Thanks to Jonny for sharing these photos of his new ESV:CE published by ATC, which arrived from India. Jonny reports that it is a "nice, solid sewn hardcover." He will post some thoughts on the text in the comments of this post. Thanks again Jonny!
Thanks for sharing my photos, Tim! This appears to be a 2011 Edition ESV, with the deuterocanon from Oxford included in the usual order, with Maccabees following Esther. I have not yet found any instances where the ESV text has been changed in this edition, but I just got it so I will update on this post.
Also for those apprehensive about the mail delivery, you will be pleased to know the package has to be signed for. I was out yesterday when the postman arrived, so I had to pick it up at the post office this morning.
And yes I said the 2011 Edition! It has the controversial reading of Genesis 3:16, as well as the other changes I have checked so far. Interesting!
The pictures are a bit deceiving. I like to break in the binding gradually, and the book isn’t open all the way. I literally just cracked it open for the first time when I took the pictures!
Seeing this nearly made me emotional. I was still a Southern Baptist when the ESV first arrived, and I fell in love with it. After becoming Catholic I emailed Crossway to ask if they'd consider releasing a Catholic version, and I received a kind but firm "not 'no' but 'heck no'" from them. I've heard rumors of an ESV-CE for years, but to see it finally come to fruition is satisfying, to say the least. I'm quite happy with The Message as my daily reader, but I may have to pick up one of these for study if/when a leather-bound edition is published.
I have only been able to find two changes against the standard ESV so far. Matthew 1:19 “divorce” is changed to “send her away,” following suit with the original RSV-CE. Also Sirach 1:5 is brought into the text from the footnotes, which would be to correspond to the Nova Vulgata and the liturgy. There are some more verses like this in Sirach I think, but can’t remember offhand where they are. Most of the changes made to create the RSV-CE were incorporated into the Second Edition 1971 RSV, so they are already a part of the ESV. It is curious they changed this one verse in Matthew but left alone some obvious places tweaked in the RSV-2CE.
Got to admit...seeing English Standard Version Catholic Edition is rather amazing. I didn't think this would be so, or at least for quite a long time. Thank you for the photos!!
Jonny, would you mind looking up 1 Tim 3:15 and seeing if it uses the article "a" or "the" for "...pillar and buttress of the truth"? The current ESV uses "a" which is unique compared to most translations. In the Catholic edition is it: "the" pillar or "a" pillar? I know that's a sticking point. Very exciting to see the ESV with Catholic books, though.
Yes, that is exactly the point of the translation. After all, we have plenty of excellent Catholic translations (NABRE, RNJB, etc.), so adapting a Protestant one is supposed to be ecumenical, i.e. what greater way to foster the unity of Christians than finding a common translation?
I've begun to think that the wider one defines "ecumenical" the more watered down a concept it becomes. I suppose I'm starting to see that all ecumenicism is local. In a bible study with some liberal Lutherans you know from activism in support of the homeless?: NRSV. Friends from the emergent church?: Message, CE.
With the atomization of our culture, I think the best we can hope for is that a group of Christians who know each other can achieve a unity of spirit, past denominational lines, perhaps with the help of a shared Bible translation to make communication easier and more trustworthy.
I must admit that I'm suspicious-ish of what I've heard about supposed translation biases in the ESV, but such things are usually overstated, and as someone who reacts to the Tyndale-KJV-RSV tradition with a shrug, this isn't for me anyhow.
It will be cool that those Crossway Reader's Gospels are ecclesiastically on-the-level.
Well, a little over 3 weeks since sending them my money I still don't have a bible to show for it. Short story folks is if you really want a Catholic ESV just wait until it's published in better editions in either the U.S. or UK and perhaps by then they'll have even corrected the verse from 1 Tim 3.
Sorry to hear it hasn’t arrived. Be patient, I am sure it will come soon.
And who knows if those who want it will ever get an opportunity to get it from a US publisher. Likely, yes. Definite, no.
And as for the 1 Tim 3 rendering, if it wasn’t changed by the Indian bishops conference, I can’t see it getting changed by anyone here. No one is going to go through the editing and approval process for that bible in the US.
For Russ: The ESV-CE is a sewn hardback, much like the RSV-2CE in the above picture. It appears to be a well made book, binding is tight, fit and finish is clean and sharp. I just wish it had cross-references and a more thorough revision for liturgical use. I wonder if more changes will be necessary once their ESV lectionary is submitted for approval. We might end up with a second edition ESV-CE Bible sooner than expected! It would be called the ESV-2CE... ;)
Thanks for sharing my photos, Tim! This appears to be a 2011 Edition ESV, with the deuterocanon from Oxford included in the usual order, with Maccabees following Esther. I have not yet found any instances where the ESV text has been changed in this edition, but I just got it so I will update on this post.
ReplyDeleteAlso for those apprehensive about the mail delivery, you will be pleased to know the package has to be signed for. I was out yesterday when the postman arrived, so I had to pick it up at the post office this morning.
And yes I said the 2011 Edition! It has the controversial reading of Genesis 3:16, as well as the other changes I have checked so far. Interesting!
Judging by these pics, the gutter is too small. This looks almost like a rebound book.
