NRSV or RSV? Which to choose?

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I think I wasted my money buying the NRSV. I had actually asked for the RSV when I was given the NRSV instead. I didn’t know the difference between the two at that time.

Later, after about a year, I came to know that the official bible of the Catholic Church is the RSV and not the NRSV. I felt cheated. :mad:

When I went there again and asked for the RSV, they told me that it was out of print and that the NRSV is the only one that is available.

I want to ask - what is the purpose of the NRSV? Why is the RSV out of print if that is the official Bible of the Catholic Church? And what is the Catholic Church’s opinion about the NRSV? Should I continue reading it or should I buy an RSV?
 
Bible translation guide on CA homepage (just click on the scripture tab at the left)
catholic.com/library/Bible_Translations_Guide.asp

the NRSV is approved for liturgy in Canada and some other English speaking countries
the NAB is the translation approved for liturgy in the US
the RSV-CE is the translation used when Vatican docs are translated into English

the NRSV contains horizontal inclusive language which is one reason many object to it
 
the RSV isnt out of print, many websites sell it as far as I’m aware as I have two copies! Plus theres the RSV Second Edition from Ignatius Press.
 
And what is our Catholic church doing in the midst of all this confusion?
 
I want to study scripture in depth, but for that I want to be sure that I have the right Bible with me. Why doesn’t the church order that the RSV bibles be reprinted? Send my message to Ratzinger please. I’m feeling frustrated. :mad:
 
iaskquestions said:
I want to study scripture in depth, but for that I want to be sure that I have the right Bible with me. Why doesn’t the church order that the RSV bibles be reprinted? Send my message to Ratzinger please. I’m feeling frustrated. :mad:
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If you want to study the scripture in depth, the best Bible for that is the Douay-Rheims.
 
iaskquestions said:
I want to study scripture in depth, but for that I want to be sure that I have the right Bible with me. Why doesn’t the church order that the RSV bibles be reprinted? Send my message to Ratzinger please. I’m feeling frustrated. :mad:
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You can get the RSV! All you have to do is decide what edition you want. They all work fine and the RSV-CE is currently the best Bible for in-depth scripture study and exegesis. Follow the links:

amazon.com/Ignatius-Bible-Revised-Standard-Catholic/dp/0898709369/ref=ed_oe_o

or

amazon.com/Holy-Bible-Revised-Standard-Catholic/dp/0898704901/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1222010560&sr=8-2

or

amazon.com/Revised-Standard-Version-Catholic-Bible/dp/0195288556/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1222010709&sr=8-1
 
tobinatorstark said:
If you want to study the scripture in depth, the best Bible for that is the Douay-Rheims.
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If you’re fond of the language of the Douay then yes. But I’d say to others, there are plenty other Catholic bible versions around and any are great for study, provided the study materials you use are sound also!

Go with whatever translation you feel comfortable with, and you’re all set! To think some people on here criticise the Protestant KJV-Onlyists when they bash our own versions of scripture so much too.

I guess I’ll get a reply about how the RSVCE Is protestant and i’m a heretic, Ive seen the RSV Corrections post

Surely we are all old enough to choose which Bible we prefer ourselves?
 
Mattjolley said:
If you’re fond of the language of the Douay then yes. But I’d say to others, there are plenty other Catholic bible versions around and any are great for study, provided the study materials you use are sound also!

Go with whatever translation you feel comfortable with, and you’re all set! To think some people on here criticise the Protestant KJV-Onlyists when they bash our own versions of scripture so much too.

I guess I’ll get a reply about how the RSVCE Is protestant and i’m a heretic, Ive seen the RSV Corrections post

Surely we are all old enough to choose which Bible we prefer ourselves?
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Yes, how dare you choose to read a Catholic approved translation like the RSV-CE. Truly the sign of a heretic! 🙂
 
Why is our Catholic Church not promoting the use and reprinting of the RSV? This problem must be addressed urgently.
 
Reprinting? As others have said, it’s easy to find a copy on the internet, on various websites! Try EWTN’s store or the website ‘aquinasandmore’. I hope you find an edition to your liking 🙂
 
The “official Bible” of the Catholic Church is the Latin Vulgate. The Catholic Edition RSV is approved but it is still essentially a Protestant translation that has been “tweaked” in some areas to be more acceptable to Catholics. The best Catholic English translation is still the Douay-Rheims, translated by Catholics and for Catholics, from the Latin Vulgate.
 
