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New American Bible
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| New American Bible | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Full name: | New American Bible |
| Abbreviation: | NAB |
| Complete Bible published: | 1970 |
| Textual Basis: | 16% deviation from Nestle-Aland 27th edition (NT) |
| Translation type: | 14% paraphrase rate |
| Genesis 1:1-3 | |
| In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over the waters.
Then God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. |
|
| John 3:16 | |
| For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. | |
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| Old English (pre-1066) |
| Middle English (1066-1500) |
| Early Modern English (1500-1800) |
| Modern Christian (1800-) |
| Modern Jewish (1853-) |
| Miscellaneous |
In 1970, the New American Bible (NAB) was first published. It is an English Bible translation that was produced by members of the Roman Catholic biblical scholars in cooperation with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The original languages were translated into English by the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine according to the principles of Vatican II for use in the liturgy.
Contents |
It contains the following articles and other information:
- Bible Helps
- The Purpose of the Bible
- The Bible and History
- How the Bible Came About
- How to Study the Bible
- List of the Popes
- The English Versions of the Bible
- Literary Forms of the Bible
- Biblical Themes
- Suggested Readings for the Liturgical Year
- Sunday Readings of the Holy Scriptures
In 1986 some traditionally familiar phraseology was restored to the New Testament. This included some inclusive language rejected by the Vatican.
In 1991 it was again amended to create more inclusive language in the New Testament and in the Psalms. The Vatican rejected it as the basis of the revised Lectionary for the Roman Catholic dioceses in the United States because of its use of vertical inclusive language (God and Christ) and some uses of horizontal inclusive language (human beings instead of men).
In 2000 the 1991 New American Bible with Psalms and revised New Testament was modified by a committee of the Holy See and the Bishops for use in the Latin-Rite Catholic liturgy. This is the current text of the Lectionaries of the United States Roman Catholic Church. The Holy See tolerated some use of the inclusive language, such as where the speaker intended to address a mixed audience (such as “brothers and sisters”), but rejected the changes relating to God or Christ. Additionally, the Church rejected substituting inclusive language for the word "man" in cases where it carried theological and anthropological significance (Psalm 1:1, referring to Adam and Christ). This version is not yet (August 2006) available as a Bible, but its text will soon be found in the new English Lectionary. The revision of the NAB Old Testament, excluding the Psalms which were revised in 1991, is yet to be published.
The New American Bible has been lauded by modern Catholics and approved by the American Catholic Church; however, it has been derided by traditional Catholics for a number of reasons. For one, it uses gender-neutral language in many places, and therefore the NAB seen in the lectionary differs from the regular NAB since the Vatican is stringent regarding gender-neutrality.
The notes especially have been criticized by traditionalists because of their perceived liberal and higher critical interpretation of passages, such as those which are believed to prophesy the coming of Christ. Traditional authorship of many books is also questioned (e.g. the Pentateuch, Daniel, and some of Paul's letters). Many traditionalists therefore reject its use and call on Catholics to use more conservative interpretations, such as those in the Douai-Rheims Bible and the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible series.
- The New American Bible - online access
- The New American Bible: Is It Good For Catholics? - by Ben Douglass & Jacob Michael (traditionalist criticism of the NAB)
- Bible Researcher's Site on the NAB - discusses the liturgical issues in the NAB.
- R.J. Neuhaus' comments on the NAB and RNAB - criticism of the NAB from the standpoint of the current liturgical issues.