The Influence of the English Translation of the Missal of Paul VI on the NRSV

One of my favorite books that I enjoying pulling off my bookshelf from time to time is The Making of the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible by Metzger, Dentan, and Harrelson.  It may be the only available "making-of" book relating to a Bible translation that comes in a Catholic edition.  Reading through the four chapters in this book, one can gain a real appreciation of the many difficult decisions that the NRSV translation team had to work through.  One does not have to agree with every decision they made, but at least their rationale for such decisions are in print for all to see and read about.

That leads me to a very interesting quote I re-read this past week, which 20 plus years later remains fascinating.  It is found in the first chapter of this book entitled "The Story of the NRSV" by Robert C. Densen.  In his discussion of whether or not the NRSV committee was going to use less formal/archaic language in the NRSV, in favor of a more contemporary English style, he writes: "What finally made this movement irresistible was the decision of the Roman Catholic Church to translate its Latin liturgy into English, and into current English rather than into an artificial liturgical style (5)."  Now remember, this book was published in 1991.

Nowadays, we Catholics in the English speaking world are no strangers to the most recent changes in the English translation of the Mass, the Third Roman Missal being implemented in the U.S. this past Advent.  There were some who objected to this new translation arguing that is went back to a more artificial liturgical style.  I certainly do not agree with that belief, since I find that the current Missal strikes a nice balance between being contemporary as well as possessing a distinctive liturgical style. 

One wonders what sort of influence the first Vatican II Missal in English would have had on the NRSV if it were more close in style to the Third Roman Missal.  It is clear that the re-revised Psalms of the NABRE, certainly influenced by Liturgiam Authenticam, were translated in a distinct way in comparison to the rest of the NABRE.

Which is More Important:Translation or Edition?

I have been reflecting on the subject of this post for the past couple of days.  I find that while I certainly have a preference for one translation over the others, see the various "Top Five Bibles" I have done during the past few years here, I find myself more attracted to using a Bible that is more functional, even if it isn't my preferred translation.  Case in point, it is well known that my favorite Bible edition is the Cambridge NRSV Reference Bible with Apocrypha.  I love the size, binding, premium leather cover, maps, cross-references, glossary, and overall feel and look of this Bible far more than any other Bible I own.  It meets more of my daily needs than any other edition, no matter the translation.  Yet, I tend to prefer the NABRE or RSV-2CE over the NRSV for various reasons.  Although I think all three translations are quite good and very comparable, the NRSV just happens to be #3 for me these days.   (I am quite comfortable using all three in almost any setting.)  So, I find myself more and more being willing to use my third ranked translation as my everyday Bible precisely because it is packaged in an edition that contains those particular elements which I find attractive in a Bible edition.

I am curious to hear from you, my faithful readers, as to your thoughts on this subject? 

Psalm 127

Psalm 127

A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.

1 Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.

Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.

2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil;

for he gives to his beloved sleep.

3 Lo, sons are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.

4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the sons of one’s youth.

5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them!

He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

-RSV

Another Question on Latin Bible

Timothy: One of my blog readers is looking for a Latin interlinear Bible.  He wants "word-for-word."  I've seen many Hebrew/Greek interlinears in this format, but not Latin.  He is looking for something printed.  Do you have any suggestions?

Winner of End of Summer Contest

Congrats to Kai Welday Engel whose entry was randomly selected. Kai, please send me an email with your address so that I may mail your prize sometime this week.

A Question from a Reader

From reader Mike: I was recently trying to find a pocket edition of the Psalms in Latin (Clementine or Nova, doesn't matter much to me). It occurred to me: does the Nova Vulgata have absurd publishing rights or something? I've never seen an edition of it other than the actual Vatican edition (which is ridiculously expensive here in the US), not counting it being published with the RSV in the Navarre series. It seems to me that printing a nice edition of the Nova Vulgata (or even an edition of the Clementine Vulgate that's not a facsimile) would be right up the alley of St. Benedict Press. Any thoughts on this (and know of any pocket-sized Latin Psalms)?

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.