Msgr. Ronald Knox Audio

I recently discovered a website where you can buy old time radio programs.  The site is called, not surprisingly, Old Time Radio Catalog.  Among their many programs I noticed they had a Ronald Knox Collection which included: Ronald Knox on the Birth of Our Lord, Ronald Knox on the Conversion of Newman, Recollections of Chesterton, and, my favorite, Ronald Knox on Translating the Bible.  The last one is available in printed form from Baronius Press, where it is included in the collection of essays that accompany the Knox Bible.  All four programs are relatively short, totaling about an hour and a half.  The disc is in MP3 format which is nice. There is a sample on the page from Knox for you to listen to as well.    

I really enjoy having these recordings.  It gives a special added delight when reading a particular author having actually heard their real voice.  I do that often when I am reading works by contemporary authors like NT Wright or Peter Kreeft.  The same joy I had of hearing Msgr. Knox's voice was rivaled only when I heard the distinctive voice of C.S. Lewis.  So, I highly recommend this collection.  It is only $5.00 with a few bucks additional for shipping.  They sell other Catholic and Protestant recordings as well.      

Saint John's Bible - Chris Tomlin

The Message: Catholic/Ecumenical Edition

"As for the souls of the just, they're in the hands of God; the torment of death never lays a finger on them.  In the eyes of the not-so-just, the just seem to have died and gone to hell; but such affliction as they may have suffered was merely their exit fee from this world to the next.  Their departure was misinterpreted as their demise; in reality they're at peace.  Yes, the just suffer as much as the unjust during the death process; but their passage is full of hope and the promise of immortality." --Wisdom 3:1-4 (The Message)

I was very excited to finally receive a hardcover copy of ACTA's newly released The Message: Catholic/Ecumenical Edition.  I have reported on this publication since it was announced earlier in the year.  If you would like to read an interview I did with Gregory Pierce, President and Co-Publisher of ACTA Publications, go here.  I am sure you will find many of your questions answered in that interview.  


ACTA's description:
Now for the first time and exclusively from ACTA Publications, The
Message features the deuteroncanonical books translated by William
Griffin in The Message: Catholic/Ecumenical Edition. Including the
books of Judith, Tobit, Sirach, Wisdom, Baruch, 1 and 2 Maccabees, and
additions to Esther and Daniel, all translated in the same
contemporary American-idiomatic paraphrased style as the other
editions of The Message.

Eugene Peterson's The Message is a fresh, compelling, insightful,
challenging, faith-filled translation of the Bible into contemporary
idiomatic American English and is first and foremost a reader's Bible.
Eugene Peterson and William Griffin (translator of the
deuterocanonical books) have made the Scriptures come alive again by
translating them in a way that people can understand what God is
trying to say to us today.

This Bible is meant to be read. The Message is not meant to be a
substitute for your other bible translations. It is meant to sit next
to them where you can pick it up and simply start reading. We hope it
will send you back to your other translations with new insight and
curiosity.


William Griffin translated the Deuterocanonical portions straight from the Nova Vulgata, which might makes it one of the only English translations from that Latin text.  I am working on getting connected with Mr. Griffin to talk to him about that process, so stay tuned.  Of course, Eugene Peterson's translation is what is found, unchanged, for the remainder of the books.  

In regards to the product itself, as with almost all editions of The Message that I have seen in the past, this text is arranged in a single-column format.  For a more idiomatic Bible like this, it really has to be.  Each page is very readable and the verse numbering, arranged by paragraph, are placed on the margins of the text.  The text looks and feels like The Message, which is a good thing. Each biblical book is preceded by a short introduction, including the Deuterocanonical books.  The Deuterocanonical books are placed in their proper Catholic order, as oppose to having them all bundled together between the Old and New Testaments.  This volume also begins with new introductions from the translators Eugene Peterson and William Griffin.   Peterson concludes his introduction by saying: "I am immensely grateful to my Catholic friends and colleagues for their encouragement to 'complete' The Message.  I hope that it will lead to increased ecumenical use and dialogue."

There are two short sections called "The Story of the Bible in Five Acts" and "The Drama of the Bible" placed in the appendix that give an overall guide to reading the Bible as a whole.  In regards to size of the book, itself, it isn't meant to be portable.  The size of the book comes in at 9.1 x 6.1 x 2.3 inches.  So, it is a bit bulky, but not in the same way as found in the rather large New Jerusalem Bible standard edition.  In the future, I would really like to see this Bible available in a more portable edition, much like the Remix editions which are currently available in the Protestant canon and are very popular.  

I am truly excited that this edition is now available for Catholics.  The people at ACTA have maintained throughout that this is not meant to replace your favorite Catholic translation, but rather to be an aid to understanding and discovery.  I think it succeeds in this quite well.  The content and format of this edition is conducive to reading the Bible in large chunks.  The Message remains popular in Protestant circles, and I know of a number of Catholics who take great comfort in reading from it.  So, I am glad that there is finally a complete Catholic edition available for them and for all who are interested in seeing a rendering of the Bible in a fresh, unique way.  As of now, you can purchase The Message in hard or soft cover editions, as well as in an E-book edition for your Kindle or Nook.  Also, ACTA has keyed The Message into their handy This Transforming Word resource which provides a commentary on the readings for Sundays and Feast Days written by Alice Camille.  The Year A edition is currently available for purchase.

"A final comparison.  One can drink wine as it is and swallow hard or one can drink it mixed with water and enjoy it; hence, a book is good when it's written, but better when it's read.  And so it is with mine."  -2 Maccabees 15:39 (The Message)


Thank you to ACTA for providing me a review copy of this product.

