Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition: Difference between revisions

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The '''Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition''' ('''RSVCE''') is an [[English language|English]] translation of the [[Bible]] first published in 1966. In 1965, the [[Catholic Biblical Association]] adapted, under the editorship of Bernard Orchard OSB and [[Reginald C. Fuller]], the [[Revised Standard Version|Revised Standard Version (RSV)]] for [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] use. It contains the [[deuterocanonical]] books of the Old Testament placed in the traditional order of the [[Vulgate]]. The editors' stated aim for the RSV Catholic Edition was "to make the minimum number of alterations, and to change only what seemed absolutely necessary in the light of Catholic tradition."<ref>''Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition'', "Introduction to the 1966 Edition"</ref>

The Psalms preserved the numbering of the RSV (which reflects the Masoretic numbering), accompanying it with the Septuagint numbering system in brackets, in line with the [[New Vulgate]], which is the official Latin version for the Catholic Church.

Noted for the [[formal equivalence]] of its translation, it is widely used and quoted by Catholic scholars and theologians, and is used for scripture quotations in the [[Catechism of the Catholic Church]]. The RSV is considered the first [[Ecumenism|ecumenical]] Bible and brought together the two traditions – the Catholic [[Douay–Rheims Bible]] and the Protestant [[King James Version]].<ref>Mgr Andrew Burnham: The Customary of Our Lady of Walsingham | http://www.ordinariate.org.uk/news/OrdinariateNews.php?Mgr-Andrew-Burnham-The-Customary-of-Our-Lady-of-Walsingham-121</ref>

Today, the original 1966 edition of the RSV-CE is still published by [[Ignatius Press]], Scepter Publishers, Asian Trading Corporation, [[Oxford University Press]], and [[Saint Benedict Press]].

== Background ==

The [[Revised Standard Version | Revised Standard Version (RSV)]] stands within the tradition of the [[King James Version|Authorized (King James) Version (KJV)]], which was updated in 1885 in the UK as the [[Revised Version]], with an American edition known as the [[American Standard Version]] published in 1901. The latter version was revised from 1937-1952 by a Standard Bible Committee authorized by the [[National Council of Churches]]; this was known as the Revised Standard Version. A revision of the [[Apocrypha]] was authorized in December of that year, and would be completed in 1957.

The 1943 [[Encyclical#Catholic usage|encyclical]] of [[Pope Pius XII]], ''[[Divino afflante Spiritu]]'', encouraged translations of the [[Catholic Bible]] from the original languages instead of the [[Vulgate]] alone, as had been the tradition since the [[Council of Trent]]. "It was in fact with a view to filling this rather obvious gap in the shortest possible time that some Catholic scholars considered the possibility of so editing the Revised Standard Version, on its appearance in 1952, as to make it acceptable to Catholic readers."<ref>''Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition'', "Introduction to the 1966 Edition"</ref>

In 1954, after a year of negotiations, the [[American Standard Version|Standard Bible]] Committee granted the Catholic Biblical Association of Great Britain permission to print a Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSV-CE) Bible. Originally, the RSV-CE New Testament was to have been issued as early as 1956, but [[Bernard Griffin|Cardinal Griffin]], who had approved the plan, died before he could give it an imprimatur. A delay of nearly a decade ensued before [[Gordon Gray (cardinal)|Archbishop Gray]] of St. Andrews and Edinburgh gave the RSV-CE New Testament the necessary imprimatur.

<!-- Commented out: [[Image:RSV Catholic Bible 1966 Title Page.jpeg|thumb|left|239x239px|Title page to the RSV-CE Bible from 1966]] -->

In 1965, the RSV-CE New Testament was published.<ref>Reginald C. Fuller, gen. ed. ''A New Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture''. London: Nelson, Ltd.; 1969</ref> In the following year, 1966, the full RSV-CE Bible was published, with the deuterocanonical works incorporated into the Old Testament text. The deuterocanonical [[Prayer of Manasseh]], [[1 Esdras]], [[2 Esdras]], [[3 Maccabees]], [[4 Maccabees]] and [[Psalm 151]], which are part of the [[Septuagint]] but not of the [[Deuterocanonical books#In the Catholic Church|Catholic canon]], were not added.

== Considerations for an RSV Catholic Edition ==

{{BibleHistory}}

A [[Catholic Bible]] differs in the number, order, and occasionally preferred emphasis than books typically found in Bibles used by [[Protestant]]s. The [[Catholic Church]] declares: "Easy access to Sacred Scripture should be provided for all the Christian faithful. That is why the Church from the very beginning accepted as her own that very ancient [[Koine Greek|Greek]] translation of the [[Old Testament]] which is called the [[Septuagint]]; and she has always given a place of honor to other Eastern translations and Latin ones especially the Latin translation known as the [[Vulgate]]."<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19651118_dei-verbum_en.html | title = Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, ''Dei verbum'' |access-date = 2015-01-21 | publisher = Vatican | ___location = Vatican}}</ref> Not all the books in the Septuagint<ref>The Oxford University Press publication, {{cite book|last1=Pietersma|first1=Albert|last2=Wright|first2=Benjamin G.|title=A New English Translation of the Septuagint|date=2007|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780199743971|pages=v–vi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=17CBLsFpnsgC&q=Pietersma+Septuagint+Contents&pg=PR5|access-date=22 January 2015}}, lists in its table of contents the books included in the Septuagint</ref> are included among those that the Catholic Church considers to be part of the Old Testament.<ref>Examples of Septuagint books not granted canonical status by the Catholic Church are [[Esdras|3 and 4 Esdras]], [[3 Maccabees]] and [[4 Maccabees]].</ref> On the other hand, the early Eastern translation known as the [[Peshitta]] excluded five [[New Testament]] books that the Catholic Church declares to be canonical. Translations used by Protestants typically use the shorter [[Masoretic Text]] as their basis regarding the Old Testament. The [[Luther Bible]] included what he called the [[Apocrypha]] and changed the traditional order of some of the New Testament books.

