New American Bible Revised Edition
| New American Bible Revised Edition | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Full name | New American Bible Revised Edition |
| Abbreviation | NABRE |
| Complete Bible published | March 9, 2011 |
| Derived from | Confraternity Bible, New American Bible |
| Textual basis | OT (2011 revision): Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia[citation needed] with Dead Sea Scrolls and minor Septuagint influence. Deuterocanonicals: Septuagint, Dead Sea Scrolls, and some Vulgate. NT: (1986 revision): "UBS3", the third edition of United Bible Societies' Third Edition Greek New Testament, and consultations of Novum Testamentum Graece 26th edition, i.e., "NA26." |
| Translation type | Formal equivalence (from the Preface), moderate use of dynamic equivalence. |
| Reading level | High School |
| Copyright | Confraternity of Christian Doctrine |
| Webpage | bible |
In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth—and the earth was without form or shape, with darkness over the abyss and a mighty wind sweeping over the waters— Then God said: Let there be light, and there was light.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. | |
The New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) is an English-language Catholic translation of the Bible, the first major update in 20 years to the New American Bible (NAB),[1] which was translated by members of the Catholic Biblical Association and originally published in 1970.[2] Released on March 9, 2011, the NABRE consists of the 1986 revision of the NAB New Testament with a fully revised Old Testament approved by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2010.[1]
The NABRE is approved for Catholic personal use.[3] Although the revised Lectionary based on the original New American Bible is still the sole translation approved for use at Mass in the dioceses of the United States,[4] the NABRE New Testament is currently being revised so that American Catholics can read the same Bible translation in personal study and devotion that they hear in Mass.[5]
Background
The first edition of the New American Bible was published in 1970.[2] The New Testament had been updated in 1986, and the Psalms in 1991,[6] but the rest of the Old Testament had not been revised. In August 1990, the Catholic Biblical Association passed a resolution urging revision of the remainder of the Old Testament.[7]
In a press statement, the USCCB cited three reasons for the necessity of revising the Old Testament. The new translation:[1]
- Aims to utilize modern scholastic advances in biblical study and adapt to changes in linguistics in order to render a more accurate translation in contemporary English.
- Takes advantage of recently discovered ancient manuscripts like the Dead Sea Scrolls which provide better access to the historical textual tradition.
- Uses the best manuscript-translating traditions available in order to translate more literally and accurately than previous translations.
The press statement said that the New American Bible Revised Edition would in many ways be a more literal translation than the original New American Bible.[1]
Translation history
This revision was begun in 1994 by scholars of the Catholic Biblical Association, and was completed in 2002.[6] The bishops reviewed these translations, and sent them back to the scholars for revisions. The revisions were completed in 2008, and were approved by the USCCB at their November 2008 meeting. However, they would not allow it to be published with the 1991 translation of the Psalms. They decided to delay publication of the Old Testament until a revision of the Psalms, already in progress, could be completed.[7]
Psalms
The 1991 NAB Psalter had initially been approved for liturgical use by the Vatican in 1992, but this approval was revoked in 1994, after changes to the policy regarding inclusive language.[6] In April 2002, Father Joseph Jensen, one of the leading translators of that Psalter, announced a plan to revise it.[8] This revision was completed in June 2003.[7] Following further revisions, this new Psalter was approved by the USCCB in 2010.[9]
Scriptural sources
New Testament sources are predominantly "UBS3" and "NA26", as further explained below:
- Sourcing: "The Greek text followed in this translation is that of the third edition of The Greek New Testament, edited by Kurt Aland, Matthew Black, Carlo Martini, Bruce Metzger, and Allen Wikgren, and published by the United Bible Societies in 1975 (UBS3). The same text, with a different critical apparatus and variations in punctuation and typography, was published as the twenty-sixth edition of the Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece (NA26) in 1979 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart. This edition has also been consulted. When variant readings occur, the translation, with few exceptions, follows the reading that was placed in the text of these Greek editions, though the occurrence of the principal variants is pointed out in the notes."[10]
