RSV CE question

[davidn87]

The RSV CE I ordered finally came, and I’m just flicking through it. I’m slightly baffled as to why in Esther the chapters go

11:2-12, 12, 1-3:13, 13:1-7, 3:14-15, 4, 13:8-18, 14, 5:1-2, 15, 5:3-14, 6-8:12, 16, 8:13-17, 9-11:1.

I’ll probably “get it” if I just read it, but the numbers layout has me confused, especially when in the EWTN app it just goes chapters 1-16 with no ‘jumping around’.

 

[dshix]

The RSV CE I ordered finally came, and I’m just flicking through it. I’m slightly baffled as to why in Esther the chapters go

11:2-12, 12, 1-3:13, 13:1-7, 3:14-15, 4, 13:8-18, 14, 5:1-2, 15, 5:3-14, 6-8:12, 16, 8:13-17, 9-11:1.

I’ll probably “get it” if I just read it, but the numbers layout has me confused, especially when in the EWTN app it just goes chapters 1-16 with no ‘jumping around’.

Esther is like that, since writings were compiled from various sources. In most bibles, the chapters are arranged in the order that you mentioned above so that it will be in chronological order.

If a bible has them in number order, as in 1-16, it will be a jumble of mixed up events.

I don’t know about the EWTN app you mentioned, but it is possible they just renamed the chapter numbers to 1-16 for the purpose of avoiding confusion.

 

[Joe_5859]

The RSV CE I ordered finally came, and I’m just flicking through it. I’m slightly baffled as to why in Esther the chapters go

11:2-12, 12, 1-3:13, 13:1-7, 3:14-15, 4, 13:8-18, 14, 5:1-2, 15, 5:3-14, 6-8:12, 16, 8:13-17, 9-11:1.

I’ll probably “get it” if I just read it, but the numbers layout has me confused, especially when in the EWTN app it just goes chapters 1-16 with no ‘jumping around’.

Esther and Daniel are like that because portions of those books are part of the “deuterocanonical” books (i.e. those books that are in Catholic Bibles, but not most Protestant Bibles).

Since the RSV originated as a Protestant translation, it just grafts those texts in there like that. If you looked at an NAB, it would be numbered differently.

Yes, it is confusing.

 

[porthos11]

Esther is like that, since writings were compiled from various sources. In most bibles, the chapters are arranged in the order that you mentioned above so that it will be in chronological order.

If a bible has them in number order, as in 1-16, it will be a jumble of mixed up events.

I don’t know about the EWTN app you mentioned, but it is possible they just renamed the chapter numbers to 1-16 for the purpose of avoiding confusion.

Chapters “10”:4 to “16” of Esther in the RSV and Vulgate are texts translated from the Greek edition of the book and are Deuterocanonical and rejected by Protestants; some translations render these as chapters A through F. Chapters 1 through 9 correspond to the Hebrew and are Protocanonical; these are accepted by both Protestants and Catholics. The RSV-CE rearranges the texts in chronological order but St. Jerome simply grouped the Greek additions at the end of his translation of Esther regardless of their order in the narrative, explaining the odd chapter numbering.

 

[Joe_5859]

Esther and Daniel are like that because portions of those books are part of the “deuterocanonical” books (i.e. those books that are in Catholic Bibles, but not most Protestant Bibles).

Since the RSV originated as a Protestant translation, it just grafts those texts in there like that. If you looked at an NAB, it would be numbered differently.

Yes, it is confusing.

Now that I double check, the NAB is basically numbered the same, it’s just they use “A, B, C” to number the deuterocanonical portions. The RSV-CE can get confusing because it numerically numbers both sources.

When reading through, it’s easiest just to ignore the numbers and focus on the text. But when you’re trying to cite a passage, it is a headache.

 

[davidn87]

I don’t know about the EWTN app you mentioned, but it is possible they just renamed the chapter numbers to 1-16 for the purpose of avoiding confusion.

The EWTN app uses the RSV CE, but doesn’t put it in chrono. like the physical Bible I have. Just checked biblegateway.com, and they have it chronologically as well.

I used to get mixed up with things in Protestant translations, so I got a chronological NLT. Very confusing that the printed RSV CE puts just the one book in chronological order like that.