Thoughts on biblical illiteracy and current translations

[Epistemes]

As I’ve posted before, my friend struggles with biblical illiteracy due to both difficulties with reading comprehension and the often technical language used in most standard translations. As it is, she and I have been reading from the Good News translation together (with deuterocanonicals appended), but she still struggles with biblical concepts, such as, “What is a parable?”

In my research, I’ve found two good Study Bibles which help to address some of these issues, but what a shame that neither of these are published in a Catholic edition.

The first, and possibly the best, is The Learning Bible: Contemporary English Version, which is chocked full of definitions, images, and sidebars and footnotes helping to put the text into context for the beginner and expert alike. Too bad it’s out of print! I would swoop up a couple copies if it wasn’t.

The second is the English Standard Version Study Bible. This one is a bit more on the academic side, but I generally found it highly presentable, offering loads of introductory information, including who authored the book, setting, and general themes, plus there are, again, plenty of footnotes to try and explain the words in the text. I’m currently letting my friend sample sections from both Isaiah and Revelation on amazon.com to see if she likes it and if she thinks it will help her understand the Bible more.

I so desperately want her to read and understand God’s Word! And I am so disappointed in the Catholic publishers who continually regurgitate the same translations with the same uber-scholarly footnotes and other lack of helpful information. It’s a shame that I have to resort to buying a translation which is endorsed by fringe Protestants and other anti-Catholic believers, but it’s apparent that these people care so much more about the common man understanding God’s Word than the Church does. We call ourselves People of the Word, but we fail to see with the current state of biblical translations in the Church that the light has been hidden beneath a bushel basket.

 

[puzzleannie]

the version I have found most helpful in classes and devotional use here in mixed or Spanish speaking groups is the Good News Translation, Catholic Edition, from the American Bible society, that has English on one side and Spanish on the other. It is a fact that most of the adults in settings where we need a study or devotional bible are not reading at a level even of the NAB, whether because of second language or simply the educational system here. The ABS Catholic bibles have the Maltese cross for Imprimatur in the catalog next to Catholic versions (the one I am speaking of is a blue hard cover).

We go with bilingual resources in general, and I have to agree with OP, the best of these are either from Catholic publishers at the liberal end of the spectrum, or Protestant resources, so you need someone knowledgeable to evaluate them, and to instruct facilitators or catechists on their shortcomings.

Loyola has their 6 weeks w/the Bible series in Eng & Span, and several publishers have a faith sharing resource, but weightier academic studies and reference books are hard to come by in bilingual editions,

The more conservative, reliable publishers are IMO falling down on the job by not getting up to speed not only with Spanish or bilingual bible study resources, but also catechetical materials in general.

 

[Epistemes]

There was a great article in “America” several months ago which discussed the problem of religious education in Catholic schools. Levelling his opinion on the issue, one gentleman (I forget now whether he had any rank about him), who was a teacher at a secondary school here in the states, stated that we who find terms like “God” and “Jesus” to be common parlance run the grave error of assuming too much by expecting others, the “uninitiated,” to grasp the full meaning and import of these names and terms as we understand them. “What is God?” “What is a parable?”

The concept applies to biblical literacy, and it’s easy to forget this, especially for those of us who are blessed to be knowledgable about the Bible. Not everybody has studied ancient civilization nor do they have the time, and yet the current Catholic translations on the market almost seem to pre-suppose that its readers all have BAs in History, Religion, or Classical Civilization due to the lack of supplementary material or the high-brow content thereof.

I am going to LifeWay today to check out a few selections from the Gospels in the ESV Study Bible.

 

[am10519]

Be careful with some of the study Bibles, especially the ESV Study Bible. It really is loaded with information, but it’s from a reformed/evangelical perspective, and is highly anti-Catholic. There is a section in the back on the differences between Catholicism and Evangelicalism, which took great pains to “prove” that Mary had doubts about Jesus and that Catholics are wrong about their beliefs concerning her. I looked up every reference, and they didn’t show any doubts at all, which only confirmed to me that the Catholic Church is right, yet again.

You can always look in the beginning of the Bible and a lot of them will show the list of contributors, along with what seminary they are affiliated with.

 

[Epistemes]

Be careful with some of the study Bibles, especially the ESV Study Bible. It really is loaded with information, but it’s from a reformed/evangelical perspective, and is highly anti-Catholic. There is a section in the back on the differences between Catholicism and Evangelicalism, which took great pains to “prove” that Mary had doubts about Jesus and that Catholics are wrong about their beliefs concerning her. I looked up every reference, and they didn’t show any doubts at all, which only confirmed to me that the Catholic Church is right, yet again.

You can always look in the beginning of the Bible and a lot of them will show the list of contributors, along with what seminary they are affiliated with.

Yes, I am very aware of the fact that the ESV Study Bible goes out of its way to document, in its own way, that Mary’s perpetual virginity in addition to Peter’s primacy is Catholic fiction. The fact that it’s published by Crossway Bibles (out of Wheaton, Illinois) speaks volumes without much actual research into what the text says about Catholic dogma.

