JUDAICA - Wisdom In Torah

and especially La Sainte Bible de Jérusalem (43 vols., 1948–52;
in 1 vol., 1956). These modern Catholic translations nevertheless
still remained hampered by notes and directions as to
“what must be understood from the text.”
Despite their wish to preserve textual accuracy, French
Protestants were not content with Olivétan’s ponderous style
and accordingly produced various revisions, the most widely
distributed of which were those of D. Martin (Amsterdam,
1707), and J.F. Ostervald (Amsterdam, 1747), and the French
Geneva Bible (1802–05); perhaps the most successful was the
version of Louis Segond and H. Oltramar (2 vols., 1874). The
Segond version has been continually revised (1910, with a thorough
revision in 1975 and La nouvelle Bible Segond in 2000).
French Protestants generally use the officially approved Version
synodale (1910), although the Bible du Centenaire (by Société
Biblique de Paris, 1916–47; 1950) is considered to be the
finest text produced by the Reformed Church. Some Protestants
still treasure the Olivétan translation as revised by J.F.
Ostervald (1663–1747) (recent revision 1996).
The 19th century also saw the appearance of critical Bible
editions, notably that of E. Reuss (11 vols., 1874–81), whose
substantial annotations display with unerring, though by
now, dated erudition the whole historical and philological
background of the biblical text. Two other critical editions
are those of P. Giguet (1872), based on the Septuagint, and the
more recent, penetrating, and lucid version of E. Dhorme (2
vols., 1956–59).
Modern French Jewish translations only appeared toward
the end of the 18th century, and these were followed by the biblical
passages and books (Psalms, Job, Five Scrolls) which Mardochée
Venture included in his siddur (4 vols., Nice, 1772–83).
In the 19th century, Samuel Cahen published La Bible, traduction
nouvelle (7 vols., 1831–51), a remarkable achievement of its
kind, in which he secured the collaboration of other modern
Jewish commentators. Half a century later this was superseded
by the French rabbinate’s own clear translations of the Bible,
produced under the supervision of Zadoc Kahn (La Bible du
rabbinat français, 2 vols., 1899–1906; 1966). Though without
“claims to great learning,” this was faithful to the masoretic
tradition and to rabbinic interpretation; combining the letter
and the spirit of the Bible in a lucid and stirring style, it succeeded
in “satisfying the reader who wishes for religious and
moral inspiration from the Bible.” Partial translations of the
Bible under Jewish auspices include L. Wogue’s rather constricted
version of the Pentateuch (5 vols., 1860–69), and editions
of Psalms by A. Ben-Baruch Créhange (1858), B. Mossé
(1878), and André Chouraqui (1956).
There has been a good deal of biblical translation into
French in recent years. This activity in many ways mirrors
what has transpired in English, with some attempts that present
the text in “today’s language” (la Bible en français courant,
1982, 1997, and la Bible Parole de vie, 2000, which uses
a 3,500-word vocabulary); renditions under Catholic auspices
(La Bible de Jérusalem, above, and La Bible Pastorale de
Maredsous (1977), done by Belgian monks in collaboration
bible
with French colleagues); and translations that appeal across
denominational lines (Traduction oecumenique de la Bible,
1975). A notable and controversial addition is the “Bayard
Bible” (La Bible Nouvelle Traduction, 2001), cast in modern
French usage, in which each book has been prepared by a biblical
scholar teamed with a writer of note. As a result, there
is no attempt to smooth the overall text into a unified style,
and thus, in the view of the editors, the Bible’s own diversity
is represented. The text is laid out with a minimum of critical
apparatus, heightening poetic effect.
In the more literal sphere, one might mention the 1973
translation of E. Osty, and two works by Jews. The first, by
Andre Chouraqui (1974–77, including the New Testament!),
seeks to bend French toward Hebrew. Thus, for instance,
sefat ha-yam is rendered as levre de la mer, as opposed to a
more conventional and idiomatic bord de mer or ricage. Of
more recent vintage are the translations of the literary critic
Henri Meschonnic (The Five Scrolls, 1970; Jonah, 1981; Psalms,
2001; Genesis, 2002; and Exodus, 2003). He characterizes
his work as an attempt to “rehebraicize the Bible,” using Hebrew
names (including those of books; his Genesis is not
Genese but Au Commencement) and reflecting Hebrew style
(as in such wordplays as tohu va-vohu [vaine et vide]). Meschonnic
is less literal than Chouraqui, who frequently lays
bare Hebrew etymology in French (his Genesis begins En
tete), but both evince an approach and spirit that are akin to
Buber-Rosenzweig.
See also *French Literature.
[Everett Fox (2nd ed.)]
PROVENçAL. In southern France the reformist movements of
the Albigenses (Cathars) and Waldenses (Vaudois) promoted
the translation of the Bible from the 12th century onward. This
partly accounts for the hostile attitude toward vernacular Bibles
displayed by the Church of Rome. Provençal versions of
Psalms and of a portion of Genesis are known from the 14th
century, and a translation of the historical books of the Bible
was made from the French during the 15th century. As part of
the Félibrige movement for the revival of Provençal culture
from the mid-19th century onward, Frédéric Mistral produced
an original translation of Genesis (1906). The Waldenses, who
survived various persecutions to join French Protestantism,
were active from the early 14th century as translators of the
Bible. Their dialect versions cover Proverbs, Song of Songs,
Ecclesiastes, and parts of Genesis and Job. It has been surmised
that there were connections between the translators of the Provençal
and Vaudois biblical books, and between them and the
scholars who prepared the earliest texts in Italian.
German
BEFORE LUTHER. Only a few verses (from Ezra and Nehemiah)
are extant of the Old Testament portion of the Bible
translation by the Gothic bishop Ulfilas (Gothic Wulfila;
311–383). According to old tradition, Ulfilas (who, according
to the Byzantine church historian Socrates (d. c. 450), invented
the Gothic alphabet for the purpose of his translation) wrote
ENCYCLOPAEDIA JUDAICA, Second Edition, Volume 3 629