TIP: New American Bible (NAB) Has Good Notes

DMB
DMB Member Posts: 14,460 ✭✭✭✭
edited November 2024 in English Forum

The NAB is typically associated with Catholics, specifically American.  I'm not (Catholic).

But I pair it with the D-R for a perspective, though I'm not sure whense the OT translation (MT or LXX).

No matter ..

The NAB has some really good notes. I'd say they're a simpler version of the NET notes but more practical.

Maybe they're Catholic; I couldn't detect it.  For an example see Eph 2.1

Recommended. 

"If myth is ideology in narrative form, then scholarship is myth with footnotes." B. Lincolm 1999.

Comments

  • Daniel Yoder
    Daniel Yoder Member Posts: 541 ✭✭

    Is the NAB you refer to available in Logos?

    Is it this: http://www.logos.com/product/9355/new-american-bible-rev-ed

  • DMB
    DMB Member Posts: 14,460 ✭✭✭✭

    Good question, Daniel. I have the older one.

    But looking at the preview (which shows the notes), looks like a winner. Maybe I should upgrade?

    Downside to upgrade:

    NAB older has individual verses; no paragraphs.  I LOVE this since it ALSO shows the notes. (Logos hides notes to punish people who want the verses separated.)

    "If myth is ideology in narrative form, then scholarship is myth with footnotes." B. Lincolm 1999.

  • Dan Francis
    Dan Francis Member Posts: 5,336 ✭✭✭

    Here are some random comparisons for some ideas on the changes. It goes from no changes as you see in Job to reversion to masculine language in Psalms. The NT is virtually unchanged but the notes have been updated slightly.

    Job 1:1 In the land of Uz† there was a blameless and upright man named Job, who feared God and avoided evil.

    † Uz: somewhere in Edom or Arabia. Job: a not uncommon name in ancient Semitic circles; its original meaning was “enemy.”

    Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. Board of Trustees, Catholic Church. National Conference of Catholic Bishops, and United States Catholic Conference. Administrative Board, The New American Bible: Translated from the Original Languages with Critical Use of All the Ancient Sources and the Revised New Testament (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 1996).

    Job’s Piety. Job 1:1 In the land of Uz* there was a blameless and upright man named Job, who feared God and avoided evil.

    *Uz: somewhere in Edom or Arabia; see Lam 4:21. Job: the name probably means “Where is the (divine) father?” In Hebrew it is almost a homonym with the word for “enemy” (see note on 13:24; cf. 33:10).

    New American Bible (Revised Edition.; Washington, DC: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2011).


    Chapter 1
    I
    1 † †Happy those who do not follow
    the counsel of the wicked,
    Nor go the way of sinners,
    nor sit in company with scoffers.

    †[Psalm 1] A preface to the whole Book of Psalms, contrasting with striking similes the destiny of the good and the wicked. The psalm views life as activity, as choosing either the good or the bad.  Each “way” brings its inevitable consequences.  The wise through their good actions will experience rootedness and life, and the wicked, rootlessness and death.

    † Those: literally, “the man.”  That word is used here and in many of the Psalms as typical, and therefore is translated “they.”  The way: a common biblical term for manner of living or moral conduct (Psalm 32:8; 101:2,6; Prov 2:20; 1 Kings 8:36).


    2 †Rather, the law of the LORD is their joy;
    God’s law they study day and night.

    †The law of the LORD: either the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, or, more probably, divine teaching or instruction.


    3 They are like a tree
    planted near streams of water,
    that yields its fruit in season;
    Its leaves never wither;
    whatever they do prospers.
    II
    4 †But not the wicked!
    They are like chaff driven by the wind.

    †The wicked: those who by their actions distance themselves from God’s life-giving presence.

    5 Therefore the wicked will not survive judgment, 

    nor will sinners in the assembly of the just.
    6 The LORD watches over the way of the just,
    but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.


    Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. Board of Trustees, Catholic Church. National Conference of Catholic Bishops, and United States Catholic Conference. Administrative Board, The New American Bible: Translated from the Original Languages with Critical Use of All the Ancient Sources and the Revised New Testament (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 1996).

    First Book—Psalms 1–41

    PSALM 1*

    • A preface to the whole Book of Psalms, contrasting with striking similes the destiny of the good and the wicked. The Psalm views life as activity, as choosing either the good or the bad. Each “way” brings its inevitable consequences. The wise through their good actions will experience rootedness and life, and the wicked, rootlessness and death.

