Tuesday, December 29, 2015

End of the Year

First off, I would like to thank you all for sticking with this blog through the years.  I must tell you that it remains a true labor of love.  The main reason for this is not anything I happen to post, but rather the interaction I am blessed to have with all of you.  A number of you have been generous enough to email me with fresh information on new bibles and other translational news, for which I am deeply appreciative.  With two jobs, two kids (as well as another one on the way), I am simply not able to devote as much time to searching the web for new products.  Again, thank you!

Also, thank you to all those who contributed guest posts and reviews during this past year.  All of you have added some great insights and perspectives to this blog.  In addition, a number of you have allowed me to post your Bible rebinds, which I think has tempted quire a few people to venture into that dangerous hobby!

Finally, I would love to hear from you, as 2015 comes to an end, what you most appreciated during this past year and what you most look forward to in 2016, in regards to Catholic Bibles. 

To get things started, during 2015 I enjoyed looking back at Dei Verbum.  I made a commitment to spend time with a number of the documents of Vatican II this past year, and it was well worth it.  Also, when I look back at 2015, the One Bible, One Year (OBOY) project proved to be a tad difficult at first, but ultimately helped me to remain focused on my use of th NRSV.  It was a good exercise, one which I encourage you to try!

What do I look forward to in 2016?  Here are a couple of things, in no particular order:
--I think we will see a Catholic bible given the Allan's treatment in 2016
--The Message:Catholic edition will be released in some new editions
--Will the USCCB continue to publish NABRE's?
--I think there will be something we don't expect announced at some point during he year

Once again, thank you for your readership, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!

18 comments:

Deacon Dave said...

Thank YOU, Timothy for this ministry which you so thoughtfully continue even in the midst of husband/daddy busy-ness (with 6 kids I know what that is like!) I most appreciate the Bible reviews and notice of Bible-related products. It saves time (and money!) for guys like me who tend to buy the new offerings as they are published.

I ended up ordering a copy of the Annotated illustrated New Testament from LTP (which you featured a short while back) and am awaiting its arrival. At first I refused to order this $10 NT due to the $19 shipping cost (!!!!) but then it turned out that my parish was putting in an order from LTP for other items and so I tagged my NT order onto it. Score! May the holy Virgin Mother bless you with her Child now and throughout the New Year of 2016!

Deacon Dave

rolf said...

Thank you again Timothy for this blog and I look forward to 2016! In the Bible world, 2015 brought us the Didache Bible ( both in RSV-2CE & NABRE) which caught many of us by surprise! After all these years of listening to the complaints about the lack of a complete Catholic Bible with good theological notes, I think that complaint has been answered. But there is one complaint that remains unanswered and I hope that 2016 will change that; a premium Catholic Bible in a premium leather cover (goatskin, calfskin, full grain cowhide, etc.). I think our biggest hope is R.L.Allan, who makes some of the finest Bibles in the world. According to an email reply and a later facebook reply, they are working on something. I am not sure what translation or what format (Catholic or ecumenical) they are looking into, but I hope that 2016 will bring some answer to these questions. I think this blog will continue to give us some say in the manufacture of Catholic Bibles and resources. On internet searches for Bible related subjects on translations, Bible edition questions, etc., it always pops up right away! So companies who make Bibles or Bible related products should be taking notice, and all our comments contribute to this!

Jeff S. said...

I agree completely with Rolf. What's kind of funny is that at this
time one year ago in late December 2014, we were all eagerly awaiting
the Didache RSV-2CE Bible with the sentiment being "this is the one
we've all been waiting for." Then it came in early January and we all
started looking for "the next big thing". And it came ...
the Didache NABRE Bible in May.
And then of course we collectively said "well, pretty good, but ...."
I'm just as guilty and probably even more so than the average on this!
So now we're all waiting for the "perfect Bible" to hopefully
be printed by R.L. Allan. And of course we - which includes me! -
will all buy it when it's released and then within a week we'll probably
all be discussing what future release would really be
the "perfect Bible".

In that vein, let me start the ball rolling right now: what
translation would you like to see MTF (Midwest Theological Forum)
do a Didache Bible version of? Douay-Rheims, Jerusalem Bible(1966),
New Jerusalem Bible(1985),or ...
the rare 1969 completed Confraternity Bible(!)

The whole thing kind of reminds me of when I bought an mail order exercise course
back when I was 19 back in 1967. To this day, me and my college roommates laugh
over a statement made in one of the lessons It was something to the effect of
that the only way to get stronger was to actually DO THE EXERCISES
rather than just read about doing them :) Truly a "wisdom" statement
if there ever was one.

