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Catholic Bible Studies 2 How to Choose a Bible
Dwight Longenecker, a convert to Catholicism and popular writer and retreat giver, traces the history of the various bible translations and gives some advice on choosing the best bible for you.
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First Translations of the Bible The Old Testament was written in Hebrew, the Deutero-Canonical books and the New Testament were written in Greek. Bible translation really started with St Jerome in the fourth century. Pope Damasus asked him to revise the Latin version of the New Testament and he ended up translating virtually the whole Bible from Greek and Hebrew into Latin. Jerome's Latin version is known as the Vulgate, and was the set text of the Bible for a thousand years. During the Middle Ages parts of the Bible were translated into English, but because anyone who could read, could read Latin, a translation into English wasn't thought necessary. John Wycliffe was the first person to translate the whole Bible into English, but his version was so riddled with virulently anti-Catholic notes and comments that it wasn't considered suitable. During the Reformation other English versions were translated and printed, and this led the English Catholics to realise the need for a Catholic version of the Bible in English. This was provided by exiled English Catholics and is known as the Douay- Rheims Bible. In 1611 King James I commissioned a new Bible translation and this elegant version, translated from Greek and Hebrew, is known as the Authorised or King James Version. For centuries the Douay-Rheims was the official English Catholic version and the Authorised Version was the official Protestant version. Both versions were biased in their theological notes and comments. By the end of the nineteenth century the Authorised Version had been revised and we were given the Revised Version. The American cousin was called The American Standard Version. As the twentieth century progressed various other revisions and versions continued to be published. From the Catholic point of view, the Douay Rheims was greatly improved by a fresh translation by Mgr. Ronald Knox. About the middle of the century the Americans and English published another revision of their earlier revision and called it The Revised Standard Version. Modern Translations Recently so many further updates and revisions have come out that it is difficult to keep track of them all. The New Jerusalem Bible is the most up to date, scholarly Catholic version. Other new versions or updates are The New Revised Standard, The New King James Version and the New American Standard Version. Many of the newest 'translations' attempt to 'correct' gender-biased mistakes in the Bible and are therefore biased in their own way as they attempt to be politically correct. Other new translations like the Ignatius Study Bible try to correct the 'liberal' slant with their own more conservative stance. This one as yet has only produced individual books of the bible and not the whole thing, although this will be the final goal.There are still more versions that offer varied presentations of the older translations. These are often abridged or adapted versions to make the Bible more attractive to a particular set of readers or have notes for young people or some particular category. One very accessible down to earth bible that has become popular in recent years, which a fellow parishoner drew my attention to, is the Community Bible which comes out of the lived experience of the basic Christian communities in Latin America. As might be expected while not of the highest scholarship it has very useful pastorally oriented footnotes. I can hear you thinking, why doesn't he cut through all that and simply recommend a Bible version? Okay. Go for The New Jerusalem Bible. Get as good a one as you can, and by 'good' I don't mean fancy leather covers or giltedged pages. Invest in a solid, hardback edition with lots of study notes. It may cost thirty pounds or so, but it will be a treasure trove forever. It will be readable and clear, and the study notes will keep you awake looking up fascinating details and digging out interesting tidbits from the cross references. Useful Bible Study Tools Other Bible study tools are handy: a Bible dictionary will help define obscure terms and references. An atlas of the Bible will explain geographical references and a Bible handbook will do both. You will also find plenty of resources available to aid personal Bible reading. The Anglican Bible Reading Fellowship and Bible Society produce a whole range of daily reading notes for children, young people and adults. Bible Alive! is the excellent Catholic alternative. There are also plenty of Bible resources on the internet. Just do a search and a whole range of notes, references and helps will be available. Bible commentaries are scholarly, but readable books that help you dig into a particular book of the Bible in a more intensive way. Most Bible commentaries have been Protestant, but Ignatius Press are coming out with a whole range of excellent Catholic Bible Commentaries on individual books. These are available from Good News Books in Luton (see below). Finally, various versions of the Bible are available on CD-Rom for your computer. You can do word searches, compare different versions, access the original languages, look up notes and cross references and cut and paste all with the click of a mouse. Excellent resources are out there, but to start I would recommend a simpler course. Get a good study Bible and your missal. Each week study the mass readings in detail. The missal will tell you what they are. The Study Bible will help you put them into context. Don't forget the Benedictine principle of lectio divina - that is spiritual reading. This means that you read the Bible (and your other spiritual reading) slowly and thoughtfully. That way the Holy Spirit who inspired the Bible will not only open your mind; he will also open your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ who is hidden in every page of the Scriptures. Useful Addresses For Resources BIBLE ALIVE is a monthly Catholic devotional publication that gives meditations on the daily Mass readings as well as teaching and testimony articles. It is available from Bible Alive, Graphic House, 124 City Road, Stoke on Trent, ST4 2PA THE CATHOLIC BIBLE SCHOOL (see Coming Events) offers long distance teaching courses on the Scripture as well as on site teaching days. THE WAY OF THE SPIRIT COURSE is an ecumenical bible study course that can be followed using tapes and workbooks developed by John McKay, a scripture lecturer, who died a few years ago and who sought to bring together academic insights and the personal interaction with the Spirit. Details from 48 Hampstead Road, London NW1 2PY GOOD NEWS BOOKS keeps a stock of bibles and bible resources and can arrange discounts for groups. Speak to them at 15 Barking Close, Luton LU4 9HG www.goodnewsbooks.net
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The
Bible reveals the great treasure of the faith: our Lord Jesus Christ.
As St Jerome said, 'To be ignorant of the Scriptures is to be ignorant
of Christ.' DeiVerbum-- the Vatican II document on the Word of God
says, 'The sacred Council earnestly and expressly calls upon all the
faithful ... to acquire by frequent reading of holy Scripture the
"excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ." (Phil 3: 8) ' The
best way to do this is to start reading the Bible and to join a Bible
study group. In the third part of this series I will give some pointers
for starting and maintaining a Bible study group, but first it is
worth spending some time learning about the different Bible translations
and Bible study resources that are out there.
By
the early nineteen sixties a new British translation had come out.
It was called The New English Bible. It is a scholarly, accurate translation
from a mainstream Protestant perspective. About the same time the
Catholics got busy and produced The Jerusalem Bible. Both of these
versions took on board many of the findings of the Biblical critics
of their day. The conservative Evangelicals were not happy with the
new crop of translations, so they put their own international team
together and came up with The New International Version. This is a
very readable, accurate translation, but with a conservative Protestant
bias - especially in the study notes. Today's English Version is also
known as The Good News Bible. This was produced in a popular style
and ministers to those with a smaller vocabulary. As a result some
accuracy in translation is sacrificed.
