Church rules on Protestant Bibles

[Joe_5859]

I’m a firm believer in the maxim that the best translation of the Bible is the one you’ll read.

Every translation has strengths and weaknesses. Some have many more weaknesses than other. But so long as you don’t get fixated on one translation’s English phrasing and become convinced that it is saying something that directly contradicts Catholic teaching, you’ll probably be just fine.

 

[pnewton]

Protestant New American Standard Bible (NASB)
4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come.”

I just looked this one up and this is not how my NASB reads. How odd. I guess it was revised at some point. Mine separates the “to I” and “to you”. But then, it is a 1976 edition.

FYI - For those interested in the right rendering, it needs to be something like “to I and to you” as that is the literal translation. (emoi kai soi). Note that both have the same ending separated only by the conjunction. That pretty much sticks them together.

 

[CMatt25]

I’m a firm believer in the maxim that the best translation of the Bible is the one you’ll read.

As am I

 

[po18guy]

As am I

Do you believe that Jesus rebuked Mary? if not, then it is cause to ponder the literal accuracy of that translation.

 

[TypesAndShadows]

I know their intent is to make it more readable. I don’t see what’s so unreadable about other translations like the RSV or the NAB.

That is because you are a highly literate person who chooses to spend your free time reading and writing long passages written in more formal, more complicated language. It is easy to lose track of the fact that most people find reading harder work, especially reading comprehension, and will not get a lot of reading out of the RSV.

Incidentally, the Good News Translation has an Imprimatur in many countries, not just the US, so you don’t get to claim that its acceptance is simply a sign of the unorthodoxy of the US bishops. Given how widely it is used in Catholic schools around the world, both in English-speaking countries and in areas with no existing Bible translation in their language, I would expect someone in the hierarchy to have indicated if there was a problem with it. The version with Imprimatur has notes, and should be used within the context of a Tradition-informed education, like all Bibles.

There is no slight in the passage you quote when I read it with 8-year-olds: they understand it within the context they are given.

 

[po18guy]

I just looked this one up and this is not how my NASB reads. How odd. I guess it was revised at some point. Mine separates the “to I” and “to you”. But then, it is a 1976 edition.

FYI - For those interested in the right rendering, it needs to be something like “to I and to you” as that is the literal translation. (emoi kai soi). Note that both have the same ending separated only by the conjunction. That pretty much sticks them together.

The reference copy NASB (Lockman Foundation) within reach bears the year 1973 as the latest copyright date. I see that the NASB was apparently revised, according to succeeding copyright dates, in 1975, 1977 and 1995. What is reflected in the Biblegateway.com text is probably the simplified (dumbed down?) 1995 edition. Still, it seems a further departure, as textual accuracy is in the eye of the translator. As well, there is no “Church” to sell it to, only individuals who seek a comfortable and accommodating translation.

Rhetorical question: has textual succession replaced Apostolic succession among the unaffiliated?

 

[smp501]

I have an NLT. What’s so bad about it?

Sorry about the delay. As someone else said, the NLT is translated with the intent of being easy to read rather than accurate word-for-word. To me, anyway, it almost sounds like a children’s book. Let’s use Matthew 6:9-13.

RSV-CE

Pray then like this: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread; 12 And forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors; 13* And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil.

NLT

Pray like this:
Our Father in heaven,
may your name be kept holy.
10 May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today the food we need,[a]
12 and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
13 And don’t let us yield to temptation,**
but rescue us from the evil one.[c]**

See what I mean?

 

[Faithdancer]

Non-Catholic bibles must be chosen carefully, not primarily because of any Church penalty, but because they may lead to error. There is little to fault with the King James Version - even less so if it has the Deuterocanonical books. The NASB to a lesser extent and particularly the NIV are very liberal, anti-Catholic biased translations. The Good News Translation? Don’'t even mention it!

I agree on the KJV. At the time it was translated, there was not the degree of heresy extant in Protestant theology that there was by the time succeeding Protestant Bibles were published. Of course, if one is reading a Reformation era Bible for the elegance and poetry of the language, why mess around with the KJV, when we have the venerable Douay-Rheims?