And a post hoc Merry Christmas to everyone, and an a priori Happy New Year
to all and much thanks to Tim for setting and keeping running such a
wonderful website. I find myself going to it a dozen or more times a day
just to check for new developments such as the next "perfect Bible"
and all the fascinating comment threads.

rolf said...

Jeff S., I would just change your question a little and ask; which Catholic (English) translation of the Bible would you like to see R.L. Allan publish in the next year or two? This is a though question for me. Do I need a R.L. Allan Bible, no! Would I buy an R.L. Bible if it came out in a Catholic translation I wanted, absolutely! I will start saving my pennies now, just in case!

Unknown said...

Thanks for the great blog Timothy!

I share with you some of your dreams for 2016!
Especially for The Message CE.

But I would really, really hope that the Knox Bible and The Message CE would be available in a more compact edition, smaller and more handy than the editions existing now.

Happy Christmas and blessed New Year!!!

wxmarc said...

Rolf, I wonder if it would make the most business sense for R.L. Allan to publish the NABRE. The NRSV is theoretically a more ecumenical option, but I get the sense that there isn't a strong market for it. The mainline churches which have traditionally used it can now choose the CEB as a more readable alternative. Among U.S. Catholics, the NABRE is the most popular by far. I'd bet that a large majority of U.S. Catholics have never read from the NRSV.

Perhaps the NRSV would sell better in Canada and the UK, but those are smaller markets.

Then again, maybe I'm thinking too broadly. After all, many people have no interest in buying a premium bible at a premium price. Those of us who would be tempted by an Allan Catholic bible might be more likely to prefer the NRSV or the RSV-(2)CE. If I had a choice, I would probably lean toward the NABRE, since I slightly prefer it to the NRSV.

Mark D. said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Tom said...

Thanks for your blog, it's easily my favorite, and congrats on child number 3 on the way!

The big shock in '15 for me as well was Didache. Who knew something like that would come out before the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible? (Oh, er, everybody did since Ignatius will publish that around 2180.)

My favorite posts tend to be the rebinds and the new Bible-related news.

Unrelated, but fwiw I'm reading Bruce Metzger's book on the various English translations, and almost all the criticisms he makes about the NAB have been corrected in the NABRE.

Deacon Dave said...

Mark

Amen to a St. joseph Edition of the New Catholic Version!

rolf said...

Wxmarc, Allan is based in the UK, so I don't know if they would publish a translation (NABRE) that is largly a US translation? The RSV-2CE would be a good alternative if the UK Church adapts this translation for their liturgy. Then you would have a local market (UK) and an international market. Maybe they could revive the REB (ecumenical) or Jerusalem Bible (Catholic) or could go with the NRSV Catholic edition or the venerable RSV-CE?

Timothy said...

I would put my money on an NRSV-CE anglicized.

rolf said...

I agree Timothy.

Jeff S. said...

Tim,
In regards to an NRSV-CE anglicized by R.L. Allan, do you think
it would have the cross-references such as you see in the Cambridge
cross-reference edition full NRSV? Or would it be a "popular"(reader's) version such as the full NRSV one put out by Cambridge which is anglicized but with no cross-references?

And regarding the Didache Bible concept, what if the Midwest Theological Forum (MTF) applied that to the Douay-Rheims-Challoner?
The Didache notes could clear up passages that are unclear because
of older style language.

Or my dream would be a Didache Confraternity Bible with the Confraternity version being the completed 1969 version.
This would preserve its New Testament of 1941.


Timothy said...

Jeff,

I have been told first hand that Allan's is negotiation with SPCK on their NRSV-CE bookblock. We'll see if it materializes
http://www.catholicbiblesblog.com/2015/12/guest-review-spck-nrsv-ce.html?m=1

rolf said...

Timothy, I wonder if it will be the Anglicized version or not?

Timothy said...

Yes, I believe it will be.

Anonymous said...

I hope the Ignatius OT Study Bible will be complete by the end of 2016.

Also the NABRE NT Revision( but I doubt that but it would be nice).

Pax and may God bless your New Year

Anonymous said...

Thank you Timothy, for featuring two of my guest post to this lovely blog!
I might consider myself as the most active blog reader from the Philippines.

I must say that this blog had been very instrumental in fostering my love for the love of Scriptures and also finding great deals.

I must thank, Lenny V. (Tim and I argued if you are a he or a she) for shipping all the way the CTS Bibles from the US to my humble location here in the Philippines.

In starting this year, I would like to commit to my One Bible, One Year is the RSV-2CE, though my leather-bound RSV-2CE is still in transit.

Hope we get further developments on the RSV-2CE and on the LA-compliant NABRE in 2016!

Pax Vobiscum, Fratres in Christo!