Yeah, don’t get me wrong, I’ve got nothing against the Douay Rheims.
It’s a beautiful translation but sometimes I prefer something more readable. I suppose its down to my mood. The first Bible that I choose usually is the Jerusalem, since here in England its used in our lectionary. But yes, I read the Douay too.
 
iaskquestions said:
And what is our Catholic church doing in the midst of all this confusion?
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doing as cited article suggests, recommending preferred translations for liturgical use, and insisting the translation committees go back to the drawing board and keep working until the translation is acceptable. What confusion are you speaking of? If you wish to discuss the merits of various translations, we have threads for that, but since 90% of contributors are neither bible scholars, linguists, or theologians, I stay away.
 
Mattjolley said:
I guess I’ll get a reply about how the RSVCE Is protestant and i’m a heretic, Ive seen the RSV Corrections post
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You aren’t a heretic. I do feel that the RSV-CE directs me towards Protestantism, but others do not feel that way in regards to the RSV-CE. But you are free to read whichever Bible you choose
Psalter said:
The “official Bible” of the Catholic Church is the Latin Vulgate. The Catholic Edition RSV is approved but it is still essentially a Protestant translation that has been “tweaked” in some areas to be more acceptable to Catholics. The best Catholic English translation is still the Douay-Rheims, translated by Catholics and for Catholics, from the Latin Vulgate.
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I’ll agree with you there
Mattjolley said:
Yeah, don’t get me wrong, I’ve got nothing against the Douay Rheims.
It’s a beautiful translation but sometimes I prefer something more readable. I suppose its down to my mood. The first Bible that I choose usually is the Jerusalem, since here in England its used in our lectionary. But yes, I read the Douay too.
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The Douay-Rheims isn’t for everybody. I personally get the most out of any Bible with the Douay-Rheims. I don’t know much Latin to read the Vulgate yet or else I would be reading that (Clementine not Nova Vulgata). The Jerusalem isn’t that bad, I personally didn’t care for the Psalms in the the Jerusalem Bible. It’s good that you read different versions. I have different versions myself for comparative purposes. I also use the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which is also a useful reference. I however, don’t care for the RSV-CE and since it is used for scripture in the CCC I end up looking the scripture passages in the Douay-Rheims.
 
Psalter said:
The “official Bible” of the Catholic Church is the Latin Vulgate. The Catholic Edition RSV is approved but it is still essentially a Protestant translation that has been “tweaked” in some areas to be more acceptable to Catholics. The best Catholic English translation is still the Douay-Rheims, translated by Catholics and for Catholics, from the Latin Vulgate.
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But, as I am sure you know, the official Bible of the Catholic Church, the Nova Vulgata, follows many of the textual decisions made by the “essentially Protestant” RSV. For example: 1 John 5:7.
 
mccorm45 said:
But, as I am sure you know, the official Bible of the Catholic Church, the Nova Vulgata, follows many of the textual decisions made by the “essentially Protestant” RSV. For example: 1 John 5:7.
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One of the many reasons why I will refuse to read the Nova Vulgata and would rather have to the Clementine edition. Although at this point. I would rather have a parallel of the Clementine and the Douay-Rheims
 
tobinatorstark said:
One of the many reasons why I will refuse to read the Nova Vulgata and would rather have to the Clementine edition. Although at this point. I would rather have a parallel of the Clementine and the Douay-Rheims
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Habemus Papam! Congrats!
 
mccorm45 said:
Habemus Papam! Congrats!
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Yes the Pope’s regnal name is Benedict XVI and his is the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.
tobinatorstark said:
You aren’t a heretic. I do feel that the RSV-CE directs me towards Protestantism, but others do not feel that way in regards to the RSV-CE. But you are free to read whichever Bible you choose

One reason I why I don’t read any version that co-insides with the RSV-CE. Obviously you don’t feel that it is directing you towards Protestantism so go ahead and use it. I don’t feel comfortable using the RSV-CE or anything along that line in English or Latin etc. I will stick to my Douay-Rheims and eventually when I am good enough to read the Clementine without the aid of the Douay-Rheims, I will stay with the Clementine. I don’t feel deceived by that. Honestly I feel deceived by the RSV-CE and Nova Vulgata
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