The USCCB website now has an announcement for the release of the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE). The revision of the NAB is the end of a long and arduous translation process, yet I do not believe that it will replace the translation in Lectionary for Mass. We have been told that we shouldn’t expect a revision of the Lectionary for another 10 years.
The news release on the USCCB website is a few days early and has been marketed with the tagline “Love Your NABRE”. Here is the release, followed by a very pertinent video commentary:
Released on March 9, 2011, the New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE) is the culmination of nearly 20 years of work by a group of nearly 100 scholars and theologians, including bishops, revisers and editors. The NABRE includes a newly revised translation of the entire Old Testament (including the Book of Psalms) along with the 1986 edition of the New Testament.
The NABRE is a formal equivalent translation of Sacred Scripture, sponsored by the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, using the best manuscripts available. Work on most books of the Old Testament by forty revisers and a board of eight editors began in 1994 and was completed in 2001. The 1991 revision of the Psalter, the work of thirty revisers and six editors, was further revised by seven revisers and two editors between 2009 and 2010. Work on the New Testament, begun in 1978 and completed in 1986, was the work of thirteen revisers and five editors.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops does not sell Bibles. The publishers listed below are licensed to publish the NABRE. Various editions will be available soon in Catholic bookstores and from online book retailers.
Hahahaha – this is the SABRE episode with Kathy Bates. EXCELLENT!
Wonderful Adam – this is one of the best posts ever! THANK YOU SO MUCH! HAHAHAHAHA! LOL!
I've had an attitude about the NAB ever since I took one to RCIA and found out it wasn't at all the same book. All these revisions remind me of the Norton Anthology of Music coming out in a new edition every 3 years, even if the canon of Western art music hasn't changed, just so they can kill the used textbook market. Assuming they get it right this time (and if they're using the '86 NT, the answer is 'no"), could we have one iteration of the Unchanging Word of God for a century or so?
I was fuming about this version all weekend and still am. It no longer has "Ecce virgo concipiet…", "Behold, a virgin shall conceive…", but rather "Behold, a young woman shall conceive…" in Isaias 7:14. You wonder how much more this Bible will be different from the text of the Gregorian chant, or just plainly different and so confusing even more the faithful from their traditional Catholic understanding. Of course, the traditional text was based on the Septuagint which has "parthenos" or "virgin" for that text. The Vulgate as well as all of Orthodoxy follows the Septuagint on this, as did St. Matthew. Are these the same kind of "experts" that were called after the council to "reform" the liturgy, ignoring the tradition of the Church?
@Ted K –
Yep – I'm out. In fact, in general I subscribe to the "can anything good come out of the USCCB" camp.
The Isaiah 7:14 thing is a joke. What kind of prophecy is "a young woman shall conceive" – really going out on a limb there.