    True Happiness in God’s Law

    I
    1 Blessed is the man who does not walk
    in the counsel of the wicked,
    Nor stand in the way* of sinners,
    nor sit in company with scoffers.a

    The way: a common biblical term for manner of living or moral conduct (Ps 32:8; 101:2, 6; Prv 2:20; 1 Kgs 8:36).

    a Ps 26:4–5; 40:5.


    2 Rather, the law of the LORD* is his joy;
    and on his law he meditates day and night.b

    *The law of the Lord: either the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, or, more probably, divine teaching or instruction.

    Jos 1:8; Ps 119; Sir 39:1.


    3 He is like a tree c
    planted near streams of water,
    that yields its fruit in season;
    Its leaves never wither;
    whatever he does prospers.

    c Ps 52:10; 92:13–15; Jer 17:8.

    II
    4 But not so are the wicked,* not so!
    They are like chaff driven by the wind.d

    *The wicked: those who by their actions distance themselves from God’s life-giving presence.

    d Ps 35:5; 83:14–16; Jb 21:18.


    5 Therefore the wicked will not arise at the judgment,
    nor will sinners in the assembly of the just.
    6 Because the LORD knows the way of the just, e
    but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.

    e Ps 37:18.


    New American Bible (Revised Edition.; Washington, DC: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2011).

    Ruth 1:1 †Once in the time of the judges there was a famine in the land; so a man from Bethlehem of Judah departed with

    †[1,2] In the time of the judges: three generations before the end of the period of judges; cf Ruth 4:21–22. Bethlehem of Judah: to distinguish it from the town of the same name in the tribe of Zebulun (Joshua 19:15). Ephrathites from Bethlehem: belonging to a Judean clan which settled in Bethlehem; cf 1 Sam 17:12; 1 Chron 2:50–51; 4:4.

    Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. Board of Trustees, Catholic Church. National Conference of Catholic Bishops, and United States Catholic Conference. Administrative Board, The New American Bible: Translated from the Original Languages with Critical Use of All the Ancient Sources and the Revised New Testament (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 1996).

    Naomi in Moab. Ruth 1:Once back in the time of the judges* there was a famine in the land; so a man from Bethlehem of Judah left home with his wife and two sons to reside on the plateau of Moab.

    *

    Back in the time of the judges: the story looks back three generations before King David (4:17) into the time of the tribal confederation described in the Book of Judges. David’s Moabite connections are implied in 1 Sm 22:3–4. Bethlehem of Judah: Bethlehem, a town in which part of the Judean clan-division called Ephrathah lived; cf. 1 Chr 2:50–51; 4:4; Mi 5:1. Jos 19:15 mentions a different Bethlehem in the north. The plateau of Moab: on the east side of the Jordan valley rift, where the hills facing west get more rain, and where agricultural conditions differ from those in Judah. Ephrathites: a reminder of David’s origins; cf. Mi 5:1.

    New American Bible (Revised Edition.; Washington, DC: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2011).

    Chapter 5

    1 †When he saw the crowds, †he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.

    †[5:1–7:29] The first of the five discourses that are a central part of the structure of this gospel. It is the discourse section of the first book and contains sayings of Jesus derived from Q and from M. The Lucan parallel is in that gospel’s “Sermon on the Plain” (Luke 6:20–49), although some of the sayings in Matthew’s “Sermon on the Mount” have their parallels in other parts of Luke. The careful topical arrangement of the sermon is probably not due only to Matthew’s editing; he seems to have had a structured discourse of Jesus as one of his sources. The form of that source may have been as follows: four beatitudes (Matthew 5:3–4,6,11–12), a section on the new righteousness with illustrations (Matthew 5:17,20–24,27–28,33–48), a section on good works (Matthew 6:1–6,16–18), and three warnings (Matthew 7:1–2,15–21,24–27).

    † [1–2] Unlike Luke’s sermon, this is addressed not only to the disciples but to the crowds (see Matthew 7:28).

    2 He began to teach them, saying:

    3 †“Blessed are the poor in spirit, †for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

    † [3–12] The form Blessed are (is) occurs frequently in the Old Testament in the Wisdom literature and in the psalms. Although modified by Matthew, the first, second, fourth, and ninth beatitudes have Lucan parallels (Matthew 5:3; Luke 6:20; Matthew 5:4; Luke 6:21,22; Matthew 5:6; Luke 6:21a; Matthew 5:11–12; Luke 5:22–23). The others were added by the evangelist and are probably his own composition. A few manuscripts, Western and Alexandrian, and many versions and patristic quotations give the second and third beatitudes in inverted order.