ReplyDeleteThe pictures are a bit deceiving. I like to break in the binding gradually, and the book isn’t open all the way. I literally just cracked it open for the first time when I took the pictures!
DeleteSeeing this nearly made me emotional. I was still a Southern Baptist when the ESV first arrived, and I fell in love with it. After becoming Catholic I emailed Crossway to ask if they'd consider releasing a Catholic version, and I received a kind but firm "not 'no' but 'heck no'" from them. I've heard rumors of an ESV-CE for years, but to see it finally come to fruition is satisfying, to say the least. I'm quite happy with The Message as my daily reader, but I may have to pick up one of these for study if/when a leather-bound edition is published.
ReplyDeleteI have only been able to find two changes against the standard ESV so far. Matthew 1:19 “divorce” is changed to “send her away,” following suit with the original RSV-CE. Also Sirach 1:5 is brought into the text from the footnotes, which would be to correspond to the Nova Vulgata and the liturgy. There are some more verses like this in Sirach I think, but can’t remember offhand where they are. Most of the changes made to create the RSV-CE were incorporated into the Second Edition 1971 RSV, so they are already a part of the ESV. It is curious they changed this one verse in Matthew but left alone some obvious places tweaked in the RSV-2CE.
ReplyDeleteAs some one unfamiliar with the esv, what is this version like in terms of inclusive language?
DeleteAre the Psalms double column like the rest of the book or single column?
ReplyDeleteThe whole Bible is double column.
DeleteGot to admit...seeing English Standard Version Catholic Edition is rather amazing. I didn't think this would be so, or at least for quite a long time. Thank you for the photos!!
ReplyDeleteJonny, would you mind looking up 1 Tim 3:15 and seeing if it uses the article "a" or "the" for "...pillar and buttress of the truth"? The current ESV uses "a" which is unique compared to most translations. In the Catholic edition is it: "the" pillar or "a" pillar? I know that's a sticking point. Very exciting to see the ESV with Catholic books, though.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
The fourth photo up there ^ has the page from 1 Tim 3. It has “a”.
DeleteOops. Didn't catch that. Thanks, Tim.
ReplyDeleteI’d really like to hope that the 1Tim article was eithet a misprint, or something that slipped by the editors/reviewers.
ReplyDeleteI’d also like to hope to win the Powerball this weekend.
Sadly, the odds on both hopes above are probably the same.
Ugh, so we've confirmed that this thing retains the two silliest, most eyeroll-worthy ESV verses. Disappointing.
ReplyDeleteErgh...
DeleteIf it was supposed to be an ESV adapted to Catholic usage, why not edit out these blatant Evangelical Protestant biases?
Is it possible the goal is to attempt to build a bridge between Evangelicals and Catholcs rather than give Catholics a truly Catholic Bible version?
@ Michael Spyridon
ReplyDeleteYes, that is exactly the point of the translation. After all, we have plenty of excellent Catholic translations (NABRE, RNJB, etc.), so adapting a Protestant one is supposed to be ecumenical, i.e. what greater way to foster the unity of Christians than finding a common translation?
I've begun to think that the wider one defines "ecumenical" the more watered down a concept it becomes. I suppose I'm starting to see that all ecumenicism is local. In a bible study with some liberal Lutherans you know from activism in support of the homeless?: NRSV. Friends from the emergent church?: Message, CE.
ReplyDeleteWith the atomization of our culture, I think the best we can hope for is that a group of Christians who know each other can achieve a unity of spirit, past denominational lines, perhaps with the help of a shared Bible translation to make communication easier and more trustworthy.
I must admit that I'm suspicious-ish of what I've heard about supposed translation biases in the ESV, but such things are usually overstated, and as someone who reacts to the Tyndale-KJV-RSV tradition with a shrug, this isn't for me anyhow.
It will be cool that those Crossway Reader's Gospels are ecclesiastically on-the-level.
Well, a little over 3 weeks since sending them my money I still don't have a bible to show for it. Short story folks is if you really want a Catholic ESV just wait until it's published in better editions in either the U.S. or UK and perhaps by then they'll have even corrected the verse from 1 Tim 3.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear it hasn’t arrived. Be patient, I am sure it will come soon.
DeleteAnd who knows if those who want it will ever get an opportunity to get it from a US publisher. Likely, yes. Definite, no.
And as for the 1 Tim 3 rendering, if it wasn’t changed by the Indian bishops conference, I can’t see it getting changed by anyone here. No one is going to go through the editing and approval process for that bible in the US.
Is this this stitch (sewn) bound or glued?
ReplyDeleteI found another review of the ESV-CE:
ReplyDeletehttp://catholicbiblestudent.com/2018/03/review-esv-catholic-edition-bible-esvce.html
For Russ: The ESV-CE is a sewn hardback, much like the RSV-2CE in the above picture. It appears to be a well made book, binding is tight, fit and finish is clean and sharp. I just wish it had cross-references and a more thorough revision for liturgical use. I wonder if more changes will be necessary once their ESV lectionary is submitted for approval. We might end up with a second edition ESV-CE Bible sooner than expected! It would be called the ESV-2CE... ;)