It seems extraordinary that with the RNJB available and recently published an English-speaking hierarchy should not be making use of it,” he said. “I fear this takes us back some 50 years in biblical scholarship, not to mention the use of language that excludes half the human race. Her concerns were echoed by Fr Nicholas King SJ, a fellow of Campion Hall in Oxford. If they have already signed the contracts and find themselves unable to withdraw, they should at least consider licensing the preparation of a lectionary based on Dom Henry Wansbrough's Revised New Jerusalem Bible translation as well.” The US evangelical Protestant provenance of the ESV translation is also a concern. “They really need to consider more carefully the pastoral impact of continuing to prevent Catholic women from recognising themselves as referred to in the words of Scripture in this way. It makes practical and pastoral good sense for the same translation to be used in Scotland, England and Wales.”īiblical scholars who warned against the adoption of the ESV in England and Wales reacted with disappointment to the news.ĭr Sarah Parvis, Senior Lecturer in Patristics at the University of Edinburgh, said: “It is disappointing to learn that the Bishops of Scotland are licensing a new translation of the lectionary which still does not use inclusive language, more than thirty years after the inclusive New Revised Standard Version became available. In a statement today Bishop Hugh Gilbert, President of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, said: “In reaching a decision about a translation for the Lectionary, the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland itself considered the values they would most expect a Lectionary to embody, for example, accuracy, dignity, facility of proclamation, and accessibility. But proponents of the ESV say its text is more accurate, preferring more literal translation. The Revised version of the New Jerusalem Bible, which was published in 2018, has been widely praised for its inclusive language and up-to-date scholarship. The decision, announced today, follows the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales’ approval of the ESV for use in a new Lectionary, a controversial decision that took place among heated debate about the merits and shortcomings of both translations. The Scottish Bishops have approved the Catholic Edition of the English Standard Version (ESV) for use at Mass in the forthcoming new version of the Lectionary, replacing the Jerusalem Bible, despite concerns and ongoing debate among biblical scholars about its lack of inclusive language.