Robert C. Dentan (1907–1995)

An interesting look at the work of revising the RSV (1952) in order to bring the Bible forward, and staying near the present state of the English language, as of 1989. At times the tone is a little defensive, but it's less boastful than a similar book on the NIV (1978-1984-2011). No real rationale given for the places where gender-inclusive or "non male" wording is deployed. It is basically assumed to be the correct thing. Book carefully notes, and this IS important, they do not ever adjust show more the language when used of God: the NRSV uses Father, Son and Holy Spirit with respect to the Trinity. Overall, enjoyed this and would recommend it. The irony is that 2025 saw the end of life of the NRSV. The National Council of Churches, holding RSV, NSRSV and now the NRSVue copyrights, has pulled the plug (production/publishing) of the NRSV, since they have updated it: NRSVue = NRSV updated edition> show less

The publication of the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) in September 1990 marked yet another milestone in the history of Bible translation. How the NRSV—a new synthesis of scholarly accuracy and expressive power—came to be is the subject of this book.

Written by three members of the translation committee responsible for producing the New Revised Standard Version, this book is addressed to the general public “with the aim of helping the reader of the Bible to understand the main show more principles that guided the work of the Standard Bible Committee.”

Robert Dentan begins by recounting both the historical background and the actual production of the NRSV. Walter Harrelson then discusses how the discoveries of the Dead Sea Scrolls and other manuscript finds have affected Bible translation. Bruce Metzger proceeds to write about some of the many problems facing Bible translators—and about how the NRSV Committee worked together for seventeen years to meet those challenges. Walter Harrelson concludes the book by discussing how masculine-biased language in English distorts the message of the biblical writers, and he details the evolution of the Committee’s inclusive-language policy. Throughout the book the three authors describe the NRSV Committee in its work as seeking to be “as literal as possible, as free as necessary.”

An inside account of how one of the premier Bible translations of our time was produced, The Making of the New Revised Standard Version will interest a wide variety of ministers, scholars, and church members—indeed, all those who are serious students of the Bible.

Top Highlights

“The program was, therefore, this: to update grammatical forms, to eliminate sex-biased vocabulary” (Page 8)

“What finally made this movement irresistible was the decision of the Roman Catholic Church to translate its Latin liturgy into English, and into current English rather than into an artificial liturgical style.” (Page 5)

“fragments of all of the books of the Hebrew Bible except Esther and of many of the Apocrypha” (Page 23)

“use in the Old Testament of the proper name ‘Jehovah,’ instead of ‘the Lord,’ to translate the Tetragrammaton” (Page 2) show less

A survey of the Bible, prepared for use in the Episcopal Church.

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY; CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE; INDEX