A LOVE LETTER

In the beginning was love. With the advent of writing came the love letter. SMS and e-mail can never replace the Love Letter. It is the most precious form of communication between the lover and the beloved, when they are separated by time and space.
"In the beginning when God created the heavens... the spirit of God hovered over the waters (Gen 1:1).
"In the beginning was the Word. And the word was with the God, and the Word was God" (Jn 1:1).
Creation was an act of love. Redemption in Jesus was the continuing manifestation of that love. The Bible is the eternal Love Letter that reminds us of God's love through time and space, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

And now St Paul's Publications have exceedingly enhanced the charm, beauty and appeal of that Love Letter, with the publication of the special edition of The New Community Bible (NCB). I first fell in love with the Holy Bible in 1975, reading and reflecting on the potentially beautiful Douay version, that my father loving meditated on every morning. Since then I have read, studied, quoted and meditated on several versions and editions of the Bible, both Catholic and Protestant. But I have falled unabashedly in love with the NCB, released on the Feast of Sts Peter & Paul on 29th June in India. It is quite simply a lobour of love. The recipeint of such a Love Letter cannot but feel elated, even ecstatic.

15 long years in the making, the NCB is perhaps the first English language Bible prepared specifically for India, through the efforts of Indian Biblical scholars (exegetes). Some purists and fundamentalists may baulk at the very suggestion of an "Indian Bible". I would not like to here digress on the composition and evolution of the Bible over the years, and its authentication (canonicity). Suffice it to say that Love is not static. It evolves. So does faith. So does life and our understanding of it. A couple celebrating their golden jubilee would define love and life very differently from passionate honeymooners, though both would be right in their own way. So too, the Love Letter evolves and addresses itself to our changed situations- linguistic, ethnic, social, etc.
So what's so special about the NCB? The easiest part is the physical properties. It is aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Its selective use of ancient Roman calligraphy is brilliant. The rice paper, hardback and gold leafing makes it a collector's choice. But collector's choices are usually found in muesems. That is not where Love Letters should be.

Though I am not easily swayed by emotions, I felt that lots of love went into the making of the NCB, which is why it speaks to the heart of the reader. Some Bibles are cut and dried bare text versions. Others are paraphrases, for easier reading. Yet others are scholarly tomes that are a mine of information for scholars and researchers. The notes and commentaries are scholarly in nature, like dissecting a rat under a microscope, to lay its innards bare. The NCB has an altogether different approach, which I would term pastoral, catechetical and formative.

The format is threefold - the actual TEXT, a box with CROSS REFERENCES, and thirdly a CATECHETICAL COMMENTARY. Very often the commentary is longer that the text; but it's not burdensome, nor a rude intrusion. It is infact a catalyst or a taste enhancer, and is the unique element of the NCB. It is in this area that I see a lot of love's labour. The contributors have gone out of their way to give lucid and meaningful explanations. While being faithful to the everlasting content of God's word, they have also exposed the human elements that went into its making. The NCB is telling us that indeed the Bible is the Voice of God in the Words of Men; and therefore seeks to separate these two elements.

This is evident in the biblical account of creation. Diehard traditionalists and fundamentalists would insist that God created the world in 6 Days and rested on the 7th. The NCB commentary humbly admits that the biblical account of creation is not an attempt at history, geography, geology or physics. It frankly admits that creation, humans included, evolved over billions of years.

Another unique feature of the Indian NCB is the cross references to Hindu scriptures (book, chapter, verse, et al). This is especially poignant in the Genesis account of creation and the great flood. By listing these "uniquely" biblical events with similar ones in other religious scriptures, the NCB is conveying a subtle message. The Genesis (origin) of all mankind and all religions is the same. After the symbolic Diaspora, consequent to the tower of Babel; peoples, languages and religions diverged. There was now emphasis on the uniqueness of each religion - what differentiated it from others. Recent events, notably Vatican II, now talk of religious dialogue, and seeking what is the common factor. From conversion we now talk of convergence - coming together. All religions need to follow this path, lest from a common genesis the end up in a diasporal nemesis!

On a personal level I felt even greater satisfaction seeing familiar names among the contributors to the NCB - stalwarts like Rui de Menezes SJ, Christopher Coelho OFM, George Soares Prabhu SJ, TK John SJ, Subash Anand, and of course Bp Thomas Babre. God bless every one of them.

Even a lover finds warts on the face of his beloved. There are a few areas for improvement that the comilers could consider for future editions. The NCB could do with a concordance of frequently used words, phrases, names and places. Besides the introduction to various books of the Bible, a general introduction on how the Bible evolved, canonicity and inspiration would round off an otherwise excellent effort. The very first illustration showing God as an old man, with long hair and drooping eyes, is incongrous with the modern image of the NCB. It tends to perpetuate stereotypes. My son, to whom I presented the NCB on his graduation, said that God looked like and ogre in the "Lord of the Rings". Oh Lord, what a blunder! The gold lear edging, though attractive, makes the pages stick together in this humid monsoon season.

Having said this I would strongly recommend that all lovers, including Bible lovers, rush to the nearest bookshop or St. Paul's outlet, and pick up their copy of this Love Letter - The New Community Bible. You will find yourself falling in love all over again.

Having said this I would strongly recommend that all lovers, including Bible lovers, rush to the nearest bookshop or St. Paul’s outlet, and pick up their copy of this Love Letter – The New Community Bible. You will find yourself falling in love all over again.