be interpreted as a type of anointing of Jesus.

* [3:21] Was praying: Luke regularly presents Jesus at prayer at important points in his ministry: here at his baptism; at the choice of the Twelve (Lk 6:12); before Peter’s confession (Lk 9:18); at the transfiguration (Lk 9:28); when he teaches his disciples to pray (Lk 11:1); at the Last Supper (Lk 22:32); on the Mount of Olives (Lk 22:41); on the cross (Lk 23:46).

* [3:22] You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased: this is the best attested reading in the Greek manuscripts. The Western reading, “You are my Son, this day I have begotten you,” is derived from Ps 2:7.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

ICSB on Logos (Verbum)

Thanks to reader Kenneth for the link.  

The ICSB NT and Genesis/Exodus is available for pre-order from Logos.

Key Features Include:

  • Illuminating commentary enjoyed by Catholics and non-Catholics alike
  • A doctrinal index, connecting Catholic doctrine to Scripture
  • Commentary based on the RSV2CE
  • A complete copy of the RSV2CE as a separate resource
  • Maps, charts, and illustrations that explore each book
Currently, the price for this package is $34.95.  You can read more on this announcement here.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

More Photos from Corey





Rebound RSV-2CE (Leonard's)


Thanks to Corey for the following guest post:

My Christmas present this year was a Leonard's Book Restoration rebind of my "daily" Ignatius RSV-2CE hardback (Ignatius RSV-2CE).  If you remember, my "test run" of Leonard's work was a rebind of my RSV-2CE Ignatius pocket NT-Psalms, which came out very nice (NT-Psalms rebind).  I have since enlisted the aid of Leonard's to do a number of rebinds of that pocket NT-Psalms as nicer Christmas presents for people very close to me.  They have been VERY well received.

But it simply did not make much sense for me to not get my full size RSV-2CE rebound.  Because my full size RSV is my daily "read and underline/highlight" bible, I wanted that daily bible to be upgraded.  I chose Leonard's "Circuit Rider" style from their "Historical Series"  (Leonard's "Circuit Rider").  I loved the look and history of the style.  True, it is technically a "Protestant" bible style, but I like to believe that rebinding a "Catholic" Bible in a "Protestant" historical binding is at the height of bible ecumenism and evangelism ;) !

I am extremely pleased with the product.  Leonard's puts these historical styles through a "process" (as Margie says) that gives the final product an antiqued look without damaging the leather at all.  The bible came to me feeling well "loved", yet perfectly taken care of.  The craftsmanship is top notch.  It is a perfect paring of a good Catholic translation used by the Catechism and a wonderful binding.

This style is clearly designed to travel well, per Leonard's site:  "This style is made of thick glossy chocolate soft-tanned goatskin as a stiff flex-cover and still includes raised ribs and “Holy Bible” in the Wedding Text font on the spine, and an old-fashioned wraparound tab closure.  It’s great for backpacks and suitcases, saddle bags and satchels, making a neat package without ribbons."  Leonard's does not demand that you use the "marbled" end pages.  But they are historically accurate (per Leonard's).  You can substitute their nice "hand milled" paper end pages if you prefer (or probably others).  Also you can use ribbons, but those are not historically accurate (again, per Leonard's) because of their propensity of getting caught, pulled and/or soiled with heavy travel.

The style opens well and the tab does not get in the way of reading/working in the Bible.  I could go on and on. I highly recommend this style and I'm sure the other historical styles are of equal quality.  This style probably runs you about $50 or so more than doing one of the Leonard's more typical rebinds. I can't recommend Leonard's enough.  

Peace of Christ to you all.  ~ Corey

Monday, January 7, 2013

Mondays with the New Psalms: Psalm 150

Haven't done one of these in a while.  At this point, I am not sure if I will bring this series back on a regular basis or not.  We shall see.

Revised Grail:
1 Alleluia!
Praise God in his holy place;
praise him in his mighty firmament.
2 Praise him for his powerful deeds;
praise him for his boundless grandeur.
3 O praise him with sound of trumpet;
praise him with lute and harp.
4 Praise him with timbrel and dance;
praise him with strings and pipes.
5 O praise him with resounding cymbals;
praise him with clashing of cymbals.
6 Let everything that breathes praise the LORD!
Alleluia!


NABRE:
1 Hallelujah!
Praise God in his holy sanctuary;*
give praise in the mighty dome of heaven.
2 Give praise for his mighty deeds,
praise him for his great majesty.
3 Give praise with blasts upon the horn,
praise him with harp and lyre.
4 Give praise with tambourines and dance,
praise him with strings and pipes.
5 Give praise with crashing cymbals,
praise him with sounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath
give praise to the LORD!
Hallelujah!

