mkp51's Full Review: New Jerusalem Bible: Standard Edition, Black Bonde...
"The Book that Changed My Life…" hmmmm… this is gonna be a tough one! When I received my invitation to participate in this write-off, I felt a great deal of apprehension as to whether or not I would be able to make an adequate contribution…
The problem for me is simple: over the years, I’ve read so many books that have had a profound effect on me that it’s nearly impossible for me to single out just one to be the subject of a review for this write-off. And, as it turns out, I’ve already written a review of most of the books that have a great impact on my life!
The other evening, right before going to sleep, I did what has been my nightly habit for the past twenty-four years: I picked up my Bible from the night stand, opened it, and began to read prayerfully from it…
…And suddenly I realized that the New Jerusalem Bible, Standard Edition, a book I’ve read more frequently over the years than any other; a book that has been for me a constant source of spiritual enrichment, inspiration, wisdom, and solace; is the one book that has truly changed my life... and continues to do so each and every day.
I’ve been a more-or-less devout Christian since 1978, when the circumstances of my life led me to accept Jesus Christ as my personal savior. One of the first things I learned after I dedicated my life to the Lord was the importance of reading the Bible every day.
The question for me at the time was: which version of the Holy Bible was best? Even then, there was a plethora of modern English translations available. Because I got tons of well-meaning advice from my Christian friends, I found it very difficult to make a choice. My evangelical Protestant brothers and sisters insisted the King James Version was the one "true" version. My Roman Catholic friends were equally adamant that a "Catholic" version of the Bible was the only "true" answer.
Now… I’m the first to admit that I’m no Bible scholar. I love God’s word, and I’m reasonably knowledgeable about what it says and means; the main reason I read the Bible is to try and discern God’s meaning for my life, so that I can draw closer to Him every day. Over the years, I've tried a variety of modern English Bible versions… and find that all of them lack … well... something… that helps draw me closer to the Lord. The King James Version remains especially difficult because of all those "thee’s" and "thou’s" and "begat’s" and "begot’s" and words that endeth in "-eth" and sentences that beginneth with "And." Modern English translations are better, but in many cases there's such a variance in the words used and in sentence structure that I find myself confused. In addition, many modern translations contain narrowly doctrinaire footnotes and theologically biased essays… also unacceptable to me.
In 1980, after prayerfully deciding to become Catholic, I opted for a Catholic version of Scripture. At the time, the New American Bible (NAB), a highly literate translation that’s also the "official" version for American Catholics, and the Jerusalem Bible (JB), another powerfully eloquent modern English translation, were the only two Catholic versions widely available. As good as they were, they didn't always fulfill my needs. The NAB always seemed a bit difficult for me to understand, primarily because of its stodgy sentence structure and bounty of scholarly sounding footnotes. The JB was distracting to read because of its radical departure from the more traditional language and format found in earlier versions.
Then, in 1984, the New Jerusalem Bible (NJB), Regular Edition was published. This particular Catholic version of Scripture is based upon the earlier Jerusalem Bible, first published in 1966. The NJB Regular Edition corrected several translation errors and ambiguities of the earlier version; incorporated modern advances in theological thinking; and changed the English syntax to make it less gender-specific.
The NJB Regular Edition was like a breath of fresh air to me! From the moment I first began reading it eighteen years ago, it helped deepen my spiritual life. Every passage, whether in poetry or prose format, is majestic, simple, straightforward, and easy to understand… even for a lay person. Just what I had always been looking for!
Although the NJB Regular Edition came closer to fulfilling my needs than any previous version of Christian Scripture, it was not without its imperfections. Like most Catholic Bibles, it contains voluminous scholarly footnotes designed to explain practically passage of Scripture to readers. Many pages, especially in the New Testament, contain only a few lines of Biblical text, with the rest dedicated to footnotes! The book also includes long essays explaining the history and meaning of each book of the Bible. I've always find all those notes and essays distracting, since I invariably end up reading them instead of Bible passages. I suppose the editors' idea behind all this extra information is to make the NJB Regular Edition useful to all users… theologians, scholars, clergy, and lay people.
Then, in 1999, the New Jerusalem Bible, Standard Edition hit the bookstores. It quickly became apparent that this was the Bible I had been looking for for lo these many years! It contains exactly the same beautiful modern English translation, but none of the lengthy, pedantic, scholarly sounding footnotes and introductory essays. It’s set in a large easy to read font. Instead of weighing over two pounds and being 2¾ thick like its big brother, this slim, bonded leather-bound volume weighs less than one pound and is only about 1½ inches thick.
The physical characteristics of the NJB Standard Edition are far less important than what this wonderful book says and how it says it. As I said earlier, the language is beautiful… spiritual music to my ears. However, it may sound a bit… different… to your ears if you’re used to the archaic and oft-times arcane poetry of the King James Version. (One noticeable difference: in the Old Testament, God’s name is presented as "Yahweh," which the King James Version renders as "the LORD" or as "Jehovah.") Despite differences in syntax, the language of the NJB Standard Edition remains powerfully eloquent, almost lyrical. Listen... I'll let God's word speak for itself with a few of my favorite passages:
"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside still waters; he restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake." (Psalm 23, verses 1 - 3, KJV)
"Yahweh is my shepherd; I lack nothing. In grassy meadows he lets me lie. By tranquil streams he leads me to restore my spirit. He guides me in paths of saving justice as befits his name." (Psalm 23: 1 - 3, NJB)
"For unto us a child is born; unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting father, the Prince of Peace…" (Isaiah 9:6, KJV)
"For a son has been born to us, a son has been given to us; and dominion has been laid on his shoulders; and this is the name he has been given: "Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince-of-Peace…" (Isaiah 9:5, NJB)
"Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?" (Matthew 6:25 - 26, KJV)
"That is why I am telling you not to worry about your life and what you are to eat, nor about your body and what you are to wear. Surely life is more than food, and the body more than clothing! Look at the birds in the sky. They do not sow or reap or gather into barns; yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they are?" (Matthew 6:25 - 26, NJB)
The New Jerusalem Bible, Standard Edition: simple, powerful, eloquent, spiritually enriching… and continuously life-changing. These days, I take my NJB Standard Edition with me wherever I go. Before I leave for work, I open it and prayerfully read a few passages. Then I put it into my backpack so that, later in the day, when I take a coffee or lunch break from whatever painting job I happen to be working on, I can delve into God’s Word. And each night before I go to sleep, I read and meditate on God’s Word for me this particular day...
...And I am at peace.
This review is my submission to the "The Book that Changed My Life" write-off hosted by fellow Epinionator lyagushka. Please check out these fine reviews of life-changing literary works by all write-off participants:
Based on the work of LEcole Biblique in Jerusalem, this monumental revision, first released in 1985, has been compared more closely to the original Gr...More at Christianbook.com
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