New Jerusalem Bible

From Textus Receptus

Revision as of 08:29, 29 May 2009

The New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) is a Catholic translation of the Bible published in 1985 and edited by The Reverend Henry Wansbrough, O.S.B., monk of Ampleforth Abbey in North Yorkshire and former Master of St Benet's Hall, Oxford.

Contents

The New Jerusalem Bible includes the deuterocanonical books and sections. The text of these is included where they occur in the context of the complete Septuagint, rather than being grouped together in an appendix. Deuterocanonical sections of books in the Hebrew canon are identified by the use of italics.

Source of the NJB

Like its predecessor, the Jerusalem Bible, this version is translated "directly from the Hebrew, Greek or Aramaic." The 1973 French translation, the Bible de Jérusalem, is followed only "where the text admits to more than one interpretation." Introductions and notes, with some modifications, are taken from the Bible de Jérusalem<ref>Henry Wansbrough, "New Jerusalem Bible, Regular Edition", pg. v.</ref>.

Review of the NJB

It is an update to the Jerusalem Bible, an English version of the French Bible de Jérusalem. It is commonly held that the Jerusalem Bible was not a translation from the French; rather, it was an original translation heavily influenced by the French. This view is not shared by Henry Wansbrough, editor of the New Jerusalem Bible, who writes, "Despite claims to the contrary, it is clear that the Jerusalem Bible was translated from the French, possibly with occasional glances at the Hebrew or Greek, rather than vice versa." ('How the Bible Came to Us'. Also available online http://users.ox.ac.uk/~sben0056/booklets.htm). When the French version was updated in 1973, the changes were used to revise the Jerusalem Bible, creating the New Jerusalem Bible.

The revisions were substantial. The revised version is said to be less literary but, for the most part, more literal. The introductions and footnotes, translated almost entirely from the French, have also been thoroughly revised and expanded, making it one of the most scholarly editions of the Bible.

The New Jerusalem Bible uses some "inclusive language," as in Exodus 20:17: "You shall not set your heart on your neighbor's spouse," rather than "neighbor's wife" or "neighbor's woman". For the most part, however, the inclusive language is limited to avoiding a "preference" for the masculine, as the translators write in the foreword. The New Jerusalem Bible uses more gender inclusive language than the Jerusalem Bible, but far less than many modern translations such as the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition which changes "brothers" to "brothers and sisters", throughout the New Testament. For the inclusive language that it does contain, it has been rejected by many conservative American Catholics, in favor of the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition, the New American Bible, or the Douay-Rheims Bible. Outside of America it has become the most widely used Catholic translation in English-speaking countries.

Like the Jerusalem Bible, the New Jerusalem Bible makes the uncommon decision to render God's name, the Tetragrammaton, in the Jewish scriptures as Yahweh rather than as LORD or Jehovah.

The New Jerusalem Bible also transliterates the Hebrew term "Sabaoth" rather than using the traditional rendering, thus "Yahweh Sabaoth" instead of "LORD of hosts". This is for the sake of accuracy, as the translation of "Sabaoth" is uncertain. (New Jerusalem Bible, Regular Edition, footnote to Samuel 1:3)

Successor to the NJB

The French reference for the New Jerusalem Bible, and the source of its study notes, is the French La Bible de Jérusalem, last updated in 1998. The new bible project is currently operating under the title "The Bible in its Traditions".<ref>l'École Biblique et Archéologique Française, "The Bible in its Traditions: Excerpt NJ 2006 (English)"</ref> According to the notes, more weight will be given to the Septuagint in the translation of the Hebrew bible Scriptures, though the Masoretic Text will remain the primary source. At least one claim has been made that this new Bible will render the Tetragrammaton as "LORD".Template:Fact The French update of 1998, however, retains a transliteration of the Tetragrammaton.<ref>Exodus 3:15, La Bible de Jérusalem</ref>

Notes

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External links

• Online text of the New Jerusalem Bible
• Online text of the New Jerusalem Bible (Gen.-Sam., Ps., Prov., N.T. only)
• Henry Wansbrough, Editing the New Jerusalem Bible
• Michael Marlowe review of the NJB
• Overview of the Next Revision