What the Retreat Said about Bible Translations

by Mission Executives Retreat

The following statement was adopted at the joint retreat for mission executives, October, 1968, sponsored by the Evangelical Foreign Missions Association and the Interdenominational Foreign Mission Association.

The following statement was adopted at the joint retreat for mission executives, October, 1968, sponsored by the Evangelical Foreign Missions Association and the Interdenominational Foreign Mission Association.

Before the beginning of the retreat a committee was appointed to begin work on the question of Bible translations. The committee studied reports from a number of missions relating to problems experienced in regard to Roman Catholics wanting to serve on translation committees overseas.

As the retreat convened the committee added to its material the papers presented on the subject of Catholic ecumenicity The committee also interviewed Dr. Robert Taylor, General Secretary of the American Bible Society, and other speakers on related topics.

During the week the delegates were divided up into area groups where they studied a draft statement from the Committee on Bible Translation. It was discussed in light of special areas problems, and recommended changes were sent back to the committee.

The final statement was discussed in a plenary session on the closing day of the retreat, and after revisions from the floor, was accepted by the retreat.-Eds.

The Mission Executives Retreat at Winona Lake, September 30 to October 4, 1968, was charged by the Interdenominational Foreign Mission Association and the Evangelical Foreign Missions Association with the responsibility of giving some guidance to missionaries in their response to increasing overtures for cooperative endeavors in various enterprises that involve association with the Roman Catholic Church.

This document restricts its efforts for this time to an analysis of the potentials and problems involved in participation on interfaith common Bible translation projects. The consideration of other areas for or against possible cooperation or association is such a complex and important matter that it should be the continuing concern of both the IFMA and EFMA.

One of the guiding principle’s of the American Bible Society in the more than 150 years of its existence has been to provide Bible translations for the use of all the denominations in every geographical area. Consonant with this principle attempts were made long ago by the American Bible Society to furnish acceptable Bible translations for Roman Catholics. These efforts were rebuffed-an attitude that generally prevailed until Vatican II. Of the most ‘significant among the documents of this notable church council was the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation. Chapter 6, "Sacred Scripture in the Life of the Church," paragraph 22, reads in part:

But since the word of God should be available at all times, the church with material concern sees to it that suitable and correct translations are made into different languages, especially from the original texts of the sacred books. And, if given the opportunity and the approval of Church authority these translations are produced in cooperation with the separated brethren as well, all Christians will be able to use them.

This official Roman Catholic document together with the United Bible Societies’ consultation at Driebergen, Holland, in June 1964, and a consultation between United Bible Societies’ representatives and staff members of the Vatican Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity on January 5, 1967 set the stage and gave the impetus to the great proliferation of joint translation projects now under way around the world.

On June 1, 1968 the United Bible Societies and the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity jointly issued a small booklet entitled "Guiding Principles for Interconfessional Cooperation in Translating the Bible." This document and its interpretation by personal conferences with Dr. Robert Taylor, General Secretary of the American Bible Society, and by Walter Abbott, S. J. in his article "The Shape of the Common Bible," published June 2, 1968 are the objective bases for our evaluation of this cooperative endeavor.

I. The following matters of vital interest to all evangelicals are obtained from the above mentioned sources.

1. A common text of the Greek New Testament and Hebrew Old Testament has been agreed upon. The New Testament text has been prepared by a committee of Protestant scholars appointed by the United Bible Societies. Future editions will be made by a committee including one or more Roman Catholic scholars. The Massoretic text edited by Kittel will be used for the Old Testament translation.

HOW IT ALL STARTED
Pope Paul VI’s directive of November, 1966, that the Secretariat for Christian Unity should cooperate with Protestant Bible groups in the production and distribution of common translations of the Scriptures was warmly welcomed by Dr. Visser ‘t Hooft the then general secretary of the World Council of Churches. In the statement issued on this directive he said: "During recent years mach progress has already been ae in this field. In several countries9 work on common translations is already in progress and agreements have been made for the coon use of existing translations. The joint working group created by the Roman Catholic Church an the World Council of Churches has encouraged these developments and also stressed the rent contribution a common Bible would make to ecumenical dialogue.

Dr. Olivier Beguin, general secretary of the United Bible Societies, commented: "Since the Bible Societies are responsible for nearly 95 percent of all Scriptures circulated in Asia Africa and Latin America this new development is likely to have direct repercussions on the work. The Bible Societies have already received enquiries from Roman Catholic sources regarding the possibility of using their Bible texts and already in some areas Roman Catholics are co-operating in translation projects with members of other Churches under the auspices of the local Bible Society."

