NABRE Facebook Live Session w/ Mary Sperry

Our friend Mary Sperry from the USCCB will be holding a live Facebook chat Tuesday, October 25th at 9:00 p.m. EDT on the Fans of the NABRE Group Page.  She will be able to answer questions you may have about the upcoming NABRE NT revision.  Make sure to join the group if you are interested in participating.  

The Bible in the Digitial World, Betsy Shirley (America)

The Bible was the first book ever printed, but ink and paper are no longer required to share its message with a mass audience. At last count, the world’s most popular Bible app, the YouVersion Bible, had been downloaded more than 228 million times. Its distinctive icon, designed to look like a stubby, square Bible, is found on smartphones in every country in the world, giving users access to 1,305 versions of Holy Writ in 954 languages—and counting.

Conversations about the Bible in the digital age usually turn to questions of access: how technology has changed the number of people who can get their hands on a copy of the Bible and how easily. But in the story of ever-changing technology and the timeless word of God, increased access is not the only development. The Bible is a transcendent text with a very stubborn material presence, but when new technology prompts us to change the material context of Scripture—whether from papyrus scrolls to enormous illuminated manuscripts or from mass-produced soft cover books to a string of computer code—how we interact with it changes as a result. 

For more, follow this link.

NABRE NT Revision Answers

Thanks to all of you who posted question, and, of course, to Mary Sperry for taking the time to answer them!

One change in previous announcements:

Bishop Trautman resigned from the Editorial Board. He now serves as a consultant. Reverend Edward Mazich, OSB, replaced him as an editor.

What will the new text be called?

No decision has been made as to the name of the final product. I would doubt that any decision will be made until much closer to publication.

Textual basis for the revision:

The teams are working from the 1986 NABNT with reference to NA 28. In questions of canonicity, the Nova Vulgata is consulted.

Say more about how Liturgiam authenticam figures in or guides your work.

The editors consulted Liturgiam authenticam in developing the principles of translation. These principles were reviewed by the Committee on Divine Worship, the Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, and the Subcommittee on the Translation of Scripture Text prior to approval by the bishop members of the CCD.

What efforts can you make at this stage to incorporate considerations of other Bishops Conferences / Biblical Associations in hopes of the widest possible adoption?

The NAB is already used broadly in the Philippines, India, and Anglophone Africa.

What kind of ecumenical participation will there be? Will there be translators from the evangelical/mainline/Orthodox traditions involved?

The translation teams include some Protestant scholars and some Orthodox scholars, though the majority of revisers are Catholic.

Are there any literary consultants on the NABRE NT Revision Committee?

Not at present.

Will the NABRE 2025 be available in mobile versions?

Who knows what technologies will be available in 2025!!! As we have with the NABRE, the CCD will welcome proposals for a variety of media. The NABRE is available in e-books, apps, etc., from a variety of publishers.

Are there any plans to modify lightly the Old Testament if the Holy See would compel them to do so even for the lectionary approval to get Vatican's recognitio that would require outside of the committee's scope of work?

At present, no such plan is in place.

Is there any possibility that the completed new revision might include an Apocrypha appendix that would include translations of books outside of the Deuterocanonical books that are included in the RSV and NRSV versions of the Apocrypha (1 & 2 Esdras, 3 & 4 Maccabees, Psalm 151, Prayer of Manasseh)?

At present, no such plan is in place.

We simply opened a copy of the approved translation and read directly from the Bible. …So, no: we COULD quite easily create a Biblical translations that takes into account the breaks in the Catholic lectionary assignments and structures the rendering accordingly.

The Ordo Lectionum Missae requires the addition of incipits and some other small changes in the creation of a Lectionary, plus, some verses are omitted from readings.

Will the footnotes be revised and include commentary by the early Church Fathers?

The footnotes are being revised. At present, only the textual notes and those notes necessary for understanding the text are being prepared. More extensive pastoral/catechetical notes are a later step.

Will the bishops consider permitting its publication without interpretive notes?

The official interpretation of the canon that we have received is that this is not permissible.

Will they consider permitting its publication alternative notes?

Alternative notes may be included alongside the essential NAB notes, but may not replace them.

Would the USCCB ever allow publication of a "protestant edition" of the NABRE?

To the best of my recollection, we’ve never been asked (and I’ve been here 20 years!). If asked, the decision would have to be made at the episcopal level.

Will the NT be ready in time? What kind of coordination is there with the USCCB committee working on the LOTH?

The NT should be ready to be part of the LOTH. Once the editors have completed their work, the Committee on Divine Worship will be part of the review process. As noted above, the Committee on Divine Worship participated in the development of the principles of translation.

Like CELAM began a translation project called the Bible the Church in the Americas (Biblia de la Iglesia en las Américas).

Interestingly, that project (La Biblia de Iglesia en America) was initiated and funded by the USCCB!

NABRE NT Revision Questions

I had a little chat with friend-of-this-blog Mary Sperry a few days back to see if she would be willing to field a few questions regarding the status of the NABRE NT revision process.  For those of you who don't know, Mary is the Associate Director for USCCB Permissions and NAB Utilization at USCCB Publishing. Mary has answered questions on this blog before, dating back to 2010, and has graciously kept us all in the loop regarding the NABRE.

