I find that a common thread among those in positions of translation. It boils down to something like: Americans are too stupid to understand _________. Thou, thy, art, and similar words can be grasped by regular Catholics and they are. We use them every week (at least) in the Our Father (who ART in Heaven, hallowed by THY name…). People understand that at least on the level of understanding the words.
I would like to hear such words because it sets up the readings and prayers (in a very small way) as something different and special. Something sacred. I voted for the RSV-CC. It seems to strike a reasonable balance between readability and beauty.
Most of the young people don’t. If young Catholics who have a zeal for their faith, and all of sudden they are force to read a Shakepearean type language, they will find it very difficult to grasps. As much as I love the DR Bible Translation, I don’t think it would be good for lectionary.
The DR Bible was written in around 1608-1609. People then would probably understand it. I think the RSV-CE is the best translation we got when you want the community to understand Scripture in the modern sense. Realistically, most people don’t.
When I read parts of RSV Bible which has the thou, art, thy, in the RCIA class. They were like? Is that the King James Bible? I said, no. It’s RSV Catholic Bible. The person who ask the question was in his forties.
I know there are Catholics who are DR Onlyism, like the Protestant version of King James Onlyism.
I’m not a DR Onlyism…
Second, the RSV-CE has been recommended by Scholars. Even Catholic Answers suggest it because it’s easy to read. I pick it over the NAB.
I also think the DR has an error or mistranslation in its translation of Genesis 3:15.
Which states,
I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed:
she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.
In most current, Catholic translation. The RSV-CE has it written as:
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her see; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
The footnote of RSV-CE states,
The Latin Vulgate has the reading ipsa conteret,
she shall bruise Some Old Latin manuscripts have this reading, and it occurs also in St. Augustine, De Genesi contra Manichaeos, II, which is earlier than St. Jerome’s translation. It could be due originally to a
copyist’s mistake, which was then seen to contain a genuine, meaning…"