Einheitsübersetzung is a German translation of the Bible for liturgical use in Roman Catholic worship. It is published by the Katholisches Bibelwerk and was compiled from 1962 to 1980 by Catholic theologians with contributions from Evangelical theologians. Collaboration was done on the New Testament and the Psalms. The Evangelical side withdrew support from a project revising the Einheitsübersetzung in 2005.
Beginnings
The compiling of the Einheitsübersetzung is a consequence of the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Vatican II authorized the use of non-Latin languages in the Mass and allowed the local languages into the liturgy. A compilation of new translations of the Bible became urgently needed for the liturgical use in local languages: "the Church by her authority and with maternal concern sees to it that suitable and correct translations are made into different languages"
Name and purpose
The Einheitsübersetzung was supposed to become the uniform Bible of all German-speaking Roman Catholic dioceses. The name "Einheitsübersetzung" reflects this goal. Contrary to a widely spread misunderstanding, the name does not mean that a common translation of the Bible by the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches should be created. Evangelical theologians were indeed involved since the beginning of the work, but a replacement for the Luther Translation of the Bible used by Evangelical churches was never intended. The Einheitsübersetzung is designed for the complete religious life, from religious instruction to worship. Linguistic comprehensibility and poetic style were considered. Linguists and experts in liturgy, catechetics, didactics, educational media, and sacred music worked with the theologians to secure the comprehensive usability. The comprehensive introductions to the individual biblical books which include historical Bible criticism, as well as the numerous explanations of the text, contribute to the understandibility and wide application potential.
Testing and Acceptance
The translation work lasted from 1962 to 1974, after which the translation was tried in practice then reworked from 1975 to 1978. In 1978, the final edition was accepted by the German Bishops' Conference. Since then, the Einheitsübersetzung has proven that it has accomplished its purpose and has become the official text source for religious life in the German-speaking dioceses
Ecumenical Meaning and Revision
Evangelical theologians from the Evangelical Brotherhood of St. Michael, a part of the Berneuchen Movement, worked on the Einheitsübersetzung from the start. They did not yet have an official commission from the Catholic Church. The Evangelical Church in Germany was officially requested to work on the translation of the Psalms and the New Testament. In 1970, the Bishops' Conference and the EKD entered a contract for the joint work on the Einheitsübersetzung, which was a major breakthrough of the ecumenism in Germany. Since 1980, the Einheitsübersetzung has also been approved for use in Evangelical churches and is especially used with the Luther Translation for ecumenical events. In the last few years, the Bishops' Conference has attempted a revision of the translation. The revision was also supposed to be a joint project with the Evangelical church. A conflict between the Roman Catholic church and the Evangelical side arose during the work which resulted in the EKD terminating the 1970 contract in 2005. The conflict arose from disagreements about the Roman Catholic side's push for a heavier emphasis on church traditions than was found in the original text and the consensusdecision making process used up to that point did not hold, after which common ground between the denominations had to be found. After the completion of the revision it had to be submitted for a Papal Approbation, which was also rejected by the EKD. The new edition prefers gender-neutral wording and does not render the name Jahweh. The reactions to the failure of the joint translation were varied. The Catholic side reacted with incomprehension. The chairman of the Bishops' Conference at the time, Karl Lehmann, spoke of a "considerable burden" for the ecumenism and suddenly put the blame on the EKD representatives without clarification. The EKD also regretted the development, but explained that it "made every imaginable effort to avoid the current result" According to information from February 2010, the revision of the New Testament is already complete at this point and the work on the Old Testament was so far along that the conclusion is expected in 2011. When the text is complete it must be approved by various committees in the German-speaking Bishops' Conferences and in the Vatican. The length of the approval process cannot be predicted, which is why no publication date can be planned.