    †The poor in spirit: in the Old Testament, the poor (anawim) are those who are without material possessions and whose confidence is in God (see Isaiah 61:1; Zeph 2:3; in the NAB the word is translated lowly and humble, respectively, in those texts). Matthew added in spirit in order either to indicate that only the devout poor were meant or to extend the beatitude to all, of whatever social rank, who recognized their complete dependence on God. The same phrase poor in spirit is found in the Qumran literature (1QM 14:7).

    Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. Board of Trustees, Catholic Church. National Conference of Catholic Bishops, and United States Catholic Conference. Administrative Board, The New American Bible: Translated from the Original Languages with Critical Use of All the Ancient Sources and the Revised New Testament (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 1996).

    CHAPTER 5

    The Sermon on the Mount. *When he saw the crowds,* he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.

    *

    The first of the five discourses that are a central part of the structure of this gospel. It is the discourse section of the first book and contains sayings of Jesus derived from Q and from M. The Lucan parallel is in that gospel’s “Sermon on the Plain” (Lk 6:20–49), although some of the sayings in Matthew’s “Sermon on the Mount” have their parallels in other parts of Luke. The careful topical arrangement of the sermon is probably not due only to Matthew’s editing; he seems to have had a structured discourse of Jesus as one of his sources. The form of that source may have been as follows: four beatitudes (Mt 5:3–4, 6, 11–12), a section on the new righteousness with illustrations (Mt 5:17, 20–24, 27–28, 33–48), a section on good works (Mt 6:1–6, 16–18), and three warnings (Mt 7:1–2, 15–21, 24–27).

    * Unlike Luke’s sermon, this is addressed not only to the disciples but to the crowds (see Mt 7:28).

    He began to teach them, saying: 

    The Beatitudes*

    The form Blessed are (is) occurs frequently in the Old Testament in the Wisdom literature and in the psalms. Although modified by Matthew, the first, second, fourth, and ninth beatitudes have Lucan parallels (Mt 5:3 // Lk 6:20; Mt 5:4 // Lk 6:21b; Mt 5:6 // Lk 6:21a; Mt 5:11–12 // Lk 5:22–23). The others were added by the evangelist and are probably his own composition. A few manuscripts, Western and Alexandrian, and many versions and patristic quotations give the second and third beatitudes in inverted order.

    “Blessed are the poor in spirit,* 

    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. a

    *The poor in spirit: in the Old Testament, the poor (’anāwîm) are those who are without material possessions and whose confidence is in God (see Is 61:1; Zep 2:3; in the NAB the word is translated lowly and humble, respectively, in those texts). Matthew added in spirit in order either to indicate that only the devout poor were meant or to extend the beatitude to all, of whatever social rank, who recognized their complete dependence on God. The same phrase poor in spirit is found in the Qumran literature (1QM 14:7).

    a Lk 6:20–23.

    New American Bible (Revised Edition.; Washington, DC: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2011).

  • DMB
    DMB Member Posts: 14,460 ✭✭✭✭

    "If myth is ideology in narrative form, then scholarship is myth with footnotes." B. Lincolm 1999.

  • Milford Charles Murray
    Milford Charles Murray Member Posts: 5,004 ✭✭✭

    Peace, Dan!            I say with Denise .............      thank you indeed!             *smile*

                    You have been so gracious to us fellow forum users over the years, and I have appreciated you and always look forward to reading your posts ...

                              and ........       to confess my "dumbness" and to issue a "caution" to other Logos Bible Software users ...         let me say that I was annoyed that I couldn't find some of what Denise and you found in NABRE       ......    was quite "irritated"        .........            and discovered to my own chagrin that I had Bible Text ONLY! checked and was missing out on the great information available ...

                           Frankly, I won't be able to stop smiling for quite a while, methinks!                 *smile*

     

    Philippians 4:  4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand..........

  • DMB
    DMB Member Posts: 14,460 ✭✭✭✭

    Thank you Milford.

    Yes, the 'text only' is truly dangerous in the hands of us Logosians!

    I'm still in quandary whether to upgrade. What if my worst fears are confirmed, the NABRE is paragraphed ... I get a refund ... but NAB is forever lost.

    I just don't wish to anticipate the horror. Kind of like reading Peter's Apocalypse!

    "If myth is ideology in narrative form, then scholarship is myth with footnotes." B. Lincolm 1999.

  • Deacon Steve
    Deacon Steve Member Posts: 1,608 ✭✭✭

    Just for clarification:

    For both NAB and NABRE, the introductions and notes are part of the official translation (see my comment below about other introductions and notes). 

