Category: Bible Study 2020

Posted on

2.0.4 – Read ➯ Think ➯ Speak

Think before you speak. Read before you think. This will give you something to think about that you didn’t make up yourself – a wise move at any age, but most especially at seventeen, when you are in the greatest danger of coming to annoying conclusions.

– Fran Lebowitz, The Fran Lebowitz Reader

This particular quote is from the Tips for Teens chapter, originally published in the stand-alone Social Studies volume. (Some of these witticisms are absolutely hilarious; I caught myself laughing aloud.)

Posted on

2.0.3 – Wish List: Bibles

How to Pick a Bible

There are many translations of the Bible. Where do you even begin to pick one? I’ve been through this process; let me help!

Step 1: Make sure it has all of the books of the Bible.

My litmus test is to look for Maccabees. Why Maccabees? Because neither 1 nor 2 Maccabees is in any shortened version of the Bible but both are in a full copy of the Good Book. (Truncated Bibles include protestant versions as well as New Testament only versions.) Also, a friend recommended Maccabees as the place to spark interest in the Bible for anyone who likes action and adventure. (So me.) En garde!

Step 2: What’s your preferred language?

The Bible is available in many languages; Greek, Hebrew, and Latin offer the original, non-translated versions. My understanding is limited to English, but if you prefer another language, it’s probably available in that as well. (If you’ve made it this far, I’m assuming you have a working knowledge of English; if you’d like me to find a Bible for you in another language, let me know and I’ll do what I can to find that resource for you.)

Step 3: What’s your linguistic preference?

Do you like the “thee” and “thou” words or would you prefer “you” and “your?” Generally, the newer the translation, the closer the language is to modern English. If the olde English inspires you, you’ll want an older translation. If you’re a linguist or want to see the literal translation, typically, the older the translation is, the better.

Step 4: Various versions vary.

I’m providing a short snippet of my take on the different translations. To help you get a feeling for the translations, I’m also providing Psalm 51 verse 10 so you can read the differences for yourself.

NABRE: New American Bible, Revised Edition

This is the translation read aloud at Mass. It has the most flow as far as modern language goes, so if you’re really concerned about following the text, this is the translation I recommend. It’s great for anyone who knows modern English but uncomfortable with old words or odd syntax.

You will let me hear gladness and joy;
the bones you have crushed will rejoice.

–Psalm 51:10, NABRE

RSV-CE and RSV-2CE: Revised Standard Version – (Second (or, Revised)) Catholic Edition

The RSV-CE and -2CE are my go-to translations. I need the words to be generally modern, but I enjoy the occasional “thee” and “thou” (which is kept in the Our Father) as well as parsing linguistic turns-of-phrase. In some places, the syntax may seem a little off, but if you can handle Yoda quotes, you can handle this. This is a great translation for anyone needing modern language but preferring to keep to a closer literal translation of the original text.

The -CE portion means “Catholic Edition.” In other words, it includes all of the books of the Bible, including Maccabees.

I don’t know what changed between the -CE and the -2CE. I suspect the language was modernized in the revision, but I haven’t done a comparison and haven’t noticed anything in particular. (Bible Gateway doesn’t have RSV-2CE, but it does have RSV-CE.) I did separate them out below for easy reference.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me.

– Psalm 51:10, RSV-CE

D-R: Douay-Rheims

This is the first translation of the Bible into English; it was completed in about 1610. This is not a modern translation, but theoretically it’s only high school reading level. I guess we were reading Shakespeare, right?

The Douay-Rheims is the closest to the original text, and it is the most authoritative translation of the Bible. None of this matters if I can’t understand it, and I can’t understand it if I don’t read it. I find this translation to be intimidating such that I can’t seem to read more than a few verses at a time. (Contrast this to my accidentally reading three books of Acts in RSV-CE because I was simply enthralled.)

I recommend this for people who already have a basic grasp of the scriptures and (as in, both – not just either/or) either savor old language or feel called to wrangle with it.

But I, as a fruitful olive tree in the house of God, have hoped in the mercy of God for ever, yea for ever and ever.

– Psalm 51:10, Douay-Rheims

Vulgate

Latin. The Vulgate is the Latin version of the Bible as translated by Saint Jerome around 400 A.D. I enjoy reading Latin because it’s a beautiful language, but I don’t understand it. I can say this: if you know, enjoy, and want Latin, go for the Vulgate.

ego autem sicut oliva fructifera in domo Dei speravi in misericordia Dei in aeternum et in saeculum saeculi

– Psalm 51:10, Vulgate

Combination: Douay-Rheims and Vulgate

I found one beautiful book which combines the Douay-Rheims and Vulgate translations. This version takes the Latin Vulgate and pairs it verbatim with the Douay-Rheims translation. I use the online version of this when parsing language and playing with linguistics. If you love seeing the direct comparison between the Latin and the English, this is the Bible for you.

But I, as a fruitful olive tree in the house of God, have hoped in the mercy of God for ever, yea for ever and ever.

ego autem sicut oliva fructifera in domo Dei speravi in misericordia Dei in aeternum et in saeculum saeculi

– Psalm 51:10, Vulgate with Douay-Rheims
Pick your sword!

What’s On My Wishlist

I love language, so I have at least one of each of the types on my wishlist. I pulled the links and added some notations that I hope are helpful; the prices were accurate as of 2 pm today (January 3rd, 2020), but they may change, so please double-check before checking out.