In January 1967 informal conversations took place in Rome between Bible Society exparts and members of the staff of the Vatican’s Christian Unity Secretariat. Common recommendations were made on procedures for joint projects, where local churches asked for the and reports were men of experiments in various countries, particularly French-speaking Europe. It was noted "with satisfaction" that practical steps could soon be proposed to imlement a suggestion made in 1964 that biblical scholars regardless of Confessions, should cooperate in the preparation of agreed teas of the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament.

The late Cardinal Bea, then head of the Vatican’s Christian Unity Secretariat, said to the group: "It does not seem an exaggeration to say that the possibility of our cooperation is one of the most important developments in contemporary Christian history."–Frontier, Spring, 1967

2. Agreement on mutually acceptable commentaries and principles of exegesis and translation will provide an adequate base for a reliable translation. Members of the Working and Review Committees are nominated by the participating groups and appointed by the Bible Society after investigation of their competency. Bible Society resource personnel will also act as technical "referees" to objectively solve differences of opinion.

3. The common Bible translations will not have any more or differing types of notes than would be found in Bible translations currently published by the Bible Societies-explanatory notes only and not interpretive.

4. The deutero-canonical books (Apocrypha) will not be included in every edition of the common Bible. They will be available in some editions but in this case they will appear in a separate section between the Testaments.

5. Common Bible translations normally will be published with the imprint of the Bible Society on the title page and, when required, the imprimatur of the appropriate Roman Catholic ecclesiastical authority on the back of the title page.

6. All local translation committees are expected to formulate their own detailed translation procedure’s within the general framework of these guiding principles.

7. Not every future translation of the Bible will be a joint undertaking.

II. We see the following possible advantages for evangelical cooperation in joint Bible translations.

1. Common Bible translations usually result in the economy of funds and personnel. Particularly is this factor significant for the hundreds of languages in Africa and Asia.

2. Such a project makes available scholarly help from competent Roman Catholic personnel in many areas of the world.

3. Evangelicals can make their own viewpoint best understood by a cooperative spirit during the translation rather than a critical one after its completion.

4. Such cooperation demonstrates the evangelicals’ concern to reach four to five hundred million more people with the message of God’s truth.

5. Mutually acceptable Bible facilitates evangelism of Roman Catholics.

III. We also recognize possible dangers inherent in such joint projects. They are:

1. Where is the implied or expressed hope that such collaboration will ultimately lead to the union of Protestant and

Roman Catholic churches. This hope has been expressed by ecumenical leaders, officials of Bible Societies, regional representatives, and is even evident in the very name of the Vatican agency charged with working with the United Bible Societies on the common Bible-Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unify.

2. Many evangelical churches around the world will interpret such cooperation as involving unity with the Roman Catholic church and thus implying that Roman Catholics are no longer objects for evangelism.

3. Roman Catholics may well think that our participation with their translation scholars in ‘such projects gives tacit approval to their ecclesiastical system and doctrine. This would further reinforce their tendency to resist the need for a change of religious affiliation upon conversion.

4. The feeling by many evangelicals that it is an association unwarranted by Scripture.

5. Such association with Roman Catholics by some evangelicals and not by others may create dissension and division.

IV. Careful consideration was given to alternatives open to evangelicals who may not feel able to participate directly in cooperative translation projects.

1. The formation of a new Bible Society to publish translations prepared by evangelicals. The viability of this option might be brought into question by such factors as more important priorities, every increasing expenses, duplication of effort, and lack of enough competent scholars, danger of biased translations, etc.

2. The establishment of ad hoc local translation committees for production of privately-financed translations in various parts of the world.

3. The translation under Bible Society auspices where evangelicals, being in the majority, refuse to cooperate with Roman Catholics.

4. Non-cooperation in joint translation efforts but the use of interconfessional translations after they have been produced.

5. The use of older Bible Society translations which antedate the joint translation efforts. This is difficult because some are not adequate and supplies are limited.

6. The participation actively on the Review Committee level (where invited) and not on the Working Committee.1

V. Recommendations: We recommend that we, churches and missions:

1. Withhold formal participation in Bible translation projects involving association with Roman Catholics.

2. Advise evangelical translators who are invited to be or are involved in translation or revision committees to indicate to the Bible Society or others concerned that they are serving as individuals, not as representatives of their church or mission.

3. Form an IFMA-EFMA committee to discuss with Bible Societies’ officials the following matters: (a) The use of texts prepared by evangelicals. (b) Bible Society publication of translations by evangelicals. (c) Statements and activities of their overseas representatives which promote ecumenical interests. (d) Bible Society attitude toward large national churches that oppose the use of joint translations. (e) Official Bible Society interpretation of ambiguous statements in "Guiding Principles for Interconfessional Cooperation in Translating the Bible." (f) Structures that would permit evangelicals to cooperate informally in joint translation projects. (g) The possibility of providing a Protestant edition without an imprimatur.