* [Psalm 150] The Psalm is a closing doxology both for the fifth book of the Psalms (Ps 107–149) and for the Psalter as a whole. Temple musicians and dancers are called to lead all beings on earth and in heaven in praise of God. The Psalm proclaims to whom praise shall be given, and where (Ps 150:1); what praise shall be given, and why (Ps 150:2); how praise shall be given (Ps 150:3–5), and by whom (Ps 150:6).

* [150:1] His holy sanctuary: God’s Temple on earth. The mighty dome of heaven: lit., “[God’s] strong vault”; heaven is here imagined as a giant plate separating the inhabited world from the waters of the heavens.

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Check Our Geoffrey's New Column

From Geoffrey:

"I've started writing columns for Austin Catholic New Media, and I was wondering if you wanted to link to my newest post from your Bible blog. At the very end, I provide my top two picks for the best Catholic Bibles. It would be interesting to get you and your readers' feedback."

http://www.austincnm.com/index.php/2013/01/reading-the-bible-and-having-a-bear-of-a-time/

Friday, January 4, 2013

Chrysostom's Commentary for January

Frequent commentator Chrysostom will be contributing a monthly column to this blog.  Here is his inaugural post:

"Full of Grace": A Popular Exegetical and Theological Inquiry

A controverted rendering, and a lynchpin of Roman Catholic Mariology. As was recently written by Michael Brendan Dougherty over at The American Conservative, the RSV-CE - Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition - is "the mainstream option for believing Catholics", which, in the next clause, he scathingly criticizes as "descended from the King James, but [with] a few Romish flourishes like 'Hail Mary, full of grace' in Luke."

Why is this phrase - one word in the Greek - so important to Catholics, and, it would seem, to Protestants as well? (Ne'er has a Protestant Bible been seen by these shores, that containeth within it the words "full of grace" in According to Luke, Chapter 1, Verse 28.) Why is this the one "Romish flourish" that is nearly mandatory in any Bible that wishes to be called Catholic? Like the RSV-CE, all prophecy can be translated right out of the Old Testament, and typology eliminated through conjectural emendation: but, when the magic words, "hail, full of grace" are added in the right place, it becomes a Catholic version. This one word, κεχαριτωμένη (kecharitomenê) - a Biblical hapax legomenon, or word occurring only once in a given corpus, so that various uses can not be compared to draw out the likely meaning - exists in all manuscript traditions of the Greek NT: it is given the highest rating of certainty in the Nestle-Aland 27th edition. Whether using the Textus Receptus, the Nestle-Aland text, Westcott-Hort, Tischendorf, or the Byzantine Patriarchal text, the same word is translated: it is the translation itself that is in question. Next to the "עלמה-παρθένος [almah-parthenos] controversy" at Isaiah 7:14 (where the controversy is, perhaps, as much about which word to translate as how to translate a word) is possibly the most commonly- and popularly-debated translation choice in Scripture.

In many textual and translational debates, the lines are drawn between liberals, whether Protestant or Catholic, and conservatives and traditionalists, whether Protestant or Catholic: this is the case, in, say, Isaiah 7:14, in Genesis 1:1-2, in Psalm 22/23, so on and so forth - in virtually every passage that teaches or defends a traditional Christian claim or is purported to prophesy Christ - as is it in the vast majority of debates of the correct manuscript tradition (although, in the latter case, the Trads may come out swinging on the side of the Vulgate, and sidestep the critical text-textus receptus axis completely), or between high church and low church, as in the translation of ἐπίσκοπος as "bishop" or "overseer". At least in this last case, each side can attempt to muster an historical argument for their translation: in translating κεχαριτωμένη, there is no such luxury, only ideas duking it out in timeless manner.

This - the elusive translation of the elusive word κεχαριτωμένη - is a debate where the lines are drawn between conservatives and conservatives: conservative "Bible-believing" Protestants who want no Papism in their book, and conservative Catholics who want tradition and the testimony of the Fathers to bear out: the translation of the passage has incredible implications for the defense or lack thereof of Catholic Mariology by those who don't read the Greek - and the passage itself has incredible implications for the same by those who do read Greek but debate the word's meaning.

Thus I propose that the meaning of the hapax legomenon κεχαριτωμένη can not be puzzled out with certainty, or even likelihood, by purely exegetical considerations, nor even with the addition of naturalistic "historical" considerations, but only by the addition of theological considerations. The Annunciation is not amenable to modern "scientific history" even in theory, as, again, in theory, the structure of the early Church is. Even if it were, there is no recording of it outside of the Gospel of Luke: this is what we have, and on this signal word we must stand, etc. etc.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

The Mother of God


"In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”  -Luke 1:39-45