March 10, 2011
The New American Bible, Revised Edition, released this week by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, reflects the work of four biblical scholars affiliated with The Catholic University of America who served as editors and translators for the project.
Serving on the project were faculty members Rev. Christopher Begg, professor of biblical studies and the Katharine Drexel Chair in Religious Studies; Rev. Joseph Jensen, O.S.B., professor of Scripture who served as chairman of the project's Board of Editors; and Robert Miller, associate professor of Old Testament.
Rev. Alexander Di Lella, O.F.M., a retired member of the CUA theology and religious studies faculty, served as chair of the project's Board of Control. Father Jensen is also executive secretary of the Catholic Biblical Association, which supplied scholars for the translation.
Father Di Lella translated the Book of Sirach; Father Begg, Chronicles 1 and 2; and Miller, about 50 of the Psalms.
Started in 1994, the revision is the result of work by a group of almost 100 scholars and theologians, including bishops, translators, and editors. The Bible includes a newly revised translation of the entire Old Testament (including the Book of Psalms) along with the 1986 edition of the New Testament.
In part, the new translation is the result of relatively recent archaeological finds such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, which contain scriptural and other texts that are 1,000 years older than any other previously known manuscript and provided new insights and information about the original meaning of the Scripture, notes the USCCB.
This better understanding of the Old Testament led to revisions that are closer to the original text or more clearly express the meaning of the original. In addition, changes were made to better reflect modern English language usage of some words.
"There was an overall shift in philosophy toward a less dynamic translation and a more strict translation of the original Hebrew," Miller says.
Miller, whose expertise also includes biblical archeology, notes that the project gave him the opportunity to use his skills "to help the wider Church, which is pretty unique in my field."
"As scholars, we put a lot of our research into journal articles that our peers read," he notes. "I don't write popular books, I'm not a priest, so I don't give homilies." Working on the new Bible has given him a chance to touch the lives of many Catholics, he says.
Noting his fondness for the Psalms, Miller describes them as "a model of prayer." He says that the sacred poems are the only part of the Bible that constitutes "an address from us to God instead of an address from God to us."
For more information about the New American Bible, Revised Edition, click here .