Bible Chaos

I used to think that the proliferation of bibles was a good thing, and the fact that the Catholics lamented it was proof of how wrong they were. Now I realize why the Catholic Church lamented it. It is not wrong for everyone to have a bible, but total freedom in bible translation and production is definitely not a good thing; we may even be able to say it is evil. The less control that is maintained over the publication of the Scriptures, the more chances for the words of God being mistranslated.

There was a period in the late 19th century when every bible scholar (what an inaccurate term!) thought it his duty to publish his own translation of the Scriptures. I have a number of them in my book collection; some of which are the most self-centered display of stubborn opinions you can find in publication. The original Scriptures were not given to us so that we can tell God what we think about Him!

This is one of the reasons why the Church used to require Catholics to burn non-catholic bibles if they came into possession of one. Often when people hear this they are shocked, but when you realize that bible translation is not neutral, you will begin to see how dangerous an errant translation can be. After all, some anti-christian cults (like Jehovah's Witnesses) are based almost entirely on their original leader's private translation of the Scriptures.

I hope you do own a bible, and I hope it is an approved translation of the Church. I further hope that it is not one of those vague translations that is gender neutral, but a good clear and concise translation. There are a number that have been "approved" by the USCCB that should not have been approved as a door stop (no bible translation should ever be gender neutral). A fair number of "catholic" bibles have gone the same route as protestant bibles: they seek to be "nice" and tone down challenging passages of Scripture (as though God would be pleased if we told Him to control His tongue!).

Until there is something better, the two best translations available today in English are the Douai Rheims or the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (the latter is used in the lectionary readings in Ordinariate parishes). The Douai is hard to understand at times, but is a more direct translation from the original. The RSVCE is more modern in its language, but is solid in its choice of interpretation. Many Catholics like to use them side by side.

I pray that there is a day when the Church approves just one translation for each language in the world. No more "choices", no more confusion. Either way, do not get caught up in the proliferation of translations. Make sure that you are reading the bible regularly, and asking the Lord to help you to know and remember all that you need. Finally, give God thanks that we do have the Scriptures, and Him to enlighten us in how to appreciate them.