How valid Catholic bibles are?

[ERose]

**The Vulgate is translated from the Septuagint which is Greek, **isn’t it more sure to be valid if it’s from Hebrew texts? So Protestant bibles are more valid? As I read a bit, that they’re from Masoteric texts which are Hebrew?

This statement isn’t true. St. Jerome originally did translate the OT exclusively from the Septuagint, but that manuscript was stolen before he could present it to the pope. His second attempt was from Hebrew and Aramaic sources primarily with some of the OT being from the Septuagint. Also he either did not finish some of the deuterocanonical books or they were not accepted (don’t remember which), and as such they are from the Old Latin translation. The books of Judith and Tobit are translated from Aramaic versions of this book and not the Septuagint. I do think the Psalms are also a translation from the Septuagint as well.

St. Jerome had a love for the Hebrew/Aramaic version of the Scriptures as he had many Jewish friends who influenced him in this view. The pathway of the Vulgate was a difficult one initially and it took quite some time before it became widely read in the West. People did not initially like it as it was not a full translation of the Septuagint, which was widely held at that time to be the ‘best’ version of Scripture. Also the version that this version was suppose to replace, the Old Latin Versions, were a full translation of the Septuagint, so people didn’t like the variations of what they were reading.

If I remember correctly the Vulgate didn’t gain wide acceptance until the 9th and 10th centuries.

That being said, one can truly say that the Vulgate is the official Bible of the Roman Catholic Church because the council of Trent called out the Vulgate in such a way. I do disagree with some of the posters who wrote that all Catholic Bibles ‘must’ be translated from the original languages. This isn’t the case. Rather it became ‘acceptable’ for translators to use different sources for their translations than the Vulgate. That is a significant difference.

IMO here are the benefits of the Vulgate can still have for the modern Catholic.

1. We cannot forget that this Bible version was THE Bible of Western Christianity for over a 1000 years, and as such its influence on Western Spirituality cannot be overlooked. For any who studies the religiosity of Medieval Europe, the Vulgate, or translations from, is required reading.
2. The source material, used by Jerome, come from much earlier Hebrew/Aramaic sources than the Masoretic text does, and until the finding of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Vulgate was the earliest witness of the Hebrew/Aramaic OT writings. I own a Jewish study bible of their NJPS translation of the Masoretic Text. One of the things I did find interesting, was that there are a few footnotes that point out that the Vulgate translation most probably has the more accurate rendering of ‘x’ passage.
3. Not only that it, and translations thereof, is a very beautiful translation, which isn’t afraid to use ‘churchy’ words in its translation. From reading this Biblical Tradition, IMO one gets the feel that Christianity IS part and a continuation of the Biblical Tradition. From most translations I get the feel that Christianity is some type of add on. What I mean by that is that, is the new OT translations uses language and mannerisms that are alien from the Christian experience, and I don’t get that feel from the Douay Rheims versions. Maybe it is just me, but I have found that this is important to me.

To be honest, I do not like modern Bibles. I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with them for they are not, but modern Scholarship, IMO, does not seem to realize the importance of Biblical Traditions and their impact on society. The way I see it there are three primary Biblical Traditions in the West, and each of the Biblical traditions have had an effect on the Faith Traditions that they are part of. These three Biblical Traditions are: Septuagint, Vulgate, and Masoretic Bibles. Each of these traditions have had a differing effect upon those who follow these traditions. In fact one can truly see the separation of the Christian World along these three Biblical Traditions: Septuagint (Orthodox), Vulgate (Roman Catholic) and Masoretic (Protestant). I do think that we shouldn’t ignore this point, when it comes to seeking reunification.

Another point I would like to make is that I agree with St. Augustine and side with him when I say that both the Greek and the Hebrew, which includes the Latin, Scriptures are inspired, including the differences within these traditions.