4. Each mission inform the national churches in association with them of all the problems and benefits involved in the Bible Society policies regarding joint translation committees and joint versions and urge them to express themselves formally to the Bible Society.

5. Send to overseas workers the statement made by Dr. Robert Taylor at the IFMA-EFMA conference, plus the "Guiding Principles for Interconfessional Cooperation in Translating the Bible."

Despite these recommendations we affirm the freedom of all our member institutions to respond negatively or positively to these overtures as led by the Holy Spirit, and we recommend that missionaries participate on joint translation committees only:

1. Where local representatives of Bible Societies have consulted informally with evangelical leaders before a public invitation to participate on a joint translation committee.

2. After fully sharing with the national church those materials that would help them to appreciate and react to the reasons for and against such participation and where, at least, a modicum of mutual understanding and trust has been attained with them. In many areas around the world the decision to cooperate or not cooperate will be made entirely by the national church. Already vigorous dissent has been registered by one national church.

3. After fully sharing all relevant facts with the homeland constituencies in the sending countries of all participating evangelical mission societies.

4. When the principles and spirit of the "Guideline Principles of Interconfessional Cooperation in Translating the Bible" are agreeably adhered to and when the local implications o� these principles have been clearly enunciated.

5. After securing from the Bible Society assurances that their local representatives adhere to their central task of translation, publication and distribution of the Scriptures and refrain from promoting ecumenical interests.

We also wholeheartedly reaffirm the Wheaton Declaration of 1966 in its section on Neo-Romanism as our continuing concern axed conviction:

THE UNDERLYING ISSUES
Some remarkable changes have taken place within the Roman Catholic Church that have introduced a new climate in its relations with Protestantism, Orthodoxy, Judaism, and the secular world. Differences that were once clearly etched have now become blurred. In this revolutionary age, churchmen increasingly call for Catholic and Protestant renewal in order to solve cooperatively the human problems of our era.

Vatican II has accelerated this desire for renewal. New emphases on biblical research have created formidable problems for Romans Catholic leaders.

Catholic Church authorities have never been so vocal in calling for an intensification of worldwide missionary activity. Many of their theologians display great interest in speculative universalism and existentialism. They also consider Protestants as "separated brethren" and desire friendly relations with them. And yet, whereas Roman Catholic practices may change, they say their dogmas are unchangeable. According to the Roman Catholic view, reunion of the churches must be on papal terms.

Though the Roman Catholic Church has a high view of Scripture, tradition continues to have a determinative authority. Its reform of the Mass is only a reform of the liturgy of the Mass. It has not abandoned any of its unbiblical dogmas concerning Mary, papal infallibility, etc.

WITNESS OF THE SCRIPTURES
The Word of God pronounces its own judgment the sacerdotalism and sacramentalism of the Roman Catholic Church. The Scriptures teach:

-‘The Bible as the infallible revelation from God (sola sciptura) (2 Timothy 3:15-17).

-There is "one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus" (I Timothy 2:5).

-The finished work of Christ with no re-presentation of that sacrifice (Hebrews 10:14).

-Justification by faith alone apart from works (sofa fide) (Romans 1:17; 3:20-26).

-The universal priesthood oal believers (I Peter 2:5, 9; Hebrews 10:19-2 .

-Mary herself needed a Savior (Luke 1:46-45).

-In the celebration of the Lord’s supper the elements remain, in form and essence bread and wine I Corinthians 11:2 with ( I Corinthians 10:17 .

-Jesus Christ is the only Head of the Body which is His Church (Ephesians 1:20-23).

WE THEREFORE DECLARE
THAT we rejoice in the wider use of the Scriptures among Roman Catholics.

THAT we shall pray that all those who study the Scripptures may be led by the Holy Spirit to saving faith in Christ.

THAT we shall urge evangelicals to seize today’s unique opportunities for witness among Roman Catholics.

THAT we recognize the danger of regarding the Roman Catholic Church as "our great sister Church," even as we reaffirm the abiding validity of the scriptural principles of the Reformers, that salvation is through faith in Christ alone and that the Bible is the only rule of faith and practice.

End Notes
1. Missionaries will probably not be asked to serve on the Working Committee of major language revisions. They will not be able to avoid the Working Committee where personnel is limited. Participation on the Review Committee may achieve many of the advantages of a joint project and avoid most of the pitfalls.

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