    If you don't like things paragraphed than you should skip both the NAB or NABRE official translations.  Unless, as Milford suggests, you can turn these things off in the software.

    I'm not 100% sure, but I would guess that the "Text Only" version is something that Logos does as part of a free edition that they are able to license from the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine.

    Again, the introductions and notes are part of the official translation.  You cannot buy a hardcopy NAB or NABRE without the introductions and notes.  The version of the bible on the USCCB Website and Vatican Website has the introductions and notes.  It is the NABRE edition.

    The differences between the NAB and NABRE are in the translation of the Old Testament only.  That includes updated introductions and notes.  The NABRE OT has more notes versus the NAB OT.

    The NAB OT was copywrited on July 27, 1970.

    The NABRE OT is a completely updated version copywrited on September 30, 2010

    The New Testament is the same in both, 1986.

    Concerning other introductions and notes - These are different additions that individual publishers may provide, for example, the hardcopy version (not Logos e-version) of The Catholic Study Bible by Oxford has all the same introductions and notes with the official translation mentioned above PLUS some other introductions and readers guides and maps, etc.  The Logos version, as you can tell, has just these additional, publisher specific materials.  You still need the NABRE as a separate resource if you want the linkages.

    Hope that helps.  [:)]

  • Sleiman
    Sleiman Member Posts: 672 ✭✭

    Joining my voice to that of Denise and Milford: Thank you Dan and also Steve for the extremely helpful posts. These forums are truly a blessing.

  • DMB
    DMB Member Posts: 14,460 ✭✭✭✭

    Thank you Steve!!

    Just for anyone else later on, NAB isn't paragraphed in Logos; NABRE is. Per Steve they're both paragraphed on paper.

    "If myth is ideology in narrative form, then scholarship is myth with footnotes." B. Lincolm 1999.

  • Sleiman
    Sleiman Member Posts: 672 ✭✭

    Denise said:

    I'm still in quandary whether to upgrade. What if my worst fears are confirmed, the NABRE is paragraphed ... I get a refund ... but NAB is forever lost.

    Denise, just to be sure, if you get the NABRE, NAB is not lost or replaced by the new version, you still own both.

  • Dan Francis
    Dan Francis Member Posts: 5,336 ✭✭✭

    Denise said:

    NABRE is paragraphed ... I get a refund ... but NAB is forever lost.

    Logos doesn't remove the original version. So you can not lose it. you have NAB now you will add NABRE it is the same as those of use who have NIV 1984 NIV 2011 and then there are quite a few like me who also have NIV 1984 Anglicized  version too.

    -Dan

  • DMB
    DMB Member Posts: 14,460 ✭✭✭✭

    Woo hoo! Logos.com here I come (after the NIV2011, who knows?).

    Thanks again Dan, and Sleiman (esp the mug shots).

    -Seconds later-

    Can life get much better ... late-summer monsoon rains in AZ. And NABRE in Libronix format. Sweet.

    Interesting file size: Lexham English Bible: 12k NABRE: 18k (L3 format)

    "If myth is ideology in narrative form, then scholarship is myth with footnotes." B. Lincolm 1999.

  • Deacon Steve
    Deacon Steve Member Posts: 1,608 ✭✭✭

    Denise said:

    Thank you Steve!!

    Just for anyone else later on, NAB isn't paragraphed in Logos; NABRE is. Per Steve they're both paragraphed on paper.

    And to be very specific, the NAB in Logos has some indentations and special formatting, but it does not have the "paragraph header text". The print editions contain some "paragraph header text" and slightly different formating.  The NABRE has everything in Logos that is in print.  For example, in the screen shot that Dan provided appears different.  In the print editions the NAB has the same formatting that you see in the NABRE.  Not sure why the Logos edition of the NAB is different in formatting.  The footnotes are the same.

    Personal opinion ... I like the paragraph header text and updated formatting (in the print editions for both).  Like the foot notes, it adds to the readability and understanding of the text, albeit in a more subtle way.  I understand that others feel differently about this, but I find it useful in study and memorization.

    [:)]

  • Milford Charles Murray
    Milford Charles Murray Member Posts: 5,004 ✭✭✭

    Peace, Steve!                   I have almost every version there is that is available in Logos; and I must say that NABRE could really become one of my favourites.          God's Word is so rich and powerful, eh???                            *smile*

    Philippians 4:  4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand..........

  • Deacon Steve
    Deacon Steve Member Posts: 1,608 ✭✭✭

    God's Word is so rich and powerful, eh???

    It is indeed, Milford.  When I grow up I want to be as generous as you have always been.

    Smile back at you ... [:)]