The NRSV Bible: Catholic Edition [Hardcover]

Oxford University Press (Creator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2001

Grow in Wisdom of the Word with the NRSV (New Revised Standard Version) Bible edition designed with the needs of today's Catholic readers in mind! Catholics today are being called by Pope John Paul II, by the Second Vatican Council, and by their own hearts to come to know the Scriptures intimately. We experience the Word of God in our liturgy: in the responsorial psalm, the readings, and the Gospel; yet too rarely do we venture beyond that experience. Consequently, we never really learn how Scripture, understood in the light of tradition, shapes who we are as Catholics. And we never learn how regular reading and reflection on the Word of God-Lectio Divina-can strengthen our hearts and deepen our faith.

The NRSV Bible, Catholic Edition helps you respond to the call of the Word. It brings the Scriptures alive for today's reader. This lovely imitation leather edition offers beauty and durability at an attractive price.

Features:
* Clear, readable type in an attractive page layout
* Anglicized English text
* Topic subject headings
* Textual and explanatory notes
* Over 70 black and white "in-text" maps, charts, and drawings. (A synoptic guide, a comparison of similarities across the Gospels, is one of the many useful charts included in The NRSV Bible, Catholic Edition)
* A superior binding known as "smyth-sewn"
* Gilded page edges This edition is perfect for those seeking a more durable but affordable hardcover Bible.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1606 pages
• Publisher: Liturgical Press; Imitation leather edition (March 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081462796X
• ISBN-13: 978-0814627969
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,267,405 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good translation, August 8, 2005

By 

Blue Bird (West Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The NRSV Bible: Catholic Edition (Hardcover)

The NRSV (and NRSV Catholic Edition) is a good literal translation, much like the RSV, although it uses inclusive language when refering to human beings in many instances. Sometimes, this inclusive language is truer to the literal Greek or Hebrew than non-inclusive translations, such as when "anthropos" is correctly translated as "person" rather than "man", which would be "aner" in Greek. In other instances, "brothers" is translated as "brothers and sisters", but there is a footnote indicating what the literal translation from the Greek should be. However, context of a word should really dictate how it is to be translated, rather than one's ideology for or against inclusive language.
The previous reviewer, R. P. Poletti, makes a few bad recommendations in his review. For example, he recommends the Douay-Rheims and King James Versions, but they are not reliable translations for study, because they are based on incorrect/inaccurate manuscripts, often rely on other translations, and use language that is no longer used or understood by the average English-speaking reader. The NIV, while very similar to the RSV, is nonetheless a poor choice, because in many instances translation choices are made for ideological or sectarian reasons. For example, "paradosis" is correctly translated as "tradition", but only when tradition is spoken of negatively; when "paradosis", "tradition", is spoken of favorably, the translators insert "teaching", an entirely different word in Greek. There is obviously a sectarian bias against tradition in the translation. Contrary to what R. P. Poletti, states, the NIV was translated by/for Evangelical Christians, not Anglican and American Lutherans. I was surprised to see the reviewer recommend the NAB, approved by the USCCB for liturgical proclamation, because the NAB also uses some inclusive language.
For personal study, of course it would be best to go back to the Hebrew and Greek. If one is using the Bible in translation, I don't think any one translation is sufficient. Rely rather on multiple translation, and make your own comparisons: RSV and NAB are probably the best literal translations (but NOT perfect), I would also use NRSV, NJB, REB.
Incidentally, God did not write the Bible, God inspired the writers of the Bible to faithfully convey the message intended.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Perhaps the best Catholic Imprimatured Version of Scripture Available, March 2, 2007

By 

C. Kelleher "cmkelleher" (new york, ny United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The NRSV Bible: Catholic Edition (Hardcover)

The Catholic Church has approved this translation for personal study by the faithful. The Church originally shyed away from approving this translation for the Liturgy because of "gender neutral / inclusive" language, but the truth is that The New American Bible has been revised for liturgical use so that the readings at Mass are not from the text available in Bibles for laity anyway. The current unavailable to readers version of the NAB used at Mass has just as much "gender inclusive" language in it as the NRSV does. If you don't like the NRSV translation because it is politically correct, the "official" American Church's Bible translation is really almost exactly the same.

The old RSV is more austere and difficult to read (all those "thou"s and "dost"s) and this Ye Olde Tymes feel is rather pointless as the original texts did not use a formal means of address from man to God anyway. Also, the RSV has numerous significant translation errors left over from the KJV (e.g. Psalm 22) that were finally corrected in the NRSV. Though the RSV, KJV, and DR may be more "masculine" and "formal", they are also less accurate texts, and far harder going for study groups and personal devotional reading for the average layperson.

All in all, I like the NRSV for Catholic study. As always, we supplement our study with good commentaries and the Catechism, but starting with an accurate and accessible translation is a good first step, and I think the NRSV does that well, far better than the NAB or RSV.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Translation, August 20, 2006

By 

T. Joad - See all my reviews

This review is from: The NRSV Bible: Catholic Edition (Hardcover)

As an undergraduate student studying theology at a Catholic institution, the NRSV is the most commonly used translation. The translation tries to stick to the meaning of the word, not necessarily the most word-for-word translation; this allows for a much easier read than many versions because you can actually get to the meaning of the passages without having to question, "What was the original Greek," and "How do English linguistics interfere with the Scripture." The majority of that work has already been done by translators. The gender-inclusive language also helps modern readers understand that the masculine exclusive language was what was necessary to relate to the people in the era in which it was written, not a symbol of male superiority.

I was surprised to see that a few readers said that the Vatican does not approve of this translation. It has an imprimatur, which is precisely the mark of something that HAS been approved.

If you purchase this edition alone I recommend a good commentary (perhaps the Collegeville Bible Commentary). If you want an edition for more academic purposes the Oxford Annotated NRSV with the Apocrypha offers exceptional footnotes and research articles within the binding.