- Old Testament Citations: "...Insofar as possible, the translation of such Old Testament citations agrees with that of The New American Bible Old Testament whenever the underlying Greek agrees with the Hebrew (or, in some cases, the Aramaic or Greek) text from which the Old Testament translation was made. But citations in the New Testament frequently follow the Septuagint or some other version, or were made from memory, hence, in many cases the translation in the New Testament passage will not agree with what appears in the Old Testament. Some of these cases are explained in the notes."[11]
Old Testament major sources come by way of the New American Bible; specifically Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, the Septuagint and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Other source details, such as Codex Sinaiticus, are as described below:
- "Where the Old Testament translation supposes the received text—Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek, as the case may be—ordinarily contained in the best-known editions, as the original or the oldest extant form, no additional remarks are necessary. Where the translators have departed from those received texts, e.g., by following the Septuagint rather than the Masoretic text, accepting a reading of what is judged to be a better textual tradition, as from a Qumran manuscript, or by emending a reading apparently corrupted in transmission, such changes are recorded in the revised edition of the Textual Notes on the New American Bible. Additional information on the textual tradition for some books may be found in the introduction to the book in the same Textual Notes.
- "In particular, important manuscripts from Cave 4 of Qumran, as well as the most useful recensions of the Septuagint, have been consulted in the preparation of 1 and 2 Samuel. Fragments of the lost Book of Tobit in Aramaic and in Hebrew, recovered from Cave 4 of Qumran, are in substantial agreement with the Sinaiticus Greek recension used for the translation of this book. The lost original Hebrew text of 1 Maccabees is replaced by its oldest extant form in Greek. Judith, 2 Maccabees, and parts of Esther are also translated from the Greek. The translation of The Wisdom of Ben Sira is based on the original Hebrew as far as it is preserved, with corrections from the ancient versions; otherwise, the Greek of the Septuagint is followed. In the Book of Baruch the basic text is the Greek of the Septuagint, with some readings derived from an underlying Hebrew form no longer extant. In the deuterocanonical sections of Daniel (3:24–90; 13:1–14:42), the basic text is the Greek text of so-called Theodotion, occasionally revised according to the Greek text of the Septuagint."[12]
Changes to the Old Testament
Vocabulary
One of the more important changes found in the New American Bible Revised Edition is the substitution of various words and phrases for language which carries a modern connotation which is quite different from the original suggested meanings. Examples include changing "cereal" to "grain" and "booty" to "plunder."[9]
Similarly, "holocaust" has been changed to "burnt offering". The word "holocaust" in modern English has become used almost exclusively to refer to the genocide of the Jewish people during World War II. In order to capture the biblical meaning, the translators chose the phrase "burnt offering" to replace "holocaust" throughout the text in reference to sacrifices made to God.[9]
Gender-neutral language
Vatican norms for translation of the Bible include that, "The translation of scripture should faithfully reflect the Word of God in the original human languages, without 'correction' or 'improvement' in service of modern sensitivities".[13]
Horizontal gender-neutral language
According to a press backgrounder released by the USCCB, the New American Bible Revised Edition "reflects the original meaning of the texts. Much of the original material, especially in the narrative books, was gender specific and remains so."[citation needed]
Vertical gender-neutral language
Whereas horizontal non-gendered language is generally viewed as an understandable adaptation in light of modern gender sensitivity, "vertical" neutral language—any pronoun or referent to the Christian God—is considered a break from both tradition and Christian revelation.[14] Catholic bishops in the United States have made it clear that any gender-neutral language in reference to any of the three persons of the Holy Trinity—Father, Son, or Holy Spirit—is unacceptable. According to the USCCB, "traditional masculine language for God...belongs to the deposit of divine revelation and may not be replaced [with gender-neutral or feminine language]."[15]
