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New Revised Standard Version
English translation of the Bible

The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) is a translation of the Bible in American English. It was first published in 1989 by the National Council of Churches, the NRSV was created by an ecumenical committee of scholars "comprising about thirty members".: vii  The NRSV relies on recently published critical editions of the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. A major revision, the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVue), was released in 2021.

Used broadly among biblical scholars, the NRSV was intended as a translation to serve the devotional, liturgical, and scholarly needs of the broadest possible range of Christian religious adherents.

The New Revised Standard Version is a revision in a series of English translations that has been identified as beginning with the King James Version. The full 84 book translation includes the Protestant enumeration of the Old Testament, the Apocrypha, and the New Testament; another version of the NRSV includes the deuterocanonical books as part of the Old Testament, which is normative in the canon of Catholicism, along with the New Testament (totalling 73 books).

The translation appears in three main formats: (1) an edition including the Protestant enumeration of the Old Testament, the Apocrypha, and the New Testament (as well an edition that only includes the Protestant enumeration of the Old Testament and New Testament); (2) a Catholic edition with all the books of that canon in their customary order, and (3) the Common Bible, which includes the books that appear in Protestant, Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox canons (but not additional books from Oriental Orthodox traditions, such as the Syriac and Ethiopian canons). A special edition of the NRSV, called the "Anglicized Edition", employs British English spelling and grammar instead of American English.

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History

The New Revised Standard Version was translated by the Division of Christian Education (now Bible Translation and Utilization) of the National Council of Churches in the United States. The group included scholars representing Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant Christian groups as well as Jewish representation in the group responsible for the Hebrew Scriptures or Old Testament. The mandate given the committee was summarized in a dictum: "As literal as possible, as free as necessary."12

Committee of translators

The following scholars were active on the NRSV Committee of translators at the time of publication.13

Principles of revision

Improved manuscripts and translations

The Old Testament translation of the RSV was completed before the Dead Sea Scrolls were available to scholars. The NRSV was intended to take advantage of this and other manuscript discoveries, and to reflect advances in scholarship.14

Gender language

In the preface to the NRSV Bruce Metzger wrote for the committee that "many in the churches have become sensitive to the danger of linguistic sexism arising from the inherent bias of the English language towards the masculine gender, a bias that in the case of the Bible has often restricted or obscured the meaning of the original text".15 The RSV observed the older convention of using masculine nouns in a gender-neutral sense (e.g., "man" instead of "person"), and in some cases used a masculine word where the source language used a neutral word. This move has been by some, including within the Catholic Church, and continues to be a point of contention today. The NRSV by contrast adopted a policy of inclusiveness in gender language.16 According to Metzger, "The mandates from the Division specified that, in references to men and women, masculine-oriented language should be eliminated as far as this can be done without altering passages that reflect the historical situation of ancient patriarchal culture."17

Reception

Many mainline Protestant churches officially approve the NRSV for both private and public use. The Episcopal Church (United States) in Canon II.2 added the NRSV to the list of translations approved for church services. It is also widely used by the United Methodist Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Presbyterian Church in Canada,18 the United Church of Christ, the Reformed Church in America, the United Church of Canada, and the Uniting Church in Australia.

In accordance with the 1983 Code of Canon Law, Canon 825.1, the NRSV with the deuterocanonical books received the Imprimatur of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops,19 meaning that the NRSV (Catholic Edition) is officially approved by the Catholic Church and can be profitably used by Catholics in private study and devotional reading. The New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition also has the imprimatur, granted on 12 September 1991 and 15 October 1991, respectively. For public worship, such as at weekly Mass, most Catholic Bishops' Conferences in English-speaking countries require the use of other translations, either the adapted New American Bible in the dioceses of the United States and the Philippines or the English Standard Version and Revised New Jerusalem Bible in most of the rest of the English-speaking world.2021 However, the Canadian conference and the Vatican approved a modification of the NRSV for lectionary use in 2008.22 The NRSV, along with the Revised Standard Version, is also quoted in several places in the English-language edition of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the latter of which summarizes Catholic doctrine and belief in written form.

