End of the Summer Contest

Well, it is coming up on the end of the summer for me, as I will be starting back up at the high school in little over a week.  So, I am going to offer this contest to mark the end of my summer vacation.

The winner of this contest will receive the following three items:

1) An audio CD series by Tim Staples of Catholic Answers on the Epistle to the Philippians

2) George Knight's The Holy Land: An Illustrated Guide to Its History, Geography, Culture, and Holy Sites  

3) Rudolf Schnackenburg's Belief in the New Testament



So here are the rules:1) If you have a blog, please advertise this contest on your site. (If you don't, you can still enter the contest.)

2) This contest is only for people who are in the North America. (Overseas shipping costs are a bit too high for me right now. Sorry. But again stay tuned, however, since I am planning on doing an outside North America giveway at some point in the near future.)

3) To enter, please put your name in the comment section of this post.

4) The contest ends on Saturday, August 4th @ 11:59PM EST. I'll announce the winner on Sunday or Monday. At that time, the winner must contact me, via email, with their address within one week to receive their prize.

5) One entry per person. If you post anonymously, you must leave a name at the end of your comment entry.

Luke 1-2: 490 Days and Daniel 9

There is a very interesting post over at The Sacred Page blog which I think you might enjoy. It centers on Daniel 9 and the Seventy Weeks (of years) and a particular way to calculating it in reference to the infancy narratives in Luke 1-2. It is definitely worth a look, so check it out!

Your Favorite Bible Edition

While it seems that I am always looking for the "next best thing" in regards to Catholic Bibles, there is one thing that has remained constant over the past few years: My favorite Bible edition is still the Cambridge NRSV Reference Bible with the Apocrypha--French morocco leather. While there have been times when I have been "tempted" to switch Bible translations, I always seem to fall back to this edition. Although it is true that I am sympathetic to the NRSV translation, the overall quality of this Cambridge edition, including not only the Moroccan leather, but the plentiful cross-references, thick paper, 18 maps, and truly helpful glossary, make this edition a true gem for Catholic Bible readers. There is no other Bible that meets my needs like this edition of the NRSV.

But how about you? What Bible edition do just absolutely love and use? This question has less to do with a particular Bible's translation, but rather the whole package. Feel free to give a glowing report of your favorite Bible, including any links to websites that provide further details about it.

A choice is made..for now..

...and hopefully for a long time. Well, perhaps until another translation with great potential appears! :) (See, I can always leave the door open just a little!)

Seriously, though, I mentioned in the previous post about struggling with using multiple translations for various uses each day. For example, in any given day I may use the RSV for seminary work, while referring to the NRSV for personal reading, while also hearing the NAB at Mass and reading a different version of the NAB in the Liturgy of the Hours which I pray everyday. That's a lot of translations in my mind. Indeed, I think too many!

I contrast that with the contacts I have made over the past few years in ministry work with Catholics, as well as Protestants, who use just one Bible translation. As a matter of fact, they may only have one edition from which they read. Their Bible, which has clearly been read and loved over many years, is an obvious witness to the relationship which they have developed with the Word. I was reminded of this recently while watching the Catholic program "The Choices We Face" which is produced by Renewal Ministries out of Ann Arbor, Michigan. On the program, Debbie Herbeck, whom I have had the pleasure of talking with on a number of occasions and whom I also invited to speak at last years Young Adult Scripture Conference in Detroit, talks about her conversion to Christianity. One of the great witnesses of Christianity that she encountered was a Catholic girl on her floor at the University of Michigan who had truly devoured her Bible. Through the comments, questions, and prayers that were written in her friends Bible, Debbie was able to encounter someone who was truly in dialogue with the Lord. What a wonderful witness!

Isn't that what I am being called to do as well? I am always amazed at how many comments I get, from Christians and non-Christians, who will come up to me at a place like Panera or Starbucks and ask me a question after seeing that I have a Bible (or 2 or 3) on the table. It reminds me of that often quoted line, attributed to St. Francis, which says: "Preach the Gospel always, when necessary use words." There is certainly some real truth to that quote, which brings me back to the question of having a primary Bible that truly becomes my "companion" Bible. I think it is time to witness, like that college girl at UM, with a well-read primary Bible of my own.

The question then becomes which is the best version to use as my primary Bible? Ah, that perpetually frustrating question that in some ways has no answer. Let it be said that I do not have a firm grasp of Greek or Hebrew. (Although I do know a bit of Latin.) I recognize that knowing the original languages is ideal, but that will have to wait a few years until I can take one of those intensive summer Greek courses.

So, then, what are the choices? Well, as a Catholic it comes down to a few options: NAB, RSV-CE, NRSV-CE, NJB, or DR. Without getting into a full critique of each of these translations, let me just point out a few of my own criteria in determining which translation to go with:

1) I do not want archaic language in my primary Bible. I do not speak with archaic language, nor do I want to see it in the Bible I am going to read every day.

2) I want a translation that can be accepted in both the academic setting, i.e. seminary, as well as in ministry work, like leading Bible studies and prayer groups. It also should be Church approved.

