What translation does the Church use?

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The Vulgate is the Latin-language bible that the Church uses.

Are you asking specifically about the Bible in Latin?

Since your question was about which translation, are you asking about which English language version we use?
 
Ceaseless,

Great question! I had the same question, so I compared the Daily Roman Missal 3rd Edition readings with my older NABs and found that the Missal readings matched the 1991 NAB.

Stuart
 
Hi ProVobis!

Please correct me if I’m incorrect, the Nova Vulgata is the sole version that the US liturgy is based on, rather the NAB? If not, what is the NV used for?

Thanks,
Stuart
 
The Nova Vulgata is the official Latin edition of the Bible used by the Church for texts in Latin. This includes the original typical edition of the Mass, Liturgy of the Hours, and other liturgical texts, documents in their original Latin, the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Since the Mass in the United States is often in English, then the instructions of Liturgiam authenticam kick in, which calls for a translation approved by both the Bishops’ Conference and the Holy See. For the United States, that’s the NAB. For Canada, that’s the NRSV. Both have amendments before they could be approved for liturgical use.

The Nova Vulgata is not used in an English Mass. It IS used if the Mass and its readings are in Latin.
 
Doesn’t the Latin Vulgate have 3 and 4 Esdras and the Prayer of Mannaseh in an appendix? I read that somewhere.
 
stuartbrianhenlis said:
Hi ProVobis!

Please correct me if I’m incorrect, the Nova Vulgata is the sole version that the US liturgy is based on, rather the NAB? If not, what is the NV used for?

Thanks,
Stuart
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Stuart,

It really comes down to “what do you mean by the question?”

First of all, when we speak of “the Liturgy” we’re really speaking about 2 parts. Those are the prayers themselves and then the selections from Sacred Scripture–both are “the Liturgy”. That second category is further divided into the readings themselves (like Gospel, Epistle) and other times when brief 1 or 2 verse lines are used (like the antiphons in the Mass or the Hours).

The Liturgy itself (ie the prayers) is full of scripture verses. For example, a line from the Gospel of St John might be used in the Collect of the 4th Sunday of Advent.

In terms of the prayers: they start in Latin, but remember that much of that material is itself based on lines from Scripture. So naturally, the prayer-in-Latin is going to use the same words as the Scripture-in-Latin (well, mostly so). When it comes to translating those prayers from Latin to English, the prayers are typically translated anew. Certainly the existing English translations of those verses is going to have some influence, but the translators do not look at a prayer in Latin and attempt to translate that prayer into English by using the same words that appear in the English translations of the Bible.

The end result is this:
  1. Different English-speaking countries all use the same words in the prayers of the Liturgy (with some minor editing for spellings and a few rare times when they vary). So something like Eucharistic Prayer 2 uses the same words in the U.S. as it does in Canada, England, Australia, etc. (again, some very minor variations). Since these prayers are significantly composed of lines from Sacred Scripture, this paragraph is important to the overall response to your question.
  2. Each country chooses the translation of Sacred Scripture to use for its own Lectionary, and the other times when readings from Scripture appear in the Liturgy (such as a reading from a Gospel which is part of a blessing of something). Here, the U.S. uses the New American Bible (and is moving toward a revised version) while Canada uses the New Revised Standard (NRSV). I’m not sure about other English speaking countries, but you get the idea.
  3. Stand alone short lines from Scripture, like Antiphons at Mass might sometimes be translated directly from the Latin, or they might be taken directly from the translation already available in the translated bibles. Sometimes it’s one, sometimes it’s the other.
 
Hi, Fr David!

Thanks for the clarification. I thought that the Sacred Scripture readings comprised the Liturgy itself.

Stuart
 
Well, Father,

Forgive my ignorance, but I THINK I mean the Lectionary, if that’s where the Scriptures are read from.

Stuart
 
stuartbrianhenlis said:
Well, Father,

Forgive my ignorance, but I THINK I mean the Lectionary, if that’s where the Scriptures are read from.

Stuart
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OK. Just want to be sure to answer the actual question.

The term “liturgy” refers to all of the official worship of the Church collectively. It’s a very broad term.

The “lectionary” is the book that has the Scripture readings used at Mass (and other times when certain readings are required such as baptisms, funerals or the dedication of a new church building, etc.)

So back to your question:
The United States lectionary uses the New American Bible.
 
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