 

[po18guy]

I agree on the KJV. At the time it was translated, there was not the degree of heresy extant in Protestant theology that there was by the time succeeding Protestant Bibles were published. Of course, if one is reading a Reformation era Bible for the elegance and poetry of the language, why mess around with the KJV, when we have the venerable Douay-Rheims?

It is both a great blessing, and a great shame, that bibles are so plentiful in unused condition, that a collection is easily assembled. I have a family KJV from the late 1800s, but the Deuterocanon books were already excluded by that time. I am still looking for a KJV with the Deuterocanon, but the Douay-Rheims and Confraternity bibles have always had them! I do love both versions, and I truly wish that the work on the Confraternity bible in updating the D-R had not been stopped when the decision was made to go with the NAB.

 

[IanGE]

Sorry about the delay. As someone else said, the NLT is translated with the intent of being easy to read rather than accurate word-for-word. To me, anyway, it almost sounds like a children’s book. Let’s use Matthew 6:9-13.

RSV-CE

Quote:
Pray then like this: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread; 12 And forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors; 13* And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil.

NLT

Quote:
Pray like this:
Our Father in heaven,
may your name be kept holy.
10 May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today the food we need,[a]
12 and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
13 And don’t let us yield to temptation,**
but rescue us from the evil one.[c]

See what I mean?

The Greek Text is more:

"Father of us in the Heavens (plural). let your Name be hagiastheto** (hallowed, held holiest of holy). Let Your kingdom come; let your will be done as it is in heaven (singular!), so also on earth. Give us today (Luke, in chapter 6, craftily asks “each day”, perhaps just in case we forget to pray!) the neccessities of life (arton is much broader than just ‘bread). Forgive us when we miss the mark and fail to love, hos kai (as indeed, for, beacause) we have already forgiven thos ewho missed the mark with us. Put us not to the test, but rescue us from the evil one.
Interestingly, Matthew quotes Jesus as saying “Thus, therefore pray ye…” While Luke quotes “When you pray SAY…”. Matthew seems to suggest “pray like this, in this manner: praise God, understanding He is your Father in the heavens; humble yourself to His will and authority in Heavn and on earth. Then ask your petitions.” Luke suggests a verbatim, word for word Lord’s prayer. I’ll go with both but I prefer the words of Jesus’ mouth! However, I do know that what the Lord loves most is his children (singly or en masse) chatting to Him in their own words, opening their hearts to Him, big loving Daddy!
Also, it surprised me just now when checking my Zonderman’s Greek: neither Matthew nor Luke end their Lord’s Prayers with “For Thine is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory through the ages of ages, Amen” Although I love that ending and feel my heart bursting, especially when we SING them!

 

[sainttobe]

Given that the King Jimmy was prepared originally in both a Protetsant and catholic version it’s not a bad one to use. I have some very old King Jimmies in my collection that do not contain the Deuterocanonicals, but i found a copy of the KJV Apocrypha at a Chriatiuan bookstore not long ago and bought it.

I recently came across a mint condition leather bound Confraternity bible from 1957 with the Imprimatur of Cardinal Spellman of NYC. It also has an introduction from Pope Pius XII. I have not been able to put it down since I bought it 2 months ago. The language is majestic and flowing, and eminently readable. TFhe Pentateuch is the Confraternity translation, while the balance of the OT is Douay. The NT is Confraternity revision of Challoner-Rheims.

It has been out of print since 1969n when they went with the NAB, but some good news (from Wikipedia):“Two publishers affiliated with Opus Dei have begun to reprint the Confraternity Bible. Scepter Publishers[3] have put the New Testament back into print, ISBN 0-933932-77-4. And Sinag-Tala Publishers[4] has reprinted the Douay-Confraternity Bible including the CCD’s Old Testament books completed as of 1961. In addition, copies of various editions of the Confraternity Bible (with more or less of the CCD’s Old Testament) abound on the used book market. The Holy Bible, Saint Joseph Textbook Edition, Confraternity Version published in the 1950s and early-1960s by the Catholic Book Publishing Company is one widely available example.”