The Bible Miniseries

I know that this was shown during Lent earlier in the year, but I was curious what you thought of The Bible miniseries that was shown on the History Channel.  I'll be honest, at first I wasn't too big a fan of it, but after multiple viewings, I have actually come to appreciate what they were trying to do.  It is by no means perfect, and they did some creative things that I question, like the scene with Jesus and Lazarus, but overall I appreciated the spirit that went into its production.  Also, my high school students absolutely love the series.  They have reacted more favorably to these films than anything I have shown over the past five years.

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They will be releasing the Jesus portion of the miniseries into theaters in February as a movie called The Son of God.

Pope Francis and the Bible

This comes from the United Bible Society News from October 13:

Bible Societies around the world met in Rome last week to form a greater bond with the Catholic Church.  During the ‘Bible and Family’ partnership meetings between the United Bible Societies (UBS) and the Catholic Biblical Federation (CBF), the Pope called for an Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family and evangelisation to take place in October 2014, which greatly encouraged delegates.

The Rome-based meeting, which ended last Thursday after a morning audience with Pope Francis, was organised by UBS to explore ways in which Bible Societies can work more closely with the Catholic Church to get the Bible into the hands of more families.

“I particularly showed him the Poverty and Justice Bible (Catholic edition) and the May They BeOne Bible and explained that the Bible Societies are producing them with the full support of the Catholic Church,” says Dr Zimmer. “He was delighted: ‘Go ahead!’ he smiled. His support is very precious to us.”“Pope Francis’s call for this Extraordinary Synod of Bishops focusing on family issues has greatly encouraged us in our discussions this week around the very same topic,” said UBS Director General Michael Perreau. “We warmly welcome the Pope’s commitment to bringing the Bible to families. Now it’s up to us to work together to make it happen.”

Rev Dr Rudi Zimmer, Chairman of the UBS Global Board, was one of four participants in the meeting who was granted direct access to Pope Francis. He says that, despite being surrounded by vast crowds, the Pope took time to hear about the meeting, his face lighting up when he heard about the focus on making the Bible available to families and encouraging them to read it.

Bible Society and CBF representatives from more than 30 countries have spent the past three days discussing the spiritual pressures on the family in modern society and how they can collaborate on projects to address these. Topics have included the central role of women in family life, how to get families reflecting on and engaging with the Bible, and translating, publishing and distributing the Bible with Catholic families in mind.

“The family is the one remaining place in today’s society where there is hope of passing faith onto future generations,” said Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Holy See’s Pontifical Council for the Family, as he opened yesterday’s meeting. “It is vital that we take up this challenge and develop practical ways of encouraging families to engage with the Bible.”

Bible Society Australia’s head of marketing, Damian Fisher, was a delegate for the Rome meeting and called it a “rare global opportunity for Bible Societies around the world to collaborate and partner with the Catholic Church and the Catholic Biblical Federation”.

“The Bible and Family conference is fertile ground for exploring ongoing partnership work across the Roman Catholic world. Being one of a minority of Bible Societies which has a very good relationship with and experience of working with the Catholic Church, Bible Society Australia saw an opportunity to support these global efforts, share experience and build concrete plans to work more closely with the Catholic Church in translating, distributing and engaging people with the word of God.”

While in Rome, Mr Fisher will also meet with Catholic Archbishop of Sydney Cardinal George Pell to discuss further how Bible Society and the Australian Catholic Church can work together for the Bible.

Sunday Knox: Wisdom 11:22(23)-2:2

Knox:

"The whole world, matched against thee, is but a scruple on the balance, is but a drop of dew, falling to earth at sunrise.  Only thou art all-merciful, as befits the Almighty, and dost overlook our human slips, in hope of our repentance.  All things thou lovest, nor holdest any of thy creatures in abhorrence; hate and create thou couldst not, nor does aught abide save at thy will, whose summoning word holds them in being.  They are thine, and thou sparest them; all things that live thou lovest, thou, the Master of them all.  Thy kindly influence, Lord, thy gracious influence is all about us. Tender, at the first false step, is thy rebuke; thou dost remind and warn us that we have gone astray, to make us leave our sinning and have faith in thee."

NAB:

"Before the LORD the whole universe is as a grain from a balance or a drop of morning dew come down upon the earth. But you have mercy on all, because you can do all things; and you overlook people's sins that they may repent. For you love all things that are and loathe nothing that you have made; for what you hated, you would not have fashioned. And how could a thing remain, unless you willed it; or be preserved, had it not been called forth by you? But you spare all things, because they are yours, O LORD and lover of souls, for your imperishable spirit is in all things! Therefore you rebuke offenders little by little, warn them and remind them of the sins they are committing,  that they may abandon their wickedness and believe in you, O LORD!"

Solemnity of All Saints

"And I saw a second angel coming up from the east, with the seal of the living God. And he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels who were empowered to lay waste land and sea; Do not lay waste land or sea or wood, until we have put a seal on the foreheads of those who serve our God.  Then I heard the count of those who were sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand of them, taken from every tribe of the sons of Israel.  And then I saw a great multitude, past all counting, taken from all nations and tribes and peoples and languages. These stood before the throne in the Lamb’s presence, clothed in white robes, with palm-branches in their hands, and cried with a loud voice, To our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, all saving power belongs.  And all the angels that were standing round the throne, round the elders and the living figures, fell prostrate before the throne and paid God worship; Amen, they cried, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and strength belong to our God through endless ages, Amen.  And now one of the elders turned to me, and asked, Who are they, and whence do they come, these who are robed in white?  My Lord, said I, thou canst tell me. These, he said, have come here out of the great affliction; they have washed their robes white in the blood of the Lamb." 

- Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14 (Knox Bible)