Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
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| RSV-CE Bible | |
|---|---|
| RSV-CE | |
| Full name: | Revised Standard Version - Catholic Edition |
| Abbreviation: | RSV-CE |
| Publisher: | Ignatius Press |
The Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (also known as the RSV-CE) is a revision of the Revised Standard Version (RSV) of the Bible for use by Catholics.
The 1959 Revised Standard Version was translated from the original languages for an American audience by the National Council of the Churches of Christ, and then adapted for Catholic use by the Catholic Biblical Association in 1966. It is widely used by conservative Catholic scholars and theologians, and is accepted as the one of the most accurate and literary Bible translations suitable for Catholic use.
When the New Revised Standard Version was released in 1989, the original RSV-CE went out of print. However, many Catholics reacted negatively to the NRSV's wide use of gender-inclusive language. This use of inclusive language was a major reason the Holy See rejected the NRSV for use in the liturgy and the English translation of the Catechism.
The original RSV-CE was revived in 1994 when Ignatius Press re-published it as the Ignatius Bible. Today, the RSV-CE is still published by Ignatius, Scepter Publishers, and Oxford University Press. It is also the Bible translation used in the English edition of the Catechism of the Catholic Church alongside the NRSV where inclusive language is not used.
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[edit] Significant Differences from the RSV
The editors of the Catholic Edition made no changes to the Old Testament text; all they did was include the seven Deuterocanonical works in their traditional Catholic order. However, some minor changes were made to the New Testament in places that had variant readings more in line with Catholic understanding and tradition. Some of the more important changes were the use of the phrase "full of grace" in the angel's greeting to Mary in Luke 1:28, the restoration of the story of the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11) and the inclusion of the longer ending to the Gospel according to Mark. In other places, some word changes were made, and some texts were exchanged with footnotes.
A full index of changes to the original RSV New Testament is available as an appendix to the RSV-CE.
[edit] Second Edition
In Early 2006, Ignatius Press released the Second Catholic Edition of the RSV. This edition removed the archaic language in references to God, and exchanged some texts with footnotes in passages that had significance to Catholics. This revision conforms with the translation principles called for by the Vatican Instruction Liturgiam Authenticam. However, some reviews of this edition have noted that while a number of Liturgiam-Authenticam-corresponding revisions were made to the text, the changes made were actually relatively small, and Ignatius Press' claim of "conformity" was misleading. The title page of the edition actually states "This edition was revised according to Liturgiam Authenticam, 2002" which has been accepted as being a more proper description than the Ignatius Press website's claim of "conformity".
The new edition also features new typesetting, section headings, and maps. As was the case with the original RSV, gender-inclusive language is not used.
[edit] Liturgical Use
The RSV-CE text used to be permitted for use in the Lectionary in the United States. The permission has since been withdrawn. Today, there is only one text approved for use in the United States, a modified version of the New American Bible with the 1986 Revised New Testament, with inappropriate inclusive language removed.
However, the RSV-CE remains approved for use in the English translation of the Liturgy of the Hours for use in England and Wales, Australia, India, and many other English-speaking nations outside of the United States and Canada.
Ignatius Press is also publishing a Lectionary based on the RSV-Second Catholic Edition, approved for use by the Episcopal Conference of the Antilles. This Lectionary is not, at present, approved for use in the United States, although Ignatius Press is hopeful that other Episcopal Conferences will follow suit.
[edit] Endorsements
Many well-known Catholic personalities, including Scott Hahn (see also Ignatius Catholic Study Bible series), Dr. Daniel J. Garguillio, Curtis Mitch, Steve Ray, Jimmy Akin, and others use it as well. It is also used in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and in English translations of Church documents. The English translations of the works of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) also use the RSV-CE or its Second Edition.
[edit] Differences between Catholic and Protestant Bibles
Main article: Biblical canon
Bible translations used by the Catholic Church, including the RSV-CE, contain more material than those used by most Protestants. While all churches recognize the same New Testament canon, Old Testament canons reflect differences between the Hebrew text (epitomized by the Masoretic Text) and the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation used by the early church. Catholic bibles contain seven books found in the Septuagint— Tobit (Tobias), Judith, Baruch, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), Wisdom, First and Second Maccabees (Machabees)— which do not have corresponding Hebrew versions; also the texts of Esther and of Daniel are considerably amplified from the Septuagint. These are variously referred to as the "deuterocanonicals" (meaning "second canon") or the "apocrypha" (meaning "hidden").
Anglicans officially recognize these books as having a secondary status within their canon, and the King James Version included them as a separate section. Other Protestants have excluded them from the canon. The original RSV project omitted translation of the deuterocanonical books and translated the Hebrew versions of Daniel and Esther instead of the Greek.
Eastern churches recognize several more books in addition to those in the Catholic canon, including Third and Fourth Maccabees and an extra psalm. These books were translated for the the RSV "Common Bible".
[edit] External links
[edit] Buying the Ignatius Bible
- from catholic.com
- (ISBN 0-89870-490-1)
- Second Catholic Edition from Ignatius Press
- see also the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible series from Ignatius Press