In 1990 the synod of the Orthodox Church in America decided not to permit use of the NRSV in liturgy or in Bible studies on the grounds that it is highly "divergent from the Holy Scriptures traditionally read aloud in the sacred services of the Church."23

NRSV Catholic Edition (NRSV-CE)

The New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSV-CE) is an edition of the NRSV for Catholics. It contains all the canonical books of Scripture accepted by the Catholic Church arranged in the traditional Catholic order. Because of the presence of Catholic scholars on the original NRSV translation team, no other changes to the text were needed.24: x 

An Anglicized Text form of the NRSV-CE, embodying the preferences of users of British English, is also available from various publishers.

Liturgical use and approval

The NRSV-CE received the imprimatur of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1991, granting official approval for Catholic use in private study and devotional reading.

In 2007, the Canadian conference and the Vatican approved a modification of the NRSV for lectionary use beginning the following year.25 The NRSV-CE, along with the Revised Standard Version (RSV), is also one of the texts adapted and quoted in the English-language edition of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.26

NRSV Updated Edition (NRSVue)

The New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVue) is a major revision of the NRSV. A three-year process of reviewing and updating the text of the NRSV was announced at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature.27 The update was managed by the SBL following an agreement with the copyright-holding NCC. The stated focuses of the review are incorporating advances in textual criticism since the 1989 publication of the NRSV, improving the textual notes, and reviewing the style and rendering of the translation. A team of more than fifty scholars, led by an editorial board, is responsible for the review.28 It was released for digital purchase on December 25, 2021, with the first print editions following in 2022.29 As of July 2024, the NCC has submitted the NRSVue for review by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops with a request for an imprimatur.30

Study editions

Canon

The New Revised Standard Version is available in a 66-book Protestant Bible that only includes the Old Testament and New Testament; a 73-book Catholic Edition containing the Catholic enumeration of the Old Testament and New Testament; and an 84-book Ecumenical Bible that includes the Old Testament, Apocrypha and New Testament.313233

Notes

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References

  1. "Preface to the NRSV". National Council of Churches. Archived from the original on 2010-02-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20100206062332/http://www.ncccusa.org/newbtu/reader.html ↩

  2. NRSV Pew Bible. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers. 2004. pp. vii–viii. ISBN 978-1-56563-495-4. Archived from the original on February 10, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023. 978-1-56563-495-4 ↩

  3. "Endorsements". NRSV: The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible. Archived from the original on June 9, 2017. Retrieved February 10, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20170609171658/https://www.nrsv.net/about/endorsements/ ↩

  4. Bertone, John (2016). Finding God in Scripture. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers. ISBN 978-1-5326-0475-1. The NRSV was published in 1989 and is popular among academics and church leaders. It is an ecumenical Bible translation whose committee consists of thirty men and women who are among the top scholars in America today. They come from Protestant denominations, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Greek Orthodox Church. The committee also includes a Jewish scholar. The NRSV is available in three forms: a standard edition with or without the Apocrypha; a Roman Catholic Edition, which includes the so-called "Apocryphal" or "Deuterocanonical" books in the Roman Catholic canonical order; and the Common Bible, which includes all books belonging to the Protestant, Roman Catholic and Orthodox canons. 978-1-5326-0475-1 ↩

  5. "Preface to the NRSV". National Council of Churches. Archived from the original on 2010-02-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20100206062332/http://www.ncccusa.org/newbtu/reader.html ↩

  6. Durken, Daniel (2015). New Collegeville Bible Commentary: Old Testament. Collegeville, MI: Liturgical Press. ISBN 978-0-8146-3587-2. The King James tradition was continued in the Revised Version of 1881 and 1885, the Revised Standard Version of 1946 and 1952, and the New Revised Standard Version of 1989. 978-0-8146-3587-2 ↩

