FOCUS ON TH E 1tu1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 BIBLE 111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111n11111111111111111111111111 en Latin vup guages.jerome's work § For a translation of BC,alegendappeared renderGod'swordina "ere compared and the Bible to become a in the so-called Letter pagan language, �ut found identical, word P,,,ted Greek as the .. a, monumental. § By Father John of rtsteas, b) a th } consented - with for word, a sure sign of '",-.:rsal language, at Known as the Vulgate § legend in its own tlme Is a pretty good indJcaCASTELOT famous j ewtsb some exrraordtnary divine guidance. Western (the common edl- § in 1,st tion of its influence. scholar. precautlons. lbeysent The legend explains F.i'Ope, a Latin traru tion), it became the § Such a rranslation "'3S th need for a Greek ccording to this from Jerusalem 72 "h} the translation Is �on was made. It ,.'3S offi ial text of the § made by Jew in the version of their sacred story, King Ptolem) U men, six from each of known generally as Ill a good one. Latin Church. It § third century B remained so to our § books. �nether the Philadelphus, ruler of Israel's 12 tribes, to do the Septuagint, from the Latin word for 70. I •-as a translation of own day, when Pope It seems that Jews work "'3S an official Alexandria, was an the translation. who had lived in The basic legend Its unh rsally recog- •1anslation, based on Pius XII in 19-13 gave § nterprhe or the avid book collector. Alexandria, Egypt, for result of private initla- His libraries .. ere Iarer was embellished nlsed symbol Is VCX, � �ptuagint. Known th impetus to fresh § Latin ver- v e rnacu I ar t r ansla - several generations tive Is hard to say. The world famous, One further.�The 72 "ere t h e R oman nume rat •uhe Old la had lost familiarity translations of the day he realtsed there put into individual for 70. Slo, its nguage was tions from the original with their mother dlfferent books vary in was no copy of th languages. Of the 3SO Old Testa- �barOUS, § cells in a barracks on tongue and had accuracy and Style, sacred books of the the Island of Pharos, ment citations in the I the fourth century, Right no" the § adopted Greek, the suggesrtng several Jewish. iew Testament, 300 l'li<: Damasus com· number of transla- § given whtte parch· the translators. ment and golden ink. are from the language of He asked the Jew lh ptua- Ill ionedS1hranl ianil). u, sav m not th The tertian . u onl on ncounterl th hde of bihhcal f dam ,nlahsm. Others a� are e periencm 11 al r t!h thmr fnen1r.tl lo the H,blc, but also lo R,bl folio\\ hip. Third, fundamentalist: re ml cd m rea,h"8 nd udm1g the Bib The Hibl is God' " rd for nil, n 1u,1 for f.,.. I born By Father Eugene La VERDI ERE taking place, people may feel intimidated about the Bible They wonder where the pomt of balance IS between approaching the Bible ,n an academic way and approaching it Without appreciaT,on for the culture and llmes m which it was wnUen. How do you thmk this tension can be resolved? Are there easy-to-use resources in your community for people who want to know more about the Bible and at the same tune to use rt m the,r prayer hfe 7 Katharine B1rd talks about the action taken to help people Ullhse the Bible better. What IS the program's approach? How does Father Eugene LaVerdiere explain the origin of the term "fundamentalism"? that doing so had changed her life and could change theirs loo. The young woman's way of imiling others lo Bible sludi is mmmonly experienced today. ODO Asked what church he allended. the ,oung \\'Oma.n added that she rndn'I go lo am· church; the Bible alone "asgu,de enough. Port of the appeal of biblical fundamenlallSls is the per<0nal mlerest they tab in people and their problems. Th l have a "spinl of "armlh and fnendli· n " and th v care for olh r membrrs of their group. and conRre11B· lions, e plain I ,\rchbih p John \\hcalon oling lh, I mani Cal ho hes haw "a n· don d their Cathohc f 1th fora R, I chun:h'," hcca ,d nth Cal he Churclt In help pan· lx_'{."1101 more " re The Church "mu, da much more lo I r.h I� O\\U prop elh B,hl and lo make our pan, h 1,r of a , .. arm p t nng fom,I spml". Archbishop Whealon said. Ei<:hl years ago a program known as Daystar was inaugurated. The program lrairu. people In be facililalors of small Scripture sludi groups in parishes. 115 aim is lo keep Catholic,, from bemg "Bible illiterates", sa,d Dr Eleanor Ra • director of the d;ocesan office. --Our concern"� that people rnd nol ha a good background m Scripture." DOD The Ila) lar program materials which contain "good. middleof-lhe-road" biblical scholarship lo educate peopl • \ts Ra added. Th mall groups of 25 meet monlhh ov •r a hm-\ r pt"riod. F h on has three II be mmponenl "11h pra) r u, mg a Scriptun.• rt ding from the da I SOIL 1ne wu hop ho m next and i on uch u to \"urk \\Ith adult th pnnCt· pl nf dull educ !HJn and the n of clul Th,• final part" a lecture lo pm, ,d, , 1n1,,nl on the B,h uses ho,.. Cont page 10 I t'ourth, fundamrntaJ. � uct1, I, encoura peer m11li�tr\. For 111,1 nre, fundam nlal· L,15 u trained tnll Cont page 10 Knowing the Bible Chnst>ans are d1SCOV8r· ,ng the Bible ,n droves. WJIJ185S the expeneoce of a volunt r tutor wrth a aty lrteracy program who dlSOOvered that his student. a man in h,s 20s, wanted to learn to read not to improve tus J()boutlook but so that he could read the Bible WJIJ185S too the populanty of pansh adult education cla on Scnpture or the nse of Scnpture study groups on urnversrty campuses and ,n corporate office buold,ngs No doubt. Btbies are bev,g taken down off the shelves where they had been left to gather dust Vi those who turn to the B, do 90 for rent reasons and ., different ways Some people approach the S.bie as • kind of divinely doc1ated reape book spec,fying pre aseiy rM81Ured ,ngntdten forChnsban IMng Cont page 10 The Record, May 19, 1988 9