Some minor changes were made to New Testament texts where variant readings aligned better with Catholic understanding and tradition. An appendix to the RSV Catholic Edition documented its departures from the 1962 RSV New Testament. Some of the more important changes were:

*the use of the phrase "full of grace" in the angel's greeting to Mary (Luke 1:28)

*the restoration of the story of the woman caught in adultery (John 7:53-8:11)

*the inclusion of the longer ending to the Gospel according to Mark (16.9-20).

Some disputed verses or phrases that had been footnoted in the RSV were restored in the Catholic Edition (Luke 22.19-20; 24. 5, 12, 36, 40, 51-52). Footnotes regarding the value of New Testament coins were rewritten in terms of how long it took the average worker to earn the money (e.g. the denarius was no longer defined as "twenty cents" but as "a day's wage"). The [[Book of Revelation]], called "The Revelation To John", had added as a subtitle ("The Apocalypse"). Some of the changes made in the RSV Catholic Edition were later introduced into the RSV Second Edition of the New Testament in 1971 in preparation for the issuance of the RSV Common Bible.

==RSV Second Catholic Edition (RSV-2CE)==

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In early 2006, [[Ignatius Press]] released the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition (RSV-2CE). The Ignatius Edition "was revised according to [the norms of] ''[[Liturgiam authenticam]]'', 2001" and "approved under the same [i.e. 1966] [[imprimatur]] by the Secretariat for Doctrine and Pastoral Practices, [[United States Conference of Catholic Bishops|National Council of Catholic Bishops]], February 29, 2000." To that end, Ignatius Press submitted its proposed revisions to the [[United States Conference of Catholic Bishops]] and to the [[Congregation for Divine Worship]], making specifically-requested changes to those portions of the text in liturgical use as lectionary readings.<ref>Ecclesiastical Approval of the RSV-2CE Bible | url=http://www.ewtn.com/vexperts/showmessage.asp?number=490955</ref> As with the original RSV and its first Catholic edition, the translation copyright remains in the hands of the [[National Council of Churches]]. The RSV-2CE is the basis for Ignatius Press' ''The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament'', and is likewise used in Midwest Theological Forum's ''The Didache Bible'', a study bible with commentaries based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church.<ref>The Didache Bible - RSV Ignatius Bible Edition | http://www.theologicalforum.org/ProductInformation.aspx?BrowseBy=WhatsNew&CategoryId=0&ProductId=516</ref> The RSV-2CE is also the translation used in the English Language version Great Adventure Catholic Bible, published By Ascension Press.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-10-17|title=New Bible is designed to make Catholics scripture-literate|url=https://aleteia.org/2018/10/17/new-bible-is-designed-to-make-catholics-scripture-literate/|access-date=2021-06-22|website=Aleteia — Catholic Spirituality, Lifestyle, World News, and Culture|language=en}}</ref> [[Mike Schmitz|Father Mike Schmitz]] reads from this translation in his Bible in a Year podcast.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Dunn|first=Nathan|date=2021-01-28|title=The rapid success of "The Bible in a Year" podcast is no mistake|url=https://www.stylusonline.org/back-page/2021/01/28/the-rapid-success-of-the-bible-in-a-year-podcast-is-no-mistake/|access-date=2021-06-22|website=Stylus}}</ref>

The Second Catholic Edition removed archaic pronouns (thee, thou) and accompanying verb forms (didst, speaketh), revised passages used in the [[lectionary]] according to the [[Holy See|Vatican]] document ''Liturgiam authenticam'' and elevated some passages out of RSV footnotes when they favored Catholic renderings. For instance, the RSV-2CE renders "''[[almah]]''" as "virgin" in [[Isaiah 7:14]], restores the term "begotten" in [[John 3:16]] and other verses, uses the phrase "full of grace" instead of "favored one" in Luke 1:28, and substitutes "mercy" for "steadfast love" (translated from the [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] ''[[hesed]]'') throughout the Psalms.<ref>{{Cite web|title=RSV:CE Revisions Compared (since 1965 in the context of the Ignatius Bible Second Catholic Edition)|url=http://umsis.miami.edu/~medmunds/RSVCEdiff.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071218022237/http://umsis.miami.edu/~medmunds/RSVCEdiff.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=2007-12-18|date=2007-12-18|access-date=2020-05-12}}</ref> As with the original RSV, [[gender-neutral language]] is not used when it has no direct referent in original language of the text.

=== Liturgical use and endorsements ===