So, if you have a particular question for her, feel free to ask one in the comment section of this post.  Please keep in mind that we are still in the early stages of the NT revision, which will last until the next decade.  Please don't ask about particular translation decisions, since that is something that cannot be answered or shared at this time. You are welcome to ask a general question about the NABRE, not related to the NT revision.    

Some info we already know:
Announcement
Board of Editors

7 More Questions for Mary Sperry

Mary Sperry is, of course, no stranger to this blog.  She has been invaluable in providing helpful information about various Catholic bible issues over the years, particularly in regards to the New American Bible.  She is Associate Director for Permissions and Bible Utilization for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. She holds a master's degree in liturgical studies from the Catholic University of America and a master's degree in political science from UCLA. Her articles have appeared in numerous publications and she is frequently interviewed on national television and radio programs.  I am happy to invite her back for another "7 Questions" in order to discuss a number of recent projects in which she has been involved. Her most recent book Scripture in the Parish: A Guide for Catholic Ministry is a serious call to all involved in parish life to integrate the Scriptures into the heart of all parish ministries.  

1)I was fortunate enough to write an endorsement for your helpful little book Scripture in the Parish: A Guide for Catholic Ministry published by Liturgical Press.  I am curious as to what your reasons were for writing this book?

The people the the Church calls into ministry – as catechists, liturgical ministers, youth group volunteers, pro-life committee, etc. --  are people who are very motivated about growing in their faith. In many cases, they may not know as much about the Bible as they want to know or as they should know to assist in their ministry. My little book gives them a quick review of what the Church believes about the Bible, how the Church uses the Bible, and some steps for beginning to interpret the Bible with the mind of the Church. Hopefully, reading it will help these ministers feel more confident in their faith and share their knowledge of God’s Word.

2)  I mentioned in my endorsement that your book emphasizes that "scripture should never be an 'add on' or 'extra element' to anything that the Church does, particularly at the parish level, but rather, the Bible must be an integral part of parish life".  So, here we are, more than fifty years since the Second Vatican Council, and I am curious as to what you see as the main problems that hinder the use of Scripture at the parish level by Catholics?

I think most Catholics feel that they don’t know enough about the Bible. To make it worse, they often feel intimidated about learning more. So many of the available resources are either too simple or too technical. People are afraid that their non-Catholic friends know much more about the Bible or Catholics fear that they will misrepresent what the Church believes.

Another issue is that we are a big Church. People get divided by function. That leads some people to think that the Bible concerns primarily priests and catechists and lectors. In fact, every minister who serves God’s people – no matter how – should be well-grounded in the Word of God. The purpose f all ministry is to lead people to Christ. You can’t lead people to Jesus if you don’t know him and you can’t know him if you don’t know Scripture.

3) On the other hand, where do you see areas of growth in Catholic scripture reading since the Council? 

I think Catholics are reading the Bible more (though we don’t have good statistics that allow us to judge these things over time). We know that Catholics are seeking Bible resources in many places. THe Bible and daily readings pages on the USCCB website are always the most popular pages.

The increased use of Scripture in the liturgy has been a big step forward. People are becoming familiar with more and more of the biblical text.

Lectio divina is beginning to take off as a prayer form, leading people to make the Bible a bigger part of their prayer lives.

And catechetical textbooks include much more Scripture than those of the first half of the 20^th century. Young people in faith formation are encouraged to read Scripture from their books and from Bibles in the classroom.

4)  Could you talk a little bit about your participation in the recently released Catholic Women's Bible published by OSV?   How did this project come about?

I got an email one day from Jackie Lindsay, a lovely editor with Our Sunday Visitor, asking if I’d be interested in being part of the team. At the time, I only knew who the editor would be. Well, Bible and women – how could I say no?  I got my writing assignments and started to work. Over the months, I got to know the editor, Woodee Koenig-Bricker, quite well. She’s become a good friend. Then I found out that other contributors were women I’d worked with on other projects. My only regret is that we were never all in one room to chat with each other about what we were working on. I’m not sure any of us would have changed a word, but it would have been a great conversation!

5) Do you have any new projects that you working on currently?

I contributed two reflections to Naked and You Clothed Me, a project of Homilists for the Homeless. It’s an ecumenical effort of preachers and writers, tied to the liturgical readings. All of the contributors give their work and 100% of the book proceeds go to charity.

I have a book with Liguori Publications, scheduled to come out just before Lent in 2014. It’s called Real Life Faith: Bible Companions for Catholic Teens.

Then I’ll be working on Liturgy Training Publication’s Sourcebook for Sundays and Seasons for 2016.

Then, I think I need to rest a bit!

6)  Is there anything new to report concerning the revision work on the NAB that was announced last year?

The Board of Editors has been appointed and they are working on principles of translation that will go to the USCCB Administrative Committee for approval. Once those principles are approved, we start bringing revisers on board and start moving forward.

7) Has there been any passages of Scripture that you have found meaningful during this past year?

It’s been a very rough year for me. I lost my father and my uncle.  A dear friend lost her 48 year-old husband. Another friend lost her mom (both had been my guests for Thanksgiving for a few years). A former colleague died at 52. A high school classmate’s daughter is struggling with leukemia. I find that Revelation 21:3-4 has helped a lot.