  7. Bertone, John (2016). Finding God in Scripture. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers. ISBN 978-1-5326-0475-1. The NRSV was published in 1989 and is popular among academics and church leaders. It is an ecumenical Bible translation whose committee consists of thirty men and women who are among the top scholars in America today. They come from Protestant denominations, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Greek Orthodox Church. The committee also includes a Jewish scholar. The NRSV is available in three forms: a standard edition with or without the Apocrypha; a Roman Catholic Edition, which includes the so-called "Apocryphal" or "Deuterocanonical" books in the Roman Catholic canonical order; and the Common Bible, which includes all books belonging to the Protestant, Roman Catholic and Orthodox canons. 978-1-5326-0475-1 ↩

  8. "New Revised Standard w/ Apocrypha (NRSA)". Bible Study Tools. Retrieved 30 May 2022. https://www.biblestudytools.com/nrsa/ ↩

  9. "New Revised Standard Version - Home". Marketing Pages. Retrieved 2019-12-07. Standing in this tradition, the NRSV is available in three ecumenical formats: a standard edition with or without the Apocrypha, a Roman Catholic Edition, which has the so-called "Apocryphal" or "Deuterocanonical" books in the Roman Catholic canonical order, and The Common Bible, which includes all books that belong to the Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox canons. https://www.zondervan.com/p/nrsv-2/ ↩

  10. "New Revised Standard Version - Home". Marketing Pages. Retrieved 2019-12-07. Standing in this tradition, the NRSV is available in three ecumenical formats: a standard edition with or without the Apocrypha, a Roman Catholic Edition, which has the so-called "Apocryphal" or "Deuterocanonical" books in the Roman Catholic canonical order, and The Common Bible, which includes all books that belong to the Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox canons. https://www.zondervan.com/p/nrsv-2/ ↩

  11. Amazon.co.uk entry for Anglicized NRSV https://www.amazon.co.uk/NRSV-Popular-Text-Apocrypha-NR530/dp/0521702623 ↩

  12. "New Revised Standard Version - Home". Marketing Pages. Retrieved 2019-12-07. Standing in this tradition, the NRSV is available in three ecumenical formats: a standard edition with or without the Apocrypha, a Roman Catholic Edition, which has the so-called "Apocryphal" or "Deuterocanonical" books in the Roman Catholic canonical order, and The Common Bible, which includes all books that belong to the Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox canons. https://www.zondervan.com/p/nrsv-2/ ↩

  13. "New Revised Standard Version - Home". Marketing Pages. Retrieved 2019-12-07. Standing in this tradition, the NRSV is available in three ecumenical formats: a standard edition with or without the Apocrypha, a Roman Catholic Edition, which has the so-called "Apocryphal" or "Deuterocanonical" books in the Roman Catholic canonical order, and The Common Bible, which includes all books that belong to the Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox canons. https://www.zondervan.com/p/nrsv-2/ ↩

  14. "Preface to the NRSV". National Council of Churches. Archived from the original on 2010-02-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20100206062332/http://www.ncccusa.org/newbtu/reader.html ↩

  15. "Preface to the NRSV". National Council of Churches. Archived from the original on 2010-02-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20100206062332/http://www.ncccusa.org/newbtu/reader.html ↩

  16. "Preface to the NRSV". National Council of Churches. Archived from the original on 2010-02-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20100206062332/http://www.ncccusa.org/newbtu/reader.html ↩

  17. "Preface to the NRSV". National Council of Churches. Archived from the original on 2010-02-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20100206062332/http://www.ncccusa.org/newbtu/reader.html ↩

  18. "PCC Writer's Style Guide" (PDF). Presbyterian Church in Canada – Life and Mission Agency. November 2009. p. 19. Retrieved 2020-11-05. The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) is the official Bible standard for The Presbyterian Church in Canada. https://presbyterian.ca/wp-content/uploads/pcc_style_guide.pdf ↩

