Are modern Bible translations always better? A Catholic linguist praises St. Jerome’s Vulgate

[Michie]

Most people know that St. Jerome — whose feast day the Catholic Church celebrates on Sept. 30 — is famous for translating the entire Bible into Latin in the fourth century A.D., creating a widely read edition later known as the Vulgate.

But fewer people probably realize how groundbreaking — and how enduring — Jerome’s work truly is. The Vulgate became the predominantly used Bible of the Middle Ages and has endured to this day as a translation that at least one prominent linguist considers one of the very best available.

“I don’t know any other translation, either ancient or modern, so good as the Vulgate,” Christophe Rico, a Catholic linguist living and working in Jerusalem, told CNA.

Continued below.

A Catholic linguist praises St. Jerome’s Vulgate

The Vulgate became the predominantly used Bible of the Middle Ages and has endured to this day.

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[Sword of the Lord]

I would suggest everyone who speaks English to learn to understand KJV and DRB style English and call it a day. So many people want to the newest translations, but they're very often missing parts, translated in a way they weren't previously, and made gender neutral along with other modern day woke changes. Get old bibles and hoard them like a scared treasure.

 

[RileyG]

I would suggest everyone who speaks English to learn to understand KJV and DRB style English and call it a day. So many people want to the newest translations, but they're very often missing parts, translated in a way they weren't previously, and made gender neutral along with other modern day woke changes. Get old bibles and hoard them like a scared treasure.

I have the DRB Bible. Wonder if I should order a KJV Bible or not?

I mostly use my Jerusalem Bible for devotional and personal study.