 

[po18guy]

I recently came across a mint condition leather bound Confraternity bible from 1957 …It has been out of print since 1969n when they went with the NAB, but some good news (from Wikipedia):“Two publishers affiliated with Opus Dei have begun to reprint the Confraternity Bible. Scepter Publishers[3] have put the New Testament back into print, ISBN 0-933932-77-4. And Sinag-Tala Publishers[4] has reprinted the Douay-Confraternity Bible including the CCD’s Old Testament books completed as of 1961. In addition, copies of various editions of the Confraternity Bible (with more or less of the CCD’s Old Testament) abound on the used book market. The Holy Bible, Saint Joseph Textbook Edition, Confraternity Version published in the 1950s and early-1960s by the Catholic Book Publishing Company is one widely available example.”

The (unfortunately) little-known Confraternity Bible is one of the best-kept secrets in Catholic scripture translations. I found a minty 1953 edition on eBay and it is a wonderful daily bible. I just wish that work had been continued on it to completion. It would have been what the Church needed at that time, rather than the watered-down and politically corrected NAB that we ended up with.

 

[ComeHome2Rome]

Non-Catholic bibles must be chosen carefully, not primarily because of any Church penalty, but because they may lead to error. There is little to fault with the King James Version - even less so if it has the Deuterocanonical books. The NASB to a lesser extent and particularly the NIV are very liberal, anti-Catholic biased translations. The Good News Translation? Don’'t even mention it!

Why would a Catholic choose a Non-Catholic Bible?

Why settle for less than “the real thing baby”?

The Catholic Bible is the original & authentic.

I do have some Non-Catholic Bibles left over from my Non-Catholic days, but they collect dust while the Catholic Bible gets read

 

[Faithdancer]

To address the general topic at hand, ask yourself how good of an idea it might be to use a Protestant Bible. They are often incomplete and can be severely–or, admittedly, not so–mistranslated, not to mention they are endorsed by individuals and organizations protesting Christ’s Church, ignorance or lack thereof aside. Your best bet is to buy a Bible approved by the Church. Words like “imprimatur,” “imprimi potest,” “censor deputatus,” and the like, on or near the copyright page, are what to look for if you’re not sure or see a new edition you’ve not seen before.

Indeed. If one is trapped in a cheap hotel room where the only available Bible is the Gideon Bible…but what am I saying? Who can’t access a Catholic Bible on their iPhone, or Android, or via their laptop? Even Motel 6 has Internet now so really, there is no excuse to use a Protestant Bible.

 

[Faithdancer]

Why would a Catholic choose a Non-Catholic Bible?

Why settle for less than “the real thing baby”?

The Catholic Bible is the original & authentic.

I do have some Non-Catholic Bibles left over from my Non-Catholic days, but they collect dust while the Catholic Bible gets read

Yep, and I agree 100% with your signature, btw.

 

[po18guy]

Why would a Catholic choose a Non-Catholic Bible?

Why settle for less than “the real thing baby”?

The Catholic Bible is the original & authentic.

I do have some Non-Catholic Bibles left over from my Non-Catholic days, but they collect dust while the Catholic Bible gets read

Clearly, it is best to have a Catholic translation, for its completeness and accuracy. However, even some Catholic bibles (the NAB in particular) are translations that can make it difficult to demonstrate Catholic doctrine from scripture alone. If Mary is not addressed by Gabriel as “full of Grace” we must then endeavor to explain why we believe that she enjoys such a state. If Paul did not forgive sin “in the **person **of Christ”, then we must make an effort to explain why Priests do exactly that. This can hamper evangelization, since those with whom we speak are often non-Catholic and rely on the bible alone.

As to why one might choose a non-Catholic bible, perhaps a family bible that has been handed on has a certain meaning, or contains geneological history in it. Or, that may be all that is available in certain parts of the world.

The problem is that one may observe an incereasing amount of agenda driving non-Catholic translatins, and tampering with the meaning of the sacred writer’s intent is obvious in some cases.