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Craig
wrote:
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Hi, guys —
- Which Catholic Bibles are approved by the
Vatican?
Craig
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{
Which
Catholic Bibles are approved by the Vatican? }
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Mike
replied:
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Hi, Craig —
Thanks for your patience in receiving
an answer to your original question.
When addressing your original question:
- Which Catholic
Bibles have been approved by the
Vatican?
We have to keep in mind that the
Holy Scriptures have been translated
into countless languages around the
world and, for each language
[like English], there may be various
translations.
I have received assorted replies to
your question from my colleagues
as well as an Associate Director
at the United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
Below are the replies I received.
Mary Elizabeth Sperry from the USCCB
replied to your question as follows:
Dear Mr. Humphrey:
Any Bible which bears an imprimatur
may be used by Catholics for personal
study and devotion. While the
1983 Code of Canon Law does include
a provision for the Holy See to grant the imprimatur
for translations of Scripture,
I am unaware of any instance in
which it has done so.
In addition
to the Holy See, the 1983 Code
allows conferences of bishops
to grant the imprimatur to Scripture
translations, a change from previous
practice wherein the bishop of
the place where the translation
was made or published could grant
the imprimatur.
The Congregation for Divine Worship
and the Discipline of the Sacraments
confirms Scripture translations
for liturgical use. Currently,
the Lectionary for Mass approved
for use in the United States is
based on the 1986 edition of the
New American Bible. In addition,
the original edition of the Grail
Psalms and the 1970 edition of
the New American Bible are approved
for use in the Liturgy of the
Hours.
Sincerely,
Mary Elizabeth Sperry
Associate Director |
I hope this answers your question.
Mike
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Eric
replied:
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There are two questions she addressed,
covering both possibilities for the
somewhat ambiguous question we proposed:
- Which bibles are approved for
personal study and devotion?
- Which bibles are approved for
liturgical use?
Her answer on (# 1.) is any Bible with
an Imprimatur, and this makes sense.
It's the answer I'd expect.
Her answer on (# 2.) was very specific
even though it contradicted our suppositions.
Thinking about it, I do recall that
the (RSV-CE) Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition may not have blanket permission
to be used for liturgical purposes.
It's entirely possible the others
don't have such authorization anymore
either. According to her, the 1986
edition of the (NAB) New American
Bible is approved insofar as it is
the basis for the Mass lectionary. (Actually,
I think she's wrong; the current
lectionary isn't based on any available
translation.) The 1970 NAB and
the original Grail psalms are approved
for the Liturgy of the Hours.
Anything else, it seems, is not approved.
Eric
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John
replied:
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Mike —
As far as I know. It's the long standing
tradition of the Church, to allow
imprimaturs
(In Latin: (let
it be printed!)
and Nihil obstats (In
Latin: nothing hinders) to
be done by local ordinaries. Often,
local synods and Bishop's conferences
will play a role.
The Vatican only approves translations
of Lectionaries or biblical texts
that will be read during the Liturgy.
For instance, the (NAB) is approved
for use in America for Liturgical
purposes, but the Vatican doesn't
approve translations that are used
for personal use.
John
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Mary
Ann replied:
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Catholics may read any Bible.
- For the liturgy, certain translations
of the texts have to be approved
in Rome.
- To be a Catholic Bible, I believe
it only has to include the entire
canon.
- For Catholic translations, I
think all you need is a nihil
obstat and imprimatur.
Mary Ann
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Mike
replied:
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Finally Craig,
Here are a couple of other sources you
may find helpful.
- Liturgiam
authenticam
On The Use Of Vernacular Languages
In The Publication Of The Books Of
The Roman Liturgy
Here are the main topics talked about
in this document:
Overview
Choice of Vernacular Languages
The Translation of Liturgical
Texts
Using Other Texts as Aids
Vocabulary
Gender
The Translation of a Text
Scriptural Translations
Other Liturgical Texts
Particular Types of Texts
The Organization of Translation
Work and Commissions
New Compositions
Here is a posting that refers to
the group's recommended Bible translations
for personal reading:
As a side note: here is some Interesting information from the 2008 Holy See Press Office.
At the top, it stated: This Bulletin is only a working
instrument for the press. Also, keep in mind this draft was done in 2008 so the numbers, by now, are probably sizeably more.
Figures and statistics
We have to remember, as pointed
out in the statistics, more than
50% of the world's Catholics
are to be found in the American
continent. With four major languages
and about 200 minor languages,
we are faced with a very variable
panorama of Biblical translations.
Spanish is certainly one of most
spoken languages by Catholics
throughout the world. It is therefore
very important to have texts adapted
for many millions of people. Currently
in America there are 26 versions
or translations approved by the
Catholic Church that can be found
in different bookshops.
Portuguese is one of the most
popular languages in America and
currently has 12 translations of the Bible.
English is spoken in the United
States, Canada and in a large
part of the Caribbean and Central America. There are 5 translations
of the New Testament, 1 Book of
Proverbs, 6 of the Book of Psalms
and 2 complete Bibles.
French is spoken officially in
Canada and in various Caribbean
countries. A total of 8 versions of the Bible in
French are in circulation.
The united Biblical societies
have 29 Bibles without the Deuterocanonical
books, 17 with them and 29 New Testaments.
Different institutions have translated
the New Testament into 216 native
languages in America, which has
been a great cultural battle.
Many of these translations are
also used by the Catholic Church. |
Hope this helps,
Mike
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