3) I want a translation that can be found in an edition which has the basic essentials which should found in any Bible edition which are IMHO: cross-references, textual notes, and maps. It is also important to have this edition be made of premium leather, not bonded leather which seems to just fall apart over time.

4) I want a translation that has other support materials, like concordances, interlinears, dictionaries, etc..., that are made for it.

5) Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I want a translation that I enjoy reading. One that keeps me engaged with the text, no matter if I am reading the Gospel of Mark or 2 Samuel or Leviticus. Well, Leviticus might be stretching it a bit..... :)

In a perfect world, the NAB would be the choice. It fits a number of the criteria, but since it always seems to be in a state of flux, I just cannot committ to the NAB. I have tried to make the NAB my primary Bible on a couple of occasions, primarily because of the fact that most Catholics use it, but it just never seems to work for me.

My choice is the NRSV. It meets all of the criteria that I established above, and I have an edition of the NRSV which I really like. Is the NRSV perfect? By no means! I do have problems with some of the inclusive language choices, not so much in the "brothers and sisters" renderings, but in the "Son of Man" renderings in Daniel, Ezekiel, Psalms, and Hebrews. However, this is somewhat mediated by the fact that there are textual notes at the bottom of each page that indicate such changes. There are some other minor things that bug me, but that is OK. I think part of the process of choosing a translation as a primary Bible is to accept the odd renderings which you may not like. I also like the maxim which the NRSV Committee follows: "As literal as possible, as free as necessary". That seems to me to be the best way to go. Of course, people could argue how that maxim was followed in the NRSV, but overall I think that is the best way to translate the Sacred Text.

Over the next few weeks, I hope to provide some additional insights as to why I am deciding to go with the NRSV. In particular, I may begin a series of posts which highlight the various study tools that are keyed into the NRSV translation.

Is it good to use different Bibles?

This thought came to my mind as I read the fine post and responses at Better Bibles Blog concerning the question of best uses for different Bible versions. While I certainly recognize the need to have different translations, knowing that none is perfect, I wonder if it is good to use a particular Bible for prayer and reading, while another for study, and yet another as an all-purpose Bible. I am really not sure what the answer is to this question. Ideally, it would be best to utilize one Bible translation for prayer, daily reading, study, and ministry work, however is this realistic?

I know that this is an issue that I have struggled with for a number of years. Perhaps this is why I tend to oscillate between two or three translations over a given period of time. (Although I think I may have decided on one version, which I plan to talk about in a future post.) If a person constantly changes or refers to different translations on a regular basis doesn't this in a way hinder that person's interiorization and memorization of the Sacred Text? Hmmm......

Bible Taglines

NRSV: Trust, Unity, NRSV. Trustworthy, readable, and ecumenical, the NRSV is the Bible for everyone.

ESV: The English Standard Version (ESV) Bible is a new, essentially literal Bible translation that combines word-for-word precision and accuracy with literary excellence, beauty, and depth of meaning.

NIV: Most Read. Most Trusted.

TNIV: Today’s New International Version (TNIV) is an uncompromisingly accurate Bible translation for today’s reader. This rendition of Scripture provides a new choice for those who desire a contemporary, but highly accurate translation.

Jerusalem Bible: When it comes to Bible translations, readability and reliability are what count; and on both counts, the original JERUSALEM BIBLE stands alone. THE JERUSALEM BIBLE is the one they can trust.

New American Standard Bible: Readable, Trusted, Literal, & Timeless.

They all sound pretty convincing to me.....John 6:68.

Choose.....choose wisely!

I have been debating this question in my mind recently, so I wanted to propose it to you.

What is better to have for a day-to-day/multi-purpose Bible: 1) one that has a superior translation; or 2) one that may not be as good of a translation, but contains such things as a quality binding/cover, study helps, cross-references, maps, and concordance?



I know that this might seem a bit trivial for my Protestant brothers and sisters, since most Protestant translations come in multiple editions so that if you like a particular translation, there is probably an edition that fits you well out there too. However, in the Catholic Bible publishing world, the options are not as expansive. (I am sure I will post on this issue again at a later time.) So what do you think?

But before you comment on this question, let me make a few additional points that might help in gauging where I am coming from:

1) The four translations that I have in mind here are the RSV, NRSV, NJB, and NAB. I like using the NAB the least, while I consider the RSV and NRSV each to have their positive and negative points. (I will be continuing my RSV vs. NRSV comparison in a week or so.) The NJB is still attractive in many ways, particularly due to all its reference material.

2) My background is that I do full-time campus/young adult ministry, while working on a graduate degree in Sacred Theology from a local seminary.

3) Personally, I like to carry around a Bible that is of standard/medium size.