  19. The Go-Anywhere Thinline Bible Catholic Edition New Revised Standard Version. HarperOne. 2011. p. ix. ISBN 978-0062048363. ...and an edition of the Old and New Testaments with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books placed between the two Testaments. The text of the latter edition received the Imprimatur (official approbation) of the United States and Canadian Catholic Bishops. 978-0062048363 ↩

  20. "A New Lectionary for Scotland". Scottish Catholic Media Office. July 24, 2020. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210107212724/https://scmo.org/news-releases/perma/1595577600/article/a-new-lectionary-for-scotland.html ↩

  21. "New Zealand helps with new lectionary project". www.cathnews.co.nz. 2021-05-10. Retrieved 2021-11-03. https://cathnews.co.nz/2021/05/10/new-zealand-catholic-lectionary/ ↩

  22. Swan, Michael (September 5, 2007). "NRSV Bible gets Vatican recognition". The Catholic Register. https://www.catholicregister.org/home/international/item/9802-nrsv-bible-gets-vatican-recognition ↩

  23. Fitzgerald, Tikhon. "Bishop's Pastoral Letter on the New Revised Standard Version". Retrieved 2007-04-22. http://www.holy-trinity.org/liturgics/tikhon.nrsv.html ↩

  24. The Go-Anywhere Thinline Bible Catholic Edition New Revised Standard Version. HarperOne. 2011. p. ix. ISBN 978-0062048363. ...and an edition of the Old and New Testaments with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books placed between the two Testaments. The text of the latter edition received the Imprimatur (official approbation) of the United States and Canadian Catholic Bishops. 978-0062048363 ↩

  25. "Revised lectionary approved for Canada". Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. August 24, 2007. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150923201255/http://www.cccb.ca/site/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2510&Itemid=1062&lang=eng ↩

  26. Altemose, Charlene (1994). What You Should Know about the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Liguori Publications. p. 37. ISBN 9780892436477. The Revised Standard Version (RSV) and The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) are the editions of the Bible used in the Catechism. 9780892436477 ↩

  27. "SBL to Provide a Review and Update to the New Revised Standard Version" (PDF). SBL Society Report. 2017. p. 7. https://www.sbl-site.org/assets/pdfs/SocietyReport2017.pdf ↩

  28. "Following the Trial of Breadcrumbs for the upcoming NRSV Revision". Catholic Bible Talk. 2019. http://catholicbibletalk.com/2019/06/following-the-trail-of-breadcrumbs-for-the-upcoming-nrsv-revision/ ↩

  29. "NRSV Updated Edition". Friendship Press. https://friendshippress.org/nrsv-updated-edition/ ↩

  30. "NCC has Applied for Imprimatur on NRSVue". Catholic Bible Talk. 2024-07-27.[better source needed] https://catholicbibletalk.com/2024/07/ncc-has-applied-for-imprimatur-on-nrsvue/ ↩

  31. "New Revised Standard w/ Apocrypha (NRSA)". Bible Study Tools. Retrieved 30 May 2022. https://www.biblestudytools.com/nrsa/ ↩

  32. "New Revised Standard Version - Home". Marketing Pages. Retrieved 2019-12-07. Standing in this tradition, the NRSV is available in three ecumenical formats: a standard edition with or without the Apocrypha, a Roman Catholic Edition, which has the so-called "Apocryphal" or "Deuterocanonical" books in the Roman Catholic canonical order, and The Common Bible, which includes all books that belong to the Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox canons. https://www.zondervan.com/p/nrsv-2/ ↩

  33. "New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition". Archived from the original on 2021-07-26. Retrieved 2021-07-26. Standing in this tradition, the NRSV is available in three ecumenical formats: a standard edition with or without the Apocrypha, a Roman Catholic Edition, which has the so-called "Apocryphal" or "Deuterocanonical" books in the Roman Catholic canonical order, and The Common Bible, which includes all books that belong to the Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox canons. https://classic.biblegateway.com/versions/New-Revised-Standard-Version-Catholic-Edition-NRSVCE-Bible/ ↩