NABRE: New American Bible, Revised Edition

RSV-2CE: Revised Standard Version, Second (or, Revised) Catholic Edition

Ignatius Press (RSV-2CE)

Ignatius Press gets its own subcategory because it has the same thing in several styles. Would you like your leather to be burgundy or black?

RSV-CE: Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition

D-R: Douay-Rheims

Vulgate

Again, please note that these Bibles are entirely in Latin: the Greek and Hebrew scriptures were translated into Latin.

Douay-Rheims and Vulgate

Summary

Now you know that I have a collection of Bibles on my wish list. I hope you learned a little something from my digging, and that it helped you pick out your next Bible!

Was this post helpful? Do you already have a Bible? Which one do you use? If not yet, which one are you considering? What’s your favorite thing about the version you prefer? I look forward to hearing your insight!

Posted on

2.0.2 – Got Dreams?

What are your plans for this year?

Yesterday, we discussed the dream list – specifically, how to go about making one. The dream list is a tool to inspire us to grow into our goals. The tool includes holding ourselves accountable by telling others our plans. Here’s part of my plan for this year: getting to know Jesus better.

I haven’t read through the Bible yet myself. Bits and pieces, here and there – sometimes a chapter, sometimes a book – but not the whole thing start-to-finish. I’ve often relied on the Liturgy of the Word for filling out my spiritual nourishment. I’m much more haphazard in my reading of scripture than I’ve ever been with a novel or a text book.

This bothers me. The Bible is literally the greatest epic of all time, the adventure we’re called to live out, packed with quests and inspiration and encouragement. The Bible is the great love letter detailing how God pursues us through every difficulty. I love reading! I love questing and inspiration! And who couldn’t use encouragement? So why, then, have I not read through the Bible?

  • Because it’s daunting.
  • Because it’s long.
  • Because I don’t have the best version.
  • Because I’m scared I won’t finish.
  • Because I’m scared I won’t understand everything.
  • Because I’m scared of what people will think of me.
  • Because how?

So, yes, to all these things. I get it. However…

  • Daunting: Yes, but so is anything worthwhile in life. Some days, getting out of bed is daunting. We’re called to have courage; let’s grow in courage this year.
  • Long: We’re called to persevere. (Also, some of the books are remarkably short, and chapters make it more digestible.)
  • The best version: I plan on using online versions, specifically Bible Gateway’s RSVCE as my go-to and the Vulgate (Latin and Douay-Rheims) when I’m feeling fancy (pinky-out, fan-ceh!) and/or want to see the line-for-line literal translation. Both are free resources.
  • Finish: Maybe. But I promise you, if we don’t start, we won’t finish, either.
  • Understand: The Bible contains mysteries, probably in part to keep us coming back to figure them out. Let’s try. If we don’t try, we can’t succeed.
  • People: The people who want you to walk with them in Christ will lift you up in your endeavor to know Him. The people who don’t want you to walk with Christ will find any reason to lure you away. Walk with me; let us know Him better together.
  • How: Luckily for us, Deacon Karl of Manchester, NH mapped out a reading plan. We don’t even have to figure out the how, just decide the timeslot we’re going to sit down to do it.
My only hard copy of the Bible: very pretty, easy to carry, and you can see a couple of my bookmarks, but missing a few books.

Will you join me on this journey? I’m both nervous (see all of the above reasons) and enthusiastic about embarking on this adventure. We’re going to get the whole story… well, at least as far as it’s shaken out thus far; we’re still building the next chapter.

You and me – we’re building the next chapter for Christ’s next installment of the Good Book. Let’s prepare by getting to know Christ and His story thus far. Let’s respond to the calling of Jesus to walk side by side with him.

To be a Christian is to be grafted on to Christ.

– Homily, Mass on 03 January 2020

Here’s the plan for January’s First Week*

  • 1st (W) : Genesis 1-4
  • 2nd (R) : Genesis 5-8
  • 3rd (F) : Genesis 9-11
  • 4th (S) : Genesis 12-14
  • 5th (Sunday) : Genesis 15-17
  • 6th (M) : Genesis 18-21
  • 7th (T) : Genesis 22-24

If you’re in the Manchester, NH area on the third Tuesday of the month, join us for the discussion in the Cathedral’s Rectory Conference Room 7-8 pm. It’d be great to see you there. Otherwise, join us here! I want to hear the wisdom you gain from reading the Bible. Two eyes are better than one; we’ll learn more as a team. Let’s do this together!

Summary

We’re going on a Bible study! There are a plethora of excuses to not, but so many more reasons to. We’re starting at the beginning and going right through the end. Action! Adventure! Romance! Seeing that the greatest heroes in history are just like us! Reading how the greatest heroes in history managed to answer God’s call despite their weaknesses! Inspiration for us to do the same! Are you ready?

Have you done this before, read through the whole Bible? Do you have any tips? Do you have a favorite book or chapter or verse that you turn to when you need the spark? What hidden gems await us?

Edit (06 January 2020):
The original post improperly reported the readings as for the weeks in January. Each segment was actually by day; I realized this upon seeing the new bulletin. I’ve updated this and added the readings for through tomorrow. If you’re behind, don’t worry! We can run the slow circuit together! If you’re ahead of me, that’s great, too, because it means you’ll have longer to ruminate and can provide us with your insight!