Hi, Craig —

Thanks for your patience in receiving an answer to your original question.

When addressing your original question:
Which Catholic Bibles have been approved by the Vatican?

We have to keep in mind that the Holy Scriptures have been translated into countless languages around the world and the for each language, [like English], there may be various translations.

I have received various input for your question from my colleagues as well as an Associate Director at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).  Below are the replies I received.

I hope this answers your question.

Mary Elizabeth Sperry from the USCCB replied to your question as follows:

Dear Mr. Humphrey:

Any Bible which bears an imprimatur may be used by Catholics for personal study and devotion. While the 1983 Code of Canon Law does include a provision for the Holy See to grant the imprimatur for translations of Scripture, I am unaware of any instance in which it has done so. In addition to the Holy See, the 1983 Code allows conferences of bishops to grant the imprimatur to Scripture translations, a change from previous practice wherein the bishop of the place where the translation was made or published could grant the imprimatur.

The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments confirms Scripture translations for liturgical use. Currently, the Lectionary for Mass approved for use in the United States is based on the 1986 edition of the New American Bible. In addition, the original edition of the Grail Psalms and the 1970 edition of the New American Bible are approved for use in the Liturgy of the Hours.

Sincerely,

Mary Elizabeth Sperry
Associate Director

There are two questions she addressed, covering both possibilities for the somewhat ambiguous question we proposed:

1. Which bibles are approved for personal study and devotion?
2. Which bibles are approved for liturgical use?

Her answer on # 1. is any Bible with an Imprimatur, and this makes sense.
It's the answer I'd expect.

Her answer on # 2. was very specific even though it contradicted our suppositions. Thinking about it, I do recall that the RSV CE may not have blanket permission to be used for liturgical purposes.

It's entirely possible the others don't have such authorization anymore either. According to her, the 1986 edition of the (NAB) New American Bible is approved insofar as it is the basis for the Mass lectionary. (Actually I think she's wrong; the current lectionary isn't based on any available translation.) The 1970 NAB and the original Grail psalms are approved for the Liturgy of the Hours.

Anything else, it seems, is not approved.

Eric

Mike —

As far as I know. It's the long standing tradition of the Church, to allow imprimaturs
(In Latin: ("let it be printed") and Nihil obstats (In Latin: "nothing hinders") to be done by local ordinaries. Often, local synods and Bishop's conferences will play a role.

The Vatican only approves translations of Lectionaries or biblical texts that will be read during the Liturgy.

For instance, the NAB is approved for use in America for Liturgical purposes, but the Vatican doesn't approve translations that are used for personal use.

John

Catholics may read any Bible.

• For the liturgy, certain translations of the texts have to be approved in Rome.
• To be a Catholic Bible, I believe it only has to include the entire canon.
• For Catholic translations, I think all you need is a nihil obstat and imprimatur.

Mary Ann

Finally Craig,

Here are some reading sources you may find helpful.

Liturgiam authenticam
On The Use Of Vernacular Languages In The Publication Of The Books Of The Roman Liturgy

Here are the main topics talked about in this document:

• OVERVIEW
• Choice of Vernacular Languages
• The Translation of Liturgical Texts
• Using Other Texts as Aids
• Vocabulary
• Gender
• The Translation of a Text
• Scriptural Translations
• Other Liturgical Texts
• Particular Types of Texts
• The Organization of Translation Work and Commissions
• New Compositions

The following was taken from a web page on the Vatican web site.

At the top it stated:

This Bulletin is only a working instrument for the press.
Translations are not official.

Figures and statistics

We have to remember, as pointed out in the statistics, more than 50% of the world’s Catholics are to be found in the American continent. With four major languages and about 200 minor languages, we are faced with a very variable panorama of Biblical translations.

Spanish is certainly one of most spoken languages by Catholics throughout the world. It is therefore very important to have texts adapted for many millions of people. Currently in America there are 26 versions or translations approved by the Catholic Church that can be found in different bookshops.

Portuguese is one of the most popular languages in America and currently has
12 translations of the Bible.

English is spoken in the United States, Canada and in a large part of the Caribbean and Central America. There are 5 translations of the New Testament, 1 Book of Proverbs, 6 of the Book of Psalms and 2 complete Bibles.

French is spoken officially in Canada and in various Caribbean countries. A total
of 8 versions of the Bible in French are in circulation.

The united Biblical societies have 29 Bibles without the DeuteroCanonical books,
17 with them and 29 New Testaments. Different institutions have translated the New Testament into 216 native languages in America, which has been a great cultural battle. Many of these translations are also used by the Catholic Church.

Here is a posting that refers to the group's recommended Bible translations for personal reading:

• Which Bibles are Catholic and which ones are Protestant?

Hope this helps,

Mike