Title: New Jerusalem Bible, The

Author: Wansbrough, Henry, et al.

Format: Hardcover, 2136 pages

Publisher: Doubleday; Reissue edition: October, 1985

ISBN: 0385142641

Review Date: August 21, 2004

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Rating:

Book Description: The New Jerusalem Bible: Standard Edition will satisfy the great need for an authoritative version of "the greatest story ever told" in a package so attractive, user friendly, and affordable, this edition is destined to become a classic. Using the same translation that has been hailed as "truly magnificent" (Journal of Bible Literature), the Standard Edition has a completely redesigned interior, set in a two-column format for easy reading. With all the best features of much more cumbersome and costly versions, this Bible is a must-have for home, church, and school.

Review:

The New Jerusalem Bible was a required book for one of my university classes. I must admit when the professor said that he would not except any other Bible that we brought to class I was somewhat disappointed at the thought of having to spend more money on another book. Soon after I got it though, my disappointment quickly faded and I found that I rather enjoy this translation.

Now, before we go any further, I should just point out that this is a Roman Catholic translation, so it has the Apocrypha and also notes about Roman Catholic dogma. However, I do not find it to be dripping with Roman Catholic dogma. It usually states the stance of the RCC and the reasons why it takes such a stance, then states what Protestants, Orthodox, Jewish and secular authorities say on the stances when there is disagreement. So, even though it is a RCC translation, it is also informative for how other Christians interpret passages of scripture.

There are extensive footnotes cataloging places where there are variations amongst the different manuscripts of the Bible that we have in our possession. For example, when dealing with the Johannine Comma (1 John 5:7-8), the New Jerusalem Bible has this text:

So there are three witnesses, ^d
the Spirit, water and blood;
and the three of them coincide. ^e

d. Vulg. vv. 7-8 read as follows: 'There are three witness in heaven: the Father, the Word and the Spirit, and these three are one; there are three witnesses on earth: the Spirit, the water and the blood.' The words in italics (not in any of the early Gk MSS. or any of the early translations, or in the best MSS of the Vulg. itself) are probably a gloss that has crept into the text.

e. The three testimonies converge. Blood and water join the Spirit, 2:20k, 27; Jn. 3:5; 4:1, to bear witness, see Jn. 3:11f, in favour of the mission of the Son who gives life, v. 11; Jn. 3:15h

Also, there are sizable introductions to each of the books but I found these less helpful. Who ever wrote up the introductions seems to be of a more liberal persuasion than the translators. When speaking of the Pentateuch, the introduction and some of the footnotes purpose the JEDP theory is a reliable theory for explaining the composition of the first five books. For those who do not know, the JEDP theory states that the Five Books of Moses were compiled by Moses, or usually others at a much later date, by using different texts and oral traditions. This is an attempt to explain the seemingly rocky narratives that are contained in the Pentateuch. While this was a popular theory for a time, it has falling by the way side in scholarly circles, because we now have better research on the subject. As such, the JEDP theory is now used a lot by skeptics and conspiracy theorists.

Also, when speaking of the dating and authorship of certain books, the introductions sometimes state (especially with the minor prophets) that the name that is attached and the traditional date are probably not accurate. While the views that are expressed in the commentary do not seem to have affected the text of the translation itself, readers should be cautious of the introductions and read them with a watchful eye.

One other thing that I found peculiar was that translation often follows the Septuagint in several places in the Old Testament.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with these issues, the Septuagint is a 2nd century B.C. translation of the Hebrew Old Testament into the Greek language.  As such, when working with the Septuagint for an English translation, you are really dealing with two translations (Hebrew -> Greek -> English) instead of one (Hebrew -> English).  It appears the reason that they did this is because many of the New Testament quotes that are from the Old Testament come from the Septuagint as opposed to the Hebrew.  (Aramaic had replaced Hebrew at this time, and many of the people could no longer speak in Hebrew, thus why the people needed the Septuagint so they could understand the scriptures).  So it seems to be a practical decision instead of anything with ulterior motives involved.

The way the text is rendered is different from that of the KJV tradition, and as such, often adds a fresh perspective to the reading.  (One of the stylists for the English rendering was no other than J. R. R. Tolkien himself, although he only had a small role in some of the OT books it would appear.)  This is a pleasant change for those of us who are familiar with scripture.

All in all, I am really glad that I bought this translation of the Bible.  The reasons that I gave it a 4 star are because of the liberal influence that can be clearly seen in the introductions and some of the footnotes.  But as these influences do not seem to affect the text in anyway, a critical reader will not be bothered.