Today I discovered The 1997 Vatican Norms for Translation of Biblical Texts, a series of six statements prepared by then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) and meant to help American bishops approach inclusive language in the lectionary.

Of particular interest is the third point, which reads,

“The translation of Scripture should faithfully reflect the Word of God in the original human languages. It must be listened to in its time-conditioned, at times even inelegant, mode of human expression without “correction” or “improvement” in service of modern sensitivities.”

Very much an approach that seeks to bring the reader to the text rather than the text to the reader, flowing from the preceding point,

The first principle with respect to biblical texts is that of fidelity, maximum possible fidelity to the words of the text.

Here’s a question: what presuppositions lie behind prescribing “maximum possible fidelity to the words of the text” if it is “at times even inelegant”?