LANGUAGE VERSIONS
in
VARIOUS OFFICES

- Part II -

At the present time, and for some years   in the recent past, in the United States, at least, there are and have been problems with English translations of texts (the "vernacular") which are used for liturgies.  A major reason for this is that the Conference of Bishops has decided that a single version (of translated liturgical texts) be authorized for use by Catholics in the United States. 

 

We need to look at the American Church prior to the Council, before 1963, or so:
 

At that time, the local Diocesan Bishop could give his imprimatur, or approval to print, to compilers of English translations of the Missal, of offices, prayers, etc.  Many of the "short" breviaries were published during this period under this system.
 

When the liturgy began to include vernacular languages, there were several translated versions of texts available. 

 

Pope Paul VI, in an address to translators on November 10, 1965.  recognized the place of those vernacular translations made before the Council.

"The translations published here and there prior to the promulgation of the Constitution on the Liturgy had as their purpose to assist the faithful's understanding  of the rite celebrated in Latin;  they were aids to people untrained in this ancient language.  The translations now, however, have become part of the rites themselves;  they have become the voice of the Church."

 

With regard to "short" breviaries or "little offices", the Constitution on the Liturgy (CSL) affirmed), in article 98, that those who prayed using "short" breviaries were performing the public prayer of the Church, and many of the texts, of course, were in the vernacular.

 

For example:

  • A Short Breviary, in its 2nd and 3rd editions, and the English edition of the Officium Divinum Parvum used the Olinger  psalms (called the Confraternity, or CCD, version).  

  • The Little Breviary, by Fr. Stallaert, in its English language edition used the version by Msgr. Ronald Knox of England.  

  • The books compiled by the Benedictines of En Calcat, the Book of Hours and the Office of Our Lady,  used, for their English editions, the psalms translated by Mary Perkins Ryan.  And so did William Storey  in his Morning Praise and Evensong.  

  • Various editions of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin used other translations.  

For a few years, at least, to guiding principle  was this:  "They too perform the public prayer of the Church who, in virtue of their constitutions, recite any little office, provided this has been drawn up after the pattern of the divine office and duly approved" (CSL, # 98). 
 

Here are some of the versions which fit under the umbrella of CSL # 98:

 

 
 
CCD - Olinger 1
(1950)
 Ryan 2
(Mary Perkins Ryan, 1955)		 Knox 3 
(from Great Britain)		 CCD 4
(1941)
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; *
Lord, hear my voice
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord, * Lord, hear my voice!
Out of the depths I cry to thee, O Lord; * Master, listen to my voice;
Out of the depths I cry to thee, O Lord, * Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive * to my voice in supplication:
O listen intently, * hear the cry of my supplication.
Let thy ears be attentive * to the voice that calls on thee for pardon. 
Let thy ears become attentive * to the voice of my supplication.
If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, * Lord, who can stand?
If you, O Lord, were mindful of our sins, * Lord, who could endure it?
If thou, O Lord, wilt keep record of our iniquities, * Master who has the strength to bear it?
If thou, O Lord, shouldst keep the memory of offenses, * Lord, who shall stand?
But with you is forgiveness, * that you may be revered
Bur forgiveness is yours, * so that with reverence men may serve you!
Ah, but with thee there is forgiveness; * be thy name ever revered. 
But with thee is forgiveness of sin, * so that thou art served with reverential fear.
I trust in the Lord; * my soul trusts in his word.
I hope in the Lord, * my soul hopes in his word:
I wait for the Lord, * for his word of promise my soul waits;
I hope in the Lord, * my soul hopes in his word;
My soul waits for the Lord * more than sentinels wait for the dawn.
My soul looks to the Lord, * more than watchmen look for daybreak.
Patient my soul waits, * as ever watchman that looked for the day. 
My soul longs for the Lord, * more than watchmen for the dawn.
More than sentinels wait for the dawn, * let Israel wait for the Lord.
 More than watchmen look for daybreak, * let Israel look to the Lord:
Patient as watchman at dawn, * for the Lord Israel waits.
More than watchmen for the dawn, * let Israel long for the Lord,
For with the Lord is kindness and with him is plenteous redemption.
 
For mercy is the Lord's * and abundant redemption:
The Lord with whom there is mercy, * with whom is abundant power to ransom.
Because with the Lord there is mercy, * and with him plentiful redemption: 
And he will redeem Israel * from all their iniquities.
He will redeem Israel * from all his iniquities.
He it is that will ransom Israel * from all his iniquities.
And he shall redeem Israel * from all her iniquities.
1  Eberhard Olinger, OSB, a Benedictine of St. Meinrad's Archabbey, St. Meinrad, Indiana, as a member of the editorial board for the Book of Psalms of the Episcopal Committee of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, which through the members of the Catholic Biblical Association of America, had begun a thorough revision of the Bible, and after the Psalms were based on the new Latin version of Pius XII, the "Novum Psalterium", which appeared in 1945.  This Olinger version is familiar to Americans;  it was popular for many years, and was also used in an official liturgical capacity for various psalmody in the Mass, the office, and other Sacraments.  It was also used for the 1969 interim breviary, The Prayer of Christians.  Eventually this entire version of the Bible became the NAB (New American Bible), which has been revised several times.

2  Mary Perkins Ryan, a Latin scholar and author, widely known and respected in liturgical movement circles, was commissioned to translate the Psalms and Canticles from Pius XII's "Novum Psalterium" (1945).  Fides Publishers published The Psalms in 1955;  the En Calcat monks used her translation in their English language edition Book of Hours (1955) and also The Office of Our Lady (1962).  William Storey also used this translation for his Morning Praise and Evensong (1963).

3  Monsignor Ronald Knox, of England, prepared the "Knox" Bible;  this version of the Psalms is his second translation, and is based on Pius XII's "Novum Psalterium".  For a time, the Knox version of the Psalms was the only version permitted for use in devotional books (such as Missals and "short" breviaries, including the Little Office of the BVM)  in Catholic England.

4 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) translation of 1941.   This Psalter translation was the predecessor to Olinger's version, although it was based on the "Vulgate"  or "Gallican" Latin version of the Psalter.  It was still in use in 1951 for Benziger Brothers'  (4 - volume) The Roman Breviary in English, and based on the Douay-Rheims-Challoner version of the Bible, was a standard translation familiar to many Catholics.

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 Added August 3, 2000