El valor pedagógico y la unidad en las actividades eclesiales en castellano, rasgos destacados de la nueva Biblia de la Conferencia Episcopal
The pedagogical value and unity in the ecclesial activities in Spanish, outstanding features of the new Bible of the Episcopal lecture
Gonzalo Aranda, a theologian at the University of Navarra, is one of the 24 experts who have collaborated in the work, presented these days at a congress
The theologian of the University of Navarra Gonzalo Aranda emphasizes that the official version of the Holy Bible of the Spanish Episcopal lecture will allow "unity in all the ecclesial activities that are celebrated in Spanish". Likewise, the expert emphasizes its pedagogical value: "It will be easier to retain in the report and understand the biblical words. In addition, the introductions to each of the books and the notes that accompany the text are authoritative and valuable guidelines for understanding the message of the books.
In this sense, the professor of department of Sacred Scripture comments that with this version, "the lecture Episcopal responds to its mission statement of facilitating to the faithful the contact with the Word of God. It puts in their hands a work with guarantees of fidelity to the original text and of harmony with the faith of the Church".
Gonzalo Aranda is one of the 24 specialists in Sacred Scripture who have worked under the coordination of a Technical committee . Specifically, he has made the first translation of one of the books of the Old Testament plus the corresponding introduction and explanatory notes to facilitate the understanding of the text.
Fidelity to the original text and update
As he points out, the work began 15 years ago: "It was necessary to revise and renew the translation that had been made of the texts read in the liturgy after Vatican II, in the second decade of the sixties. A 1993 document of the Pontifical Biblical Commission on the Interpretation of the Bible in the Church, and the example of the existence of an official Latin version for the whole Church, also played a role.
Gonzalo Aranda emphasizes that two main criteria have been followed for the work site. The first is fidelity to the original text in the translation. "Then, since a good part of the biblical text had already been translated and employee in the liturgy, we tried to respect it as much as possible; it was of great value and was written by excellent biblical scholars. We also had to translate ex novo what was missing, in stylistic coherence with what was already there," he explains.
Along with this, he adds that "a update was required, taking into account both the advances of biblical science in better restoring the primitive text and in understanding it, as well as the current way of speaking - because the language is a living organism - and the numerous observations made by the faithful in these years". For this reason, experts in literature, liturgy and theology, coordinated by the Episcopal Commissions for the Doctrine of the Faith and Liturgy, were involved.
On the occasion of the presentation of its official version of the Bible, the Episcopal lecture has organized in Madrid the congress 'The Sacred Scripture in the Church' on February 7, 8 and 9. Professor Marcelo Merino, from the department of Historical Theology of the University of Navarra, will participate with a lecture entitled 'The Bible in the Holy Fathers of the Church'.
INTERVIEW WITH PROFESSOR GONZALO ARANDA
VIDEO: PROFESSOR MARCELO MERINO'S SPEECH AT CONGRESS OF THE EEC