Tan Books/Saint Benedict Press has been re-publishing a number of older titles from the Confraternity of the Precious Blood recently. You can pre-order this
here for $11.95. I would assume that it is the Confraternity translation. I think it would be interesting if a Catholic publisher could obtain the rights for the Confraternity NT and combine it with the Douay OT in order to publish a new edition in an updated, contemporary format. We see this all the time with the KJV. It would be great to obtain an edition of the classic translations in a format the is from the 21st and not 19th century.
Thank you to Tom for sending me info on this.
Description:
Live the Gospel from a disciple’s point of view!
Inspired by the words of the Gospels, andupdated and arranged for daily reading, Christ in the Gospel is an indispensable pocket devotional. Designed specifically to bring Christ into your busy life, each day features Our Lord’s words as well as a how to incorporate them into your daily life.
7 comments:
Just out if curiosity, why would we need a combo bible with Douay OT and confraternity NT (of which I have an old edition) when the douay NT is excellent and we already have several nice editions of the Douay out there?
I thought I read somewhere that the copyright on the confraternity new testament was expired now. But I cannot recall where I may have seen that.
Actually looking at the website with the confraternity version online that you posted earlier they have posted the following sentence at the bottom:
"This transcription was made with the understanding that the original copyrights for these two works were not renewed and that they have since entered the Public Domain."
If it is in the public domain, a publisher could bring it out in a new edition. I think the Confraternity NT + Douay OT would be better than using the Challoner-Rheims for a traditionalist-oriented Catholic Bible for a few easons. First, the NT is more up-to-date in its language and in its scholarship while remaining close to the Latin text. Second, the scholarship in the notes and introductions to the Confraternity NT would provide a helpful counter to what is often a too-uncritical acceptance of some of the more speculative assertions of the modern biblical studies guild found in most mainstream/mainline study Bibles today (like the New Oxford Annotated Bible or any of the editions of the NABRE). Third, the language of translation in the Confraternity NT is much like that in the Catholic RSV -- thees and thous for God and in a few places referring to the Church, etc., but otherwise standard mid-20th century English. That would be a nice option to have in a fully Catholic translation. Fourth, the addition of the Douay-Bible, perhaps with the first edition of the Pentateuch (including the later-rejected book of Genesis) as prepared by the Confraternity translators after DAS was issued by P12, would help to provide more Catholics with exposure to that translation tradition. The Latin Vulgate, in the form of the NV, is still the official Bible of the Latin Rite, and it would be good for more Latin Rite Catholics to have regular exposure to the wisdom of that version in translation.
I have an old copy of Christ in the Gospel. Just to give you an idea of its setup....
The book is just a tiny big bigger than my iPhone 5s. It easily fits in a shirt pocket.
Part 1 = 11 topics from "The Birth and Infancy of Christ" such as "Jesus Christ is God" and "The Return from Exile".
That first reading - "Jesus Christ is God" is drawn from John 1:1-18. There are two brief footnotes about "Word" and "Light".
That first reading has two dates attached to it - December 1, and June 1. This way you can make it through the entire story of Jesus' earthly life every 6 months one short reading each day. Handy, huh?
In the back is a 61 page "Study Guide and Daily Practice" section authored by Rev. John A. O'Brien, PhD, University of Notre Dame.
The study guide for that Dec. 1 reading is as follows:
"Dec. 1 - What is meant by the "Word"?Was He uncreated and eternal? What was in Him? What is meant by the "light"? By the "darkness"? Who was sent by God? What was John's mission? What enlightens every man? Who did not know Jesus? Who did not receive Him? What did He give to those who received Him? How did Jesus become our Brother? How did Jesus testify concerning Jesus? What came through Moses? Through Jesus? Whom did Jesus reveal?
Now, the "Religious Practices" for Dec. 1 is essentially instructions on what to do throughout someone's usage of the book. One note of interest: O'Brien tells the reader to "Secure a copy of A Commentary on the New Testament" which was mentioned in this blog a few days ago.
Here is the "Religious Practices" section from Dec. 2 (which is for Luke 1:1-13):
"1. Cultivate a devotion to St. John the Baptist.
"2. Examine your conscience each night to keep yourself blameless like Zachary and Elizabeth."
By the way everyone, another great couple of pocket New Testaments to get are the following:
The Holy Gospel, by Rev. John E. Robaldo, translated by Sister Joan Mary, D. S. P. 3rd edition, St. Paul Editions, [1943], 1963, 1984. Yes, it's just a gospel book rather than a full New Testament, but it is filled with catechetical notes that are quite good. It is also illustrated.
My Daily Reading from the Hew Testament, by Rev. Joseph F. Stedman. This is essentially the Confraternity New Testament divided into daily readings that was published by Scepter Press: https://www.scepterpublishers.org/product/index.php?FULL=565 But it includes the ordinary of the Mass (Extraordinary Form) in English and a number of prayers in the back. Look for the leather version, gilt edges, two ribbons. Very nice book!
vladimir998
I have e-mailed Tan books suggesting that they should reprint another confraternity book that is rather difficult to obtain. Its title is
"My daily Prayer". It is a mini one week breviary, mini commentary on sunday readings following the pre-vatican II missal, and a book of saints lives for each of their feast days pre-vatican II. I have bought an old copy for myself and really like using it. It is helpful for people with busy lives who don't have much time for the full breviary. Each day sunday through saturday contains contains Six hours: morning prayer, 9 a.m. prayer, noon prayer, 3 p.m. prayer, evening prayer and night prayer. Each hour's prayer is 2-3 pages of psalms, gospel readings and traditional blessings and invocations. It is a very nice little book and I hope Tan republishes it.
Here is a link below for one for sale on ebay so you can see what it looks like.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/MY-DAILY-Prayer-Confraternity-of-Precious-Blood-1955-Catholic-Prayer-Book-/151810433943?hash=item23589b6397
Just need to comment to make a quick correction to what one of the above posters said.
The use of archaic second person singular pronouns (thee, thou, thy, thine) and accompanying archaic verb suffixes (-(e)st, -(e)th) was not done as it was in the RSV to be more reverent or anything like that. It was employed simply to be more accurate to the underlying Greek/Latin texts. They also dropped the use of the archaic second person plural nominative form "ye" so the text would not sound quite so archaic.
In the Confraternity NT and other older translations that use archaic pronouns, when you see thee/thou/thy/thine it is referring to you singular, as in "I am speaking to You, Timothy". When you see you/your/yours/[ye], it is plural, "I am speaking to you all".
Here's a good example why this is useful and provides a more accurate translation:
John 1:50-51 (NABRE): "Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this." And he said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."
John 1:50-51 (Confraternity 1941): "Answering, Jesus said to him, "Because I said to thee that I saw thee under the fig tree, thou dost believe. Greater things than these shalt thou see." And he said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you shall see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."
The NAB translation makes it seem like Jesus is speaking solely to Nathanael and that Nathanael will later see the angels ascending and descending on Jesus.
The Confraternity translation makes it clear what Jesus actually said and what St. John was actually saying: Jesus said to Nathanael and also to all who were present that they all would see angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man.
This is why older translations with the archaic pronouns are, at least in this respect, going to be more accurate than modern translations no matter what.
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