As I stated in my initial post, though: it’s a shame that I have to resort to buying a translation which is authored and endorsed by anti-Catholic Protestants, but it’s ironically apparent that these people care so much more about the common man understanding God’s Word than the Church and Catholic publishers. As it stands, the supplementary material and presentation of that material will ultimately make me a consumer. Why? Because it’s precisely the sort of Bible which my friend needs in order to understand the text better, considering that her local parish (which isn’t very local at all) does not have a Bible study group, the Ignatius Study Bible uses the difficult-for-her-to-understand language of the RSV-CE, and other easy-to-use Bible study materials are essentially obscure and missing in the Catholic world, 45 years after the close of Vatican II.

 

[bauerice]

Have you ever heard of the Christian Community Bible? It is a very simple Catholic Bible. Not always easy to find but can be read online. We are lucky to have a Franciscan Bookstore in our community that carries it.

 

[Epistemes]

Have you ever heard of the Christian Community Bible? It is a very simple Catholic Bible. Not always easy to find but can be read online. We are lucky to have a Franciscan Bookstore in our community that carries it.

I spoke with my friend today and we were discussing the ESV Study Bible again. I had been telling her about all the good things it includes, but I found it necessary to convey to her my main reservation concerning it, namely that it is anti-Catholic. She immediately said, “I don’t want a Bible that isn’t Catholic.”

I commend her for this, but it makes finding a Bible for us so much more difficult! Why doesn’t the Jerusalem Bible come in a study format? or even the Good News translation? I have taken a look at the Christian Community Bible: Catholic Pastoral Edition, and it seems to be the closest thing to featuring both a Catholic text and Catholic commentary.

It’s so discouraging, though! I look at a Bible like the ESV Study Bible and see what could easily be considered the golden standard, and then I turn to my selection for Catholic Bibles and am faced with an utter paucity which is frustratingly disheartening. It is more than evident that the tradition of the laity’s infamiliarity with the Word of God is one that has set us back a few hundred years in terms of publication and understanding, and it is a tradition which must (MUST!) be done away with now!

 

[puzzleannie]

I spoke with my friend today and we were discussing the ESV Study Bible again. I had been telling her about all the good things it includes, but I found it necessary to convey to her my main reservation concerning it, namely that it is anti-Catholic. She immediately said, “I don’t want a Bible that isn’t Catholic.”

I commend her for this, but it makes finding a Bible for us so much more difficult! Why doesn’t the Jerusalem Bible come in a study format? or even the Good News translation? I have taken a look at the Christian Community Bible: Catholic Pastoral Edition, and it seems to be the closest thing to featuring both a Catholic text and Catholic commentary.

It’s so discouraging, though! I look at a Bible like the ESV Study Bible and see what could easily be considered the golden standard, and then I turn to my selection for Catholic Bibles and am faced with an utter paucity which is frustratingly disheartening. It is more than evident that the tradition of the laity’s infamiliarity with the Word of God is one that has set us back a few hundred years in terms of publication and understanding, and it is a tradition which must (MUST!) be done away with now!

for your purposes wtih this person I suggest the Ignatius study bibles, individual books, edited by Scott Hahn, because he was raised on and answers such evangelical arguments, the notes are complete, the version is the RSV-CE, and it is usually best to study one book at a time. I suggest begging with Luke and Acts, then select Pauline letters, then go back to the other gospels. I understand there is now a one vol. NT available altho I have not seen it. My other resentment in the spirit OP has is the paucity of low-cost editions from Catholic publishers, and why should ABS be remedying their deficiencies? One answer could be volume, that CAtholic parishes and dioceses don’t purchase in volume not only bibles but study aids.

DD had the learning bible in her classes at UNC because her teachers in bible as literature are the renowned Protestant scholars at that school, and still uses it as a reference when she does her Catholic parish studies, and spends her time finding Catholic sources to answer problematic notes, but shares your lament that a similar resource is not available in a solid Catholic edition.

I have a personal bias against agenda-driven translations and study bibles in general because the notes, as well as the translation choices, invariable are chosen to support pre-conceived interpretations of passages and whole books, which to my mind makes the product suspect from its inception. If the compilers begin with the notion “well it has to be gender inclusive horizontally” they begin with a preconception that ignores the meanings and connotations of the original. if they begin with the idea that wherever anything about Mary, or Eucharist, or miracles occurs they will look for a meaning that supports their preconcieved ideas, that is how they will choose among different English alternatives for those expressions. and so forth.

 

[Epistemes]

for your purposes wtih this person I suggest the Ignatius study bibles, individual books, edited by Scott Hahn, because he was raised on and answers such evangelical arguments, the notes are complete, the version is the RSV-CE, and it is usually best to study one book at a time. I suggest begging with Luke and Acts, then select Pauline letters, then go back to the other gospels. I understand there is now a one vol. NT available altho I have not seen it. My other resentment in the spirit OP has is the paucity of low-cost editions from Catholic publishers, and why should ABS be remedying their deficiencies? One answer could be volume, that Catholic parishes and dioceses don’t purchase in volume not only bibles but study aids.

