Comments on: Intensity of image: Defending the REB

By: ElShaddai Edwards

ElShaddai Edwards — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 02:17:38 +0000

CD- yes, I agree that the NEB is fantastic – the translators actually intended it to be read along with the KJV as a 2nd bible, drawing out different shades of meaning from the original texts. There was no thought to directly replacing the KJV with the NEB, at least for the liturgical use of the church. That constraint seems to have been put aside for the REB, which was tweaked specifically for the cadences of public reading.

By: CD-Host

CD-Host — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 17:39:38 +0000

I’m also one of the “fawners”. For me it is not the language or the NEB / REB but rather Dodd. In the NEB Dodd frequently uses alternative meanings of a phrase and translates those. He freely broke with KJV tradition. Virtually no other translation has broken as aggressively as the NEB while still being as scholarly. Which is why I think the NEB is fantastic 2nd bible, a bible to show what else a passage could mean. The REB by toning down Dodd’s a bit, and prettifying is a good 1st bible version of the NEB. Don’t get me wrong the REB sounds fantastic.

But for easy to read, still good and American: NLTse, TNIV, HCSB, CEV…. we have those. I’m sticking with (for experienced readers):

Formal: Brown & Comfort
Dynamic: REB

By: ElShaddai Edwards

ElShaddai Edwards — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 19:27:43 +0000

Agreed, Peter. I’m glad that the NEB revision team realized that as well.

By: Peter Kirk

Peter Kirk — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 19:11:13 +0000

There is indeed a place for the “arresting effect of unusual words”, but not when those are words, like “effulgence” perhaps, which are simply meaningless to much of the target audience.

By: David Ker

David Ker — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 18:07:38 +0000

You inspired me. I’ve posted a conciliatory response.

By: Lingamish struggles with his inner snob and engages in some potty talk « Lingamish

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 17:49:52 +0000

[...] be able to play the snob and criticize translations like CEV and NLT for their limited vocabulary. ElShaddai Edwards quotes a criticism of the NEB as being written by “dons for dons” and that neatly [...]

By: ElShaddai Edwards

ElShaddai Edwards — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 12:28:09 +0000

There were two “official” books published by members of the respective project teams, which I have:

Roger Coleman, “New Light & Truth: The Making of the Revised English Bible” (ISBN 0521381711)
Geoffrey Hunt, “About the New English Bible” (ISBN 0521079381 or 0191800155 )

0521 is Cambridge; 0191 is Oxford.

In addition, there was a book by A.E. Harvey called “A Companion to the New English Bible: New Testament”, which is “a running commentary on the New Testament and which takes advantage of the papers and discussions of the scholars who made the translation.” I don’t have that one yet.

By: Nathan Stitt

Nathan Stitt — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 11:41:47 +0000

Interesting. How many books do you have about the makings of the REB and NEB translations? I’d be interested in their titles or ISBNs. I look forward to your next post on this as well, fun stuff!