Dear Friends in the South Carolina Synod,
Our SC Synod staff have recently received a few questions regarding the updated edition of the Bible called the NRSVue that people have been hearing about, particularly when they go to use the Sundays and Seasons resource that helps us create Sunday bulletins. We recognize that there is some confusion about why an updated edition was created and what it means for our congregations. We hope the following information, along with a video that we are sharing through the SC Synod website, will be helpful to you in better understanding the transition.
Scholars are constantly working on Biblical translation with the goal of offering translations and updates to make the texts accessible and the most authentic and accurate as possible.
The NRSVue has been compiled from multiple sources. Several links to websites have been provided and we encourage you to explore further.
Background.
The Bible widely used by ELCA congregations and members has most recently been the NRSV (New Revised Standard Version), first published in 1989 by the National Council of Churches (NCC) in collaboration with the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL). The ELCA does not require a particular version be used by congregations, but many have chosen this particular translation in recent years.
Bible translation and updates are constantly being reviewed by Biblical scholars. The NRSV was an update to the Revised Standard Version (RSV), which was an authorized revision of the American Standard Version published in 1901, which was a revision of the King James Version published in 1611.
The review of the NRSV was announced at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL). See the report here: https://www.sbl-site.org/assets/pdfs/SocietyReport2017.pdf. The NRSVue (updated edition) is the result of a three-year process managed by the SBL following an agreement with the copyright-holding NCC (in partnership with Friendship Press).
The goals of the review and update were to 1) incorporate advances in textual criticism, 2) improve the textual notes, and 3) review the style and rendering of the translation. The update was first released in print in 2022 (digitally December 25, 2021). For more information about the update and its process, see https://www.friendshippress.org/pages/about-the-nrsvue.
What this means for ELCA congregations.
The primary version of the Bible used by Sundays and Seasons, the resource most widely used by ELCA congregations for producing worship bulletins, is the NRSV. As a requirement of copyright law and in keeping with NCC and Bible scholarship, the version will be updated to NRSVue in Sundays and Seasons beginning in June 2025.
The contract with the National Council of Churches states that Sundays and Seasons must 1) discontinue selling the NRSV version of text-only Bibles after May 31, 2025, and 2) discontinue offering the NRSV digitally on SundaysandSeasons.com after June 30.
ELCA congregations in the transition time may see inconsistencies between the Bibles in their pews and what is printed in their bulletins. We hope you will keep in mind that congregations are not required to use the NRSVue; however, congregations that choose not to use the NRSVue will need to look to other resources for the texts they wish to print in bulletins because the NRSV will go out of print, and according to copyright law, no publisher may produce this version.
Why use the NRSVue?
The NRSVue is the most closely translated version of the Bible to original texts for English language users, as it is considered to be the most literal and unbiased translation to date.
There is much that scholars have learned, and many new resources (including archaeological findings) have come available since the last version was published. There are approximately 20,000 changes–12,000 of them substantive edits–that have been made by NCC/SBL reviewers and editors. This translation is the most widely used amongst mainline Protestant churches. The NRSVce, which includes the deuterocanonical books, is officially approved for the Catholic Church.
For more information on the NRSVue and the content of the changes please go to:
https://www.christiancentury.org/article/interview/even-better-bible
“An Even Better Bible,” The Christian Century (interview)
“An Evangelical Bible Translation” by Kevin Martin, February 1, 2023
“The NRSVue: A New Translation for Worship & Study” (video)
Lutheran Church of the Resurrection, Cincinnati
https://blog.augsburgfortress.org/nrsvue-bibles-now-available-from-augsburg-fortress-0
Augsburg Fortress blog post “NRSVue Bibles Now Available from Augsburg Fortress!”
In Christ,
+Bishop Ginny Aebischer
Deacon Kimberly Heindl, Assistant to the Bishop
