St Jerome Translation

[Pious_Mat]

It was asked earlier why we would want a translation of a translation via the vulgate. There are some very good reasons why:

First, St. Jerome had access to a broader array of original manuscripts, since some secondary documents that are now lost would still be available in the year 400 A.D.

Second, St. Jerome is an ackowledged linguistic and literary genius, and since Latin in closer to English than Greek or Hebrew, the idiom and style of St. Jerome’s translation can essentially be rendered into English.

Also, Greek grammar is complex, and is difficult to translate. By rendering it properly in Latin, which translates well into English, Jerome has taken away some of the hard parts in translating, and removed any controversy over how to translate certain passages; i.e., according to Jerome, translating the salutation from the angel in Luke as “Greetings, highly favoured daughter,” as some protestant Bibles do, is inappropriate, even in a dynamic translation. Jerome settles any controversy by giving the most linguistically and theologically correct translation, “Hail, full of Grace.”

 

[Manfred]

The RSV-CE, the New Jersualem, and the NAB aren’t good enough to be my primary bible.

All I’m saying is don’t Catholics deserve better?

This rant wasn’t directed personally at you Manfred–I know you know the whole issue well and in some sense I’m preaching to the choir.

What are you looking forward to next translation-wise regarding the Bible Manfred?

No offense taken, Jerry-Jet; I “feel your pain”.

I look forward to a 3rd edition of the Jerusalem bible, as well as an RSV-3CE. The former will most likely arrive sooner than the latter, especially since the 3rd French edition has been published, so an English edition can’t be too far behind. However, I’m guessing that would be about 10 years from now, not anytime really soon.

As for the RSV-3CE: it took from 1966 till the early part of this century to go from the RSV-CE to RSV-2CE, and the gain was minimal. You can do the math.

Translations from the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine get progressively worse with each release; think CCD NT of 1941 vs NAB 1970 vs NAB 1986/1990. I have no optimism for this series.

 

[Manfred]

… since Latin in closer to English than Greek or Hebrew, the idiom and style of St. Jerome’s translation can essentially be rendered into English.

Also, Greek grammar is complex, and is difficult to translate. By rendering it properly in Latin, which translates well into English, Jerome has taken away some of the hard parts in translating, and removed any controversy over how to translate certain passages; …

Mat,

Perhaps porthos or another linguist can help us out here, but I believe Latin has a rather good proximity to Greek. The Vulgate “Latinized” many Greek theological terms (e.g., Parakletos, Paraclete). Neither of these, unfortunately, translates Hebrew all that well.