wfn.org | New NSRV Bible translation went far, but not far enough, scholars say

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National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA
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	During 50th Anniversary - Nov. 8-12, 1999 call 216-696-8490

NCC11/9/99

NEW BIBLE TRANSLATION WENT FAR, BUT NOT FAR ENOUGH, SCHOLARS SAY

CLEVELAND, Nov. 9 -- For the first time, churchgoers have a translation of 
the Bible that can be used by all three main Christian traditions. Dr. 
Bruce Metzger, New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) translation leader, 
commended the new Bible to worshipers as the 50th anniversary celebration 
of the National Council of Churches kicked off today.

	"We now have a translation that can be used by Protestants, Roman 
Catholics and our Orthodox brothers and sisters," Dr. Metzger, Princeton 
Theological Seminary, said.  The NRSV was first published in 1990.

"We believe we have fulfilled the mandates with which we were charged," he 
added, "to improve accuracy, clarity and euphony - how the text sounds when 
spoken aloud - and to make the language more inclusive in its references to 
gender."

But another theologian and NCC leader said the NRSV is still not a 
satisfactory translation and called for more work.

"The difficulty of the NRSV is that all the translators were white," said 
Dr. Randall Bailey of the Interdenominational Theological Center in 
Atlanta, a member of the NCC's executive board.  Dr. Bailey said the 
failure of the translation committee to include people of color meant that 
biblical emphases on liberation and empowerment of the oppressed were 
omitted in the translation process.

Dr. Metzger, noting that the committee that produced the NRSV is called 
Bible Translation and Utilization, said the new translation helps churches 
and Christians "be carried through difficult times by 
Scripture."  Utilization, he continued, means "applying yourself to the 
text and applying the text to yourself."

For many Christians that is still not possible, Dr. Bailey said, because 
concepts such as patriarchy are still prevalent in the NRSV and 
understandings of Jesus as liberator are underplayed.  "Those who have been 
silenced must be given voice and the fact that Jesus was a liberator must 
be understood, even if we lose sight of it now and then," he said.

-more-

NCC11/9/99 NRSV Page 2

Dr. Bailey said that some of the royalties from the NRSV are being used to 
fund consultations on how patriarchy is still overemphasized in the new 
translation and on how the ideological beliefs of translators slant their 
translations.

He said some of the royalty money is also being used to fund theological 
education scholarships for people of color so there will be adequate 
racial/ethnic biblical translators to work on future translations of the Bible.

The Pilgrim Jazz Trio provided music for the opening worship service.  The 
group is from Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ, 
Cleveland.  The Rev. Gwendolyn Snell, Fellowship Lutheran Church, 
Cleveland, served as the liturgist and Daniel Curtin, first Baptist Church 
of Greater Cleveland, was the cantor.

-end-