Sample changes
| New American Bible | New American Bible Revised Edition |
|---|---|
| Leviticus 2:1
"When anyone wishes to bring a cereal offering to the LORD, his offering must consist of fine flour." |
Leviticus 2:1
"When anyone brings a grain offering to the LORD, the offering must consist of bran flour." |
| Isaiah 49:24
"Thus says the LORD: Can booty be taken from a warrior?" |
Isaiah 49:24
"Can plunder be taken from a warrior [?]" |
| Joel 3:1-5
Then afterward I will pour out my spirit upon all mankind. |
Joel 3:1-5
It shall come to pass |
| Sirach 51:1-4a
I give you thanks, O God of my father; |
Sirach 51: 1-4a
I give you thanks, Lord and King, |
Completion and use
In January 2011, the USCCB announced that the fourth edition of the NAB would be published on March 9 of that year.[1] To be known as the "New American Bible, Revised Edition" or NABRE, the fourth edition of the NAB includes the newly revised Old Testament and re-revised Psalms, and the revised New Testament from the 1986 second edition. While the NABRE represents a revision of the NAB towards conformity towards Liturgiam Authenticam, there have not been any announced plans to use the NABRE for the lectionary in the United States. The USCCB announced the approval is for "private use and study" while Masses will continue to use a lectionary taken from "an earlier, modified version of the NAB translation."[1]
The release garnered widespread press coverage by national news sources such as NPR[16] and USA Today.[17]
Future editions
In 2012, the USCCB "announced a plan to revise the New Testament of the New American Bible Revised Edition so a single version can be used for individual prayer, catechesis and liturgy."[18] After they developed a plan and budget for the revision project, work began in 2013 with the creation of an editorial board made up of five people from the Catholic Biblical Association (CBA). The revision is now underway and, after the necessary approvals from the Bishops and the Vatican, is expected to be done around 2025.[19]
See also
- Catholic Bible
- Douay–Rheims Bible
- Divino afflante Spiritu
- Liturgiam authenticam
- International Commission on English in the Liturgy
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Revised Edition of New American Bible Approved for Publication, Will Be Available in Variety of Formats March 9". USCCB Office of Media Relations. 6 January 2011. Archived from the original on 8 January 2011.
- ^ a b Maher, John (1970-08-24). "Publication of New Bible Translation Announced". Catholic News Service. pp. 18–20. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
- ^ "Approved Translations of the Bible". USCCB. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
- ^ "Liturgy: Questions about the Scriptures used during Mass". USCCB.
- ^ Bauman, Michelle. "New American Bible to be revised into single translation". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
- ^ a b c Filteau, Jerry (17 August 2010). "New American bible: a brief chronology". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ^ a b c "Chronology for the New Revision of New American Bible Old Testament". cba.cua.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
- ^ Hitchcock, Helen Hull (May 2002). "US Scholars Resuscitate Rejected Psalms". Adoremus. Archived from the original on 25 October 2005. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ^ a b c Zapor, Patricia. "Revised Bible provides 'more clarity, more detail' for today's Catholic". Catholicnews.com. Archived from the original on 2011-02-02. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
- ^ "paragraph #20". USCCB. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
- ^ "paragraph #22". USCCB. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
- ^ "final two paragraphs thereof". USCCB. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
- ^ "Vatican Translation Norms Reject "Inclusive Language"". 1997-07-15.
- ^ "Bible Versions and Commentaries". EWTN. Archived from the original on 30 January 2019.
- ^ United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Committee on Doctrine, "Response to Observations by Sr. Elizabeth A. Johnson, C.S.J., Regarding the Committee on Doctrine's Statement about the Book 'Quest for the Living God'" (October 11, 2011), p. 4
- ^ Weekend Edition Sunday (2011-03-06). "U.S. Catholic Church Rolls Out New Bible Translation". NPR. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
- ^ Grossman, Cathy Lynn. "Bishops boot 'booty' from revised Bible". USA Today.
- ^ Bauman, Michelle. "New American Bible to be revised into single translation". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
- ^ "NAB New Testament Revision Project". Catholic Biblical Association of America. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
External links