Thank you for the recommendation, however she and I have agreed to utilize the NLT Life Application Study Bible. While not Catholic, it does not appear to be blatantly anti-Catholic. It is also more neutral theologically than most other Protestant-published study bibles. I will definitely consider the Ignatius Study Bibles, perhaps as a secondary source for Dr. Hahn’s notes alone since I’m sure the formal equivalence of the RSV-CE wouldn’t be easy for her to understand.

We are currently treading through the Gospel of Mark. I think we will definitely read Luke-Acts next since I want to skip Matthew and John for a later time. My plan, at this stage, is:

Mark
Luke-Acts
1 Corin.
2 Corin.
Romans

 

[diggerdomer]

As I’ve posted before, my friend struggles with biblical illiteracy due to both difficulties with reading comprehension and the often technical language used in most standard translations. As it is, she and I have been reading from the Good News translation together (with deuterocanonicals appended), but she still struggles with biblical concepts, such as, “What is a parable?”

In my research, I’ve found two good Study Bibles which help to address some of these issues, but what a shame that neither of these are published in a Catholic edition.

The first, and possibly the best, is The Learning Bible: Contemporary English Version, which is chocked full of definitions, images, and sidebars and footnotes helping to put the text into context for the beginner and expert alike. Too bad it’s out of print! I would swoop up a couple copies if it wasn’t.

The second is the English Standard Version Study Bible. This one is a bit more on the academic side, but I generally found it highly presentable, offering loads of introductory information, including who authored the book, setting, and general themes, plus there are, again, plenty of footnotes to try and explain the words in the text. I’m currently letting my friend sample sections from both Isaiah and Revelation on amazon.com to see if she likes it and if she thinks it will help her understand the Bible more.

I so desperately want her to read and understand God’s Word! And I am so disappointed in the Catholic publishers who continually regurgitate the same translations with the same uber-scholarly footnotes and other lack of helpful information. It’s a shame that I have to resort to buying a translation which is endorsed by fringe Protestants and other anti-Catholic believers, but it’s apparent that these people care so much more about the common man understanding God’s Word than the Church does. We call ourselves People of the Word, but we fail to see with the current state of biblical translations in the Church that the light has been hidden beneath a bushel basket.

I would recommend the NAB study version. Excellent reader’s guide.

 

[Epistemes]

I would recommend the NAB study version. Excellent reader’s guide.

Have you read anything that I’ve been saying? The NAB is chocked full of vocabulary which is immensely difficult to understand (who uses the word *exhort *anymore?) in addition to notes (and yes even the Reader’s Guide) which requires a BA in Religious Studies or Ancient History or higher to even *begin *to understand.

No thanks.

But you do prove my point: most people who understand the Bible themselves cannot seem to wrap their minds around the concept of biblical illiteracy or how to counter it effectively with the available Catholic resources.

 

[diggerdomer]

Have you read anything that I’ve been saying? The NAB is chocked full of vocabulary which is immensely difficult to understand (who uses the word *exhort *anymore?) in addition to notes (and yes even the Reader’s Guide) which requires a BA in Religious Studies or Ancient History or higher to even *begin *to understand.

No thanks.

But you do prove my point: most people who understand the Bible themselves cannot seem to wrap their minds around the concept of biblical illiteracy or how to counter it effectively with the available Catholic resources.

Yes, I’ve read your posts.

I find the NAB very easy to understand.

 

[Langdell]

Something I found very helpful when I first started trying to understand the Bible is The Harper Collins Bible Dictionary. Granted, it’s not Catholic (it’s supposed to be non-denominational), but it has very clear discussions of people, places, and things mentioned in the Bible, plus excellent illustrations. It also has separate entries for every book in the Bible, with handy outlines of what each book discusses.

Be aware that it’s not a devotional work. It’s intended to provide historical background so that what you’re reading makes sense. Also, if academic textual criticism makes you or your friend uncomfortable, some parts should be skipped.

But I really found it helpful just to be able to look up who somebody was or where some town was located, and to see a summary of the contents of a Biblical book before I started reading it.

.

 

[diggerdomer]

Something I found very helpful when I first started trying to understand the Bible is The Harper Collins Bible Dictionary. Granted, it’s not Catholic (it’s supposed to be non-denominational), but it has very clear discussions of people, places, and things mentioned in the Bible, plus excellent illustrations. It also has separate entries for every book in the Bible, with handy outlines of what each book discusses.

Be aware that it’s not a devotional work. It’s intended to provide historical background so that what you’re reading makes sense. Also, if academic textual criticism makes you or your friend uncomfortable, some parts should be skipped.

But I really found it helpful just to be able to look up who somebody was or where some town was located, and to see a summary of the contents of a Biblical book before I started reading it.

.

I like that resource, too. While it’s not Catholic, there are Catholic scholars who contributed to it.