The LXX and the DSS

I was recently at a Cokesbury Christian book store where I spotted, in the half-off section no less, the book What are the Dead Sea Scrolls and Why Do They Matter? Being half-priced, I naturally purchased it along with some other discounted books. Since the book is written in a handy questions and answer format, I thought it would be a good primer for the issues that surround the Dead Sea Scrolls. Through my studies at seminary, I have certainly been introduced to the importance of the Scrolls and how they have impacted textual criticism. One question I always wondered about was how the DSS related to the Septuagint. While reading this book, I was happy to see that the authors, Freedman and Kuhlken, address the issue:

Which of the two texts- LXX or the MT- represents a more accurate tradition?

"This is a serious issue. On the one hand, the Septuagint reflects an earlier version than the Masoretic Text. The MT can't be traced back as far as the LXX, and it seems to reflect a number of instances when rabbis had to make hard choices about which particular texts were original and what particular words meant. It also reflects a great deal of haplography......

On the other hand, scholarly attitudes towards the LXX have gone through a lot stages over the years. It has been considered a very accurate, literal rendering of an underlying Hebrew text- and it has ben considered a paraphrase of something that doesn't conform to any Hebrew text.

But the more information that comes in, especially from the Dead Sea Scrolls, the more the LXX appears to be a literal translation of an original Hebrew text. In fact, it appears to be a very literal translation, so much so that in many ways it differs from classical Greek. The translators made deliberate efforts to preserve the original syntax, word order, and so forth of the original Hebrew rather than attempt to achieve an attractive style of Greek....."

So, here are a few of my questions about the previous statement:

1) What do you think about the analysis of Freedman and Kuhlken on this issue of the LXX?

2) Are we not already moving away from reliance on the MT, since many translations are now adopting an eclectic text for the OT?

3) Is there a good reason to simply translate from the LXX for the OT? I know that this is already done in the Orthodox Churches.

Catholic Bibles Stink!

Ok, that might sound a bit harsh....but it is true! However, this rant doesn't really have anything to do with the available Catholic translations either. I am not here to complain about the terribly uneven NAB that is continually in need of revision, or the occasional inclusive language translation in the NRSV that doesn't sit well, or the fact that the most literal Catholic translation of the Bible, the RSV-CE, was done half a century ago, not to mention the occasional odd-ball translation found in the (New) Jerusalem Bible. No, that is not what this post is about.

This post is a call to all Catholic publishing houses, and non-Catholic publishers like HarperCollins, to produce high quality Catholic Bibles in various editions. Is this too much to ask? Let me explain my dilemma. I recently wanted to obtain a thinline Catholic Bible that I could use for not only ministry related activities, but also for personal prayer and study at the seminary. Could I find one in the NRSV, RSV, or NAB? No! Instead, I was able to see multiple thinline editions for the TNIV, NIV, KJV, NKJV, and the ESV all in various covers at the local Barnes and Nobles. I almost picked up the TNIV version, but realized that I need and want one with the Deuterocanonicals. The TNIV version I saw was quite wonderful. It included everything I wanted in a Bible, except of course the full Catholic Old Testament. This edition's print was very readable, it included a nice set of maps, the words of Christ in red, a concordance, and some crossreferences. It also fit really well in the hand, and I could see myself using it daily. So where are all the Catholic thinline Bible editions?

While I am at it, this led me to think of a few additional criticisms. I just can't find quality Catholic Bibles being published in various editions anywhere. Here are a few example:

1) The page layout of the New American Bible looks almost exactly the same no matter who publishes it. There are no one column or thinline editions. As a matter of fact, take a look at an old edition, pre-1990, of the NAB and guess what you find? There is very little difference in its appearence. The NAB is suppose to be the main Catholic translation here in the US, but it is poorly supported in many ways.

2) There are very few, if any, high-end leather editions of any Catholic Bible. Most places sell paperback or hardcover editions of the NAB or NJB or NRSV. The nicest Bible I have is the Cambridge NRSV Reference Bible. Most of the Catholic Bibles out there are bonded leather editions. How cheap! Where are the Catholic publishers?

3) Finally, can we get an actual Catholic Study Bible that can rival the quality of the (T)NIV, ESV, or NLT study Bibles? The only real study Bible out there is the NAB Catholic Study Bible by Oxford. The problem is that it comes in only one size and to be honest the textual notes are exactly the same as with any NAB Bible. The reading guides at the front are marginally helpful and very limited at best. They even put out a similar edition called the "Personal Study Edition". I personally don't see much of a difference. Ignatius Press is developing their own study Bible using the RSV-2CE, but they seem to be in no hurry to complete it. (I think they would rather publish 12 books by Pope Benedict each season. Don't get me wrong, I love Pope Benedict, but even he would rather see Ignatius Press complete their study Bible.) The first volume on Matthew came out in 2000! That is 8 years ago and they are still not done with the New Testament. Would Zondervan take so long to complete something that is so needed? I don't think they would.

So, in my mind, the only possibility for Catholics to purchase high quality and multiple format editions of Catholic Bibles is for a major publishing house like HarperCollins or Zondervan to take on the project. They have the money and the experiences to do it right. HarperCollins has at least been putting out newer editions of the NRSV-CE in recent years, I hope this trend continues. Right now, the "major" Catholic publishing houses are either uninterested or incapable of doing this.